Mom Needs Help with T61 Purchase

Hello,

Thanks to all the help I received in another thread, my college-bound freshman son and I have decided to get the 15.4" Lenovo T61 with the following specifications based on previous suggestions:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T8300 (2.4GHz 800MHz 3MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
15.4 WSXGA+ TFT
NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M (256MB Open GL)
3 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
9 cell Li-Ion Battery
6459: Express - 1 Yr Depot Warranty
3 Year On Site Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection

But...I have two final questions. A friend suggested that we go with the 250GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400 rpm for more storage and more battery life. What do you think? Also, for my son's needs (WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, Emailing, IMing, Web surfing, iTunes downloading, TV watching, and gaming on City of Villains), are we being foolish to spend the extra $100+ to go with the T61p's better GPU?

Thank you all so much for all your advice. I have to order this machine first thing tomorrow and pray that it arrives within 4 weeks.

 

If you are getting that GPU then there is no point in getting a 5400 RPM hard disk to save battery life. That is akin to eating a 8 course meal and then eating an orange for dessert because you are on a diet.

THe FX 570 (8600 GT core) in its thinkpad iteration is a card meant for workstation applications. It would be prudent to change the drivers on this card to gaming ones.

Is there a reason you did not go with the Fingerprint reader? Also you might be better off purchasing ram seperately and upgrading it yourself, it is quite easy to do and you can save a significant amount of money (at least the amount you spent for the upgraded graphics) by purchasing aftermarket memory.

 

i went with the 7200 for my machine and 5400 for my brothers in a effort to save battery

I regret getting the 5400. I have not gotten an increase in battery life

1) you need to compare watt useage with each drive model. some 7200 use less juice than certain 5400s.

2) transfers times are also key. a slow drive that uses less watts might take more energy to complete an actual task.

also hibernation times are better with the 7200

I have the 7200 in my t61 and use an external drive for added storage

 

Yes, we had been told in the other thread about upgrading the RAM ourselves, but my husband and I just don't feel comfortable doing that no matter how easy. (What can I say - - we're old and nervous.) We just didn't see the need for the fingerprint reader.

If we dropped down to the T61 with the NVidia Quadro MVS 140M (128MB), would the 250GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm make better sense?

Please keep in mind that we are "technically-challenged", so I apologize if my questions seem silly.

 

in my experience, getting the 5400 drive over the 7200 for battery life makes little sense.

If you are picking a 5400 drive over the 7200 because the 5400 model comes in a larger capacity, then it makes more sense.

it comes down to size vs performace (for hard drive). what's more important to you?

 

To tell you the truth, I don't know what's more important to us. We've never had a Notebook computer before and probably anything is going to be faster than our 4 year old Gateway desktop. Is there a big difference in the heat generated and is that important?

 

If I were you I would go with the upgraded GPU, and the 7200.

The reason that there is such a little difference in battery life is that your CPU, GPU, and your Screen are the main components when it comes to battery usage. So, having a lower powered HD will only frustrate you rather than help you.

Just my $0.02...

 

If you need the space then yes, if you are doing it for battery life I am not so sure if there will be a significant reduction in power consumption to justify going with the slower drive. It would make more sense if you got integrated graphics and the 5400 RPM drive. When you add in dedicated graphics (the NVS less so than the FX series cards) you are adding a component that will have a much more profound effect on battery life than the difference between a 5400rpm and 7200rpm hard disk. The difference in battery life at that point is negligible.

Also be advised that some posters have problems with non-modded drivers playing games with the FX 570.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=203263

For the type of activities that your son is doing it might be smarter to get a computer with a more ubiquitous consumer type of dedicated graphics card. It looks like you are under time constraints here so that might not be an option. Anyways I think your original configuration with the 7200 RPM drive is probably your best bet.

 

The heat difference is going to be VERY small. It is definitely nothing to worry about.

Also, IMO I would definitely vie for the 7200 because unless you think you will really use more than 160 GB then I see no use for the 5400 drive.

Hope this helps!

 

Also, what about the GPU and whether or not we are being foolish to go with the one in the T61p versus the T61 given my son's needs?

 

If you know that City of Villains is the most demanding game he will ever play the 140m card is a better choice. If you think at some point in the future he might like to try some more demanding games, the 570m card offers much better performance and makes a better choice.

The fingerprint reader is overrated in my opinion. The battery life difference between a 5400RPM and 7200RPM drives is very small if any. Other factors like screen brightness will probably have a bigger effect on battery life. 5400RPM drives offer more space for less $$$ if that's what he needs and the newer ones offer pretty decent performance. My guess is it won't matter a whole lot one way or the other.

One other thing, some schools require Vista Business or Ultimate. Home Premium cannot log onto a domain controller to gain access to network resources. You might want to see if there's any requirements on the schools end before buying.

 

If you are worried about battery life you could also get him an additional battery or a 3 Cell Ultrabay battery.

Obviously you want this computer to last your son through college, the general rule of thumb is to probably overspec the computer so that it will be able to handle future programs etc. If you do go with the 570m card you are basically trippling the graphics capability of the NVS card plus the 570m card scores close to 20 times higher than integrated graphics on 3dMark06.

 

Thanks for the heads up with regards to Vista and accessing his college network. I've called the school. I'm sorry to be so dense, but I want to do right by my son. He has never had a Notebook, so we really don't know how much he is going to be taking it out and about and how important battery life, etc. is going to be. All the differing opinions are so confusing to me. He has been used to a 160GB 7200rpm in his desktop and has never run out of space. He started out with 512 MB RAM and we had to have another 512MB added by a professional. He has a NVidia Ge Force 5200G GPU and a ViewSonic VG810B 18.1" LCD. We have been too scared and/or stupid to tweak much of anything and it is probably full of "bloatware". So...given that he has been using this for the last 4 years, what specs for the T61 will help him to have the best experience. Can you tell that I am full of "my kid is going off to college anxiety"?

 

Your original config is fine. It looks like even the NVS 140 GPU would make this laptop more powerful, overall, than your current desktop.

I really like my 14.1" screen with NVS 140, but if he is used to a 18.1" screen he might not like going down to a 14.1".

I think you have made very solid choices for a very nice college machine.

 

I wouldn't fret too much if I were you. Whatever you choose with this lineup you will get something nice for your son that will be a better computer than the desktop you have now...

Hope this helps!

 

I just wanted to let everyone know that I finally ordered the T61p for my son this morning. I chose the one with the faster drive. I really appreciate all of your patience with my questions. Since my son will be at a school out in the middle of nowhere, it's comforting to know that there is another place that he will be able to go to for help besides Lenovo Tech Support - - NotebookReview.com.

Both Sales Reps I talked to were very nice and my estimated shipping date is June 24. My only problem was not realizing that the Sales Department closes at 9:00 pm EST, so I had to wait overnight to make a change to my quote.

I am going to ignore the recently posted bad experiences and pray for the best.

 

Don't worry, I am pretty sure you will have a great experience and your son will get a great college laptop.

Oh, and I think you meant July 24th. XD

 

Oops! Yes, the estimated shipping date is July 24.

 

hey, I got a T61p recently... I think you guys will be really happy with it... and to be honest, the arrival date might shock you. they come superfast... if theres someone at home, good chance it'll arrive 2 days after it's shipped!
good luck!