Need a T61 by August... a few questions.

I'm going to need a laptop for college by August, and I'm really thinking the T61 is the way I want to go. I just had a few questions before I order, though.


Is the T61 available with Bluetooth? I don't see an option for it anywhere.

Is there going to be a new video option anytime soon? I hear the NVidia is relatively dated. I'm not going to be doing major gaming, but I'd like the ability to run Half Life 2, if possible.

Which WLAN card is best, the Intel or the IBM? I want the N capability, I was just wondering which is currently the best.

I don't want any battery protrusions, but I know the 4-cell is painfully inadequate, particularly with dedicated graphics. Is the Ultrabay battery a solid option?

And, how soon should I order it if I need it by mid-August? I was thinking there might be some good sales around the 4th of July, so I think that might be a solid time to order. Is this correct?


Thanks!

 

The nVidia card is not 'dated'! It is based on the brand new 3 weeks old 8400M chip. And it can run HL2 with no problems.

For Wifi I would go Intel. I think most routers will be compatible the Intel draft N.

Ultrabay battery is a very good option it just needs to be swapped with the DVD drive and can be done when the laptop is turned on. It makes the laptop a bit heavier but still easy enough to carry.

If you need it mid August I would order mid July latest.

 

Yes I ordered one with Bluetooth on Sunday. I don't know if there will be a new video option anytime soon or not. There will probably be a more expensive T61p soon that will have a higher-end graphics card. Either the Intel or IBM wireless card should be fine for you. The IBM wireless cards use the Atheros chipset. I wouldn't bother with Wireless N. Wireless is not ratified yet and people that are all running out to get Wireless N tech are likely going to be in for a shock when it is ratified if their wireless hardware no longer works with the new 802.11n stuff. Also, 802.11n performs nowhere near it's advertises spec in it's current release. The tests I've seen set it at actually being slower than 802.11g. IMO, don't bother. The UltraBay battery option should be available for the T61 but I would just get the 6 or 7 cell battery. It only sticks out a little ways and it's not that bad. You're probably not going to get a better sale for the T61 than what's going on right now for memorial day weekend. If you want one then find the discounts on the hot deal forums and order. People are already getting ETA for shipment that are way down the road now.

 

The summer sale will be as good or better, with perhaps better selection for T61. This is NOT the last sale, lol.

But you're right that timing can be an issue, depending on what options you configure.

 

i also agree that you might be better off getting it now. i need my laptop by mid-august as well and just ordered a T61 a few days ago. it only ships on June 11...so I should get it by the 18th maybe.

i used all the deals--memorial day, fat wallet, amex tailor made, and IBM EPP. i doubt that the 4th of july sale will be as good (when combined with the deals you have now)--at least you won't have some of these other deals. plus i suspect that a lot of people will be jumping on the july 4th deal for school and stuff, so it might take you a month to get the laptop.

 

Yes, Bluetooth is standard. Don't change anything and you'll get it.

The nVidia card is not dated, but it's also not the best card for gaming. It's designed more for 3D graphics from what I understand.

As for Intel vs. IBM WLAN, I personally chose the Intel because I've had an Intel WLAN adapter on my last three laptops and it's been rock solid. Seems like many people prefer the IBM card and think that it's nuts to choose Intel. Tomato, Tomahto.

As for wireless n, I would definitely get it. You'll get much better range with n, and any existing hardware will almost certainly be compatible with the final standard. It's inches away.

 

Thanks for the info, but I have a few more questions..

Does anyone have any idea when that summer discount might be, and what are those "fat wallet" and "tailor made" discounts?

Thanks.

 

Yea, I was gonna get the N regardless.

 

Question: I was thinking of ordering a thinkpad now, taking advantage of the current sales. I assume I won't get it until mid-June, however. At that point, I'd have 21 days to return it at no cost, giving me time to see what the 4th of July sale looks like, correct? If the deals are dramatically better, I could return and re-order. The upside of the plan being that if the July deal isn't that great, I'd have the laptop quite a bit sooner than if I waited. (All things equal, I'd prefer to have the computer sooner, but I can wait if savings are dramatic.) Any reason that wouldn't work (aside from lost shipping costs)?

Thanks!

 

Another question, just wondering, would it be worth it to wait for the T61p? Or will the T61p only be a 15.4" configuration?

EDIT: In addition, here's my present configuration.

ThinkPad T61 with nVIDIA Graphics - 1 Year Depot Warranty
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
System graphics: nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
Total memory: 1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM) 1
This will be later upgraded to 2GB through Newegg.
Hard drive: 160GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Intel® Turbo Memory hard drive cache: Intel Turbo Memory 1GB
Optical device: CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim 1
System expansion slots: PC Card Slot & Media Card Slot
Wireless card: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Battery: 4 cell Li-Ion Battery
Accessories and options:
ThinkPad Advanced Ultrabay Battery

Comes to a total of $1,321.77* through EPP. Any thoughts?

 

doesnt lenovo charge a restocking fee if you return your laptop? if they do, it basically wipes out any savings you'd get if you tried to order another laptop.

 

Fat wallet is a referral site. they have deal listings there and if you register with them, you can get discounts with tons of stores. if you click the lenovo link on their site and buy a laptop, you get 3.5% cash back in like 3 months.

to use the tailor made discount, you need to have an american express card--like the blue card, and register with the tailor made program. you just buy the laptop with your american express card. depending on how much you spend, you can get a discount from 5 to 10%. i think the current deal expires on June 30th.

 

They'll waive it as long as you get 15% worth in upgrades.

 

Cool. Thanks for the help.

Anyone else have any opinions as to whether I should pull the trigger now, or wait for the sale on the 4th? Is anything else significant slated to come out between now and then?

 

It's probable that the sale that exists now will also exist on July 4th, if not even in a better form. However, I pulled the trigger now because the EPP deal which probably won't be around in July combines with the Memorial Day sale to make an offer too good to pass up.

 

Gah, just as soon as I was set on a T61...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1995539#post1995539

...the XPS M1210 gets an update. Ooo boy I hope this doesn't complicate matters too much. Is the T61 portable enough for daily transportation to and from classes?

 

I would wait until a better sale comes up, they just had the same prices they have right now a week or two ago.

I remember someone saying its going to be a slow season for laptop sales so they might entice customers a bit more this year.

Also, the only problem I would think with waiting is ram prices might climb when it gets close to the back-to-school season. But I bet it'll be worth the wait.

 

This is kind of what I was thinking anyway... by then, I'll also be able to evaluate the new XPS M1210, see if that's more apt to what I need.


Man, I love Thinkpads though..

 

I would just do it now. I'm in the same situation as you (going to college n August) and will most likely be needing a laptop. As soon as I make my decision (laptop or not) I am ordering the T61 asap. This way I will have some time to play around with it before I go off to school.

For the tailor made discount, do you have to do anything special on he website as far as ordering goes or do you just pay with your amex and get the discount?

 

I'd like to know this as well...

 

Just pay with AMEX to get the discount. Make sure you're signed up for the Tailmade program first though. Google around for its website, I forgot what it was.

 

Does anyone else have any idea if the summer sale will be as good as the current one, assuming the current one is even a sale..?

Traditionally, have they been as good?