Need a few tips buing a t61

Hi
I'm a student of computer science and i do a lot of programing and stuff... was thinking of running ubuntu with xp on a virtual machine. For that i was going to buy extra 4 gigs of memory just in case... I need windows for flash cs3, photoshop, and a game or 2. Nothing too heavy.
I was thinking of buying a new t61 with these components:

T9300 processor - still wondering if the 75$ upgrade is worth it (from 8300). any thoughts?

Vista home basic - won't need it

15.4 wsxga+ monitor - i like big resolutions. but i don't know about the quality of wsxga+ monitors lenovo ships. What do you think?

NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB) graphics card. won't need much graphics card power but I'd rather go with this then the integrated solution.

1 gig of ram - will upgrade later to 4. my question is: does t61 support 4 gigs of ram? i believe it does, but just to make sure

160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm - I'm expecting performance boost with 7200rpm hard disk

no turbo memory

DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim

Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG

Integrated Bluetooth PAN - for my cell phone

6 cell battery

price: $ 1,075.95 with 10% off coupon i found on this site.

i'm also wondering how long the shipping usually takes when ordering from lenovo. it's very important i get it before 30.4

thanks for any help

 

My experience:

Ordered CTO: 2/20/2008 at 11PM
Lenovo estimated ship date: End of March
Shipped: 2/23/2008
UPS estimated delivery date: 2/29/2008
Received: 2/28/2008 at 2PM

T61p 14.1"
2.4 GHz 3MB L2
1x1GB RAM
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
80GB HDD
8X DVD Burner
PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot
Intel AGN
9 Cell Li-Ion Battery
Vista Basic

It was held by Brokerage beyond UPS' control on the 2/27/2008 and was released either the same day or next day and it was on its way. I chose the free shipping (5-7 days).

I read that other people have experience the same turn-around time except for those in Canada.

I was curious though... what kind of games were you thinking about playing on a virtual machine with Windows on it because if I remember correctly I don't think you will get the graphics performance you need through virtual machine in order for the game to run well if at all.

And yes it should support 4GB. My t61p has 2x2GB sticks in it.

 

You can dual boot linux and xp.

 

There is a great coupon in the coupon section of the forum.

 

i have that now, but I don't like rebooting every time i want to work with flash or something...

yeah, I've used it. 10% off

Yeah lol, i totally forgot about that... but i would just play PES or something like that.

thanks for the replies
what do you think about t9300? difference between 9300 and 8300? i heard there were some differences in battery life... any thoughts?

 

Sounds like a good setup to me. The screen that I have on my T61p 15.4" is pretty nice. My only complaint is that it can seem a little dim sometimes.
Tim

 

I guess you could give Wine a shot too if VM doesn't work out well. As for processor, if you can afford it (plus RAM is easier to install and upgrade) go with the higher one, but 8300 isn't too shabby for price/performance. I've got the 8300 and am happy with it.

 

I would only advice picking up the 140M dedicated gfx if you plan on doing 3D work. Well, Vista do use 3D for its user interface via Aero but the integrated gfx should suffice. Also note that there is no VM available that does 3D acceleration decently at the moment (some do a bit of direct3D but it's far from native performances). So for the VM case again, the integrated gfx will do as fine.

Why would one want not to pick the 140M considering the small price difference? Huge battery life improvement. If you are a student and what to take your laptop on the move during courses, the battery life is the most important factor IMO.

Go for a T7xxx or better. Ideally a T8xx and up as these are 45nm technology that heat less and again saves extra minutes of battery life.

Pick an HDD of at least 160 Gigs... preferably 250 GB.

 

Based on what you want IMO your needs would be met very well with a R series notebook. Probably for less money.

IMO the T9300 is worth the cost, granted you want a powerful notebook.


I you want decent graphics but don't care for great graphics the T61p 14.1 " would be a good choice for you too.

 

I think the T9300 gives a noticeable boost over the T8300. I've had machines with both and there's not much I can do to make the T9300 go to 100% but I was able to make the T8300 to to 100% fairly easily. I'd upgrade if it's less than $100 and your budget allows for it. With programming and Flash faster processor means less time waiting for stuff to be compiled.

If you are in the US and use a Visa card you can get more discounts by going to www.lenovo.com/shop/deals/visa Make sure to also use the coupon code on the right side of the Visa branded homepage.

I'm in the US and got mine in less than a week after I ordered. It was surprisingly fast for me.

I think the WSXGA+ monitor is pretty nice. I've seen better but I think it's good enough. I'd rate it as average.

 

The T61p is totally overkill from what the OP stated. He wants decent graphics but no real game playing or 3D. Even a 140M is overkill... so advising on a T61p with a 540M is even worse. The T61p battery life is not as good as the T61 as well. The T61p is only for those who need the largest 3D performances for games or 3D work apps.

Stick with integrated X3100 graphics for better portability (longer battery life). The differences are major.. over 1 or 2 hours depending on cases.

The T9300 is worth it indeed. If you have a much greater deal with an R61, then go for it. In my case, there was a great discount on the T series that made it the same price as an R model... I obviously went with the T61. The main decision factor for T or R is the price, then the size and weight (given in order of importance).

 

Thanks for your help!
I just ordered my laptop.
same configuration as above, only with agn wireless and kensington lock (my last thinkpad was stolen )
i also bought an extra 2 gig ocz ram stick. wanted to buy 2, but i couldn't get 2 rebates.

 

I had X3100 on my last thinkpad, and it was ok, but not great... also, i want the nvidia graphics card because i want to use linux, and nvidia is known to be very compatible. i also might do a dual boot with windows after all for a game or 2.
I'm very happy with the price, so I didn't see any reason to buy something less powerful. Also, this will not be just in case of emergency laptop. this will be something I'll be using all the time, so i wanted something that will last a few years