New 15.4" Thinkpads

Why does it seem like the new 15.4" Thinkpads are gimped versions of the 14" models? For instance if you look at this page:

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...-category-id=52A252555D554F338EB4B3178B3B6554

It compares the 14" to 15" R61 you notice that the R61 14" has more options like a top cover roll cage and turbo memory whereas the 15" does not. What gives? That same question also applies to the 15.4" T61 with only integrated graphics and less options than the 14". Why are the 15.4" versions gimped? I would have though they would have MORE options since they're larger. Will we see the same options on the 15" as the 14" in the future?

 

I'm biased against all 15 inchers anyway, because they're too small to be big, but too big to carry around.

Give it some time. No other company is even offering 14-15 inch santa rosa's with the newer quadro GPU's anyway. Whether or not Lenovo legitimately has them is another story...

 

Smaller and lighter laptops are more expensive and aimed to professionals, people on the move, people who are willing to pay the extra $.

 

Well, the ASUS G1S doesn't have a quadro but it does have a GeForce 8600GT which is probably as good or better. Not to mention it has not to mention it has features that we will never see on the T61 15.4" widescreen: eSATA port, HDMI, and built in webcam.

If it wasn't $1930 and never on sale I would get one. Although, I haven't totally scratched it off my list. If Lenovo doesn't come out with a performance T61 15.4" soon, I'll be moving on.

 

There seem to be a lot of people interested in the 15" model still, myself included. Although if you configure a T60 14" and T60 15" you'll notice they're exactly the same price which tells me that it's no more expensive to produce one than the other.

Personally I'm looking for a desktop replacement and 15" suits nicely, it's just too bad (for me) that Lenovo decided to roll out the 14" first.

 

Thinkpads are business class notebooks with higher build quality and durability than consumer class gaming notebooks.

If you want a gaming notebook, with unbelievably loud fans, unholy amounts of heat, glossy screens that will let you see your face just as well as the contents on the screen, plastic hinges, so so construction, then you should look elsewhere.

 

I can attest to what furrycute says. I'm writing this on a midrange ASUS gaming notebook right now. Not only are the fans loud and the system hot, but the screen wobbles. The problem with ASUS is that their build quality in some areas is good and in others is bad. They also suck at case design though not as bad as dell thankfully.

 

One of the things I like about Thinkpads, especially the new T61, is how quiet these notebooks are. Sure you can pack a desktop performance graphics card in a notebook, but the fan noise will drive you nuts.

 

One of the hottest parts of my system is the GPU. Whenever I check, the GPU fan is running constantly and the CPU fan is not. I avoid integrated graphics like the plague through. I'd be happy if they'd just put a low end dedicated GPU in the 15" T61. Some people need the quadro for business anyway. Maybe they're waiting for supply to increase. It seems like the supply of the nvidia 8x mobile series is limited.