On Build Quality, Choices, and more.

I have a problem with the really high-resolution screens because of the smaller text. On my T60p, I've made all the adjustments that I know to do, and some web-sites are really hard for me to read.

 

I like higher resolutions. Gaming benefits from such

You can just set a higher DPI and set to a larger text size in the browser.

 

Yeah, I've done that, but it can really mess up some sites - they look all catywhompus. And on some of them, it has no effect on the text size.

 

Regardless, I wear glasses and can see decently. I insist on my high resolution!
Have you tried a different browser?

 

pressing ctrl and + does increase text size, but many websites don't scale this properly...very annoying...but if you insist on having a high resolution..that is your preference

these are of course personal issues...i personally don't like it..but then there are many that do

 

In any case, would you remember the price on the upgrade? I think it was $125...

Any other advice on RAM? T61p owners, what do you use?

 

i don't even think it was that much...maybe around $80 or so? im not too sure on this

 

Frys/Outpost has PQI 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC 5300 Dual SO-DIMM Notebook Memory for $85 - $20MIR = $65 w/ Free Shipping.

check www.slickdeals.net for more info

 

I believe the WUXGA was $125-150 when my brother ordered it. While the extra real estate is nice, the 570m is in fact only an 8600m GT GDDR3, and probably won't run new games at max res at high settings or anything. Medium for recent games sounds reasonable though (my brother only has HL2 + Orange Box installed so no real testing thus far ).

Another issue with the WUXGA is that one of the 2 or 3 WUXGA screen manufacturers for the T61p (the culprit is Samsung) makes an LCD with abysmal light bleed across the whole bottom of the screen (1.5 inches of extra brightness). It's not unusable, as my brother has the bad screen, but frankly it really is quite ****ty, and once he has time I think he's going to look into getting a new LCD. I've also read about several people returning their models because of it. Not Lenovo's fault but just fair warning if you end up getting WUXGA.

 

I use Opera and edited my pref.ini so that every new tab starts out at 130%. Pretty sure you can do that also in FF or Mozilla.

My advice is just get 1 stick and buy an aftermarket 667Mhz Ram and stick it in the second slot. Ram for notebooks is quite generic so any brand should work fine.

 

I plan to get a 1GB stick, selling that when the notebook comes, and sticking in my fresh 2GB sticks immediately

With regards to the LCD and keyboard, I read that the keyboard is no big deal and that a good person at Lenovo can hook you up with an MNB. The LCD, on the other hand, if it is not satisfactory, they are gonna hear some complaints. Come on - if I am going to pay this much money, the stuff had better be near perfect.

Now, I am contemplating this:
I can get an X61 for less than $800...seems like a monster deal, eh? Less than half of what I would pay for the T61p. It's stuff like this that just stops me and says - "do you need a $1600 laptop? You have a desktop for gaming!!!". Grr...conscious.

 

I am thinking the same thing. Why buy a new laptop for $1200 that can play games when you can use a T23 to do multimedia stuff and upgrade your pc with a sweet WUXGA lcd and high end graphics card for around $600? I would personally get a WSXGA+ screen for my pc for $200 + a $200 graphics card w/ directx10 for $400, but you get my point.

 

Again, it is that age factor. How old is that T23?

On desktop performance, I've got an E4400 @ 2.7 GHz, 2GB Crucial Ballistix RAM, and my 8800GT is on the way. I've got a 20" 1680x1050 LCD, and an X-530 surround speaker setup. This rig is really nice from gaming - when I had my GTS 320MB, I could pretty much max anything. The GT should be a good step up, and if I wanted to, I could even sell that for a bit of a profit and get a new G92 GTS 512MB.

So as I go over it again, the laptop would see light gaming. The X61 should accomplish that with it's low res + X3100. Obviously, this is not a max settings deal, but its alright for 'on the bed gaming'

 

You can have my T23 for $370. It comes with two extra batteries, extra keyboard, and extra LCD.

I was just talking about my situation. It wouldn't make sense for me to buy anything but a gaming laptop and since it's much cheaper just to upgrade my desktop I think that that is a wiser decision.

 

With a $1,200 budget, I would choose this set up for your needs:

Go here: http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...000244:&smid=1F106632CBC24D2CBD23DF19644D3694

Configure with these settings:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)[1]
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic[12]
14.1 SXGA+ TFT
nVIDIA Quadro FX 570M (128MB Open GL)
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)[8]
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
100GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm[4]
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim[5]
ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe US/EMEA/LA/ANZ[10]
9 cell Li-Ion Battery[60]
8891: Express - 1 Yr Depot Warranty[7]

Then use my guide to clean install XP.

I have the Quadro 140M and it runs Oblivion really well so I'm sure the 570M will be a lot better.

 

i would actually upgrade it to a t7500 since its has a higher performance/price ratio...after that...the upgrade price gets ridiculous...especially since you can guy a t7700 on newegg for $250

 

Yea, the T7500 would be even more better and the price will just be under $1,300, I think that's an excellent deal for a T61P.

 

combined with the CPP code, and the current coupon saves you 2% off the CPP site with a T series...and FW cash back....an excellent deal indeed

 

Flashstar, thanks for the offer. Considering that I am planning to keep this thing for a long time, I don't see it wise to purchase an older unit.

Ark, what do you think of this?

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Business[12]
12.1" XGA TFT, 2x3 Ultraconnect II antenna
1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)[8]
TrackPoint
100GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm Serial ATA (2.5")[4]
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG[10]
ThinkPad X60 Series 8 cell High Capacity Battery[60]
7675: Express - 1 Year Depot Warranty[7]
4 Year Depot Upgrade with 4 Year ThinkPad Protection

That can be had for $1,159. If I skimped on the warranty, It will be $931. Add ~$80 for 4 GB RAM and then that's that.

Lenovo should consider making a 13.3" WXGA+ unit, sporting a 570M. It'd be an ultra-mobile workstation. That would be perfect

 

if u use amex..and get a standard 1 year warranty...they will add on another year of warranty making it 2 years

 

So basically, I can get an X61 with 4GB RAM, a T7300, and backed by a two year warranty for just about a grand even. It looks appealing.

The thing that bothers me is the chance of a widescreen X series refresh happening. If that happens, I will regret the purchase. When can we expect such?

 

And no video card? Pass on that.

*edit: oops, it must be integrated?

Anyways, I'm not too sure how well the integrated X1300 is for your needs (Oblivion, CS3, etc.)

 

I think it's an Intel X3100, which should be sufficient at XGA?

When were the X61's released?

 

It is integrated, I checked the site and none of them say discrete.

I believe the X61 was released this year. Yea it's good at XGA but don't you think that's a little too small of a resolution?

 

Thanks.

I will leave it alone for now. I've got around 2 months anyway, so we will see how it goes.

 

See, the thing is, there's a lot of good sales/coupons going on now, I'm not sure how easy it is going to be to get a ThinkPad T61 inexpensively later. I mean I thought I got lucky when I purchased the system in my sig for $1,200 a couple months ago, but now I wish I could return it and get the T61P deal going on right now.

Although it's a perfect build and everything. Nice bright screen, excellent keyboard, boots in 35 secs, no problems with it whatsoever.

I can sell it to you for like $1,100 if you like along with XP PRO w/SP2 disc and MS Office 07. LOL.

Jk....maybe

 

Thanks for the offerr, but I want brand new

I'll have to discuss the different configs (read: prices) and stuff with the 'benefactors' - ultimately, they have the last say on how much will be spent.

With regard to the resolution, I hate small resolutions. At 12" we should be seeing WXGA or WXGA+. But, compromises must be made, and with the X61, I get a lower price, first of all, thinner, lighter, longer battery life. It seems overall more convenient to have a 12".

We will see how it goes.

 

But what about the programs you want to run?

 

It's got enough processing horsepower, but the resolution is very much lacking.

On the other hand, the T61p can be seen as a desktop replacement, right?

I am wondering if I need the expensive warranty. I can probably swing the T61p without it, but for $227, it seems like such a nice deal and great peace of mind.

 

I'm not sure if the video card has enough power to run Oblivion at decent settings. (I love Oblivion btw, just got the GOTY edition )

For my needs, the T61p can be anything I want it to be.

I contemplated about the warranty also. For some reason I chose not to have it. I guess I gambled on that decision but I don't regret it as my T61 is doing perfect.

 

Hehe...my mom loves high end warranties. Must be a female thing
I'll probably end up getting it anyway - ~$5 a month is a minimal fee to pay for peace of mind.

Yea, the res would kill any kind of light website design that I was planning to do. I could always just do it on my desktop, hehe

I still do not know. I can not make up my mind. Having to decide on a laptop is the worst, yet one of the most fun experiences. Indeed, it is quite unique

So, how does Oblivion do on that 140M? I could go with my original plan and get the 14.1" T61.

 

the x3100 is a powerful integrated GPU...up until the x3100...integrated gpu's sucked....they say it is equivalent to the ATI gpu's that were offered on the t60's

 

Can anyone with an X61 comment on its' gaming performance?

 

Heh, they must like that feeling of "security".

Oblivion does excellent on the 140M . My settings are a definite medium.

The only setting I turned off was the grass one, then outside FPS is good. Besides, it's recommended to turn that setting off as it is easier to find things anyways. It really is a solid card.

If you want a T61, the following settings are only $1,053.31, I recommend a clean install of XP of course.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)[1]
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic[12]
14.1 WXGA TFT
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB)
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
100GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm[4]
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim[5]
ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe US/EMEA/LA/ANZ[10]
7 cell Li-Ion Battery[60]
7662: 1 Year Depot Warranty - Express[7]

 

If I were to get the 14.1", I'd opt for the WXGA+. The T61p has not yet been entirely ruled out. We will just wait and see

 

Does the ThinkPad protection cover pretty much anything? If anything does go wrong, would I get free repairs?

I think I may have to go for something more multi-media friendly...this makes me sad

The Lenovos have great prices and build, but thier multi-media capabilites are lacking greatly.

 

ThinkPad protection covers just about every accidental damage imaginable except for theft or dropping it from 5 stories and it smashing into tiny pieces.

 

Cool, and I get the repairs/replacement for free, right?

 

Correct. Now if you get Onsite Warr and you drop it and it has a lot of damage or the part is not a CRU, then you have to send it in to depot since they would not send a tech out as you would with a normal defective part replacement.

 

Got ya.

Now, let me see what you guys think of this.

There is an R50p on good old eBay for $689 shipped. Pentium M 1.7 GHz, 1GB RAM, 60GB 7.2k RPM HD, a nice 15" UXGA Flexview IPS display, and a supposed 3 year warranty.

I also found a refurb HP NC4400, which has a Core Duo at 2 GHz and 2GB RAM for $625. It has a 1 year warranty. It is 12" XGA, comparable pretty much blow for blow to an X61 - plus, it's got a built in optical drive. Of course, it is heavier but that is ok.

My concern is that neither of these have good enough speakers! Especially that NC4400 - it has just one speaker. That is scary

As you guys can infer, I want to keep the spending down. Please, if you guys can help with the massive eBay search efforts, do so. It is preferable to have lots of RAM installed - this old DDR stuff is crazy expensive. I can't bring myself to buying an expensive laptop that can perform desktop functions when I already have my desktop...

 

In fact, I have a strong feeling that a thinkpad would be still be in 1 piece after dropping it that far....

 

Read the fine print carefully, if it's not an original factory or extended warranty from IBM you may be in for an unpleasant surprise if and when you need to file a claim.

 

Generally if you're looking for a multimedia notebook look for a HP or Toshiba. I know the HP dv2500t (14.1" wxga) comes with Altec Lansing speakers. Base price is around $800 but can get lower when there're coupons.

Other than that I wouldn't count on good speakers on most laptops in that price range. Even notebooks costing twice more seldom have decent speakers. That's normally where they cut corners in order to keep costs down.

 

Do you guys think that the R50p is good? What about an HP NC8230 for $500? It has a 2.0GHz PM, 1GB RAM, and an x600 graphics card.

It looks like I might wait out a few months and then I will be able to get a brand new Lenovo.

Then, the question is still there: T61p, T61 14", X61, or wait for thier new models

 

personally, I would never go for anything less than a t series..and if I could sell my current computer...I would get a x61 this time around

 

Hmm - is IBM really that great?

Once people use them, it seems as if they never get anything else

Here a question: What is your reasoning to getting the X61 instead?

Do you listen to audio at all on your T61? If so, is it passable?

 

yes...thinkpads are that great....once you use it...you'll never wnat to use another notebook again

I would want to get the x61 because its smaller and I like small....but it's not that small....I don't mind not having the cd/dvd drive because I never use it...

I use my notebook for portable purposes...it's on my desk 50% of the time...other times its in the car with me..the hospital...the library