Ordering T61

ThinkPad T61 with nVIDIA Graphics - 1 Year Depot Warranty $1,242.58

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)[1]
Genuine Windows XP Professional[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)
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm[4]
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim[5]
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)[10]
6 cell Li-Ion Battery[60]
7662: 1 Year Depot Warranty - Express[7]
3 Year Depot Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection $237.15

Estimated total: $ 1,479.73

Does this seem like a good machine for school/web/small programs? See anything I should change? Any suggestions before I pull the trigger. Thanks
-Scott

 

Enough power for school/web/small programs

 

The nVidia Quadrio NVS 140M seems a little unnecessary if you're not going to game or run rendering programs. I suggest you go for the integrated graphics which will cut down the price as well as give you an extra hour of battery life.

Other than that, looks excellent.

 

That's a very adequate machine.

 

order 1 DIMM and then buy and install 2 additional gigs of ram for <$50 from Newegg. cheaper+higher performance.

 

great machie but I'd recommend the following:

I am as well a college student.

1. Get a 7200 rpm drive, you will notice the difference
2. Get only 1-2 years of thinkpad protection, you will sell it after 1-2 years. Order with American Express to get the extra year warranty on top of the regular Lenovo Warranty.
3. Get 1gb 1dimm ram becuase right now for 40-50 dollars you can get a 2gb single stick for that empty slot to push 3gb strong.
4. Get a 9cell battery if possible for 5+ hrs use during lectures and class time!

You're set!

 

Thanks a ton guys for the help. I was wanting the better graphics card cause I like to do small CAD/Engineer drawings. Would the integrated graphics handle this? (I am not like doing drawings everyday, just in some of my free time). And I will also only get one gig and upgrade to 2gigs later. And I've been reading on the 7200 vs 5400 and it seems people either go either way, its faster and you can tell or its not worth it. I was just getting the bigger GB one as I figured it would be better and it was cheaper then the same one at 7200. You think the 7200 one is a good investment?

 

i could be wrong about this, but my feeling from experience is that hard drive speed and total quantity of RAM makes a lot more difference in overall machine performance than a few levels up or down in processing speed within the same class of chip (ie Merom).
consequently, i chose (and recommend) the cheaper processor and the faster hard drive.

 

I'd get a 7200 rpm disk and you will notice the different. I'd also recomend against the high power graphics unless you are a gamer because those graphics will take more battery power.

I have a maxed out t61p with a nine cell battery. I think I'd be lucky to get three hours of battery time.

 

Well in that case, definitely stick with the dedicated graphics. The Quadro is built for those kind of tasks. If you want faster bootup as well as application startups, then you'll love a 7.2k rpm HDD. It's a very good investment. But if you have the patience, 5.4k rpm is just as good. There is only a slight difference between the two when it comes to Hitachi HDD's. You have a good setup, it should last you well into the future, especially with the T7500 C2D.

 

Thanks guys! When I choose a battery, I can pick between a 4,6, and 7. I am thinking I should go with the 7. Does it stick out a lot more then the 6? Anyone know about how much more battery life Ill gain?

 

The difference between the 7 and 6 cell is nothing really.

Check it out: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=2123794

I don't have a 6 cell but I have a 7 and I get a solid 3.5 hours w/ XP and configured power settings.

 

Thank you! Ill be getting the 7 cell then.