R61 vs T61?

Hello,

I'm looking to get a Lenovo but stuck between those 2 choices:

R61 ~$$ 1016

T9300 2.5 Ghz
1 GB Ram
80 GB HDD 5400 rpm
NVS 140 M video 128 MB
14" WXGA+
With Camera ( in monitor i suppose )
Blue tooth
Fingerprint reader
6 cell Li-ion battery
WIn XP Pro

T61 ~$$ 1229

T9300 2.5 Ghz
1 GB Ram
80 GB HDD 5400 rpm
Quadro FX 570M 256 MB
15" WSXGA+
Blue tooth
Fingerprint reader
6 cell li-ion battery
Win XP Pro

** No option for integrated webcam for the T61 ( kinda weird.. but )


Questions:
- Which notebook shoud i get? I choose T61 15" because only it has the 256 MB video option. ( not available on 14" ) and the R61 don't have 256 mb video
- Should i get PC card & express card slots OR PC card & Smart card slots?
Which on is better?
- Is the fingerprint reader worth to have?


Thank you for your inputs/opinions

 

T61.
Yes, IMO the fingerprint reader is definitely worth it to get !

 

don't get smartcard unless you know you need it, used mostly in business application

T61 is also thinner (but not by much)

I'd only go with the better graphics card if you weren't concerned about losing more battery life. The NVS 140 M should do all that the average user needs, except for intense gaming.

 

If you have a use for the FX570 and/or can justify the extra $200, then go for the T61. There's more to the video cards that just memory size, if all you do is light gaming then the R61 would suffice.

If you don't know what a SmartCard is, just get the PCMCIA/ExpressCard combo. Or the PCMCIA/SD card reader if you have SD cards in use.

The FP reader comes in handy, but I still prefer having a password there as an extra layer of security.

 

I opted for an R61 w/no fingerprint reader myself, but mainly because it was cheaper. There's not much of a difference in size either (like .2"). If you get the R61, definitely get 14.1".

But if you can easily afford it you might as well go ahead and get the T61. I think the Ts also have WWAN or something like that (which may or may not matter to you).

You can't go wrong either way. Just don't get the 15.4" R model.

 

Thx for thr replies.

In the order window, i have a choice of these:

System expansion slots :
- PC Card & Express Card Slots ( default )
- PC Card & Media Card Slots [add $0.00]
- PC Card & Smart Card Slots [add $17.81]

Which one is more useful? Is it the media card reader feature that read sd, cf card etc??

Another thing is the R61 laptop come standard with a 4 cell battery, does the 6 cell battery stick out of the case? if anybody knows?

Thx

** yeah around $200 different for the 15" which come with a WXSGA and 256 8600 equiv. I don't game too much except some oldies and maybe WoW.
I can save those 200$$ for the next gen laptop in a few yr.... as those things always come down in price.

 

Depends on what you're going to be doing. The reader is for SD cards only. You can always get a card reader that fits in the ExpressCard slot, so there's that.

If you don't know what a SmartCard is, chances are you won't need it. They're a type of security solution.

The 6-cell sticks out of the back.

If all you're going to be doing is WoW and some older games, the NVS140M would suffice.

 

The media card slot reads SD cards and a couple others that are similar to SD (not CF cards though). You can also just go with the default and buy a media card reader for the Express slot later. The Smart Cart slot reads cards that look similar to credit cards with a chip in them. As mentioned earlier it isn't really useful unless you know for sure you need it.

I have the R61 14" and yes the 6 cell sticks out the back. (about 1" I would say)

 

Thx
I think i made up my mind and go with the R61 with webcam + 4 cell and save $200 for now. ( as the 256 vid card prolly won't be any useful for me - mostly watching movies, playing some oldies WC3, D2, maybe WOW, Doom3, Quake 4 .. )
And i mostly plug the notebook whenever i can....
Thx for all the replies.

 

Sounds good.

Enjoy your (soon-to-be) ThinkPad!