Refurb T61P

Just received a refurb Lenovo Thinkpad T61p from the Lenovo shop.
Intel Core2Duo T7500 2.2ghz CPU
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
2GB CL5 -> 4GB CL4 Kingston Hyper
120GB (5400RPM) -> 320GB (7200RPM) WD Scorpio Black
Nvidia Quadro FX570-M
9-cell Lith Ion Battery
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7190A
Intel Kedron 802.11 (4965AGN) wireless
Bluetooth
1 yr warranty

Cost was $556 + tax
Upgraded HD and Ram as above for $147 so total cost was just over $700.
I installed Windows 7 x64 Ultimate on it and I've been pretty impressed. The Win 7 Experience Index score is 5.5. This is the first laptop I've ever actually owned though -- the last employer one I carried was around 1999 and was an IBM Thinkpad 600E.

So for starters, was this a good deal or should have I shopped more?

Next, are there any must have Thinkpad utilities I should download? I didn't even try the original configured Vista system. Does the Active Protection System work with the Western Digital drives? Thought I read somewhere that firmware was required on the drive to actually park the heads via the Lenovo utility so didn't want to install a needless utility if the drive itself already has the capability without the help of the APS.

Device Manager is not showing any "unknown devices" with a straight Win7 x64 RTM install after doing the Windows Updates. The only thing that took a little bit to figure out was how to get the graphics adapter recognized as a FX570-M since Windows was just showing it as a VGA compatible adapter (although running at 1680x1050). I eventually found a 8.16.11.9062 (8/17/09) driver with a custom INF that allowed it to install properly. I guess I also did a BIOS update from 2.10 -> 2.26 (7LETC6WW) just to be current.

Everything looks to be working and I would have though this was a "NEW" product except for the sticker on the bottom saying it's "Refurbished" as well as one on the box saying the same.

 

I ordered a refurbished T61p that has yet to get here thanks to incompetent and stupid sellers that was about 600 bucks off of eBay. It's specs are as follows 2 GB RAM, 160 GB 7200, 1600X1200 WUXGA screen, 1GB Turbo Mem, Bluetooth, Wireless a/g/n, T7700 C2D. I think there are very good deals out there for configs that are slightly "old" but have alot of power for now, and for what you paid for it. From posts i've seen on here regarding GPU failures it is safe to keep the GPU under 80C at all times to prolong lifespan of the GPU since all G84/G86 GPU cores were deffective, the chip packaging was the problem since it did not shrink and expand properly when it conducted heat. This resulted in a vital connecting area of the chip to break. The repair costs more than a whole mobo replacement costs..

 

I think you got a good price. I have the T61p and it is a good machine. One of the programs I think will help you is Power manager from Lenovo's Thinkvantage suite. It will help increase your battery time and give you good control over your power management.

 

I would probably suggest a warranty extension. Chances are nothing will happen, but if it does, it will be expensive to fix.

 

Are warranty extensions available from Lenovo for refurbished items? This came with a 1 yr warranty and was purchased with a credit card which will extend it to 2 yrs.
Just checked my warranty and it says it's for Canada rather than the US. What's up with that? Normally people confuse NM with Mexico rather than Canada.

 

I know my with my AE card refurbed products are not eligible. You might want to check it out. I'd call Lenovo and ask about the warranty. You can use the link in the sticky to determine if it has IWS, in which case you'd be covered in the US.

 

Zaz beat me to it. This was exactly what I was thinking. Many credit cards only double the warranty on new purchases not used or refurb. Make sure you check.