Solid First Purchase (T61) ?

First time shopper/buyer and laptop newbie here.

I've been shopping, reading and comparing for roughly a month and since this would be my first purchase, i'm still mulling over my choices. Mainly looking at a laptop for multi-tabling internet poker, poker database tracking, internet surfing, work related e-mails and as a back-up workstation for work. I never had problems with my Lenovo/IBM desktops before so instinctively they were my first stops for Laptop but the prices somewhat drove me away - but now looks like it is possible to get a solid T61 for a reasonable price. Finally, I was able to configure the following for roughly 1200$ CDN:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2)
Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Display type: 15.4 WSXGA+ TFT
System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M 128MB
Total memory: 3 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 (2 DIMM)
Hard drive: 160GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Optical device CD-RW/DVD-ROM, Ultrabay Slim
System expansion slots PC Card & Express Card Slots
Card Reader 4 in 1 Media Card Reader
WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (US/CAN/LA/AP)
Battery: 9 cell Li-Ion Battery

ThinkPlus 2 Year Onsite 9x5 Next Business Day Warranty and Maintenance Option

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I was actually looking into buying a Dell Studio or XPS before but I have my doubts regarding Dell (maybe unfounded) and the Nvidia GPU problems on the Dell XPS and the Studio price was similar to the T61 but with worse configuration except for the WLED screen.

I have two questions basically:

1) Is this a good deal or is this overkill in terms of specs for what I intend to do with the machine and should look for something cheaper?

2) How is the LCD screen quality on the T61 ? With my main task being online poker, i'm looking for a quality screen (hence why I was looking at LED displays with the Dells). Any known problems with the screen (too grainy, massive backlight bleeding, etc.)?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

I think it will more than meet your needs. Whether you should go cheaper I guess would depend on your needs.

The screen quality on most notebook displays just isn't that great as compared to a desktop LCD. The T61s are pretty comparable to what else is out there. The best notebook screen the IPS FlexView offered last on 15" T60s and is no longer being offered by Lenovo on the T series. The best screen I've seen of late is probably the MacBook Pro, but it's no IPS.

LEDs tend to be brighter, have better battery life and are more evenly lit, but that's it. Those are all great, but it doesn't enhance image quality.

 

Excellent, thanks for clearing that up about the screen and LEDs. Was afraid the screen on the T61 was below-par which could have been a deal breaker for me. For that price and configuration, I think I will go ahead and make the order on this one instead of the Dell.

 

Hmm, just as a suggestion, it might be a good decision to go with integrated graphics, since it doesn't seem like you'll be doing anything graphics-intensive on your laptop. From what I've read, an integrated graphics chip will save battery life. The NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M is based off the Geforce 8400, which is defective, so the Quadro may be affected as well.

 

Thanks for the heads-up. Dont the faulty Nvidia cards have heat related problems ? Wouldnt a 126 MB card have a lot less chance of having heating problems or am I way out in left field here ? Would definetly like to know.

 

Integrated Intel cards have better battery life and less heat which are big pluses if you don't game.

 

I don't know, I haven't researched this whole defective chip issue, but it is said to effect the 8x series cards. The T61 has been out for a while now and there are even people overclocking the 140M card with no problems. It has been pretty well field tested in my opinion.

 

The Thinkpads are solid ANY purchase. Not just the first. =) All the best.

 

If your eyes can take it (which they should, if you're a multi-tabler), I'd opt for the WUXGA (1920x1280) screen, just for the extra real estate.
That's what I'm looking at now and while the text is small, it's not too bad.

I do think that machine is a little overkill for just playing poker/web/email, but it's also a quality machine that isn't going to die on you while you wait for your AA to get cracked by 72o. G'luck at the tables.