T60 screen advice

I am thinking of getting the T60 from Lenovo via the visaperks.ca site ... model number 87445BU. Reduction is the same as EPP till end of the month (ie. CAD 1699 plus taxes).

I was originally going to go for a model with a 14" screen but having read about some concerns others have had with screen quality, I thought the 15/15.4" would be a safer bet.

My concern is that this particular preconfigured deal comes with a NON-flexview 15.4". Can anyone advise if this screen suffers from the same issues as the 14"? At the moment, its the main thing holding me back from going for it.
And of others have positive feedback on the 14", would like to hear too...

Thanks

 

I have not seen one myself yet, but it is the same screen used on the Latitude D820. I guess it will depend on how important the screen quality is to you. If it is important, get the FlexView. I had it on my T42, but I wanted something smaller and the viewing angles aren't that important to me.

 

I have the 14-inch screen, and I think it's fine. I think it depends entirely on what you expect. I have a separate desktop machine, and a TV and a DVD player for entertainment. I use my T60 for work, and for work the screen is totally fine. It's even fine for watching DVDs yourself. Heck, we took my T60 on a car trip and used it to play DVDs for my little girl, and I'm sure it was much better than the junky portable DVD players you buy in electronics stores...

Everyone wants the best screen possible, but I can only think of two groups who would really need a different screen than the T60's:
1) Graphic arts professionals;
2) kids in college dorms using their laptops as a TV.
Lenovo makes the T60p for the former group. HP and Dell (etc.) make computers for the latter group.

Chris

 

The 14" T60 is light. That's the advantage. I have no problems with mine and I am a web developer and college student.

AFAIK. the screen of the 14" and 15" are identical. The 15" T60 has the option to be configured with a Flexview screen but I've never seen those and it's too expensive for my budget. I'd rather get more hdd space and RAM.

But really, someone who is shopping for a 14" screen isn't going to want best quality on every single angle that they view it from.

 

I had a flexview A30p before I bought my T60 and I opted for the flexview screen on it as well. I have to say that it is simply awesome. I hate that other laptops change color once you are out of the optimum viewing angles. I like to be able to just look at the screen and see it, not see it out of color or see anything at all. Simply put, the flexview is a great screen. If you don't mind a 15inch then I would go for it. Just my two cents.

 

If you need to lug it around even on a daily basis, I don't believe a 15" will make THAT much of a difference. It all depends on what you're willing to get and give up in return. I opted for the 15" because of all the hype about flexview, it wasn't until I saw it for myself that I understood what the hype was about. Its just simply fantastic to be able to view it from any angle. However, at this time, the only flexview you can get is a 15", no WS available, so it all comes down to what you're willing to sacrafice and budget.

 

thanks for the responses everyone.

i may go for the 15" (4:3) flexview instead then as screen quality is important to me - this will be a desktop replacement.

Does anyone know if the brightness (nits) on the 15" SXGA flexview is greater than on the 15.4" WSXGA? From what I have read, it sounds like the main (only?) benefit is viewing angle.

So, for the same money (1699 CAD), the T60 flexview equivalent would mean sacrificing 40GB HD, 64MB vRAM, T7200 2Ghz downgrade to T5600 1.83Ghz and the (so I hear) inferior Intel wireless vs. the Thinkpad wireless.
I hope the screen is worth it!!!
Any views, please let me know.

 

T60 15.4" 1680x1050
Black 0.31 cd/m2
White 165.94 cd/m2
Contrast ratio: 535:1
Avg dE: 4.5
------------------
T60 15" Flexview 1400x1050
Black 0.29 cd/m2
White 162.01 cd/m2
Contrast ratio: 558:1
Avg dE: 4.13

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=34530

 

Thanks - that link was v.helpful ... though the mention of the MCB in that thread has started me thinking!

 

I just saw the 14" t60 in the store and thought the screen was reasonably bright and clear with no reflections and not-so-great but acceptable viewing angles.

The 15.4" Dell d820 comes with several different screens and I'm not sure which the other poster meant, but I found both the Samsung and LG screen on the d820 to be grainy and unacceptable (they swapped out the Samsung and gave me an LG but they were both pretty bad). I sent the d820 back. I far prefer the 14" t60 screen to the dell d820 screens.

Haven't had the pleasure of seeing a flexview in person, sadly.

 

I have the standard 14.1" SXGA+, and I like it. The highres (1400X1050) is much more important to me than the size and viewing angles. I have the T60p, so my only other option was to shell out $215 for the 15" Flexview. I would have gotten the 15" normal instead

EDIT: The screen is NOT worth what you are sacrificing, IMHO.

 

If portability matters, there is a huge difference between the 15" and the 14". Besides the length, the 15" is also 20% thicker.

I would prefer the 15" flexview, but not if i was going to take it out daily. Also, bear in mind that the 15" flexview drains the battery a lot faster.

That said, I strongly prefer the SXGA+ text size on the 15" flexview over the 14.1". For brightness, the former is brighter, but the latter is fine.

Maybe if you are a 200 pound 20-year-old, the extra bulk and weight wont matter. But, most ppl want smaller. The 12" and 13" models are what's really hot in laptop nowadays, although personally i find the 12" screen too small for long use. For many ppl, 14" is the sweet spot.

Trade offs.

 

I'm a college student and I commute. The T60 with 14" screen is light and even if I carry a couple of textbooks along with it, it's not as difficult. On the next laptop that I buy, I'm most likely going to get an even smaller one.

Also, with the budget of $1600 USD, I was able to add a much better configuration, more RAM, faster c2d, bigger HDD etc.