T60p or T61p

So the T61p is definitely coming in early to mid June and I am having a tough time deciding between the two.

My laptop usage breakdown is about 95% work/internet and 5% gaming. The 5% gaming is very important to me though. For work I will be using three dimensional visualization software and for play i love my civilization 4 and galactic civilizations. Not a huge fan of the real time strategy and shooter games.

The T61p 14 inch will only be available in widescreen while the T60p will soon be available again with the 4:3 aspect ratio which i would like. Also, the reveiws/comments of the T61 don't seem overwhelmingly positive in comparison to the T60. I am afraid this will carry over to the performance line. On the other hand, the T61p will carry all the latest hardware.

Advice and suggestions (even other brand laptops) is appreciated.

 

how do you know that there wont be a standard ratio t61p?

 

Called Lenovo. They will have standard ratio T60p for a limited time only as they are phasing it out for the T61p.

 

I am actually thinking of selling my t60 and getting a t61 (for widescreen, santa rosa and vista).

 

I'm in the same boat, contemplating between T60p and T61p, and that settles it then. If the T61 & T61p will not be available in 4:3 ratio then I'm going to go with the upcoming limited time T60p 4:3 offering. Hopefully it will be available in the 14.1" screen size. Besides, the T61's optional turbo memory slows down Vista's boot time tremendously from the review I've read.

Let's weigh the pros and cons shall we:

T61's advantages:
Marginally improved CPU's, and historically this is perhaps the smallest improvement ever. 2.33 GHz to 2.4, woot.
Quieter, this is a big deal to me.
Actually more energy efficient (although somewhat deceiving to consumers that go with Vista, Aero enabled, and a 4 cell battery). I prefer flush and would go with 4 cell + ultra bay battery for total of 7 cells.
Faster bus speed @ 800MHz (although not much of an advantage now since no 800MHz notebook memory is yet available).
Updated GPU offerings.
Reasonably priced.

T61's disadvantages:
Widescreen only, no more 4:3, a huge drawback for many of us.
Oddball off center screen due to whacky bezel design.
Potentially no more IBM logo.
667MHz memory bottleneck holds back the full potential.
Thicker case due to new roll cage design (These business geared laptops should be designed for adults, not preschoolers. Most of us don't drop our computers, ever. For traveling protection we rely on our carrying case).
Designed for 4 cell battery if you want flush aesthetics, a big step in the wrong direction.
Turbo memory slows down Vista boot time significantly, so much for readyboost equating to speed. However, future driver updates could remedy this situation.

T60p advantages:
4:3 screen, perhaps our last chance to have a purely business oriented laptop.
IBM logo, for nostalgic & sentimental purposes. I greatly prefer the old school IBM logo.
Thinner case than the T61.
Can use 6 cell battery and maintain flush aesthetics.
A symmetrical bezel unlike the T61 abomination.
Actually obtainable, unlike the unreleased T61p.

T60p disadvantages:
Older model chipset and CPUs.
667MHz bus speed.
Cooling fan can whine or howl, could be annoying to some.
Will likely run hotter than T61p.

 

If you get the 15" SXGA+ FlexView, it is a much better screen.

 

Really? No 4:3? I thought I saw someone recently say that they were introducing a 14" 4:3 T61p? If that is really the case, then my wait is over. I'll stick with t60p.
I guess until they can cram a WSXGA+ into a 14" form factor, I won't be ready to go widescreen. I don't want to give up resolution. Bummer

 

Damn... so then I can assume there will not be a 14.1" 4:3 SXGA+ screen on a T series notebook after the 61 generation? Looks like I need a new notebook company in 3 years... I really, really like standard screens. I am not a fan of wide-screen. We'll see how long I can resist before all notebooks are made with wide-screens...

Matt

 

Keep this in mind too: I called Lenovo USA on May 9th to ask about the release of the T61 in standard 4:3 ratio and the representative said that they would have such a configuration available through their website very soon. I asked how soon, "are we talking months, weeks, or days?" He said just days away. 9 days have passed and absolutely no new screen options are available. I'm still waiting for either a T61 or T61p in 4:3 format but my hopes are fading. If Lenovo offers the T60p again in 4:3 then I'm on it. For al we know, 4:3 may never be available on anything beyond a T60.

The Lenovo screen configurations are directly dependent upon their bottom line. The 4:3 screens are not in high demand and so they are produced in increasingly lower quantities than widescreen panels. Lower volume productions translates to higher price per piece. You can expect this trend to continue until the 4:3 screen is extinct. Today's widescreen will eventually be replaced with super widescreen format and soon after the extreme widescreen, at which point people will be toting around laptops that share a similar likeness to a surfboard.

 

*lol*

I'm at least going to wait until they release the t61p. Then i'll decide, what to buy.

 

IMO, the current 15" UXGA flexview one of if not the best screen around today with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Esp. if you do a lot of graphics work, or view a lot of photos in general. And I'm not sure of what fan whine some of you mentioned, mine runs extremely cool and I barely hear the fan. Of course, its just a personal preference.

 

Yeah, too badd every application couldn't scale in UXGA so as not to look too small.
I'd imagine IE would be terrible on UXGA, but then IE is terrible for other reasons already lol

 

Will the t61p have an off-centered screen like the t61?

 

Regarding CPU, there are a number if chipset enhancements that are more exciting than the bump in CPU speed and you get a doubling of L2 cache (in all but the T7100) which is a big improvement.

Regarding FSB speed, it's a misconception that you don't benefit from the 800MHz FSB because of 667MHz memory. FSB speeds are quad-pumped and the speed of DDR2 memory is double-pumped. That means that the actual speed of the FSB is 200MHz and the actual speed of the memory is 333.5MHz.

The general rule of thumb is that you get better performance if the *actual* memory speed is the same or higher speed than the *actual* FSB speed. In the case of a SR laptop running 667MHz RAM, you're fine. You do not lose the benefit of the 800MHz FSB due to the 667MHz RAM.

 

When the T61p gets released in a week or two, will both 15" and 14" be out or will only one be out first?