T61 14.1" as a desktop replacement & primary system

Is anyone here buying a 14.1" T61p and using it as there only system?

I recently sold my Core 2 Duo desktop gaming system and am looking for a machine to carry around with me but to be my only machine. I plan to use it for Visual Studio, surfing the web, and burning cds.

I'm definitly going with the WSXGA+ to get 1440x960, but i am curious if anyone has any comments on using this system as a primary computer.

thanks,

Jeff

 

The machine will definately handle VS, the web and CDs easily. Make sure that you get 2Gb+ though...VS with Visa require a lot of RAM!

 

Another option would be to get the dock. I have one for my R60. I can use the big monitor and other peripherals when docked. I unplug and go when I want. As noted the T61 shouldn't have any performance issues.

 

I'll be using it as my primary machine, at school and at home.

I'm considering a dock. Which do you recommend ZaZ, or do you have a link to where I can find out more information about the different docks? I noticed there's a few like an advanced dock, a mini dock, etc but there's no description for them or I can't find it.

 

The middle one, the Advanced Mini Dock which I have. The low end one doesn't have its power supply which means you'll have to use your notebook's adapter or buy another adapter, making close in price to the Advanced Mini Dock. It also lacks a headphone jack. You'll have to plug any speakers into your notebook. It is a pain since the cord always falls behind the desk.

The Advanced Dock has lots more stuff like card reader, PCI slot, Ultrabay, etc. I didn't need those so I was unwilling to pay extra for them. I guess it's up to you if you need them. I picked mine up on eBay refurbed pretty cheap with a 30 day DOA warranty. It's a fairly low tech part. I felt it was worth the risk and I haven't had any problems yet.

Link

 

My t60 has been great as a desktop away from home, but if I had to use it day in and day out as my primary system, I would go mad without a 7200rpm HD. the biggest bottleneck on my laptop is its HD compared to my desktop system. That is basically its only difference, but its a pretty big one on boot times, and intensive applications like VS and other IDE's.

I would really suggest a docking station to go along with it, to lessen the wear on the external ports, and instead put the wear on the connector designed for daily use.

Another question I had was if you planned on using the 14" screen as the primary display, or if you were going to be going with something bigger for your desktop, like a 20" widescreen, or something in that range. While the 15" is nice sitting right in front of it on my bed or something, it is much easier on the eyes having a slightly larger screen to look at.

 

Does that piece of plastic (part of the dock) sitting underneath the Thinkpad prevent proper ventilation of the laptop?

Does the laptop get hotter than usual when sitting on a dock for an extended period of time?