T61 on Buy.Com

I purchased my T61 today on Buy.com after days of frustration with Lenovo.com. School starts for me on June 18th and I cannot wait the estimated 3-4 weeks beyond the originally quoted shipping date for my T61.

Interestingly, this setup is surprisingly cheaper than what I would have received. Buy.com does not charge sales tax (WA) while Lenovo does. This saved me $125. I also received an upgrade to Vista Business, Intel Wireless Card, DVD-Rom, and discrete graphics--all of which I originally cut to save money.

In the end, the Buy.com (of PCConnection) laptop works for me and I'll receive my laptop within the next 2 days ($20 2-day). Total savings with the upgrades and shipping: $100. I'm stoked!


Product Specifications
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Product Description Lenovo ThinkPad T61 7664 - Core 2 Duo T7300 2 GHz - 14.1" TFT
Dimensions (WxDxH) 13.2 in x 9.3 in x 1.3 in
Weight 5.3 lbs
Localization English
Platform Technology Intel Centrino Pro
Windows Vista Certification Windows Vista Premium Ready
System Type Notebook
Built-in Devices Stereo speakers, wireless LAN antenna, ThinkLight, Bluetooth antenna
Embedded Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) Security Chip , fingerprint reader
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 / 2 GHz ( Dual-Core )
Cache Memory 4 MB - L2 cache
RAM 1 GB (installed) / 3 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz - PC2-5300 ( 1 x 1 GB )
System Flash Memory Intel Turbo Memory (1 GB)
Hard Drive 120 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
Optical Storage DVDRW (R DL) / DVD-RAM - removable plug-in module
Display 14.1" TFT active matrix 1440 x 900 ( WXGA+ ) - 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
Graphics Controller NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M - 128 MB
Audio Output Sound card
Telecom Fax / modem - CDC - 56 Kbps
Networking Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft), Bluetooth 2.0
Wireless NIC Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Input Device Keyboard, TrackPoint, UltraNav
Power AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Battery Lithium ion
Run Time (Up To) 3.8 hour(s)
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Business
Manufacturer Selling Program TopSeller
Manufacturer Warranty 3 years warranty

Buy.com Link

 

Holy smokes, there is a $4000 T60p on the buy.com site! And there is also a $2800 T43p on there as well.

 

Hmm... why is it cheaper at Buy.com than at Lenovo.com?
I configured the T61 at Lenovo.com as close as I can to the one befing offered at Buy.com and the price came out to $1,603.00 before tax.

$1,548.99 at Buy.com before tax.

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Business
Operating System Language: Genuine Windows Vista Business - US English
Display type: 14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/o Camera
System graphics: nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
Total memory: 1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard US English
Pointing device: UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
Hard drive: 120GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Intel® Turbo Memory hard drive cache: Intel Turbo Memory 1GB
Optical device: DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
System expansion slots: PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot
Wireless card: ThinkPad 11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Express Adapter
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Battery: 4 cell Li-Ion Battery
Power cord: Country Pack North America
Modem cable (RJ-11): PSTN cable
Language Pack: Language Pack US English
3 year depot 9x5 Next Business Day

 

Same configuration at Euclid Computers is $1432

 

Thats not cheaper. I'm getting a 2.2ghz T61 - direct from lenovo - for around the same price ($1500 - final price after shipping, warranty, and taxes was $1705). I did a quick froggle search for a 2.2ghz T61 from a reseller, the mean price was about $1800-2000.

Also, why do all resellers only have 5400 rpm hard drives?

 

MAybe because the 3rd generation of 5400 rpm is only about 5% slower data rate than the 1st generation of the 7200rpm that comes on pre-ordered lenvos. Plus the 5400 is cooler, quieter, and uses less battery power.

 

I bought mine from buy.com and received it today..

 

I'm not arguing (because I don't know), but is this true? I hear a lot of people switch to 7200 rpms and they say theres a big improvement.

Also, who's to say the 5400's on the pre-ordered ones are 3rd generation (how do you find out)?

 

That thing is fair price. But I got T7500 and 100gb 7200rpm on top of that config as shown on Buy.com for $1435 with tax. But still, this is probably a faster way to get a good config if they have it in stock.

 

tempting, but i really like to config stuff myself
i really need (well, probably just want) a 160gb HD
i need the intel wireless as i use linux (Euclid doesn't state which one you get)
i'd probably rather wait

 

^The model 7664-16U from Euclid Computers does have a Intel 4965AGN

 

That's right. You can check the modelnummers on the IBM site (or fill them into google and check the ibm.com hit).

The 160 GB 5400 rpm drives are indeed 5-10% slower then a 100 GB 7200 rpm drive.

In my eyes my just ordered computers isn't perfect. But it's still the best I can get (I am from The Netherlands and Lenovo.com doesn't ship international.)
A 160 GB 7200 rpm drive would be nice (separate € 135) and a 7 cell instead of 6 cell battery.

Yes, they do have it in stock (at least at the day I ordered).

 

I understand.

Just as a personal opinion, if I'm going to spend ~$2000 on something I plan to use every day for 3 years, it better be goddamn perfect or as close as humanly possible.

And about the battery - I ordered mine with a 4-cell because I don't want it sticking out the back. If that turns out to be awful with like 10 minutes of battery life I'll order a 7-cell, but if it lasts at least 2 hours (ideally 3)... wishfull thinking, huh.

 

seems like none of these places offer a T61 with a webcam

 

That's right... unfortunately.

 

Its a shame you can't get a preconfigured one for 1000 range. Probably the overpriced ram that comes with the system.

 

Maybe an R61...