T61p 15.4"

Howdy all,

I’ve been reading the threads for a while now and feel about ready to purchase a Thinkpad, but was hoping I could get some more advice.

I’ll mainly be using the computer for graphical analysis and image processing (a lot of 2D, but maybe some 3D in the future), a little bit of programming, and possibly some dabbling in making videos. I’ll be running/trying to run a lot of science suites (ChemDraw, Matlab, Pymol, SPSS, etc) and will eventually want to setup a dual boot with Ubuntu. I wasn’t going to use the machine for games, but wouldn’t be averse to playing from time to time.

I’m thinking strongly on configuring a 15.4” T61p.

1. Is that what I should be in the market for? I like the screen size. I think I could benefit from the FX 570M but if I’m just going to be doing 2D stuff (I heard photoshop could have some things processed through the graphics card?), I don’t know how much that will matter. I was thinking it would make protein modeling go faster though.
2. I was thinking about going for the T9300. It seems reasonable and from the benchmarks I’ve seen floating around ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-2-Duo-Penryn-CPUs.7876.0.html) it actually seems like it might make a difference above a T8300 (threads have also said that they can feel a difference between the two). Has everyone else had similar experiences? And is the difference (over/under) valued at ~$70?
3. With the OS, I just wanted to be sure that Vista Biz actually shipped with Win XP CDs in the laptop shipment (so you don’t have to order them separately). I spoke to a sales rep who transferred me to tech support at Lenovo who said that I would have to pay more to get them shipped to me, but I have been reading on the forum that people actually get the CDs in the computer box. I was also wondering if people, who have Vista Biz 64, also get the Win XP recovery CDs (32 or 64 bit?) shipped with their computer or if they have to order separate, or if they are even eligible for the downgrade.
4. WSXGA+ or WUXGA? I’m inclined to go with WSXGA+, but the extra real estate is tempting. I’m not going to have an opportunity to check out WUXGA, so how small is it? I’ve been reading around, and I can’t say I’ve found a huge consensus (I’ve heard somewhat consistently that prolonged work using WUXGA really hurts the eyes and people tend to have to take a break every few hours). I was thinking the WUXGA might not work well with the software packages I want to run as they might not be as scalable as Opera or Office apps seem to be.
5. Is the 80GB, 5400 HDD (upgrade later) still the way to go? I was thinking the 100 GB, 7200 HDD for +$28.69 isn’t half bad or even the 160 GB, 7200 HDD for +$51. I guess in the end though, these all use the SATA 150 right? And the Thinkpad should support the SATA 300? I’ve been reading about all the upgrades to 7K200 and 7200.2 and it seems pretty nice. I guess resale-wise, would it be better to get the 80 GB or upgrade for a couple bucks more and hope to like-wise sell for more? If I don’t upgrade soon to 7K200/7200.2, should I go for one of the higher upgrades and not the 80 GB? If I read things right Newegg’s got the drives for $55, $100, and $135, which would put the 100 GB in the sweet spot (assuming the 7200 drives are Hitachi 7K200s).
6. How’s the 4965AGN adapter? Is it compatible with Linux? I read that it actually does better heat-wise than the Atheros card. I can’t remember where I saw that, but I was wondering if people had similar experiences. It’s not like I’m going to get a Wireless N-router anytime soon, but it did seem like a better product?
7. What’s up with UWB? Nothing’s made for it yet right (maybe a hub somewhere)? 2008 should be the year for it but anyone I ask who hasn’t bought a computer recently still has no idea what it is and if it’ll be helpful. Is this really future-proofing or will it just end up fizzling out? Concept looks interesting and the install seems like it would be worth getting it now for $44.62 rather than getting it later if I need it then.
8. 6 or 9 cell? I don’t plan to be away from power for prolonged periods and I was thinking form factor-wise the 6 would be good. On the other hand, am I really only going to be getting about 2.2 hours on the 6? Even under limited word processing or DVD playing (imagining most of the scenarios that I’ll be away from power for long will be in a plane or something, and I won’t be trying to do much). 9 cell should be 4.5 hours or so right? Sigh, we really need those nano-wire batteries to come online.
9. I can wait to decide on extending my warranty till the end of the year right? I was thinking about doing the 1-year with the credit card extension. It seems like the cost effective way to go, and I’ve been thinking for most computer problems where I just need a replaceable part, I may not want anyone touching (system board stuff and soldering would be another matter). I think I’ve read that Lenovo outsources the repairs (read somewhere that some UPS facilities have Lenovo repair stations right there?)? This might have been referring to a non-US Lenovo solution though.
10. Just to wrap up the miscellany – I’m going with 1 GB 1 DIMM, no finger print, no turbo mem, the DVD recordable drive, and Bluetooth (was excited about better connectivity with my phone/PDA as well as wireless headphones and the possibility for one less USB dongle for my keyboard/mouse, any other applications?). Does that sound right?
11. Are there any coupons that stack on top of EPP? Here I am definitely not asking for an EPP account code but I was wondering if there was anything for the T61 line that stacked on top of the EPP discount. I’ve tried every permutation of USE + all the codes out there, so I guess I’m out of luck.
12. Exactly what is up with the 2-DIMM occupied BSOD/shutdown? Also, any other thoughts on the 90 W power on the airplane (see the totally bummed thread for more info). There are no 65 W adapters for the T61p right? I was reading about the slim adapter (Design Matters blog), and I think the specs are a 90 W adapter. That could put a slight damper on air travel. No one seems concerned about the lack of an advanced display port. Does that bug anyone? Is the lack of a line in (as opposed to mic in) a big deal (can’t say I’d use it, but it’s just having it…)? Any thoughts on the performance difference between 1066 MHz FSB and 800 MHz? WiMax as I read things is going to be something like a cell phone plan right? It’s not something where a person/community could setup a WiMax node and give everyone wireless right?

All right, I think that about covers things. Sorry about the length but I hope this helps other people decide as well. Thanks in advance to just reading this whole thing (or for skimming it) and even more thanks for any help you might be able to give.

 

Hey bhellion,

I got my T61P in Australia (we only have preconfigured models here), but hopefully I can be of some help.

1. Yeah if you're just sticking to 2D you might not need the FX 570M. Not sure about photoshop, as far as I know the only non-3D use will be HD film decoding. That said the FX 570M is a nice card with plenty of power, additionally you can rely on compatibility with any serious business-type program (like you seem to be using). If you're protein modelling is 3D it will help, also it will help with producing anything 3D out of MatLab . I probably didn't need it either but managed to justify it to myself, and now I can game too

2. I wouldn't have though there would be any noticeable real world difference between the T8300 and the T9300 in general use. However, if you're running large programs in MatLab, which really stress the CPU, you will probably notice some differences, i.e. 4'45" instead of 5'00" until that 3D graph with 1,000,000 nodes pops up in Matlab.

4. I would definitely recommend the WSXGA+, but in the end it's a personal preference. My eyes do get tired after a few hours even at this resolution though.

5. My T61P came with 7k200 160GB Hitachi, I can barely hear it and the perfomance it excellent. I don't know U.S. prices, all I can say is take the cheapest option, but upgrade either way.

6. I haven't had any heat problems at all with the 4965AGN, it seems to perform fine. I live in a dorm-type palce with notoriously bad Wifi and seem to be able to connect even when my neighbours can't.

7. UWB - No Idea, sorry.

8. While the 6 cell is not going to squeeze out Lawrence of Arabia it should be adequate for watching a normal movie. With my 9-cell I can get just over 3 hours watching movies at 3 brightness bars using the DVD drive (bright enough for an airplane IMO), I imagine you can get better battery life using the hard drive instead.

9. Austrlian Warranty is different so I can't help you here.

10. Sounds perfect for your needs (assuming you will upgrade the RAM), I didn't have the option to remove the fingerprint scanner but am now glad to have it. I don't trust it with my online banking but it's convient to have when you lock your screen often (I don't trust my co-workers either ).

11. No Coupons for Australia.

12. The issue was a motherboard fault that would BSOD when running graphics intensive programs while two sticks of RAM are in. As far as I know this issue has been resolved now. I haven't seen new threads for a while although there are still a few unfortunate souls out there. Lenovo are well aare of the issue and improved quality control means there shouldn't be anymore problems.

A better video-out port would've been nice, same for line-in... I guess the T61P isn't really considered a multimedia laptop by Lenovo. I was just happy to get the basic media shortcut keys.

No idea on 800MHz vs. 1066 MHz other than you're going to have to wait for quite a while for a T6XP that supports a 1066 MHz FSB.

Yeah, I thought WiMax nodes were the mobile phone networks themselves ? Not sure.

Couldn't find the thread about the 65W vs. 90W on the airplane, although I imagine a 65W adapter wouldn't be just scraping in ther to be sufficent for the T61P (and incredibly hot). My 90W adapter is already hot enough if I'm using and charging at the same time.


Anyway, hopefully I was of some help. It's a terrific laptop (in my somewhat biased opinion) goodluck making a decision !

 

The T61p is a great machine for programming.

1. Is that what I should be in the market for? I like the screen size. I think I could benefit from the FX 570M but if I’m just going to be doing 2D stuff (I heard photoshop could have some things processed through the graphics card?), I don’t know how much that will matter. I was thinking it would make protein modeling go faster though.

I personally think the FX 570M would help especially if you think you might do some 3D stuff or games. You can't upgrade the graphics card so might as well go as high as you can.

2. I was thinking about going for the T9300. It seems reasonable and from the benchmarks I’ve seen floating around ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-2-Duo-Penryn-CPUs.7876.0.html) it actually seems like it might make a difference above a T8300 (threads have also said that they can feel a difference between the two). Has everyone else had similar experiences? And is the difference (over/under) valued at ~$70?

I had a machine with a T8300 and I can definitely feel that the T9300 is faster. I could push the T8300 to 100% easily but I can't push the T9300 to 100% very easily. I do programming, photoshop, flash and gaming.


4. WSXGA+ or WUXGA? I’m inclined to go with WSXGA+, but the extra real estate is tempting. I’m not going to have an opportunity to check out WUXGA, so how small is it? I’ve been reading around, and I can’t say I’ve found a huge consensus (I’ve heard somewhat consistently that prolonged work using WUXGA really hurts the eyes and people tend to have to take a break every few hours). I was thinking the WUXGA might not work well with the software packages I want to run as they might not be as scalable as Opera or Office apps seem to be.

Personally WUXGA is too small for me. I think WSXGA+ is the perfect resolution for a 15". If I want a higher resolution I'll hook up an external monitor. This is really a personal preference though.


10. Just to wrap up the miscellany – I’m going with 1 GB 1 DIMM, no finger print, no turbo mem, the DVD recordable drive, and Bluetooth (was excited about better connectivity with my phone/PDA as well as wireless headphones and the possibility for one less USB dongle for my keyboard/mouse, any other applications?). Does that sound right?

I think your config sounds good. Mine is the same except I got Turbo Mem since I use Vista. By the way it seems to speed up boot times, but is otherwise useless as far as I can tell.


12. Exactly what is up with the 2-DIMM occupied BSOD/shutdown? Also, any other thoughts on the 90 W power on the airplane (see the totally bummed thread for more info). There are no 65 W adapters for the T61p right? I was reading about the slim adapter (Design Matters blog), and I think the specs are a 90 W adapter. That could put a slight damper on air travel. No one seems concerned about the lack of an advanced display port. Does that bug anyone? Is the lack of a line in (as opposed to mic in) a big deal (can’t say I’d use it, but it’s just having it…)? Any thoughts on the performance difference between 1066 MHz FSB and 800 MHz? WiMax as I read things is going to be something like a cell phone plan right? It’s not something where a person/community could setup a WiMax node and give everyone wireless right?

I'm one of those affected by the 2-dimms shutdown/BSOD/freeze when playing games/3D apps. I am putting my hopes in Lenovo to fix the issue. It seems they are working on it. From what I can tell most machines are fine. It's only some unlucky ones who are affected. I would not base your purchase on this issue. I would buy another T61p right now if I were looking for another laptop.

 

I just wanted to thank you guys for replying to my long question with some really well thought out answers.

I think I'll break question number 3 out in to it's own post but besides that feel pretty informed and ready to buy. Seems like the 72K00 160 GB is the best deal now (given that SATA 300 doesn't seem to give much of a performance boost), so I'll probably upgrade to that one.

Webdtc - I'm sorry you got a slightly bummed laptop and hopefully Lenovo will fix the issue and give you a new laptop or something.

Asleep - I thought all Aussies were friendly and trustworthy?

Thanks again!

 

No worries bhellion, glad to have helped.

Forgot to mention that you could always get the hard drive adapter for the ultraslim bay for a second hard drive, i.e. if you decide to replace the one that ships you can chuck it in the slim bay as a back up. I guess it depends on how often you use the optical drive but it sure beats an external drive and isn't too expensive at around $40 (I think).

Oh and all Aussies are friendly and trustworthy, but my co-workers are French