Thinking of getting this

I am thinking of getting this T61 through my brother's contract purchase program. Here are the basic details:


6459CTO ThinkPad T61 15 Widescreen - 1 Yr Depot Warranty
System Processor Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Operating System Language Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium US English
Display Panel 15.4 WXGA TFT
System graphics NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB)
Total memory 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Keyboards Keyboard US English
Pointing Device UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
Optical device DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
System expansion slots PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot
Card Reader 4 in 1 Media Card Reader
Wireless cards Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Battery 6 cell Li-Ion Battery
Power cord Country Pack North America
Language Pack Language Pack US English

The cost is $1146.65


Below are upgrades (alternate choices) and service plans. Are there any here worth getting?:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz 800MHz 4MBL2) [add $93.50]

Genuine Windows XP Professional [add $25.50]
Genuine Windows Vista Business [add $25.50]
Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate [add $85.00]

UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader [add $25.50]
Intel Turbo Memory 1GB [add $42.50]
PC Card Slot & Smart Card Slot [add $21.25]
Integrated Bluetooth PAN [add $24.65]
UltraWide Band (UWB) [add $59.50]
9 cell Li-Ion Battery [add $25.50]
Gemplus GemPC400 Compact Smart Card Reader [add $42.50]

Warranty Service Upgrades
1 year onsite 9x5 Next Business Day [add $21.84]
2 year onsite 9x5 Next Business Day [add $77.84]
3 year onsite 9x5 Next Business Day [add $122.64]
4 year onsite 9x5 Next Business Day [add $195.44]
5 year onsite 9x5 Next Business Day [add $279.44
2 year depot 9x5 Next Business Day [add $38.64]
3 year depot 9x5 Next Business Day [add $66.64] [Lenovo recommended]
4 year depot 9x5 Next Business Day [add $128.24]
5 year depot 9x5 Next Business Day [add $173.04]

Protection services
1 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $49.84]
1 Year On Site Upgrade with 1 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $66.64]
2 Year On Site Upgrade with 2 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $139.44]
3 Year On Site Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $195.44]
4 Year On Site Upgrade with 4 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $318.64]
2 Year Depot Upgrade with 2 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $111.44]
3 Year Depot Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $156.24] [Lenovo recommended]
4 Year Depot Upgrade with 4 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $212.24]


Thanks


Gary

 

Genuine Windows Vista Business [add $25.50]
Integrated Bluetooth PAN [add $24.65]
UltraWide Band (UWB) [add $59.50]
9 cell Li-Ion Battery [add $25.50]
3 Year On Site Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $195.44]

I'd go for those, personally.

 

I agree with you odin! But is there still a delay in UWB?

 

I would also consider bluetooth and the UltraNav package, as well as what the others have said.

 

Thanks for the above advice. I will add-in:

Windows Vista Business
Integrated Bluetooth and the
UltraWide Band (UWB)

Now a few question:

1.) What is the purpose of the fingerprint reader. I believe it's so you don't have to enter a password when signing in. Any other reason?

2.) How many more hours (minutes) will the 9 volt battery give over the 6 volt and how much more does it weigh?

3.) I will be getting a 3 year plan, but I'm confused on the adavantages in disadvantages of them. These plans are (once again):

Warranty Service Upgrades
3 year onsite 9x5 Next Business Day [add $122.64]
3 year depot 9x5 Next Business Day [add $66.64]

Protection Services
3 Year On Site Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $195.44]
3 Year Depot Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection [add $156.24]

Also, what exactly is onsite and depot. If depot means that you bring the laptop to a service provider, than I have no problem with that. I live near Boston and the Lenovo site had around dozen near my home.


Gary

 

1)Yup, that's pretty much it's only use.
2)It will give you 50% more battery life, how many hours or minutes that comes to depends on what you're doing. It weighs .33lbs extra.
3)The first two you list are just the warranty, the second two are the mentioned warranties plus Thinkpad Protection (which is an accidental damage protection).

I believe Depot is a mail-in service, and On Site is where they come to your location.

 

I think it needs to be said that you can also use it for logging in to websites with the appropriate software installed (i.e. ThinkVantage Password Manager).

From the quotes above I think many people would think you could only use it for signing in to Windows, which is incorrect.

I personally use it for unlocking my harddisk at BIOS startup, signing in to Windows and for logging in to selective websites that require a password.

 

Oh, sorry, I thought that's what the OP meant. Yes, of course you can use it for any site or many other programs that require a password, not just signing in to Windows. To be fair, you can really use it for many more things if you can find/make the appropriate software.

 

True. I remember a former colleague of mine who used his fingerprint reader for logging into an application within Windows. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the software enabling him to do so. It was a type of Macro software.

 

Let me understand. If I get the 3 Year On Site Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection service this includes warranty protection. Which means there is no reason to get any warranty service upgrades? Am i correct?

I just want to make sure that if there's a problem after 1 year, they won't refuse to fix/replace it by claiming it wasn't under warranty.


Gary

 

Yes, the 3 Year On Site Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection includes both the normal warranty protection and the accidental damage protection. It shouldn't let you select both that and a normal warranty service upgrade, as they are mutually exclusive.

 

make sure you read over what the thinkpad protection covers before you spend the money.

 

Thanks to all for your help. I have updated my desired specs and here they are:

6459CTO ThinkPad T61 15 Widescreen - 1 Yr Depot Warranty
System 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 Panel 15.4 WXGA TFT
System graphics NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB)
Total memory 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Keyboards Keyboard US English
Pointing Device UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
Hard Drive 160GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Optical device DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
System expansion slots PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot
Card Reader 4 in 1 Media Card Reader
Wireless cards Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Wireless Personal Area Network UltraWide Band (UWB)
Battery 9 cell Li-Ion Battery
Power cord Country Pack North America
Language Pack Language Pack US English
3 Year On Site Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection

The cost is $1,477.24

Any comments are welcomed.


Gary

 

Looks great. If it was me, I'd buy it with the minimum amount of RAM and install the second myself. Click here to find some great -> RAM DEALS

 

I went with the 2GB of Ram on 2 Dimm, because the difference between 1GB and 2 GB was $68.00 and I am far from a mechanical expert. Most of the deals for 1 GB of RAM were between $30 and $40 with an additional $5.00 for shipping. Perhaps if I decide to upgrade to 4GB it may be worth it.

Gary