Thinkpad T60 Updates!!

Hi there,

I have a Thinkpad T60 here that I would like to update. Even though I switch between laptops a lot, there is something about the T60 that makes me come back every now and then. It's the only laptop that I have never sold.

The 100GB 7200rpm drive is almost full. I know the speed is capped at 1.5GB/s.
Would I be wasting money if I bought a Intel 80GB X25-M SSD for my primary drive and a 500GB secondary drive through ultrabay? I need to purchase the ultrabay too! I was thinking even with capped speeds, SSD speeds would still be noticable and there wont be any noise!! And I could just use the secondary drive for storage.

If not to go with the SSD, I could get a 500GB drive as my primary drive and get ultrabay battery for extended battery life which would be great too! I saw ZaZ signature where it says his R60 has 1.5TB of storage? How is that done?

SSD+HDD or HDD+Battery or Both?!!!!

No matter which option, I would need a 500GB harddrive that runs without making any noise! Is that possible? Fujitsu?

My flexview screen is starting to look a little dimmer than I used to remember. I was wondering if a backlight repair would fix this. There used to be arndt computers, but they are not doing it anymore. Any chance you guys know someone doing this service?

Thank you

 

Some people say the SSDs are the best thing since sliced bread. I personally didn't see it myself. A few slower apps like iTunes or Photoshop open a bit quicker and does boot a bit faster, but other those I couldn't tell much of a difference. Plus you got to figure you're giving up a lot of storage and they're expensive. The X25-M will certainly work in your T60. You're correct it is capped, but that's only a big deal if copy and paste files all day.

I have 1.5TB because I bought the WD WD10TEVT, which is 1TB in size, plus my 500GB main drive. I will use it in the UltraBay when I get it, but it will not fit the T60 as it's a 12.7mm three platter drive making it too big height wise for the T60. Supposedly there's some 750GB drives coming in the not too distant future if you can hold out.

Maybe you want to post over on ThinkPads.com to see if anyone's doing backlight replacements. It's a pain in the rear job. You might be better off just doing the whole LCD. For what it costs to ship it off and send it to someone for repair, could probably buy a LCD on eBay.

 

Thanks for the reply. I didnt you know you could purchase flexview screens on ebay. They are certainly expensive!

hxxp://cgi.ebay.com/15-SXGA-LCD-SCREEN-Glossy-FOR-IBM-ThinkPad-T60_W0QQitemZ180373769965QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item29ff1d4eed

I was under the impression that SSDs would be some kind of unbelievable experience! The 100GB 7200rpm drive I have now is Hitachi. There really is no noise! I would like to stick with a similar harddrive that doesnt vibrate or noise! Is there any noticeable difference in every day application performance between a 7200rpm and 5400rpm drive?

I was looking at these three

hxxp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145257

hxxp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822116172

hxxp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136459

Thank you

 

$300 is bit high. The last SXGA+ FlexView I got on eBay I paid $80. It looks like the pickings are slim at the moment. If you can hang out you'll probably do better price wise, less than $100 for the SXGA+ LG or around $200 for the UXGA. You just got to be careful on eBay. Most the screens there are compatible, but not FlexViews. Unless it specifically states it's IPS or FFS I would assume it's not. The part numbers are:

SXGA+
LG-Phillips 13N7078
BOE Hydis 13N7196

UXGA
BOE-Hydis 13N7076
BOE-Hydis 13N7194

13N7194 and 13N7196 are Adobe sRGB LCDs. They are extremely rare and hard to find. Only a very select few T60s ever came with them.

Yeah, I expected to be blown away by SSDs too, but was in for a surprise. I find going from 5400RPM to 7200RPM to be more noticeable than 7200RPM to SSD, though some of the newer 5400RPM drives I've seen are pretty good.

 

Hey mnd99.
I recommend you get the Hitachi 5K500.B, I can only attest to the single platter 250GB model, and I picked it because there were raves about it being totally silent and cool, well it really is! And I'll tell you, I'm very picky when it comes to hard drive noise, I don't like to know there's a HDD spinning in there. Maybe the 500GB is a little bit noisy, but not like any other drives I've used.

 

Thanks for the reply guys! I really appreciate it! My native resolution is SXGA+ Is there any limitations that prevent me from putting an UXGA screen on the T60? I have found the following screens

hxxp://www.blisscomputers.net/ibm-lenovo-13n7196-laptop-lcd-screen-15-sxga.aspx

hxxp://www.247laptoplcd.com/servlet/the-50620/IBM-LENOVO-13N7194-Laptop/Detail

I have also ordered the Hitachi 5K500.b 500GB!!

Thank you

 

My guess would be they're not FlexView screens, but compatibles. It means they'll will fit and work, but are not FlexViews. I would ask them who manufacturers the screen. If they say anything other than BOE-Hydis, they're not FlexViews. I went through all of this when I was sourcing my FlexView screen. Like I said 13N7194 are extremely rare, which gets my Spidey Sense tingling already. If it was 13N7076 maybe.

It's a straight swap for the LCD. You needn't do anything else. I would not rush doing this lest you get stuck with something you don't want. I know there's not much on eBay right now, but if you're patient something will come along. If you're looking for a screen you might want to post over in the Marketplace forum on ThinkPads.com. Someone might have one they're will to part with for a price of course. Good Luck.