Thinkpad Z61t priceup, would like feedback

(I originally posted this on ubuntuforums.org, but decided I'd like feedback from you guys as well. Keep in mind that this laptop will only be running Linux. That may not be mentioned in the rest of the post, as it pretty much went unsaid when I first posted this on a Linux user forum)

As much as I swore I wouldn't buy another Intel PC, it's hard to imagine using anything other than a Thinkpad, so when Lenovo added Core 2 Duo chips to their Thinkpad line, I had to take a look, and here's what I priced up:

• Thinkpad Z61t
• 14.1" WXGA+ LCD w/ webcam
• Intel Core 2 Duo T7200
• Intel GMA 950
• 2GB DDR2-667 Memory
• Thinkpad 11a/b/g wifi (Atheros)
• Internal Bluetooth
• 120GB 5400rpm SATA Drive
• 8x DVD Burner
• Integrated fingerprint reader
• 7 cell battery
  
• Thinkpad Port Replicator
• 3 cell Ultrabay Battery

Altogether it comes to $2,240, but that is before I apply the employee discount, so it will end up costing a few hundred less. The reason it's so high is the Port Replicator and Ultrabay Battery, which together add another ~$300 to the total price.

Here's my reasoning as to the parts in this notebook:

First, I knew I was going to hold out for a Dual-Core 64bit notebook before I upgraded in order to make it more future-proof. I was hoping for a Turion X2, but those are scarce and hard to find, and it's hard to walk away from the quality of a Thinkpad.

Next, I wanted a laptop that would run off of 100% open-source drivers. The GMA 950 will do this nicely, as Intel's video drivers are open-source. This is also why I chose the Atheros card over the Intel ipw3945. Although the Intel card has an "open-source" driver, it requires a binary "blob" in addition to the open source driver to operate. If I'm incorrect on this, or if any of this hardware will cause problems or need closed source drivers, please tell me.

Next up is size. As a 14.1" widescreen, this laptop should be roughly as wide as my 15" 4:3, but a little shorter in height/depth. My R51 is just a little to deep to fit comfortably into my backpack, so this will fit perfectly.

The thing that immediately transitioned this price up from just for fun to a serious consideration was the WXGA+ (1440x900) screen. I've been looking for a 14.1" WXGA+ screen for a while now, they're hard to find, and this happens to be one of them. Unfortunately, upgrading to the WXGA+ screen also adds an internal webcam which I'm pretty sure will not work under Linux, but having one piece of useless hardware is a small price to pay for this screen. I'm currently using a 15" SXGA+ (1400x1050) display, do dropping all the way to WXGA (1280x768) seemed way too low a resolution. If my math is right, then the 14.1" WXGA+ will have 14,712 pixels per square inch, while my current screen has 13,611 pixels per square inch, so in terms of pixel density, this screen is a slightly resolution than my 15 inch. Fsr comparison, if I had gone with a 14" WXGA display, it would have had 11,114 pixels per square inch, which is a good bit lower than what I'm used to. In case you can't tell, I'm an extreme resolution junkie, and it's likely the single most important thing I look at when shopping for a notebook.

Immediately after resolution on my list of priorities is battery life, which is why I upgraded this model to the 7-cell battery and added an ultrabay battery that can go in the DVD drive bay to extend the battery life even more. I read somewhere that both batteries together can provide up to 8.5 hours of battery life. That number is probably an overestimate, but if it can supply me with at least 4, preferably 5 hours of life, then I'm content.

As for the processor, my other option is the T5600, which is $75 dollars less than the T7200. For only $75, upgrading from the T5600 (1.84GHz, 2MB cache) to the T7200 (2.0GHz, 4MB cache) seemed like a no-brainer. However, I have no idea what the power suckage is on the T7xxx. If there is any reason other than cost to go with the lower powered CPU, tell me.

After that, the rest of the options are pretty self-explanatory. I went with as much ram and hard drive space as I could get (shame there wasn't an option for 160GB), compared to 1.5GB/80GB currently(though the GMA950 will borrow some of the ram), and a DVD Burner (would have liked an option for a slot loading, but to go even more off topic, the reason I wanted a slot-loading drive is that my tray-loading one sometimes pops open when it's in my backpack, while this will have the Ultrabay battery in it while I'm out and about).

For anyone still reading, I'd like some reactions and feedback to this idea, as I've already considered this laptop more seriously than any other notebook I've looked at in the past..

 

Sounds like a good idea. I don't have any experience with the z61t, but I love my z61m. I'm jealous that yours will have the Core2Duo though!

I've read that the UltraBay batteries discharge completely before the regular battery kicks in. This causes the UltraBay battery to go through it's cycles quicker, and causing it's lifespan to shorten greatly. I myself do not have an UltraBay battery (I'm going to buy one soon though), but that's what I've heard so maybe you should keep an eye out on its remaining charge and pop it out before it reaches 0%. Hopefully one of the wiser members here can chip in on this issue.

Also, would you ever see yourself needing a dedicated GPU? That might be something to consider as well, although everyone has different needs to maybe the Intel GMA would suit you well. Especially if you want max battery life.

Keep us up to date if you pull the trigger!

 

AFAIK, the 14" Z-series doesn't even offer a dedicated GPU. On top of that, while the GMA 950 has excellent open source drivers and 3d acceleration under Linux, ATI cards have terrible Linux support. I can almost guarantee that, at least as far as Linux goes, the GMA 950 will outperform a dedicated ATI x1400, which i believe is what's in the 15" Z61

On top of all that, about 99% of all my computer use consists of Internet browsing, and programming. I do enjoy playing around a bit with GIMP and Inkscape, which may benefit slightly from a dedicated GPU, but not from an ATI one.

If I find myself needed a dedicated video card that badly, I think I'll just save up and build a desktop for video/image editing and the like.

 

I'm thinking of ordering a model similar to what I have above, with a few differences:

• T5600 instead of T7200
• 1GB(1x1GB) instead of 2GB(2x1GB)
• No Ultrabay Battery
• No Port Replicator

The processor I may upgrade to the T7200 anyways. I don't care about clock speed, but the cache is appealing...

My logic on the rest of the changes is that they are all things that I can upgrade later. I can add another RAM dim, and buy the replicator and battery later. This drops the initial price of the notebook by $500, or $1700 before EPP discount.

I'll be getting this notebook (almost for certain, now) around christmas this year.