Thinkpad for College

I've all but decided to buy a 14.1" Thinkpad T61 for college, but I'm still wavering on a few points. Any feedback is appreciated.

1. Graphics: I don't game, so my gut reaction is to go with the Intel X3100 over the Quadro because a) I don't need the firepower, b) it's cheaper, and c) I don't want the battery drain of discrete graphics. But at the same time, I'm trying to future-proof this purchase so I don't need to buy another laptop in the foreseeable future. Is the X3100 enough? I use Linux, so at most I'd like to use Compiz/Beryl, maybe Photoshop. Good for four years?

2. RAM: I'm going to buy 2GB, because again, I don't have super intense needs (at most word processing, media player, web browsing, watching DVDs/movies, etc). But, should I configure it to have 1 or 2 DIMM? I've heard 2 makes it faster, but should I leave the space open for expansion?

3. DVD drive: Is it worth it to buy DVD-R? Will having that drive, even if not using the DVD-R part, hurt my battery?

4. CPU: As I said above, I don't need a lot of power. But I am planning on majoring in math, which probably means using Mathematica. I'm thinking of just going with a T8100 (2.1GHZ, 3MBL2 cache), but is it worth it to upgrade to 2.4GHZ? Or even the T9300 to double the cache? I'm kind of hardware illiterate, so I really have no idea what I need (for CPU, or graphics card, etc)

5. HDD: I want to get a 160GB, 7200RPM HDD. Will that kill my battery? Is it loud?

Any other thoughts are appreciated. Thanks so much for the help.

 

You seem to be concerned about the battery.

For HDD, 7200RPM can reduce the battery time, but should not be too much. I personally don't mind 5400RPM drive, so long the disk size is reasonable. 160Gb should be okay, and you can always upgrade later.

For DVD drive, depends on if you burn movies or any large files. I would imagine that DVD+RW is such a basic requirement that if you don't have it, the resale value of your laptop will drop more four years later. Besides, the hottest thing is BluRay drive. It is up to you.

For CPU, T8100 is fine for MatLab or Mathematica. Since you use Linux/Solaris, your college may have grid computing. So it should solve your needs.

For Graphics, yes, if you go with X3100 you will save battery, but I don't think you can trust Intel for supporting it with latest driver 4 years later. Heck, look at how pathetic GMA900/950 is when Vista first came out?

 

I too am not a gamer, but have noticed that more and more applications now expect a certain level of graphical power. Vista comes to mind, as does Google Earth. If graphics power wasn't important, then Intel wouldn't be scrambling so hard to improve the power of its integrated chips.

So, unless you are confident you won't use any 3D graphics capabilities, I would recommend you get a discrete graphics card.

RAM is easy to add later, so I suggest you go with 1 DIMM.

2.1 GHz should be enough--if it isn't, .3 GHz more probably won't save you.

A DVD-R shouldn't hurt your battery life.

I can't comment on a 7200 rpm notebook drive, except to say I wish I had one.

 

"For HDD, 7200RPM can reduce the battery time, but should not be too much. I personally don't mind 5400RPM drive, so long the disk size is reasonable. 160Gb should be okay, and you can always upgrade later."

This is a persistant myth. It just is not true.

In my left hand I have a Toshiba 80GB drive ROHS 5400 Rpm drive from a recent model Lenovo. It draws 1.0 AMps @ 5v or 5 watts.

In my right hand I have a Hitachi 160 GB 7400 RPM travelstar. It draws .8 amps at 5 volts or 4 watts.

Now then, which will pull you battery down faster?

 

Fair enough. I'd say I'm moderately concerned about battery power, though probably more concerned than I need to realistically be. Still, how much more significant would the Quadro drain the battery?

 

Very true. Also my bothers 5400 rpm (thought it would save battery) takes longer to power down/hibernate/wake. Data transfer times are also a BIG factor.

Go with the faster drive. Hitachi's are faster in my experience

 

I'm a Gamer\College Student and I bought a T61P 2 months ago. I'm lovin' it so much. It's a powerful laptop that let me do what I want...

 

Which battery are you planning on getting anyways? The 4-cell or 9-cell?

 

Well, I'm a slave to appearance (more than I'd like to be, at least), so I think I'll be getting the 4 cell. Thus, on top of the question of how much the Quadro will hurt battery life, I'd also like to know if anyone knows where I could buy an extra battery.

 

For 4 cell with Quadro, I'd say it about 2 hrs while with integrated graphic card, you'll get ~3hrs. And you probably should check out at buydig dot com for extra battery

 

That sounds reasonable, and with another battery, I think it'd be fine. Thanks so much!

 

No way will you get 2 hours with discrete graphics and the 4 cell. I am lucky to get two hours with mine on 6 cell, just wifi and a few apps running. If you use integrated graphics, you could manage 2+ hours on the 4 cell. If you are going to use linux and decide to get the integrated graphics, you can get the cheaper configs from lenovo with linux.

And if you plan to try using Vista, I would suggest the 1 chip 1 GB ram, and buy 4 GB from somewhere online like newegg. My machine IDLES using Vista and the thinkpad utilities at close to 1.5GB ram used.

 

Did you consider buying a ultra bay battery for 3 extra cells? a little more than an hour battery life. To upgrade to the 9-cell it costs 51$ and to get a new ultra bay battery is 110$. If you want more battery and have some extra cash to spend that is a good plan. It weights about 0.5 lbs btw

 

For me, the graphics card is what it all comes down to at this point. At most what I'd want to use that needs 3D is Compiz/Beryl, though I'm not sure whether, as a math major, I'd need any 3D for something like Mathematica. Plus, I'm worried that the X3100 would go out of date too quickly.

As far as buying a cheaper Linux config, the difference that I can find is that the processor isn't as powerful, and since this laptop is meant to last the next four years, I feel like it's worth it to invest the money in something that'll stay up to date/powerful enough for me even if it's more expensive.

 

Well, as you really have a concrete reason for preferring an integrated graphics solution, I hate to say it, but it might make sense to wait for the 4500 in the Montevina platform to show up in the next couple weeks (of course, true availability will probably take longer).

 

I assume you mean I should wait for the integrated graphics in the new T series to be released soon.

Are there any rough estimates for price? Because it's hard to beat the dirt cheap price of the T61 right now, though I do find it appealing to have a brand spanking new laptop. $2k for the 14.1"? Less? More? Any idea?

 

I think i read the SL series would be anywhere from 699 to 1499, but that is the SL series, not the T series. Most likely you can get a decent setup for the T400 for less than $2k, but that is just my guess.

 

i guess it's around $1.5k

 

Well, I just placed my order for a 14.1" T61, T8100 (2ghz, 3mbL2 cache), WXGA+, nvidia Quadro NVS 140m, 160GB/7200rpm HDD, DVD-R, Intel 4965AGN wireless.

I ended up only buying 1GB of RAM from Lenovo, in 1 DIMM, because I looked on Newegg and found 2GB for $40; so when I buy that, I'll have 3GB of RAM for $10 less than what Lenovo would have charged me for 2GB.

Question though, just to make sure: I want 200 pin RAM, right?

 

you want pc5300 or pc5400 in notebook form (yeah 200 pin)

 

So these would work? Any recommendation either way? They're the two top-rated 2GB RAM on Newegg, I don't really care as long as it works.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208323
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145172

 

I have used OCZ, corsair and gskill. all work fine. I would look for a 4gb kit for about 50 to 75. I think frys has an in store deal on 4gb for 4th of July

also check out

check out www.dealram.com

 

Is the GMA X3100 that bad? I mean it can still run some games like Half-life or Battlefield 2, Spiderman 3,...

Here's where I got the info from.

 

Actually, from what I have heard, you are quite right, the 3100 is a substantial improvement.

Me, I am just crabby that my two older machines, a Gateway 310 and Thinkpad T41, couldn't run Vista (well, not that I really wanted to, but . . .), and that the 2400 Pro in my new Acer desktop had stuttering problems with Google Earth, causing me to replace it with a 2600 Pro.

I apologize for being "once bitten, twice shy".

 

I think I have exactly the same desktop However, I didn't try with Google Earth though (maybe I'll play with it tommorow)

 

Did you go with the 4-cell battery?

 

I did. I'm not entirely sure how much I'll need to use the battery in daily use, so I'm going to wait and see before I spend $100 on a secondary one.

 

I have a 14.1" ThinkPad R61 and battery life wasn't a major concern of mine when I configured it. It has the 2.5GHz T9300 processor, XP Pro, 14.1" WXGA+ display, 128mb nVIDIA discrete graphics, 2GB RAM, 160GB/7200rpm hard drive, DVD_RW, Bluetooth, and the 6-cell battery upgrade. It's a powerhouse, to say the least, but battery life is abysmal unless I really scale the performance back.

If battery life is a primary goal, I'd suggest going with integrated graphics, 5400rpm hard drive, T8100 or T8300 processor AND choose the battery upgrade.

You might want to compare the R61 and T61 prices with identical specs. The 14.1" are so similar in size and shape that even some Lenovo engineers can't tell them apart at first glance. My R61 was about $200 cheaper than a simliar T61. Just FYI...

Good luck.

 

He already ordered

 

IMO, I would get the T8300, 2 to 3gb of RAM (depends if you are going to run Vista or XP), go ahead with the X3100 gfx card, and get the 250gb 5400rpm HDD (it should be as fast as the 7200rpm drive).

As a university student majoring in business, the one thing I've found that I always run out of is HDD space. It's worth it to get a bit bigger HDD. Another option would be to get the 160gb 5400rpm internal Hard Drive and then purchase another external HDD.

Also, if you plan on using the laptop on the go then I would suggest configuring it with a 9-cell to maximize battery life. I think the 6-cell w/ intel x3100 gfx gets about 4+ hrs and the 9-cell should reach 6-7hrs =D

Hope this helps!

 

Hey OP,

Bad news, the 4-cell w/ nvidia 140m gfx card will only last you 2hrs on battery MAX. I basically have the same setup (t8300, 3gb ram, 140m, 160gb 5400rpm and 9-cell) My battery life is 4.5hrs, so take that and divide it by 2 and you'll get less than 2 hrs of battery life.

Also, the 6 cell and 9 cell batteries both stick out, so maybe buy the 3-cell. However, that will cause the 3-cell battery to "age"/wear out faster because it'll will always be drained first, which is bad for li-ion's (reduces battery life span)

 

there is no program to control how batteries are drained? Like maybe drain the 3 cell for 40% and then switch the main battery?

 

alber, where did you buy that? That's exactly what I'm looking for.
Did you get a pretty good price?