To 14.1 or 15.4 inch screen . . . that is the question :)

Good day all,
I plan on getting a T61 in the near future. I plan on using it, mainly on my desk, but I will also occationally be taking it on trips, using it on the plane, etc. I also tend to use the web cam alot. I noticed that on the Lenovo Website, you cannot configure a 15.4 inch T61 with a webcam, just the 14.1 incher. My question to you guys is, should I order the bigger 15.4 inch model, and just buy the webcam seperate/live without it, or just get the smaller 14.1 inch screened model just for the webcam.
Please give me some insight on what I should do. All my laptops have always been 15" or above (15.4 inchs max), and it will be on my desk a lot of the time, but on the other hand, I need the web cam too, should I compromise the screen size and get the smaller screen size? Will the smaller screen size really make that much difference ? What do you guys think ? What do the majority of you have for screen sizes ??

Sorry for all the questions, just an eager soon to be T61 owner

 

Which resolution are your getting? If you're only getting WXGA then the 14" makes more sense to me since you'll see the same thing, but if you are want WSXGA+ which is only offered on the 15.4", then the 15.4" makes more sense.

 

Hi Zaz,

What's the basic difference between WXGA and WSXGA+? I'm on the same boat, can't decide between 14.1 wide or 15.4 wide.

cheers

 

The difference is the dimensions of your LCD in pixels.

WXGA = 1280x800 pixels.

WSXGA+ = 1680x1050 pixels

Keep in mind the more pixels on your screen, the smaller text will appear.

 

Personally, I'd go for the 15.4", then get a separate webcam. Since you're used to the size, it'll fit with what you're already doing, and you can probably find a better webcam than an inbuilt one for a fairly reasonable price.

Conversely, however, having a separate webcam means yet another gadget you have to find space for while traveling, can get lost, and have to keep track of.

 

Depends how much you travel with it. If I had to get on the plane all the time, I would want a small laptop. If you use it at home a lot or at the local hotspots, I would get the bigger screen for sure. I also wanted the web cam, but I don't want to go for smaller than a 15.4" since I will basically use mine at home most of the time. How much do you actually plan on using the webcam? If you don't have a fast broadband connection, I think it would be a waste anyway.

 

Sorry, i forgot to mention the screen pixels. I would just need the 1200X800 size screen (Widescreen). I very seldom fly anymore (but still do however) probably about one, maybe two times per year I fly 3 - 4 hour flights usually. Most of the time though it's on my desk, or somewhere local (around the house, at the laundramat, in the car, in a hotel room, etc.) but would really like the web cam feature, but I guess I can buy a Webcam for a Notebook and just get the 15.4". I tend to use the webcam about 4 times a week, sometimes less. I guess I can live without it, I just never had one before, and since my last laptop had one, and my friends all have a webcam on thier computers, I found it neat to talk to everyone like your actually there with them. However, like i said, I guess I could just live without one, and just get the bigger screen (15.4"). If I really miss it, I'll just buy an external Web Cam later on. Thanks for the comments so far ! Any other comments are welcome too

 

I'd say if you are only getting WXGA, the 14" makes more sense since you prefer to have the webcam. If you get WXGA on both, you'll see exactly the same thing on both albeit a bit smaller on the 14". I would also point out having it integrated into the LCD housing is much more convenient if you want use it while away from home.

 

I would say never to get 1280x800 resolution. It's simply too low for I would say almost any user.

 

1280*800 is fine, I think, for the 14" models. Not so much for the 15" models. But, all depends on the eyes of the user.

Choosing a model on the availability of the integrated webcam - that's something I don't think I've read before.

If your laptop is going to be left at home a lot of the time, I'd go with the 15" model and just buy an external webcam to chat with your friends. If I was going to be lugging it around a lot, I'd get the 14" model. That would be my buying rationale anyway.

 

Leave it to me to ask something that has never been asked before lol
Yes, my laptop will be staying home most of the time on my desk. So, I don't know, from what I can see so far, most of the T61 users all have the 14.1 inch screen, so I guess that would seem more of the practical size for me to get. On the other hand, my computer will not be moved around that much, and all I ever had on my laptops have been the 15.4 inch screen. So, I'm still up in the air about which screen size to get. I just don't want to order one, receive it, and then wish I went with the other screen size, that's all. So, I figure I'd ask here on what the ideal screen size / most popular screen size would be. You guys have helped out a lot so far

 

For desktop replacement type, I recommend 15.4" for sure. 14" is a bit lighter but I find 15.4" much more convenient for me. I've had both.

 

I have a somewhat similar question as the OP...

The screen on my T22 recently died and so I need a new laptop and I can't decide between the 14.1" WXGA+ or the 15.4" WSXGA+ screen. My T22 had an SXGA+ screen (although I had to use increased font sizes) and so I'm a little concerned about losing some vertical real estate by moving to the WXGA+ screen. Has anyone else missed the extra vertical space when transitioning to widescreen? I'd be more inclined to get the 15.4" screen if the laptop didn't seem so darn big compared to my T22.

Thanks.

 

Well, I think I'm going to go with the 15.4 after all, and just live without the web cam for now, it's not THAT big a deal anyways. Reason being, I feel that if I do get the 14.1 inch screen I will end up regretting not getting the larger size (especially due to the fact that I will be using this laptop as a desk top most of the time, I do not have a desktop). So, I'm going to go ahead and order one with the 15.4 inch wide-screen 1200X800 model.

 

The Big reason i went with the WXGA is because i love gaming and i want to use Native Res, and the NVS 140m while a great card i doubt if it would have nearly the same performance especially in high end games (supreme commander, CNC3).

 

Well, I finally made my order 2 minutes ago, what do you all think ? :

ThinkPad T61 15 Widescreen - 1 Yr Depot Warranty

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T8300 (2.4GHz 800MHz 3MBL2)[1]
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium[12]
15.4 WXGA TFT
Intel GMA X3100 GM965
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)[8]
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm[4]
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim[5]
ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe US/EMEA/LA/ANZ[10]
6 cell Li-Ion Battery[60]
6465: Express - 1 Yr Depot Warranty[7]

I didn't need a big graphics card, because I don't play hardly any games, so I figure this configuration will fit my needs nicely.
The total (with shipping and CT State Tax came to $1485.

 

Did you not apply the coupon?

 

Personally I would go with the 14.1" and higher resolution WXGA+ screen. I really don't care for 15.4" or larger laptops any more and unless you're gaming or running an application where you need a 1680x1050 or higher resolution then I think it's just a total waste of space. If you are mobile hardly at all it's just a pain to move around a 15.4" laptop compared to a 14.1" or 13.3". It's just larger and more awkward to grab up with one hand and carry to the other room. If you spend a lot of time at your desk then consider buying yourself a big nice 20-22" LCD to run as an external off your laptop. No laptop screen can compare to like the S-IPS screens found in certain desktop LCD's. I would definitely suggest this if you do any kind of photoshop work or photo/video manipulation.

 

Go with the 14.1 ...I have it and love it...it is big and portable the 15.4 is too heavy