What can I expect out of the FX 570M 128MB version? (and other questions)

Hi all. I'm new to the board, but just looking through it tonight has given me plenty of useful information and nearly sealed my decision to go with a Lenovo T61p with the following specs:

T7300 2.0 GHz
XP Pro
2GB RAM
14.1" SXGA
FX 570M 128MB
120 GB @ 7,200 rpm
9-cell battery
Bluetooth
Intel AGN WiFi

I'm going with the 14.1" and SXGA just because the current 25% off sale + the 20% coupon discount that's out right now makes it a really irrestible deal to my eye (it prices out at just over $1.2k). Also, I'm a college student, and the smaller size/increased portability is a plus.

My major concern is whether the FX 570M will be able to handle the load, graphics-wise. I don't play a ton of games, but I'd like to be able to run stuff like Civ IV and maybe the occasional FPS without too much slowdown. Highest settings would be nice but aren't necessary. I really wish you could upgrade to the 256MB version in the 14.1" non-widescreen =/ Should I look elsewhere

Other than that, anything other glaring mistakes to your eyes? Should I buy and install my own RAM? I feel comfortable doing that, but the cheapest I can find a 1GB stick online is $39 (shipping included), so it would only save about $20. I'm also unsure about the wireless card; I've read conflicting posts and opinions over whether the N-functionality is worth it. It probably isn't right now, but would it be later? I'm getting ready to start at the University of Pennsylvania, which is a pretty wired campus from what I understand, so I could foresee it being useful later on.

Sorry for the long post, but thanks so much for the help. You guys are awesome.

 

Oops. Now I see some similar topics have been posted before regarding the 128 vs 256 question. Sorry about that. But I've thought of a couple more things to throw out there

First, what is the feasibility of upgrading that graphics card at a later date? And second.. how much processor speed is enough? Is that one of those unanswerable questions? I'm just wondering if I can save a few bucks by skimping on the CPU and never notice the difference.

 

Any of the Core 2 CPUs are amazingly fast. It depends what you are doing as to how much power you need. However, the 2.0Ghz upgrade is fairly inexpensive if I remember (30-40 USD on the 15.4" T61p anyway). I would stick with it.

For the graphics card, I don't know that you will be able to upgrade. On Dell notebooks, sometimes you can upgrade the graphics card if Dell has a better card for the same notebook. For example an 64MB x300 to a 128MB x300. I believe you have to flash the BIOS to do this as well. For IBM I am not sure. In general, I would count on upgrading any notebook graphics cards.

BTW, I am looking at the T61p as well. I am going to go to my campus bookstore and check out the 15.4". I wanted a smaller screen as well, but wasn't crazy about sacrificing the higher resolution. It seems like it is pretty small for a 15.4". I'll be using it for grad school and carrying it around a lot as well. I'll let you know what I think of it in terms of portability. (It seems to be thinner and 1lb lighter than my Inspiron 6000). Just thought you may be interested in knowing as you can get the 256MB GPU in the 15.4".

 

Yeah, definitely let me know. I'm now looking at the Dell Vostro 1500 as well, which is a bit bigger, so it would be useful to know how the T61p compares. If they offered the 256MB in the 14.1" I'd be all over it, but they don't, and the current coupon for 20% off only applies to the 14.1" displays =/

 

Hey, I did check out the different thinkpads the other day. I looked at both the 15.4" and the 14.1" WS, not the standard aspect ratio. The 15.4" T61p is definitely smaller than my Inspiron 6000 and a tad lighter to. The screen looked really great too, and Vista was extremely responsive.

The 14.1" looked nice too (widescreen). It was definitely a considerable bit smaller than the 15.4" which was to be expected. I looked more at the 15.4" though because it has the better GPU.

Anyway, just my thoughts. I think I am actually going to order the T61p tonight. I've though about it for a long long time. It seems like a great value right now, especially with the sale going on.

 

Thanks for the help. I actually ended up doing the same Hope it works out for both of us.

BTW, which coupons did you use? Did you get one through your school?

 

I actually got one through some discounts I get through my work. Essentially, I got a tad cheaper than the labor day sale prices.

Somewhere on here I posted a screenshot of my configuration. It should really scream!

Did you order the 14.1" or 15.4"?