Which T60 ?

I finally concluded that T60 is probably just right for me, but I would like some final advice before I take the plunge.

Basically I have two options. I'm currenty in Singapore where they only have the 14,1" SXGA+ display available for the T60. In about a months time I will go back to my own country where the T60 is available both with a 15,4" WS and 15" Flexview display, but NOT with a 14,1" SXGA+.

So what should I do? Go for the 14,1" or wait a few weeks and go for either the WS or the Flexview?

The units that I am looking at:

[Singapore]
2007-DP9
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2Ghz
1GB DDR2 SDRAM
120 GB 5400rpm
DL multiburner drive
14,1" TFT display SXGA+
128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
Intel Pro Wireless 802,11 b/g

1951-BW7
Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 1,83Ghz
1GB DDR2 SDRAM
80 GB 5400rpm
DL multiburner drive
14,1" TFT display SXGA+
Intel graphics Media Accelerator 950
Intel Pro Wireless 802,11 b/g
-325 USD

[Belgium]
UT0FVBE
Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 1,83Ghz
1GB DDR2 SDRAM
120 GB 5400rpm
DL multiburner drive
15" Flexview
128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
Intel Pro Wireless 802,11 a/b/g/h
+600 USD

UO1HDBE
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2Ghz
1GB DDR2 SDRAM
120 GB 5400rpm
DL multiburner drive
15,4" WSXGA+
128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
Intel Pro Wireless 802,11 a/b/g/h
about same price as first one


Also, should I go for X1400 or is Intel graphics enough. I will not do any gaming. I read that the X1400 result in rather noisy fans. Is that a fact? Oh, and I will be installing Linux on it, so it does not need to run Vista bloatware.

 

What are you going to do with it and how much mobility do you need?

 

I will be using it for the usual things like Internet surfing, e-mail, text processing, etc... . Then I will also want to do web design with it together with some basic photo editing. It will also need to play video very well in the most common formats, like mpeg2, mpeg4,... When I watch a DVD or watch pictures, then I would like the colors to be at least decent. Finally, I wouldn't mind trying out a game now and then, but nothing too fancy.

Portability? I am actually not sure yet. This will be my first laptop. I see a lot of people bringing their laptops to places like pubs, restaurants, conferences, etc. That seems both very fun and practical. So, I could develop some new habits that require portability once I have my new thinkpad. But I don't want to sacrifice too much screen quality for that. After all, I'll be staring at the thing for many, many hours.

I read that the IPS screen had some issues after a change in supplier. So, even if I cough up the additional 600 USD, I might still get a display that I'm not satisfied with. So I don't think I will go for that one. So I wonder now whether there are any significant quality differences between the 14,1" and the 15,4" screen. Does the 15,4" on the T60 use the same panel as the Z61t?

 

Doesn't really sound like you need the FlexView, I personally would opt for the 14".

 

I will go for the 14". Should I also opt for the T7200 with ati x1400? Would that cause a lot more heat/noise than the Intel graphics? Apart from the graphics, is there any significant perfomance gain from the T5600 1.83Ghz to the T7200 2Ghz?

 

The x1400 does produce more heat and has less battery life. For typical tasks I don't think you'll see much of a difference in the CPUs.

 

Does the T60 with a X1400 have a DVI port?

 

No the laptop does not have DVI. You can get the dock which does, but that's not very portable. You must have one of the discrete cards for DVI to work. Acer, Apple and Asus are the makers offering laptops with DVI.