getting ready to buy a T61

So I just sold my Asus notebook, and I am in the market for a new laptop. I've been taking a hard look at the T61 and I think that I am ready to make my purchase soon, especially with the hot deals from Lenovo that are out atm. I do have a few questions though.

This is the configuration that I was looking at:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T7700 (2.4GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
14.1 WXGA TFT
nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
3 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim
ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe US/EMEA/LA/ANZ
9 cell Li-Ion Battery

How good is the NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M card? I am not planning on playing any games, but I would definitely be watching DVDs and such. Should I consider the NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M video card?

I am wondering if I should go with the 9 cell or 6 cell battery. Is the 9 cell batt considerably heavier than the 6 cell? or with my configuration, should I just stick with the 9 cell?

With 3 gigs of RAM, a 160 GB 7200rpm HDD, and a T7700 CPU, should I worry about heat issues? I am not much of a fan of laptops that get hot (especially near the area of the keyboard and touchpad).

Lastly, would 3 gigs of RAM and a T7700 CPU really make much of a difference on a 140M video card? I need some suggestions or recomendations here

Thanks!

 

I have a T61 with the NVS 140m. If you're not playing games then you should by all means get the Intel x3100 integrated video. The battery life on this thing is pretty disappointing. I get around 2.75 hours with the 7 cell battery, a little less with the 6 cell. I've heard of 3.5+ hours with the x3100 and the same battery. With a 9-cell you'd be closer to 4.5 hours.

There is no reason whatsoever to get the dedicated graphics just to watch DVD's. The only reason is 3d video, period.

For heat issues, my laptop fan comes on quite a lot. It's typically in heavy use and on 24x7 though.

3gb of RAM vs 2gb really depends on what you're doing. I am running XP with 2gb RAM, and I run a LOT of apps. Excel, Word, many many browser windows, text editors, IM, etc., I typically am eating about 1.2-1.4gb RAM. With Vista I think you can bump that up to 2gb+ if you leave a lot of applications open. If you're just surfing, watching videos and the like then 2gb should be just fine I would think.

Greg.
Greg.

 

If you want a decent Thinkpad and are not big on gaming get a 14.1" R series widescreen with discreet graphics.

I'd go with a T9300 processor (because it's superior to the T7700) and configure your RAM and hdd to your needs.
If you have particular taste for RAM an hdd then go cheap on stock RAM and HDD then order to your taste later on.

Here is a nice R series configuration IMO:

Price right now is $882.30 using the USPTHRESHOLD coupon.

I just did this price at Lenovo.com logged into the USA portion of the WEB site.

They have a great deal right now.

If you want better graphics go T61p FX570m which can be bought for a great price right now too. (more than the R series)

 

Thanks for the info Greg. I will definitely take a closer look at the Intel x3100. Longer battery life is pretty important, and 4.5 hrs with a 9 cell would definitely be awesome.

 

The T9300 is tempting. I may go for that instead. Isn't the R series heavier and bulkier than the T series notebooks though?

 

I was looking at an R series on dispaly at Circuit City yesterday. It looked and felt just like my T61p. It was a widescreen 14.1". Not sure if it was as thin. Looked almost identical. Just a little smaller in width and length.

It's a great deal right now. Lots of modern powerful technology. Great quality.

 

So I just made my purchase I went with InLawBiker's suggestion for a 9 cell instead of a 6 cell, and SonDa5's suggestion for the T9300 as well. I decided to stick with a T61 because I would definitely prefer a thinner laptop, and I also went with the 140M video card. I figured that a better video card cannot hurt. Hopefully the 9 cell battery will give me a decent amount of hours. Here was my configuration:

43Y3426 SBB INTEL CORE2DUO PROC.T9300
42V8011 VBB MS WIN VISTA HOME PREMIUM
42V9565 SBB MSWIN VHP32 US ENGLISH
42V9323 SBB 14.1 WXGA TFT,W/OCAM.
42X5981 SBB NVIDIA QUADRO NVS 140M
41W2067 VBB 3GB PC2-5300 667MHZ 2DIMM
42V8195 SBB KEYBOARD US ENGLISH
42V9329 SBB UN(TRACKPOINT+TCHPD)
42X5219 SBB 160GB HDD,7200RPM
42V8714 SBB CD-RW/DVD-ROM COM,UBAYSLIM
42X0805 VBB PC CARDSLOT EX CARDSLOT
41W1685 SBB 11ABGWIFI WL LAN USEULAANZ
62P6054 VBB INTEGR.BLUETOOTH PAN
42X6334 SBB 9CELL LI-ION BATTERY
39T6442 SBB COUNTRY PACK NORTH AMERICA
42V9391 SBB LANG.PACK US ENGLISH

Many thanks guys!

 

Nice Config. How much was it?

 

$1054 + tax