questions about t61p

Hi everyone,

I've been reading a lot of forum posts lately about the t61p and it seems to be the best choice for me. I'm pretty close to buying it but I have the following questions:

1) My main concern is the graphics problems that many forum users seem to be having, specifically that the t61p will just shut down when running graphics intensive / gaming applications. There is also the issue of instability when using 4 Gigs of RAM (this may be the same problem).

Unfortunately, this situation does not seem to be completely resolved. If I order a t61p tomorrow, will I also have these problems?

I realize that a small percentage of laptops will always be defective but from reading the threads regarding the graphics issue, but it seems that at some point about a month ago, many users seemed to be having the exact same problem.

2) Where should I buy the t61p? I'm looking mostly at the lenovo website, but there is a cheaper alternative?

3) Are there any coupons/discounts that I can take advantage of? I see that there's a 10% off coupon with ecoupons.com but that's it. I can't wait too much longer to buy a laptop.

4) How much warranty should I get with the t61p? I usually get the minimum amount of warranty with any purchase (no warranty at all if that's offered), but for this laptop, I'm starting to think I should get 2-3 years...

Thanks a lot,

Andrew

 

Hi I just got a t61p and I don't recommend it at all.
What kills it for me is the horrible LCD.
Is probably a 6bit panel with bad posterization, huge backlight issues, and super narrow angle of view.
Also if you are gamer you are better served by a no quadro nvidia card.
If you ever need customer support because you run in some issues with your order or computer you'll be in hell.

So stay away from Lenovo.
Buy a Dell and look for deals and discount codes in Techbargains.com or Slickdeals.net

I hope this help.

 

1.Concerning the graphics problem, I have never had this issue. Its seems to be a small percentage of people who own a t61p deal with it, regardless of how many people on here or Thinkpad forums have it. So you will more than likely not have this issue.

The ram is a different story, almost everyone on here with 4 GB has an issue with it. I would just go for 2Gb or 3Gb, until Lenovo comes with a solution for it, then upgrade to 4Gb later.

2. Buy it from Lenovo, it seems like any other website or store is a few hundred dollars more expensive.

3. Use lenovo's student discount, they didn't ask for any proof, and never do as far as I know.

4. If you feel you need the 2 or 3 year warranty go for it. The 24/7 protective warranty is especially useful, in case you have any problems, a technician will be deployed and sent to your house. You can also upgrade the warranty any time after you buy.

One thing is you might have a bit of a wait, but I received mine 1 month earlier than the ESD, when there was a supposedly a delay

Good luck, I'm sure you will be happy with your purchase if you happen to go along with.

 

My lcd is very bright , but I also have a bit of backlight bleed.

The narrow angle I am guessing is from the off center lcd. Not a big deal unless you look on and off the bezel every few seconds.

Which dell would you be referring to? Because the quadro gains slightly better performance than the 8600gt when coupled with the right drivers...

All major pc manufactures be it Dell, Hp, Lenovo, or any other manufacture, will have the similar customer service.

 

For the record, all modern notebooks produced today use 6-bit panels as well as a big share of desktop LCD's. It's just the state of the market right now and there's no way around it; all the different PC makers buy their panels from the same companies.

As for the Quadro, well, it *is* essentially an 8600M GT and at least in the 15.4" T61p, a very fast one. With the right drivers and possibly a driver .inf file tweak before installation, it's VERY fast and even with stock Lenovo drivers it's a very nice card that will game well. To give a quick (and rather bad) example, running the 169.13's with the device ID tweak right now, I get a bit more than 8100 in 3DMark05. I personally hate 3DMark, but it can be a good comparison tool to check if your system is performing up to par.

Haven't had any stability issues with my T61p either. That's not to say that there aren't some that have problems, but remember more people with issues will come to a forum to report it than those with no problems.

 

I have a T61p with WUXGA and the 570M 256MB card. I had some initial issues with the machine powering off randomly. I called support, had a box the next day, had the machine back two days later, and it's been rock solid ever since. The screen is fantastic. I also have turbo memory and have been very stable after making the recommended adjustments from these forums (i.e. upgrade the drivers to at least 1.1 and disable hybrid disk power management).

As far as the person recommending switching to Dell, my work computer is a Dell M65 with a 15.4 WUXGA. The Lenovo leaves the dell *in its dust*. Superior in al regards. Performance numbers in Vista, chassis construction, etc. The grass is not always greener.

Lenovo sales absolutely sucks, make no mistake. Get your order right the first time (change = new order & both machines arrive), don't do a lot of cancellations (they can't seem to figure this out). They make a good machine and IBM and (was) Solectron (forgot their new name) do a great job of supporting it.

 

Probably the WUXGA panel is a different story.
The thing is that when you buy a Thinkpad Laptop with a discrete video card that is being sold as Professional Mobile Workstation and ISV certification then you have certain expectations of quality. And the T61P is clearly not delivering there. At least for the LCD. Oh and the Fujitsu HDD that mine came with is also junk when it comes to HDD brands.

 

T61p is a fine machine although I agree it deserved a better screen. Still after calibration its fine. Performance is top notch and built quality is excellent.

1) 4GB seems to still be a problem. I agree with the recommendation to go with 3GB unil it is fixed. And if you go with XP ( recommended ) then 3GB will be more than enough. I have 3GB with XP and its ben rock solid with excellent performance.

2) Look for EPP/CPP with stackable coupons. Or check the outlet. There are some crazy good deals to be found if your patient. Check your employer to see if you have access to EPP discount.

3) Helpful folks are always posting coupons here, also check fatwallet.com

4) How long do you expect to keep the laptop. I estimate lifespan of a computer to be about 18 months per $1000 spent. Personally I like warranties, but statistically they are a waste of money that you are not likely to ever use.

 

Started my first small business account with Dell in 1998 and this is the first year I have gone with another vendor. Since 1998 I've spent at least 100K with Dell and recommended their hardware often. But I personally have found Dell build quality and customer service to be to be very poor over the last two years.

IBM, HP and Lenovo are my preferred vendors now. Dell is good for desktop monitors and thats about it.

 

What do you think when you know t61 has problem and go ahead buy it and wait for solution , hell no. I got stucked with two t61 and t61p, both have problems, many on each. If you just like the flag ship of IBM laptop brand name , buy and and send it in for service. WHAT!, just bought and send in for service. The problem on the GP card 570M has been discusted since september, 2007 or so. My t61p ship on Dec14th2007, Why it still has same and many more problem, key board, LG LCD is also leaking backing light too from the bottom edge. I trusted IBM, found some lower price and ordered it without checking the forum first. Now I am hooked. That's it. I now can make the 570M GP card failed even with PC Doctor version 5 from lenovo. Yeah, It did and I know for sure the problem from the heat. They turn it off so you do not burn the GP card, Why you pay for it and you could not use it. Lenovo has a flaw design in this t61p. That new bios wont fix 570M GP card. I am very frustrated. You paid this much plus tax (6459CTO ThinkPad T61 15 Widescreen - 1 Yr Depot Warranty
12/27/2007** $1,660.05 $1,660.05 ... hehehe, free Shipping )
and you have to send it back in right away for service. Now you ,friend tell me, lenovo people too.
sorry if you feel that I am attacking at you friends. I dont. I know lenovo buid the t61p then ship it out and laught at us. They dont even test the machine to see if the 570M GP card failed on running 3d app. The only 3d app t61p can RUN for as long as you want to is the screensaver.! hehehehe...
Any way, Merry Chismas to all

 

Hello everyone,

Thanks for all your comments (even those of you with negative comments).

The 4GB issue concerns me a bit. I only plan on getting 2GB when I buy it, but it's possible I may add more later on. If I have this problem then, it will likely be after my warranty expires, which would be unfortunate.

I plan on using the laptop for at least the next 4 years. I'll be using it mostly for development (in linux).

I'm starting to have second thoughts about the t61p now. I'll either get this or the Dell Latitude 830, or possibly Macbook (Pro). I'll make a post when I make a final decision.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

Andrew