thinkpad case and other questions | NotebookReview

iforgot Newbie

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I'm interested in buying a 14" (widescreen) thinkpad. Having no experience with thinkpads at all, I have a few questions:

What material is the t61 case (not the roll cage) made of? Plastic or magnesium? What about the r61?
How do the Nvidia graphics cards in the r61, t61, and t61p compare?
Which t-series comes with a camera? Does the t61p?
Do any thinkpads have an integrated microphone?
Can I upgrade the RAM myself without voiding the warranty?

Thanks

iforgot, Apr 8, 2008

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Arki Super Moderator

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From NBR review:

The T61 body is a rugged plastic that does not flex. Inside the stiff and thick plastic casing is a magnesium roll cage in both the lid and main chassis. The lid on the previous T60 was a magnesium material, while the lid on the T61 is a plastic composite with a magnesium "roll cage" plate inside. The reason for plastic now being used in the lid is to allow better penetration of radio waves, such as 802.11 and WWAN, thus providing greater wireless range and signal strength.

One change that you won’t see, but that is present, is the fact the lid is now constructed with a magnesium roll cage inside for better protection of the screen area when you shove books on top of the lid. The actual outer lid is now made of a high-tech plastic composite, that actually feels like a metal when tapped (very cool). The benefit of the outer lid now being plastic is that radio waves (Wi-Fi, WWAN) penetrate through the lid more easily and provide better wireless throughput.

Click to expand...

That construction applies to the 14.1" R61, 14.1" T61, and 15.4" T61. The 15.4" R61 has the ThinkPad Roll Cage but not the Top Lid (LCD) Roll Cage.

The ThinkPad Roll Cage protects critical system components in case of accidents or jolts. A magnesium alloy frame that surrounds the ThinkPad notebook’s internal components absorbs shock when the system is dropped or bumped – helping to reduce system failures and improving durability and reliability.

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Similar to the ThinkPad Roll Cage, the Top Cover (LCD) Roll Cage is a magnesium shell inside the notebook cover that's designed to give extra protection to the wireless antenna, LCD screen and other critical components. It's lightweight, very strong, and provides additional structural support to the entire notebook.

Click to expand...

The discrete graphics card that come with the R61 and T61 are the same (NVS 140M). The 14" T61p comes with a crippled (bus width is halved) 128MB FX 570M card while the 15" T61p has the full featured 256MB FX 570M.

All widescreens have the option of integrated webcam. Standard ratio 4:3 ThinkPads do not.

All ThinkPads have integrated microphone.

Upgrading RAM will not void warranty.

Arki, Apr 8, 2008

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styfer Notebook Enthusiast

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and so this roll cage design isnt present in the X61?

styfer, Apr 9, 2008

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