Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message

Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

General Questions, Rumors, Real news & More
Post Reply
Message
Author
laowai
Sophomore Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 1:37 pm
Location: Beijing China

Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#1 Post by laowai » Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:29 am

My glorious T60 is nearing end of life it seems. It still runs great, but it's almost 8 years (of heavy use) old and that's twice as long as I plan on for a laptop (figure 3-years under warranty plus 1 more... if it dies after that I'm not too upset). To get it back up to tippy top shape, it needs new bezels, new RAM, HDDs are still stable but starting to show signs of age, screen is on the verge of developing lines, the fan needs to be replaced again (and there are no more genuine fans, so it's kinda junky), the case has some stripped and cracked screwholes, the battery lasts for 20 minutes... basically, other than that, I love my T60, but this repair bill exceeds my willingness to pay it. Over the years I have swapped out everything for the most part, no real desire to go through it again all at once, especially with screens becoming harder and harder to find.

So... with the era of crap resolution seemingly behind us, it's about that time.
Mobility means more to me at this point in life, so I am looking at tablets and 2-in-1s. The SP3 is tempting, but the design seems rather crummy, it will never be a laptop. Helix 2 seems to fit the bill as it is hinged and I could pick up a dock for the office and home and be fairly happy actually. Ultraportables, rather nice, but with lack of servicable parts, might as well just get a darn tablet for all the difference it makes.

Only real concerns about it revolve around the lack of user serviceable parts. I do NOT like that, not ONE little bit. To me, the reasons to get Thinkpads have always been the reliability during the early years under warranty, and by the time warranty is up, parts are everywhere and dirt cheap to upgrade and repair to ensure the beast lasts basically forever.

Also would prefer to get something now when I am somewhat still OK with what's happening to keyboards... not thrilled at all mind you, but it's still borderline tolerable as long as it's not clickpad. With a tablet option, I can always just slap an oldschool thinkpad usb keyboard onto a dock and not care.

brchan
ThinkPadder
ThinkPadder
Posts: 1345
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:43 am
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#2 Post by brchan » Tue Nov 18, 2014 12:45 pm

If you want easily serviceable parts and classic design, the last models would be the W520/T520, T420, and x220. I would probably recommend the X220 with IPS display, since you want more mobility.
Current Thinkpads: W530 (functional classic keyboard mod), X301, T61, T60, T43, A31p, T23, 600X, 770
Other: mk5 Toughbook cf-19, mk1 Toughbook cf-53

sona1111
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:27 pm
Location: Franklin Park, NJ

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#3 Post by sona1111 » Tue Nov 18, 2014 6:56 pm

Yes, I agree with above. I pretty much sound like a broken record by now but it seems you are in the same situation as I am. The X220 is the last thinkpad which features the good keyboard. (7 row) that we are used to with the T60. The only problem is that the screen resolution is lower then the T60, but other then that all of the features are very good.

laowai
Sophomore Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 1:37 pm
Location: Beijing China

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#4 Post by laowai » Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:29 pm

brchan wrote:If you want easily serviceable parts and classic design, the last models would be the W520/T520, T420, and x220. I would probably recommend the X220 with IPS display, since you want more mobility.
"crap resolution" .... 1366x768, that's all I see it doing. To me, that's a dealbreaker. I mean, my $200 cellphone does better than that. Coming off of 15 years of SXGA+, my base requirement for even considering a short-screen is if the vertical exceeds 1050. That's been the dealbreaker spec I have been waiting to change for years now. Slightly crappier keyboard, I can tolerate... loss of thinklight, I can tolerate... loss of latches, I can tolerate... loss of magnesium cover, I can tolerate... but clickpads, loss of trackpoint or low resolution? nope, never, cannae do eet. Sure, there's the mod for "FHD", but eh, it's rather involved

ajkula66
SuperUserGeorge
SuperUserGeorge
Posts: 17303
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:28 am
Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#5 Post by ajkula66 » Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:42 pm

You could go for a T/W 520, and if you don't like the stock FHD panel throw in a LG Philips IPS one. It has somewhat worse RGB numbers than the AUO LCD, but it wins in most other respects from what I'm to understand...
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)

Cheers,

George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)

One FlexView to rule them all: A31p

Abused daily: T520, X200s


PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.

laowai
Sophomore Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 1:37 pm
Location: Beijing China

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#6 Post by laowai » Wed Nov 19, 2014 2:29 am

ajkula66 wrote:You could go for a T/W 520, and if you don't like the stock FHD panel throw in a LG Philips IPS one. It has somewhat worse RGB numbers than the AUO LCD, but it wins in most other respects from what I'm to understand...
again, meh. still talking about swapping and modding on a new-to-me machine that has to be used for work. FHD in a 15" is crap. FHD is only marginally better than SXGA+. for a 15" I'd be wanting better than QXGA, and in the end, still have a dated machine that's too large for work. Look, I get the love for the x20 and previous models. I get it more than you can possibly know, but i want better, it's one thing to upgrade an existing machine to pump some more years of life out of it... it's another to buy into it at that lifesupport phase. If I needed an immediate upgrade due to failure and was aware of a suitable replacement on the roadmap, it could work for me.

Where lenovo seems headed with the keyboards though.... might as well just tablet it, toss in a stand dock for it, and slap on an old-school thinkpad USB keyboard with trackpoint.

The real question then becomes, how much is having a semi-tolerable detachable clamshell worth? Cus that's the only real benefit I can see over, say... any other tablet that I can slap into a dock and use a thinkpad usb keyboard with. And to me at least, that's the helix niche as long as it has the 8gb in it. For any serious work that can gut the thing... that's not gonna be an ultraportable regardless of flavor.

The reason for the refresh at this point in my mind is seeing the yoga 3 keyboard.. like it or not, that's what to expect. I can tolerate a 6-row as long as I can take it off and slap on something for actual work. a 5 row without function keys? sorry, that's it for me. one of my lines in the sand. When the current market bubble pops, will we be doomed to low res crap again? probably. I need something to weather that storm. Can't really upgrade it, or modify it, but I basically budget around $500 per year of laptop life. A full solution helix should run sub-1500. gimmie an ideal solution with the size i want, the screen i want, the keyboard i want, fully user serviceable and the latest specs, and I'd be more than happy to drop north of $4k on it tomorrow. but that ain't gonna be happening.

600X
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 789
Joined: Tue May 21, 2013 3:31 am
Location: Raleigh, NC

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#7 Post by 600X » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:00 am

If you are only concerned about serviceability then I don't quite get what's wrong. Most newer models are just as serviceable as the older ones. If you get something like a T440s/T440p or T540p then you will be able to swap pretty much any part, even if the approach differs from older models.

I'd take a look at the T440s, most people argue that it is the "best" Haswell generation ThinkPad, though to each their own. If you want dedicated trackpoint buttons then wait for the next generation of ThinkPads. You will have to know for yourself if a convertible like the Helix is a suitable machine for you. The Helix is primarily a tablet, though the second iteration comes pretty close to becoming a laptop of sorts when you stick it into the dock.
Daily: Custom Mini-ITX (Ryzen 5, A2000 12GB, 3:2)
ThinkPads: 600X (i3), A31p (FlexView), T43, T60 (FlexView), T61p (4:3), R61 (QXGA), X301 (AFFS), W500, X1

Dekks
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 583
Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2014 9:38 am
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#8 Post by Dekks » Wed Nov 19, 2014 5:27 am

User serviceability and tablets? Generally they are treated as disposable as they will be replaced in 6months with a new android build marketing push.
Home - Win 10 MSi GF63 Gaming Laptop /Arch GNOME 3/X230 Tablet /X61 [Korean] - Debian 10/T60p - Ubuntu 20.10 Helix 2
Work - Win10/Thinkpad X1 Tablet Gen 2

laowai
Sophomore Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 1:37 pm
Location: Beijing China

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#9 Post by laowai » Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:43 am

Dekks wrote:User serviceability and tablets? Generally they are treated as disposable as they will be replaced in 6months with a new android build marketing push.
ios/android tablets are toys and nothing else. if i wanted an android tablet i can get one here for like $50 and chuck it at a wall the instant it pisses me off.

brchan
ThinkPadder
ThinkPadder
Posts: 1345
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:43 am
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#10 Post by brchan » Wed Nov 19, 2014 10:49 am

The best solution would probably be to get a T420 and replace the screen with an IPS display from the current line of Thinkpads. You would need an LVDS to eDP converter, but if you can find one small enough, you may be able to retrofit it in somewhere.
Current Thinkpads: W530 (functional classic keyboard mod), X301, T61, T60, T43, A31p, T23, 600X, 770
Other: mk5 Toughbook cf-19, mk1 Toughbook cf-53

Dekks
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 583
Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2014 9:38 am
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#11 Post by Dekks » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:51 am

laowai wrote:ios/android tablets are toys and nothing else. if i wanted an android tablet i can get one here for like $50 and chuck it at a wall the instant it pisses me off.
And will anything like the Helix that wants to be as thin and light as a tablet be any different, it's got some of the thinkpad servicability , but will it be durable enough for such a demanding customer. Add to that has it sold as many as the T60/61 to generate the secondary market it years to come.
Home - Win 10 MSi GF63 Gaming Laptop /Arch GNOME 3/X230 Tablet /X61 [Korean] - Debian 10/T60p - Ubuntu 20.10 Helix 2
Work - Win10/Thinkpad X1 Tablet Gen 2

gaphic2
Sophomore Member
Posts: 134
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:25 am
Location: Brussels, Belgium

Re: Time to trade in the T60... thoughts?

#12 Post by gaphic2 » Tue Nov 25, 2014 9:27 pm

I've been waiting for the right new model as well. Is there any truth to the news that came out before summer that Lenovo was thinking about a 2:1 model?

I just repaired my T60p and I picked up a cheap low specced T60 to turn into a UXGA Frankenpad. You could do that also, I guess it would cost around $500 in total. And the plastic on some of those sold off business T60s can be in near mint condition.

Where I am, stock fan/heatsing assemblies are still to be had from Lenovo. They don't offer LCD's anymore, but stocks are still to be found elsewhere. I've just ordered a new grade A UXGA panel from Hong Kong, look at the LCD availability sticky for details.
T60p T7600 15" 4:3 SXGA+ FlexView FireGL V5250 3GB 1x200GB SSD 1x200GB/7200 XP Pro

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “GENERAL ThinkPad News/Comments & Questions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 45 guests