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
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
T61- 14" strength
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 5:40 pm
- Location: Hamburg, Germany <unverified>
T61- 14" strength
Hello
I am thinking about buying a 14" T61p because I travel frequently as a foreign student boarding in England.
Do you have anecdotes on the strength of a T61p, being thrown into suitcases .etc. Is a laptop case nessecary?
My dad had a T42, and he thought this would be best for me.
Thank you for your advice.
I am thinking about buying a 14" T61p because I travel frequently as a foreign student boarding in England.
Do you have anecdotes on the strength of a T61p, being thrown into suitcases .etc. Is a laptop case nessecary?
My dad had a T42, and he thought this would be best for me.
Thank you for your advice.
Re: T61- 14" strength
Hello, Der_Gebing and welcome to the forum.
Generally speaking, a 14" T61p implies a 4:3 model since no widescreen 14" have been produced. This model is almost identical to the 14" T60 which has been my primary work laptop between 2007 and 2010, and a secondary laptop ever since. (it's close to being 7 years old) It has taken the normal beatings you describe pretty well, still works like a champ and has not suffered any physical damage.
I have been carrying it around in a backpack that has a special slot for a laptop, but I have not been babying it in any way. I wouldn't throw it inside a suitcase unless it was in a laptop bag, and further padded by surrounding clothes. Then again I cannot think of a laptop that I would subject to this, and in any case I don't think laptops belong in suitcases. If you mean briefcase, then it should be fine if a briefcase has a somewhat padded laptop slot, like my backpack.
One exception is if you mean a small carry-on suitcase, then yes - it's probably OK to keep there, with sufficient padding.
So in that sense, a 14" T61p is nothing to worry about.
In other senses, I am not sure that a 6-year old laptop, and one that is not without its known weak spot (nVidia GPU which was manufactured in a faulty process and in some cases dies prematurely) is an ideal companion as a main system for a traveling student. There are other, somewhat newer, somewhat safe alternatives that I would suggest, depending on your budget.
Are you looking for a small laptop (12" and under), mid-range (13-14") or large (15"+)?
Generally speaking, a 14" T61p implies a 4:3 model since no widescreen 14" have been produced. This model is almost identical to the 14" T60 which has been my primary work laptop between 2007 and 2010, and a secondary laptop ever since. (it's close to being 7 years old) It has taken the normal beatings you describe pretty well, still works like a champ and has not suffered any physical damage.
I have been carrying it around in a backpack that has a special slot for a laptop, but I have not been babying it in any way. I wouldn't throw it inside a suitcase unless it was in a laptop bag, and further padded by surrounding clothes. Then again I cannot think of a laptop that I would subject to this, and in any case I don't think laptops belong in suitcases. If you mean briefcase, then it should be fine if a briefcase has a somewhat padded laptop slot, like my backpack.
One exception is if you mean a small carry-on suitcase, then yes - it's probably OK to keep there, with sufficient padding.
So in that sense, a 14" T61p is nothing to worry about.
In other senses, I am not sure that a 6-year old laptop, and one that is not without its known weak spot (nVidia GPU which was manufactured in a faulty process and in some cases dies prematurely) is an ideal companion as a main system for a traveling student. There are other, somewhat newer, somewhat safe alternatives that I would suggest, depending on your budget.
Are you looking for a small laptop (12" and under), mid-range (13-14") or large (15"+)?
Thinkpad 25 (20K7), T490 (20N3), Yoga 14 (20FY), T430s (IPS FHD + Classic Keyboard), X220 4291-4BG
X61 7673-V2V, T60 2007-QPG, T42 2373-F7G, X32 (IPS Screen), A31p w/ Ultrabay Numpad
X61 7673-V2V, T60 2007-QPG, T42 2373-F7G, X32 (IPS Screen), A31p w/ Ultrabay Numpad
Re: T61- 14" strength
I think the main issue to consider is the chance of the GPU dying. (as dr_st has already mentioned) This can happen on the T40 series (happens very frequently, known as "Flexing") as well as the T60 series. (though less frequent) The T61 series is affected by what is known as the NVIDIA bug.
As such, I highly recommend getting a model with integrated graphics only, in which case a T60 or T61 would be absolutely fine. They are both very tough. If you want a 4:3 or widesreen model is up to you.
Depending on your budget you might also want to consider some newer models such as the T400 or perhaps even T410/T420 etc. Taking a look over at the X-Series might be a good idea as well, 12" is usually a lot more comfortable when traveling, though some may find the screen to be to small when used over a long period of time.
As such, I highly recommend getting a model with integrated graphics only, in which case a T60 or T61 would be absolutely fine. They are both very tough. If you want a 4:3 or widesreen model is up to you.
Depending on your budget you might also want to consider some newer models such as the T400 or perhaps even T410/T420 etc. Taking a look over at the X-Series might be a good idea as well, 12" is usually a lot more comfortable when traveling, though some may find the screen to be to small when used over a long period of time.
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
ThinkPads: 600X (i3), A31p (FlexView), T43, T60 (FlexView), T61p (4:3), R61 (QXGA), X301 (AFFS), W500, X1
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 754
- Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:42 pm
- Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Re: T61- 14" strength
Check out any deals from your educational institution first. Especially the more technical oriented ones have nice laptop programs where you can buy for way less than normal. Usually HP Elitebooks, Lenovo Thinkpads or Dell Latitudes.
I wouldn't buy a T61p: it's power hungry and old in general. The keyboard and screen aspect ratio are superb, but that's about it. Especially if you need to use it during extended travel you might look into an X220; lighter, faster, lasts ~4 times longer on battery.
I wouldn't buy a T61p: it's power hungry and old in general. The keyboard and screen aspect ratio are superb, but that's about it. Especially if you need to use it during extended travel you might look into an X220; lighter, faster, lasts ~4 times longer on battery.
W520
T61
T61
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 990
- Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:22 pm
- Location: San Diego, California
- Contact:
Re: T61- 14" strength
Unless you really want a 4:3 screen ratio, I found the T400 a delight.
I found the X200 very nimble as well with compromise of screen space.
Welcome, I hope you find a nice canidate.
I found the X200 very nimble as well with compromise of screen space.
Welcome, I hope you find a nice canidate.
Coffee, ThinkPads & Nikon Fan.
Current: PixelBook & Precision 7730
Old Favorites: A31p, T43p, T430s
Current: PixelBook & Precision 7730
Old Favorites: A31p, T43p, T430s
Re: T61- 14" strength
I have T61 widescreen with intel, im clumsy as a person so laptop travels not only with me but even without me and travels with speed of sound ( falling constantly, im dropping it daily ) and it still works flawlessly so build quality is perfect , and u can upgrade them to ssd and 8gigs of ram and it should outlast your college/university by some years )
My 2£ opinion
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
My 2£ opinion
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
IBM ThinkPad
T61 C2D-T8300 + FingerPrint.ArchLinux ThinkPad
X220 i5-3320M
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 754
- Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:42 pm
- Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Re: T61- 14" strength
Depends on what you need it for. I wouldn't want to wait on a T61 if I had to make a render in Solidworks. A W520 with 2860QM can easily use more than 10 minutes for a simple render. With a T61 you can easily look at an hour....
With less old Thinkpads (like the *20 series) 8GB is more like a starting point. With a 4-slot W520 can you then easily upgrade to 16 or 24GB by adding two DIMMs. Last week I hit 100% RAM in use with 8GB by having a flowchart exported as a 180 Megapixel *.PNG (that ended up as 25 MB).
With less old Thinkpads (like the *20 series) 8GB is more like a starting point. With a 4-slot W520 can you then easily upgrade to 16 or 24GB by adding two DIMMs. Last week I hit 100% RAM in use with 8GB by having a flowchart exported as a 180 Megapixel *.PNG (that ended up as 25 MB).
W520
T61
T61
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
Getting OSD to work in windows 7 t61
by xevman » Tue Dec 12, 2023 3:04 pm » in ThinkPad T60/T61 Series - 4 Replies
- 3220 Views
-
Last post by zoltan87
Tue Dec 26, 2023 4:25 pm
-
-
-
[SOLD]: Frankenpad IBM T60 / T61 15" UXGA LED, T9500, 8GB, 256GB SSD
by Backslashnl1 » Sat Dec 30, 2023 10:00 am » in Marketplace - Forum Members only - 2 Replies
- 1775 Views
-
Last post by Backslashnl1
Sun Dec 31, 2023 8:05 am
-
-
-
FS: Complete LCD bezel for 15 inch T61 X2
by devinfriday » Tue Jan 09, 2024 6:07 am » in Marketplace - Forum Members only - 0 Replies
- 1282 Views
-
Last post by devinfriday
Tue Jan 09, 2024 6:07 am
-
-
- 12 Replies
- 1909 Views
-
Last post by TPFanatic
Thu May 02, 2024 12:39 pm
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 79 guests