Thinkpads Forum

I have a T60, never got around to getting the Vista upgrade, so it's still running Windows XP. Never had a problem with it. Had 1.5GB RAM, 60GB HD. I bought an Acer 6530 16" laptop 14 months ago and it just died. I got the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade disk for it, but was going to install it instead on my T60 after upgrading the RAM on the T60 to 3GB (it presently is running with 3GB). I'd bought two 2GB DDR2 sticks for the Acer before it died in anticipation of installing Windows 7 64 bit, which I won at a user group raffle. So, I have two unused copies of Windows 7 at my disposal. I also have the still working 250GB HD from the dead Acer. Too, I bought a new 640GB 7200RPM 2.5" Samsung HD just a couple of weeks ago that I was going to put in the just-died Acer. I figure I can put the 250GB in the T60 and either install the 640GB in my next laptop or return it to Newegg.

OK, so I want to buy a laptop to replace the dead Acer and want something reliable. It will really just be to sit on a table, not lug around. I want it to support 4GB RAM and run 64 bit Windows 7. What Lenovo laptops (used, preferably with 15" screen, but 14" would be OK) would fulfill these requirements?

Core 2 Duo or later. From what I recall, the original Core Duo line was not 64-bit, so anything Core Duo and older is out of the question for 64bit. As far as the T series thinkpads go, that's gonna be a T61 series or later.

FWIW, the licensing for Win7 is not dependent on which bit-version you install, so so long as you have a key you can install either edition, just use the right disc!

tannerj wrote:Core 2 Duo or later. From what I recall, the original Core Duo line was not 64-bit, so anything Core Duo and older is out of the question for 64bit. As far as the T series thinkpads go, that's gonna be a T61 series or later.

FWIW, the licensing for Win7 is not dependent on which bit-version you install, so so long as you have a key you can install either edition, just use the right disc!

Thanks. I've spent the time since I posted this thread doing online research, none stop! I gathered in pretty short order that Core 2 Duo was 64 bit capable but Dual Core (or I guess what they call Core Duo) was not. Now I read a good review in which it was stated that T60 and T60p after approximately Oct. 2006 (the review was written a few months before) would be Core 2 Duo machines:

http://www.hardwareinreview.com/laptop_ ... eview.html

Indeed, my T60, bought in November 2006 has a T5500 Core 2 Duo processor. So, I'm looking at T60, T60p and T61 machines to replace my dead Acer laptop.

As far as the Windows 7 versions is concerned: You are saying I could install Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit on both my machines, just use the key from different disks (the other disk is Windows 7 Home Premium)? Both machines will have Core 2 duo processors, but only one will have 4GB DDR2. The other will have 3GB DDR2 (Of course, assuming the chipset of my current T60 supports it, I could swap the 1GB stick in there for a 2GB at some point to get a full 4GB). That is, if my plans work out to get another Thinkpad.

Core-2-Duo-equipped T60/X60/R60/Z61s will support 64bit operating systems, but the chipset/BIOS 3GB RAM limitation makes the advantages of a 64bit system a bit moot. Perhaps T61/R61/X61 and later will be a better investment in this sense.