Thinkpads Forum

Hi all,

I traded a friend a scanner for a choice between two laptops - a T61 (I do not believe it is a T61p) or a Dell D620. They look to be fairly similar but need some info. I did some searches on the T61 and the info was conflicting.

Since I am getting this for next to nothing - I plan on getting a SSD and as much ram as it will take.

- Is the T61 64-bit?
- Is it VT capable?
- Is the drive SATAI or SATAII?

If there are any thoughts on why I should take the T61 over the dell, please let me know.

Thanks,
Rob

1. Yes, it is 64 bit capable.
2. Yes, it is VT capable.
3. The chipset is SATA II capable, but Lenovo BIOS locked it to SATA I speeds for compatibility reasons. There is a 'hacked' BIOS available for download called the Middleton BIOS that unlocks the SATA II speeds, plus adds a few more welcome features. Just do a search and you will be able to find the link to download it.

Note that there are issues with T61's that have Nvidia graphics made before 8/08. The Nvidia GPU's are faulty and will eventually fail. If the T61 has an Intel GPU, then you will not have a problem.

I have personally used the D620 and D630 laptops. The trackpoint on the Thinkpad is much, much better and the overall build quality is much better also. I actually purchased four Dell D630 laptops a few years ago (I was able to get them brand new and extremely cheap), and at least two of them have required warranty service for broken parts or failed components. For the past 14 years we have purchased nothing but Thinkpads, to the tune of around 100 of them, and I can only think of a handful that have needed warranty repairs.

D620 is a contemporary of the T60, hence lesser hardware and more limited compared to T61 (3GB limit, no SATA2).

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I did some more searching and found conflicting statements about RAM - what is the real max? 4gb or 8gb? I've found info stating both as fact.

Is there a way to check to see if it has a nvidia or intel video? bios perhaps?

Thanks,
Rpb

8GB is the max.

Thanks. I don't have the T61 in my hands - what can I ask him to check to find out which video it has? He's not very technical.

Rob

Eric Giles wrote:Note that there are issues with T61's that have Nvidia graphics made before 8/08. The Nvidia GPU's are faulty and will eventually fail.

The Nvidia defect affected all D630 units and some D620's as well. I actually don't know why the D620 and D820 were affected since these didn't use G84/G86 chips, but they were both listed in the class action settlement.

Steelers2012 wrote: I traded a friend a scanner for a choice between two laptops - a T61 (I do not believe it is a T61p) or a Dell D620.

Use your future T61's Machine Type and Model (nnnn_xxx, e.g. 4384_2MU)
to determine its specs...
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product ... fault.page?

Use your future T61's serial number
to determine whether it has Penryn CPU compatible motherboard
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product ... fault.page

This is not a deal breaker, because Merom CPU motherboards will accept a Penryn CPU with a "modified" bios update.

T61 <=> D630

dell nvidia units tend to fail more often than lenovo nvidia units. Also most dells with nvidia came with VDDR2 vs VDDR3 on the T61 laptops, with the later having better cooling.

besides, we have both T61 and D630 here, and I can tell that the T61 is much better choice. The D630 is also SATA1 limited and I dont know of a work around, where as on the T61 there is a solution already - the middletons bios, works awesome.

I have owned both. Recently I sold the D620. That said, I like the T61 better.
Good luck

I used D620/D630 for around 4 years at work and I definitely prefer the T61. Build quality is much better than the Dell. Just as said above, avoid the models with Nvidia graphics.