Thinkpads Forum

Hey Thinkpad forums!
I've been looking at the T60 and so far it looks like it's the perfect laptop for me!
I do a few questions though for those who have the laptop or know a bit about it.

~Battery life
How is the battery life, is the 9 cell battery and/or ultrabay battery recommended?
~Overheating
I hear with the ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 or ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 that the battery gets gulped down fast and possibly overheats. Is this true and therefore the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 is the better option?
~Display
Just a general question, are there any faults with either of the IPS screen options?

Thank you for reading!

1. About 2-3 hours with 6-cell, 3.5-5 with 9-cell, depending mostly on GPU and screen (ATI GPUs and IPS screens are more power-hungry).

2. ATI GPUs get hotter, but they rarely overheat unless there is something wrong with the laptop's cooling system. In any case, if you do not need their extra bit of performance, the Intel GPU is a better option, if only for battery life.

3. The 15" SXGA+ IPS screens on these models are manufactured by LG-Philips, and many of them have an inherent problem with the CCFL backlight, causing them to yellow and lose a great deal of brightness significantly faster than the industry average for a CCFL-backlit LCD. It appears that the rate of degradation is different for each unit. Some screens are downright too dim after just 1.5-2 years, others can still be bright enough even after 3-4 years (although compared to a new screen side-by-side you will definitely notice the differences).

dr_st wrote:1. About 2-3 hours with 6-cell, 3.5-5 with 9-cell, depending mostly on GPU and screen (ATI GPUs and IPS screens are more power-hungry).

2. ATI GPUs get hotter, but they rarely overheat unless there is something wrong with the laptop's cooling system. In any case, if you do not need their extra bit of performance, the Intel GPU is a better option, if only for battery life.

3. The 15" SXGA+ IPS screens on these models are manufactured by LG-Philips, and many of them have an inherent problem with the CCFL backlight, causing them to yellow and lose a great deal of brightness significantly faster than the industry average for a CCFL-backlit LCD. It appears that the rate of degradation is different for each unit. Some screens are downright too dim after just 1.5-2 years, others can still be bright enough even after 3-4 years (although compared to a new screen side-by-side you will definitely notice the differences).

Thank-you for the input!
That's disappointing with the IPS screen, looks you can't really go really wrong with any configuration of the T60 at the price range you can get them at these days though from what I've seen though.
Are there any problems with the TN screen or Intel GPU? (Sorry for all the questions )

All XGA screens and the 14.1" SXGA+ screen in the T60 series are TN.
No known problems.
No problems either with the Intel GPU models.

TN panels used in T6x series are really nothing to write home about, average at best.

Intel graphics are fine if you don't game.

You can throw an IPS screen in any Intel-based 15" T60 or R60 and it works like a charm as well.

RealBlackStuff wrote:All XGA screens and the 14.1" SXGA+ screen in the T60 series are TN.
No known problems.
No problems either with the Intel GPU models.

ajkula66 wrote:TN panels used in T6x series are really nothing to write home about, average at best.

Intel graphics are fine if you don't game.

You can throw an IPS screen in any Intel-based 15" T60 or R60 and it works like a charm as well.

Thanks, looks like the best configuration for me is the Intel graphics and the IPS screen!

Thanks, looks like the best configuration for me is the Intel graphics and the IPS screen!

Unfortunately the combination of Intel GPU and IPS display was never released by Lenovo/IBM. However, you can change the motherboard afterwards to one with Intel GPU, I have done that and works great.

Alternatively you can go for a unit with the ATI Radeon X1300, which produces relatively little heat.

Backslashnl1 wrote:Unfortunately the combination of Intel GPU and IPS display was never released by Lenovo/IBM. However, you can change the motherboard afterwards to one with Intel GPU, I have done that and works great.

Alternatively you can go for a unit with the ATI Radeon X1300, which produces relatively little heat.

Oh thanks.
I'll try to get a T60 with Intel Graphics and a 1400x1050 TN panel then.

This is also an option if image quality is less important than heat and portability. However, the Ati X1300 produces very little heat so I would certainly consider this option in combination with a 15" IPS display.

Backslashnl1 wrote:This is also an option if image quality is less important than heat and portability. However, the Ati X1300 produces very little heat so I would certainly consider this option in combination with a 15" IPS display.

Yea I'll just get the aforementioned combination also considering that I can't find one with an IPS panel anywhere.
I don't really need real good image quality or graphics since I can use my desktop for that any ways.