Suggestions for pending T61p purchase

[DJ Seku]

Well, my C2D HP DV5T 2.4 GHz is on its last leg (it was my main set machine, and the constant use was just too much for it). This after my C2D Macbook Pro 2.5 GHz also decided to fail (literally minutes before going on for a set) Good thing I had the DV5 for backup...

...which brings me to why I'm here. About two months back I picked up a T60 (6371-EXU) from a local Goodwill for $25 (missing hdd, RAM, and drive rails/cover) and brought it back up to speed (had spare 500GB HDD and 3gb of RAM lying about).

Overall, totally thrilled with the machine, although it isn't quite up to spec in terms of being able to use if for live performance. The 3gb RAM limit of the 945 chipset sorta kills it, and I thought of upgrading the CPU but decided instead to just go with a T61p (now that I have had a great experience with getting my first Lenovo).

What I need are some outside thoughts and suggestions.

I've got my eye on a T61p (6460-8VU), and I can't seem to find it on the lenovo site, but I'm getting some mixed info suggesting it's what I'm looking for (WUXGA 1920x1200, Quadro 570m, ABGN, Bluetooth, etc.) If my research is right, it's post 08/08 manufacture date, but not sure?

Anyone willing to provide any feedback on this model, or does anyone know of any other T61p types that don't have Wifi N disabled or missing BT or less resolution? Turbo memory module would be nice but not necessary atm, just don't want to find out I got a crippled/bad model after I purchase it.

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the forum.

These are the specs ex-factory:
T61 (6460-8VU)
T7700(2.4GHz), 2GB RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HD, 15.4in 1920x1200 LCD, 256MB nVIDIA Quadro FX 570M, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11agn, Bluetooth, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Fingerprint reader, WinXP Pro
If that machine has indeed a manufacturing date of 08/08, 08/09, 08/10 etc. go for it, provided it still has the original motherboard in it.
If the production date is before 08/08 (= 2008/August), I would leave it be, unless you know and trust where it's coming from.
If from eBay, I would be VERY skeptical!
You should rather try and buy from our Marketforum!

If wifi-N is disabled, this only applies to the wifi-card itself, not the machine.
If the LCD-cable has a BT connector but no BT, you can add BT yourself, or you can buy a new LCD-cable with BT connector and a BT module.
In a T61 or T61p you can apply Middleton's BIOS which will give you SATA II speed for the HD/SSD, remove all whitelists, so you can add any wifi/WLAN card, let you add a Penryn CPU and a few other goodies.
As a DJ you probably won't need all the GPU power, Intel graphics will probably work just as well.
That resolution is supported on an Intel mobo.
With a 64-bit OS you can add up to 8GB ram.

[DJ Seku]

Thanks, I've used this site extensively to learn about my T60.

Looks like the info I got was mostly spot on, had a few sites showing different tho.
It is on ebay, hence why I am skeptical about it, thought I'd ask here first. Also asking seller for specific date code. I've been searching for a while and this doesn't seem as sketchy as some other auctions I looked at (namely for 6457-C34 units), hopefully all works out.

Didn't even know they had an Intel graphics T61p. I use CS5.5 and Lightroom as well (for my full-time job), which have been laggy for rendering on current GMA950 (T60) but run well on 9600GT (DV5T), so that kinda skewed me toward looking for dedicated graphics only.

The reason why I'm looking for an all-inclusive model is I really don't want to spend too much time or money on mods outside of what I plan for already (SSD, CPU, Turbo?).

Essentially, the T61p replaces my DV5 as my main "Do-Everything" machine, and the T60 gets to stay my personal browsing/music listening/general use machine.

Thanks again for your input!

[emtee3511]

Since an HP was already working for you, maybe you should check out this Marketplace post: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=106898

[DJ Seku]

TBH, the Macbook Pro was working for me til it decided to fail (as all Macs seem to do ), and the DV5 was never meant to take on the task but it sufficed. I had someone spill their beer on my 2tb external HDD, and luckily the housing kept it all out (it's a miracle) but it got me thinking that if they had spilled it in the opposite direction it would have toasted my machine mid-set (as Skrillex has learned ).

Anyway, 42 minutes remain til I bid, found out it was 08/07 (fingers crossed). I would look on the marketplace, but ebay offers me 6 months same as cash before having to pay...so

[emtee3511]

Good luck on your bid -- let us know how it turns out

[TuuS]

Anyway, 42 minutes remain til I bid, found out it was 08/07 (fingers crossed).

With this date, you'll either get one that could fail without notice, or could last ten years, but the real problem is the ones that have already failed often get some temporary repairs (I won't post how it's done, but suffice it to say it's very easy), and dumped on ebay. The only pre-08/08 systems I buy are the non widescreen ones, which weren't made in 08/08 with nVidia so there is no other option, and when I get them, I test them for 7 full days running them hard to make sure the GPU is good. If this one is sold as-is, I wouldn't go near it... if you do end up buying it and you can return, I'd recommend some extensive testing while temps are monitored including a few hours of gpu stress tests. This won't assure you it can never fail, but it should kill a gpu that has been rigged up to unload on an unsuspecting buyer.

Good luck in your efforts and I'll tell you that these are some of the best thinkpads ever built in my opinion, but the gpu issue is a major factor.

One good point to consider is despite the Merom class cpu in this system, with that production date you are likely to have a penryn board, so you could upgrade your cpu without need for any hacks.

By the way, I used to be able to get the 08/08 systems as they came into liquidation and many were retrofitted with Intel boards and sold here in the forum after the nVidia boards were sold. They were quite popular actually, since the 15.4" models with intel graphics are rare and are all very low-end systems, so building them with high end parts was something lenovo never offered. I eventually had to stop because the price of the Intel Penryn boards nearly doubled, so the last one I built I barely broke even on.

Anyway, if you need parts for yours, I have boxes and boxes full of 15.4" t61/t61p parts and I'd be glad to help.

@emtee3511, thanks for recommending my HP workstation, they are really great systems. They have the wide viewing angle screen that lenovo never offered in anything full size since the T60, and the ones I got are the highest resolution with penryn system board and the nVidia chip is more powerful then the T61p. I prefer thinkpads, but the only thing lenovo has that is close is the w700 that cost over 3 times as much. This is a big 17" workstation though, probably more then you want to take on the job with you, but if you want something extremely portable, I have a 12" x61 notebook with penryn system board I'm going to be offering soon. With a T9300 or better cpu and 8gb of ram it would put a lot of power into a small package, or even a T8100, which is designed to draw less power and run cool, but still is very powerful would more then suffice. Your T7700 would be faster, but when it gets hot and is forced into thermal throttling, a T8100 could leave it in the dust, and use a lot less power to do so.