Thinkpads Forum

Hi, first post here - long time googler

I'm considering a t60p for productivity - gaming performance is not an issue.

I'm torn between a t60p or a t420s for the sandybridge and usb3. I fell in love with a uxga t43p a while back and want the same screen and keyboard, without heating problems and with a bit more power.

I run arch linux with blackbox on the t43p but really want gnome 3. Looks like it should handle opengl but I'm afraid of heating issues. I'm also curious how the t60p would handle windows 7 in a virtual machine instead of dual booting.

I found a great thread here on cooling isssues http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=101788
Anyone know of a good fan/heatsink model that would fit easily?

I'm a starving student and hope to slowly upgrade. I'll definately get a t7200 chip along with it. They seem to range in price from a crazy $5 to $85. Would a $20 chip be a bad idea?

I'd eventually get an ssd, maybe consider frankenpadding. The frankenpads I've found for sale all have the 1440x900; am I being silly about holding out for 1600x1200? I'm still amazed how great video looks on the t43p when I go back to it from a shiny 1368 display. (also great for transparency on a quake terminal)


Thanks in advance for any advice

The SSD would be the best upgrade is RAM is already maxxed. Personally if you just doing office type work mostly on it the T7200 is IMO a marginal improvement.

The T60p should do OpenGL 2.1 OK.

Possible, yes - but due to the 3GB RAM limitation, not very practical in today's world. Windows 7 really needs a minimum 2GB to function acceptably (and even that is on the low side if you intend to do very much), which leaves only 1GB for your host OS. If you do decide on a T60p, the FPU performance between the Core and Core 2 is pretty remarkable at the same clock speed; my T60p with the original T2600 is a slug in day-to-day performance compared to my T60 with a T5600 which has a 333 MHz lower clock.

The T420s is a much better platform for virtualization of any kind due to the MUCH higher RAM limitation and greatly improved processor microarchitecture. I agree though, the screens on the T6x machines are immensely better than anything that was factory on a T420. However- there are a few FHD upgrade kits available (search for the thread from RMSMajestic) which will allow you to use a somewhat respectable LCD panel in them.

You are better of with your t420s for running Windows vms. My t61 originally came with a t7700 and 4gb ram, and running xubuntu (similar to windows 7 performance) was sluggish when doing moderate tasks. This was on top of a minimal install of arch Linux with ratpoison wm, so no fancy gui or extra services.

The processing power difference between t60p and T420s is huge, the t420s have 4 threads, compared to 2 threads on t60p.

if you run a VM with 2 processors cores assigned to it, and that vm starts doing something cpu intensive, the t420s host os will remain moderately responsive because of having 4 threads, while the dual core processor in the same situation may struggle a bit.

An i5 or i7 is much better at VM, since the display can be 3D virtualized. This is not possible with a Core 2 Duo.

Thanks for the replies, guys

Glad I posted here instead of impulse ebay-ing. You're definately right about the t420's power and longevity. I really haven't run many VMs.

I probably should have said windows would just be for office. Win XP probably would have been better really. Figured I could use a t60p as a glorified typewriter and some web surfing. I was hoping the t7200 would run a bit cooler than a 2#00.

Anyway, I'm sure I would have regretted going with one. The better t60ps's on ebay run about as much as some loaded t420s's there and on Newegg.

Good point about the screen upgrades too. I saw some but I'm just wary of messing with a panel. Anyway, the T420s has way more potential. Might have been fun to break out an old IBM among the macbook airs, just really not worth it.

Thanks again for a better perspective

Bookworm808 wrote:
Anyway, I'm sure I would have regretted going with one. The better t60ps's on ebay run about as much as some loaded t420s's there and on Newegg.

I'd strongly advise against purchasing a "refurbished" ThinkPad from NewEgg. These are third-party refurbs and I've seen quite a few that were nasty, un-kept, and outright filthy.

Your $$$, your call.

Happy shopping.

Bookworm808 wrote: Good point about the screen upgrades too. I saw some but I'm just wary of messing with a panel. Anyway, the T420s has way more potential. Might have been fun to break out an old IBM among the macbook airs, just really not worth it.

Thanks again for a better perspective

If you can find a T60p for super cheap (or even a Z61t with a titanium lid) and are willing to put up with the drawbacks, then you could squeak by. The RAM limitation is very annoying.

Unfortunately I would advise on a newer T series as well (I still haven't been able to move myself off of the IBM 'pads yet).