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Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

T60/T61 Series
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Verti
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Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#1 Post by Verti » Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:25 pm

Hi all, I'm currently trying to find a T61p, as I need an affordable laptop that I can upgrade in the future. The laptop I was using before recently suffered from an unfortunate death, which is okay as long as I can get a new one in time because it was pretty low end...

I've done a fair bit of research so far, and have a pretty strict budget of around $60-70 (student working a minimum wage job), so I plan on upgrading it over the next year, and have just a few questions before I pull the trigger and buy one.

First off, would it be unwise to assume that most of the widescreen models on ebay would be post-08/08? I figure most of the pre-08/08 models would be dead by now, so it would be unlikely to get one, or am I completely wrong?

Second, how much are screen upgrades typically? I'm guessing that depends on the model, but for the 15.4" model, how much would a 1920x1200 display be, and which ones are compatible? I'm also fine with 1680x1050.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#2 Post by ZaZ » Tue Mar 15, 2016 11:50 pm

I wouldn't assume the production date one way or the other, cause I think we know what happens then. If you want to know you can always ask.

How much a new screen costs probably depends on the condition. I seem to recall the WSXGA+ LCDs of the era being brighter than the WUXGA models. I believe all the screen part numbers are in the HMM.
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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#3 Post by TuuS » Wed Mar 16, 2016 12:09 am

I'd say it's safe to say the odds of finding an 08/08 or even rarer 08/09 on ebay for any price is unlikely. Virtually every one that went into liquidation was either grabbed by a collector or had it's board removed and sold and only the older ones from early 2007 until july 2008 went to brokers and eventually found their way to ebay.

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#4 Post by hhhd1 » Wed Mar 16, 2016 2:23 am

you should be able to find T400 within your price range, also maybe possible but a bit harder is the T500.
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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#5 Post by TuuS » Wed Mar 16, 2016 4:46 am

The T400 and T500 are usually cheaper than a good T61 series, although newer they weren't an upgrade. They do have the advantage of using cheaper ram though, but the graphics isn't as powerful as the T61 or T61p. However if you can get a dead T400 I have some very cheap boards with discrete (switchable) graphics. They are actually great boards but we replaced them do to broken usb ports which are easy to replace, or you can use them as it if you don't need all the usb ports to work. I also have some new usb ports that aren't that difficult to replace, so if you can find one that was victim of a liquid spill or had a dead board from other causes you could build a very cheap laptop.

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#6 Post by Verti » Wed Mar 16, 2016 2:21 pm

For some reason it wasn't letting me reply last night, but thanks everyone for your answers.

I think I'll skip trying to find a T61p for now then, I was unaware of the situation on eBay and looking closely at any of the pictures on listings for ones that do show the bottom, most are 08/04 or before. I sent a few messages to sellers a few days ago who have listings that don't show the bottom asking if they could check what the sticker says, no response from any so probably pre-08/08.

I'm looking at getting a T400 now, they look pretty solid. How do the ones with switchable graphics compare to the NVS140M or FX570M in the T61/T61p? I don't need anything super high end because I have an okay gaming computer but I'd like to be able to play some mid-2000s games and maybe some indie games that aren't extremely graphically intensive when away from home.

Also, how much do you typically charge for those boards, TuuS? If you can't say here then feel free to PM me and I'll remove this part of the post.

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#7 Post by TuuS » Sun Mar 20, 2016 4:12 am

I don't think any of the ATI graphics compare with the nVidia, it's a newer system but the graphics is a downgrade, but it should work with what you're looking for.

I think I had the T400 boards on sale over Christmas on a motherboard sale, either see if you can find the post or send me a PM and we can discuss it.

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#8 Post by DK6400Brian » Mon Apr 18, 2016 9:23 pm

Just to let you know, that I'm typing this on a fully functional March 2008 T61p with nVidia FX 570M.

Since getting it in July 2010 and reading of all the problems people have had with the T6x/nVidia-series, I kept an aggressive TP-Fancontrol settings ever since, with Fan64@61Celsius (142F), which I tend to think kept the problems at arms length.
Never played any 3D-intensive games either, due to age. My age that is :lol:

Only problem at this moment in time (April 19, 2016) is, that the CCFL hasn't any juice left. Bought a new one from eBay, which is ready to go in whenever I feel for it.

No BSOD as of yet. No nothing of serious matter. Just some oddities on Win7, like having removed Windows Update from loading due to the fact that it using one of the T7800 cores entirely. Also managed to get rid of the "Get the Windows 10"-icon.

One other thing I solved:
I noticed a couple of weeks ago the reason behind why the T61p (or any modern ThinkPad) might suddenly become sluggish. And I mean terribly sluggish as in "What is wrong with this thing ?".

Something somehow triggers the CPU to fall back to the lower/lowest state with the lower/lowest multiplier and will stay there at 800MHz or 1200 MHz. (With the T7800)

Best way to deal with it:
Have your power settings at Max. Performance.

Download HWInfo 32/64 and have it opened all time.
Take a look at the cpu-frequency when this thing occurs and notice how it has dropped to either the lowest multiplier CPU SLFM or the minimum multiplier CPU LFM.

The solution:
Unplug the powercord and have your ThinkPad run on battery power for some seconds and the cpu-frequency will again reach high speed state, CPU HFM and CPU IDA.
Plug the power back in again. Voila :banana:

Good luck with whatever you choose to buy.
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#9 Post by RealBlackStuff » Tue Apr 19, 2016 6:41 am

I wouldn't bother about replacing the CCFL, get another screen altogether!
For a 15.4" there is a perfect (and cheap) replacement: the 1920x1200 Sharp LQ154M1LW2A or LQ154M1LW02
Beats the crap out of any other WUXGA screen from Samsung or LG.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#10 Post by DK6400Brian » Tue Apr 19, 2016 9:01 am

Thanks.

Well, I got the CCFL ... and my ThinkPad disease is giving me the love to disassemble a machine to bits and pieces, just to reassemble it and see the life in it afterwards. During the process I'll see exactly which LCD Lenovo choosed to use. Wherether it's a Philips, LG or the sought after Sharp. My machine is the WUXGA to begin with.

If I choose to get my hands on the Sharp LQ154M1LW2A or LQ154M1LW02, where would you recommend me getting it from ?

To the matter of which ThinkPad that has the last true drops of IBM in it, I'd chime the bells and proclame the Z61p, due to the overall choice of design, given the reminiscence of the 770X/770Z.



(edit) Spelling errors
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#11 Post by RealBlackStuff » Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:20 am

The Sharp was never used by Lenovo, it was used in the likes of Dell Latitude D800 series.
Look for new or factory-refurbished ones on eBay (or local) in Europe.
Shipping from USA will most likely kill any deal.

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#12 Post by DK6400Brian » Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:29 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:The Sharp was never used by Lenovo, it was used in the likes of Dell Latitude D800 series.
Look for new or factory-refurbished ones on eBay (or local) in Europe.
Shipping from USA will most likely kill any deal.
Yup, will do that. Thanks.
I've bought a lot from the good ol' US of A though. My 770Z in 2003 for instance, and I just received a 133 MHz CPU-card for my 365XD today from Guilderland, NY. Couldn't find it in Europe.
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#13 Post by ilakast » Tue Apr 19, 2016 3:12 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:The Sharp was never used by Lenovo, it was used in the likes of Dell Latitude D800 series.
Dell Inspiron 8500 too (select models only)
4:3 T61 SXGA+, R61i 4:3 15'', X41T

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#14 Post by Shredder11 » Tue Apr 19, 2016 4:56 pm

DK6400Brian wrote:
To the matter of which ThinkPad that has the last true drops of IBM in it, I'd chime the bells and proclame the Z61p, due to the overall choice of design, given the reminiscence of the 770X/770Z.


(edit) Spelling errors
I have three Z61p and think they are wonderful. Yes it has Lenovo printed on the inner display casing, but it feels completely like an IBM of old. Mine also have the IBM coloured logo on the lid top, although maybe it is the ones released further into the production run that had the Lenovo silver badge on the lid? Pretty much the only thing it struggles to do, is play 50fps video files; it can play 1080p 25fps no problem and 720p smooth as you like, but once you step up to 50fps even at 720p, it all becomes too much for the poor old ATi Mobility FireGL v5200.
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
X61 (C2D T7500, 3GB, 250GB SSD, BCM70015)
X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#15 Post by DK6400Brian » Tue Apr 19, 2016 5:19 pm

Shredder11 wrote: I have three Z61p and think they are wonderful.
:bow: The most beautiful ThinkPad ever made !
Did you know that the Ultrabay Enhanced R61 Blu-Ray writer (P/N 39T2853, FRU 39T2852) fits and works in the Z61p ?

Blu-Ray playback almost works here, although somewhat stuttering using the Leawo-player.
Probably with a better software player and/or by replacing the T7200 with T7600, things will run entirely smoothly.
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#16 Post by Shredder11 » Thu Apr 21, 2016 3:13 pm

DK6400Brian wrote: Did you know that the Ultrabay Enhanced R61 Blu-Ray writer (P/N 39T2853, FRU 39T2852) fits and works in the Z61p ?

Blu-Ray playback almost works here, although somewhat stuttering using the Leawo-player.
Probably with a better software player and/or by replacing the T7200 with T7600, things will run entirely smoothly.

Wow I did not know that about the Blu Ray writer! All my Z61p have T7600 CPU and 3GB of RAM, and two have SSD drives. One also has USB 3.0 / eSATA ports in the ExpressCard/54 port and that works really fast. I did try a Broadcom BCM70015 video decoder card in the WWAN PCIe card socket, but I later found out the socket lacks full USB functionality or something. So I moved the video card into my X61 and that can play anything, and full Blu Ray with ease. I suppose I could remove the WiFi card from the Z61p, and see if that socket works with the Broadcom video card. This card even worked with YouTube until they changed over to the HTML5 video format. So I now use it for playing back HD content from files on my drives. The Broadcom card can be found on Ebay very cheaply and easily, and also on Amazon.
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
X61 (C2D T7500, 3GB, 250GB SSD, BCM70015)
X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#17 Post by DK6400Brian » Fri Apr 22, 2016 7:28 am

Shredder11 wrote: I did try a Broadcom BCM70015 video decoder card in the WWAN PCIe card socket, but I later found out the socket lacks full USB functionality or something. So I moved the video card into my X61 and that can play anything, and full Blu Ray with ease. I suppose I could remove the WiFi card from the Z61p, and see if that socket works with the Broadcom video card.
Thanks. I'll look into this matter: assisting the Z61p with a video decoder card.
It's just like the old days, when the DEVA-card assisted the 770-series with hardware decoding the MPEG2-stream from a DVD. :)
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#18 Post by TPFanatic » Fri Apr 22, 2016 9:06 am

Shredder11 wrote:
DK6400Brian wrote: [...]
[...] I suppose I could remove the WiFi card from the Z61p, and see if that socket works with the Broadcom video card. This card even worked with YouTube until they changed over to the HTML5 video format. So I now use it for playing back HD content from files on my drives. The Broadcom card can be found on Ebay very cheaply and easily, and also on Amazon.
There are browser addons (I'm using one) that force youtube to use the Flash player. In my experience the Flash player is superior. The HTML 5 player gives me stuttering on graphics chips advertised to play FHD videos and that's disconcerting.

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#19 Post by Shredder11 » Fri Apr 22, 2016 9:16 am

I have just ordered a second Broadcom because I cannot be bothered taking it back out from my X61 to test in the Z61p again :D . So when the second one arrives I will try it in the WiFi socket, and then use an external USB WiFi adapter (I have a few low profile ones). The one in my X61 pretty much plays anything that my ASUS Geforce GTX550 Ti can play in my desktop machine, although no higher than 1080p of course. I actually have a 2503 Advanced Dock and a couple of PCIe graphics cards that I bought to use with it, but after a few failed attempts I boxed it up again. It does work for others so I just need to use it 100% correctly and with a suitable monitor.
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
X61 (C2D T7500, 3GB, 250GB SSD, BCM70015)
X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#20 Post by DK6400Brian » Fri Apr 22, 2016 8:29 pm

Shredder11 wrote:I have just ordered a second Broadcom because I cannot be bothered taking it back out from my X61 to test in the Z61p again :D . So when the second one arrives I will try it in the WiFi socket, and then use an external USB WiFi adapter (I have a few low profile ones).
:thumbs-UP: Fingers crossed :D
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#21 Post by Shredder11 » Sat Apr 23, 2016 12:15 pm

I think it should work because the WiFi card asks for Windows drivers to be installed, whereas the WWAN socket does not do that. I had thought of doing this before but did not want to lose WiFi features, although I have no idea why I did not just use my external USB adapter instead.
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
X61 (C2D T7500, 3GB, 250GB SSD, BCM70015)
X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#22 Post by DK6400Brian » Sat Apr 23, 2016 4:16 pm

Shredder11 wrote:I think it should work because the WiFi card asks for Windows drivers to be installed, whereas the WWAN socket does not do that. I had thought of doing this before but did not want to lose WiFi features, although I have no idea why I did not just use my external USB adapter instead.
Me too. It seem obvious that it will work. The necessary circuitry is there. The experiment hasn't been done before and all previous try-outs were bound to fail, because the WWAN mPCIe slot wasn't suitable to begin with. I think we have a nice little candidate here. A brilliant upgrade for the Z61p. (+ T60/Z61/T61/X61-series) Perhaps even the Upgrade of the Year.

I'm very close to hit a Buy-it now button for the Broadcom BCM70015.

And come to think of it. Having USB-WiFi is fine. Having the external antenna sticking up in the right side, is a smashing view. Awesome de la Creme :thumbs-UP:
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#23 Post by Shredder11 » Sat Apr 23, 2016 7:41 pm

The WiFi adapter I will use will be something very tiny, a nano sized thing similar to this that barely sticks out at all:

Image
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
X61 (C2D T7500, 3GB, 250GB SSD, BCM70015)
X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#24 Post by DK6400Brian » Sun Apr 24, 2016 10:06 am

Shredder11 wrote:The WiFi adapter I will use will be something very tiny, a nano sized thing similar to this that barely sticks out at all...
Considered that as well, but some are complaining about poor reception with these. So I thought "What the heck....how about going full retard and give this beauty an antenna..."

Another upgrade worth considering is giving the Z61p the PCMCIA Creative Audigy ZS 2 Notebook soundcard. It's giving me pure pleasure in my T61p and even though the internal soundcards on both machines quite frankly are great, the Creative is really a night and day difference.

The Creative is an 11½ year old device, but it's such a delight.
The successor is the Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio for Notebook and the sound quality is more or less the same. It will go in the upper ExpressCard-slot which is preferred, whereas the Creative Audigy ZS 2 Notebook goes into the lower PCMCIA-slot and there, by the design, "blocks" for the anything going in or out the ExpressCard-slot.

Here's a tiny review where both of them appear:
http://www.notebookreview.com/notebookr ... ok-review/
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#25 Post by Shredder11 » Sun Apr 24, 2016 4:31 pm

If I had the money I would stick an RME in, possibly one like this! However I use a more modest Roland UA-101 instead! It has 10 in and 10 out and has a maximum of 24-bit 192KHz, although I use 24/96. http://www.roland.co.uk/products/ua-101/. The Audigy PCMCIA card looks interesting though and are cheap if you find the right Ebay auction; I just did a search and found them for as little as £15 (US $22).

http://www.rme-audio.de/en/products/hdspe_madiface.php

*** LARGE PHOTO ***

http://www.rme-audio.de/images/products ... ace_2b.jpg

Regarding the WiFi antenna....hmm....a larger one might be worth considering as you say. The one in the photo above came with an old IBM Thinkpad G40 a couple of years back. Yesterday I discovered that it is a Logitech and is part of a wireless mouse package. I just thought it was a simple WiFi internet dongle because it works fine like this, although a few minutes ago I checked the speed and it is only 11g! So that is not fast enough for what I need. Any recommendations on a good WiFi adapter with long powerful antennas?
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
X61 (C2D T7500, 3GB, 250GB SSD, BCM70015)
X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#26 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sun Apr 24, 2016 6:56 pm

Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.

PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine
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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#27 Post by Hans Gruber » Mon Apr 25, 2016 12:18 am

I would suggest a T500 instead of a T61. Instead of the T400 I would go with a T61 or T410. It's the screen 16:10 screen ratio that is what is nice about the T500.

It's just my opinion but if you get a T61p that boots to bios screen. That typically means the nvidia card is good considering it's a 2007/08 model and it's 2016. If the card was going to go bad, it probably would have done so in the first 3 years from it's production date.
:beer: T43p,T61,X200,X200s,x201,T500,W500,T510,T410,T410s,T420s,T430,T430s :parrot:

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Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#28 Post by Shredder11 » Mon Apr 25, 2016 11:32 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 54#p775354

Doesn't need an extra antenna!

Thanks for the link and that got me looking at the rest of their range. Prices vary quite a bit between models on Ebay. I'll see how I go with my existing adapters first, and then if necessary invest in one of the TP models.
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
X61 (C2D T7500, 3GB, 250GB SSD, BCM70015)
X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

Shredder11
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 368
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:25 pm
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire, England

Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#29 Post by Shredder11 » Wed May 04, 2016 2:18 pm

DK6400Brian wrote:
Shredder11 wrote:I think it should work because the WiFi card asks for Windows drivers to be installed, whereas the WWAN socket does not do that. I had thought of doing this before but did not want to lose WiFi features, although I have no idea why I did not just use my external USB adapter instead.
Me too. It seem obvious that it will work. The necessary circuitry is there. The experiment hasn't been done before and all previous try-outs were bound to fail, because the WWAN mPCIe slot wasn't suitable to begin with. I think we have a nice little candidate here. A brilliant upgrade for the Z61p. (+ T60/Z61/T61/X61-series) Perhaps even the Upgrade of the Year.

I'm very close to hit a Buy-it now button for the Broadcom BCM70015.

And come to think of it. Having USB-WiFi is fine. Having the external antenna sticking up in the right side, is a smashing view. Awesome de la Creme :thumbs-UP:

Well my second Broadcom BCM70015 card arrived today and I swapped out the WiFi and installed the video card. I booted up and installed the drivers and a couple of minutes later, I was happily enjoying something that was previously impossible......1080p 50 fps video playback! Before the upgrade, video like this would start to play and then stop dead after a second, then buffer and resume for another second and repeat and so on. Now everything is silky smooth, vibrant and awesome! I'm using the Windows Media Classic player from the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack bundle, and I am not sure if other software players work with this card yet. It also used to work with online YouTube videos, until they changed from using Java to HTML5 for their video format. The info that comes with the Broadcom driver mentions some kind of support for HTML5 I think, but not sure what that specifically relates to yet.


I noticed that the Core2 Duo T7600 CPU in my Z61p now stays around 55°C while playing these HD 50fps videos, whereas it would normally be nearer 90°C+. The GPU figure is approx 79°C but not sure why that is that high, although it would normally be MUCH higher. Maybe the Broadcom assists the GPU rather than takes over from it? My CPU only uses approx 25% when playing these HD 50fps videos full screen, and would otherwise be 100%+!


I also plugged in a cheap USB WiFi b/g/n 150Mbps adapter to the rear of my Z61p, and manually installed the drivers to avoid installing any unnecessary clutter. This works fine although naturally not with Blu-Ray as the bitrate is too high for my little WiFi adapter to support. However Blu-Ray works fine when using the Gigabit wired network connection.


I never cease to be amazed at what these Z61p machines are capable of in 2016. There is very little that my main desktop PC can do that my Z61p can not.

So anyone who is keen to try out this little video card, go ahead because so far it has worked perfectly on both Windows XP and Windows 7. The best thing is that it costs next to nothing for a huge upgrade!
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
X61 (C2D T7500, 3GB, 250GB SSD, BCM70015)
X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

DK6400Brian
Freshman Member
Posts: 89
Joined: Fri May 21, 2004 6:14 pm
Location: Sonderborg, Denmark

Re: Looking to purchase a T61p, need some advice to get the right one

#30 Post by DK6400Brian » Wed May 04, 2016 3:02 pm

Shredder11 wrote: Well my second Broadcom BCM70015 card arrived today and I swapped out the WiFi and installed the video card. I booted up and installed the drivers and a couple of minutes later, I was happily enjoying something that was previously impossible......1080p 50 fps video playback!
I'm also very fond of the Z61p. It's absolutely a fine piece of machinery.
Now....your experience with the Broadcom BCM70015 is great news and thanks a million.
I've bought one myself minutes after reading it and when it arrives I will see if it works with the BluRay-drive and I'll report back. :thumbs-UP:

I'm also doing a lot of thoughts, things and experiments with my 365XD, but that belongs to the Legacy-department :)
IBM PC/XT Model 5160, PS/2 Model P70-386, ThinkPad 700C, 365XD, 770Z, Z61p ----- lenovo ThinkPad T61p, X200s

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