Metal vs plastic lids for T60 15"?

[zoltan87]

So a while ago I bought a brand new lid for my 15 inch T60 from eBay. It was indeed brand new in original packaging, with all the necessary IBM stickers and the rest .
But to my surprise, it was made out of plastic (ABS I would guess). The whole lid. It looks identical to the original lid, the rubberised coating and everything. It's just not metal, but plastic. I had no idea IBM made lids for the T60 from plastic, I thought they were all magnesium.

Is this common knowledge to you guys, or maybe it's an aftermarket part? It looks VERY convincing if it is, the quality is just as good as the original, and the packaging was really nice as well.

I wonder how well would this plastic lid hold up to abuse. I have unfortunately dropped my T60 from the desk two times already, but it still holds up well with the original magnesium lid, it didn't break, only the bottom plastic corner did, but the roll cage kept the inner structure intact.

So do any of you have experience with these plastic lids?

[RealBlackStuff]

I have had dozens of 15" T60 going through my hands, and I've never seen a metal (magnesium or other) lid for the T60.
AFAIK all 15" lids are Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP).
Only the 14.1" T60 models had magnesium composite lids.

[zoltan87]

Wow I had no idea, I always thought that all T60 variants had magnesium lids. Now I wish I had a 14 inch T60 too, so I could compare their lids, how much they flex compared to each other, and also the wi-fi reception. I wonder if the 15 inch variant plastic lid means better reception/ range ?

[dr_st]

Now I wish I had a 14 inch T60 too, so I could compare their lids, how much they flex compared to each other

The 14" lid may be made from magnesium, but it's thinner, so I found it's easier to get the screen to ripple or for the trackpoint to leave marks on the LCD on the 14" compared to 15".

I wonder if the 15 inch variant plastic lid means better reception/ range ?

Shouldn't make a noticeable difference, as both lids have special points with grilles next to where the antenna cable tips should be, to improve reception.