Thinkpads Forum

I bought a T60p off the Lenovo web site some weeks ago and had to send it back because of a memory problem. Then I ordered a new one by telephone from one of their salesmen.

I spent a few hundred more (roughly $3,500 with a 4-year on-site warranty) buying from the salesman, but got a better T60p model. It has some problems that really should not be there when you spend $3K+, but it is basically sound and speedy.

Now I need another laptop so I go back to the Lenovo T60p web site. What do I find? It makes you want to gag. Some battered old leftovers. I would be wasting your time by even criticizing them.

Conclusion: if you want a decent T60p you will have to buy from a salesman. Here are my configuration choices. Make your own based on your needs and means. I wish someone had told me this a couple months ago.

- Best 15" screen; best 256MG ATI graphics.
- 100G 7200RPM drive
- 2G RAM
- best DVD drive
- IBM WIFI
- skip the telecom WAN
- 6-cell battery unless you really need (heavy, bulky) 9-cell
- 3-year ON-SITE service warranty

robbi wrote: I wish someone had told me this a couple months ago.

Or, just maybe, could have read the forums just a tad more and planned it out.

So let me get this straight as I am about to buy the exact same machine. I can configure that system online, but if I do so I will get a subpar machine as opposed to ordering it online? Why is that?

There are regional reps that support certain areas, we have one for our company. They deal with some customer satisfaction issues.

In the US, you can also deal with a reputable business oriented dealer like CDW (cdw.com). They have knowledgeable sales people and also a number of overnight-ready preset configurations.

That's not true...if you buy off lenovo's website, you still have access to every option that you can buy on the phone.

I think part of the confusion is that Lenovo configurations seems to constantly change. For instance, a week ago on the site, you could configure a T60p with only the UXGA 15" screen when you had the highest processor selected. But if you try to configure one today, you are not even given the option of a 15" screen for the T60p. For some reason, it only uses the topseller program configurations right now.

Maybe I am missing where else you might be able to configure the PC but using the same navigation last week vs. this week, the configurations are definitely very different.
http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/notebooks/thin ... index.html

IdeaDirect wrote:I think part of the confusion is that Lenovo configurations seems to constantly change. For instance, a week ago on the site, you could configure a T60p with only the UXGA 15" screen when you had the highest processor selected. But if you try to configure one today, you are not even given the option of a 15" screen for the T60p. For some reason, it only uses the topseller program configurations right now.

Maybe I am missing where else you might be able to configure the PC but using the same navigation last week vs. this week, the configurations are definitely very different.
http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/notebooks/thin ... index.html

for 2 days there was a time that you could get 2ghz T60 (not p).

just wait a couple of days and some T60p with 15" will probably pop up again.

or wait a lil longer and get a Core 2 Duo T60p

maximus_ wrote:So let me get this straight as I am about to buy the exact same machine. I can configure that system online, but if I do so I will get a subpar machine as opposed to ordering it online? Why is that?

I would not say the exact same machine ordered of the web site is inferior to the same one ordered by phone. But be careful what you mean by exact same machine. Manufacturing is an ongoing process, and as defects are found, they are remedied. What does the manufacturer do with the machines already assembled and in the distribution pipeline?

All I can give you is my personal experience. The first T60p I got off the web was a dog. Then I got a decent one from their salesman -- but at a premium price. You almost have to buy the latest Intel chip to guarantee getting the newest model.

I must say that personally, I much preferred the way that IBM offered ThinkPads on their website in the past, as opposed to Lenovo's system now.

There was like a dozen configurations for the T42 series. Some were Express models, preconfigured with a discounted price. Others were a little more expensive for the hardware included. One could start off with a model and add RAM and other accessories to get the ThinkPad wanted.

I ordered a desktop PC from IBUYPOWER.com a couple of years ago. I really liked their order system. You start off with an Intel or AMD system and go from there. You could choose from a list of components - including the motherboard and processor - and the price was updated as each change or option was made. The final price was very good as well. http://www.ibuypower.com/mall/lobby.htm