Thinkpads Forum

Hi

I am trying to decide between T60 and T60p configured in the same way except the graphic cards: ATI X1400 128MB vs. ATI Fire GL 256MB.

First, is there any construction/material difference between the
two T60's ?

Second, I do not play games and I do not plan to do heavy
graphics ... just, photoshop, video camera editing, etc. .... So, I would like to know your opinion if the upgrade to ATI Fire GL is woth extra 100USD in this case .... ?


Thanks !!!

1) no, they are designed the same
2) for your uses, stick with the X1400. I have the V5250 and it performs great in gaming, but you don't need that.

The FireGL isn't just for gaming, it's also for heavier graphic usage of programs such as AutoCAD, Photoshop and video editing software.

Get the FireGL.

Photoshop does not need a high-end graphics card -- it performs well even with integrated graphics. It really displays static images, and graphics processing power is not required.

Photoshop can be CPU-bound (often!), memory-bound (often) or disk I/O-bound (once you solve the memory and CPU) but rarely is its performance dependent on the graphics chipset.

One further note -- the more powerful the video card, the more power it will draw. That means batteries run out sooner, the system is hotter to touch, and the fan runs more often, generating more noise.

If you don't need high-end graphics, don't buy them. Even if the purchase cost is negligible.

hello,

if you do not plan to play with your notebook, I recommend you to buy a notebook with an even slower gpu. I have (until tomorrow - I will return it) a T60 2007-FUG with the X1400 gpu and even if I throttle the gpu down to minimum ( ca. 130 Mhz ) it get's extremely hot (about 65-70 degrees) within a few minutes. To cool that chip down, the fan runs nearly all the time at over 3000 rpm! Some people say, the problem can be solved by using tpfancontrol and to be honest, that improved the situation a little bit, but for me that is not really an accepable solution!


cu

thanks for all replies ... it is much more clear to me now ...

however, still one question ... what about
Vista, may I expect any advantge of a better graphic card here
(but still the same conditons, no games, no heavy workload graphics) .... ?

I have the T60 with integrated graphics, the GMA950. I have no plans to do video editing or Photoshop on it, but even if I did, perhaps I'd be fine. The integrated video is said to be sufficient for Vista, as is the ATI 1400, but I'm unsure of the 1300.

When I ordered end of November I went integrated to reduce heat and increase battery life. I could have gone with the 1300 no additional cost, but declined to do so. Not being aware that I would benefit from the additional power of the 1400, I figured I'd opt for the obvious advantages of running cooler, quieter and (when on battery power) longer.

Vista could run with the GMA950 chipset, also If you have a Thinkpad with high-end dedicated graphics running Vista on battery the OS would suck a lot the life on the battery.

Aero's a battery eater

It's better to go for a flex view if you want to do photoshop.