Thinkpads Forum

Most people here are talking about T61 specs mostly. But where are the guys actually ordering one?

not me I am sticking with my T60p with 256mbGPU. It does what I need it to do.

I was so close to pulling the trigger yesterday because the price was incredible. Then I started hearing about the battery issues and I hesitated. Now the price is like $80 more today, and I think I'm going to wait til we hear more about these santa rosa's.

I'm so sick of my 5 year old dell dimension desktop! I've been so patient though, I shouldn't just pull the trigger on something so quick when I know I need it to last me through grad school.

not me I am sticking with my T60p with 256mbGPU.

I'll second that. Also, I've seen posts here that hint at the possibility of Flexview screens coming back, so I want to wait until that's confirmed before I even consider a T61. If not, I'm hanging on to my T60p with the 4:3 15" Flexview as long as possible.

The roll cage on the screen and the option of a T7700 do look appealing, though.

I expect that there will not be a headlong rush. After all, I still have my T41 running XP Pro and it handles as many as three computers simultaneously, so I am not wanting for performance.

So when Vista complies with Business Standards (security, VPN, etc), I will get a T6x with Vista Business preloaded and go from there. August is as near as I can see at this point.
... JDH

My T43 is now 2 years old and due for replacement, I had actually planned to relace it this month, but with all the T61 speculation .... I am now going to wait a little and hopefully I can buy the fattest high end T61 there is and it should have a "p" on the end.
It will have Vista, but the jury is still out on 14,1" 4:3 with SXGA+ or 15,4"w with 1680x1050 - The only positive is that before we see these machines it'll be about another 4 - 6 weeks and I have time to chew over the format decision.

If the battery life is better than reviews, and when it is WSXGA and with cam, I will order one. Though I am surprised the price has gone up in one day and if that continues, I might rethink it.

~Bob

I will be waiting for the T61p, and a 14" 4:3 screen. Hopefully the T61p has a better screen. We will see.

The earliest I would buy a new Thinkpad is when the Penryn refresh is available (T62 ?), but the real revolution will come when WiMAX is introduced in the Montevina platform (T63 ?), and I will try to hold out until then.

I need to have a new laptop by around mid July or so. The T61 was at the top of the list, but I've been underwhelmed by the current configuration options. Maybe Lenovo will make some configuration changes over the next 2 months, but I think that's a bit doubtful, so it'll really depend on the competition to see if they can deliver what I'm looking for. The new HP business line looks promising. Most likely I'll end up with either a T61 or something from HP's business lineup, whichever fits my needs the best.

Kind of pointless to order a new laptop based off Santa Rosa since 800mhz ram isn't out yet. Supposed to be released later this year.

anthean wrote:The earliest I would buy a new Thinkpad is when the Penryn refresh is available (T62 ?), but the real revolution will come when WiMAX is introduced in the Montevina platform (T63 ?), and I will try to hold out until then.

Assuming WiMAX makes it in. HSDPA got dropped from Santa Rosa, and Montevina is still very far away.

majiklantrn wrote:Kind of pointless to order a new laptop based off Santa Rosa since 800mhz ram isn't out yet. Supposed to be released later this year.

I will argue that 800 MHz FSB performance difference will be pretty much negligible on notebook systems. The combination of the Robson cache and the Hitachi 7K200 -- now that's a big deal!

Call me an impulse buyer, but I really wanted to get a D830 (Lattitude). I actually ordered one and then got an email with an estimated ship date of June 11th. WHAT? Over a month to ship.

Called them and inquired about the long build times and they said they would not be building them for a couple of weeks. They said I was actually PRE-ORDERING. I told them they should make that clear on their website and canceled the order.

I then called Lenovo and asked what the build time on a T61 was and they said 3 weeks max. I ordered online using a discount link I have, added a coupon for another 5% off (total was $ 600+ off) and placed the order. Got an email with a ship date of 05/31. I can live with that for a brand new model.

Here's my specs...

1 7662CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM
05/31/07 $2,194.00 $2,194.00
7662CTO CTO THINKPAD T61 WITH NVIDIA GRAPHICS - 1 YD
42V8191 INTEL CORE 2 DUO PRCESST7500
42X1587 SBB MSWIN VISTA ULTIMATE 32
42V9469 SBB MSWIN VULT64 US ENGLISH
42V9324 SBB 14.1WXGA +TFT,W/OCAM
42X0906 SBB INTELGMA 960W/1394, MEDIACARD
41W2063 VBB 2GB PC2-5300 667MHZ 2DIMM
42V8195 SBB KEYBOARD US ENGLISH
42V9329 SBB UN(TRACKPOINT+TCHPD)
42V8703 SBB 160 GB HDD,5400RPM
42V8715 SBB DVDREC8XMAXDUALLAY,UBAYSLM
42X0805 SBB PC CARDSLOT EX CARDSLOT
42V8177 SBB INT.WIRE.WIFI/LINK4965AGN
62P6054 VBB INTEGR.BLUETOOTH PAN
39T4822 VBB WWAN
42V9332 SBB WAN:VERIZONSIERRACDMA2000
42V9339 SBB 7 CELL LI-ION BATERRY
39T6442 SBB COUNTRY PACK NORTH AMERICA
27R1769 SBB PSTN CABLE
42V9391 SBB LANG.PACK US ENGLISH
42X0779 SBB MSOFF SM 2007 ENGLISH
42V9428 SBB PACKAGING US
42V9645 SBB 14.1WXGA+W/OCA,W/BTWWAN11N
39T6440 SBB 56K V.92 DESIGNED MODEM
42V8648 SBB CL.PLATE T61WL BT WWAN
42V9665 SBB FCC, LABEL
42W7002 SBB FCC-ID/LABEL FOR WWAN
42V9667 SBB GEO LABEL US, WLAN,BT
41W2300 SBB LOGO PLATE
42V9629 SBB INT WWANANTN:14.1"NOSIMW/ 11N
42V9658 SBB MT 7662 SYSTEM LABEL
42V7972 SBB MS LABEL (VISTA PREMIUM)
42X1232 SBB NEWINTELLAB_DUALCORE/CEPRO
42X0914 SBB NO SIM MODEL
42X1352 SBB PC CARDSLOT EXPRESCARDSLOT
42V9682 SBB VERIZON OPTION
42X0915 SBB WLAN MISC PARTS
42X0912 SBB WWAN MISC PARTS
42W7001 SBB WWAN OPTION #3
42X0922 SBB NVID QUADRO NVS XXXX W/AMT
42X1482 SBB BLUETOOTH W/ ANTENNA
42X1702 SBB BLUETOOTH SCREW
42V9341 SBB 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SODIMM
41C9170 LENOVO THINKPLUS EXTENDED SERVICE AGREEMENT - 3 YEARS - PICK-UP AND RETURN
1 40Y8725 LENOVO THINKPAD SERIAL ATA HARD DRIVE BAY ADAPTER - STORAGE BAY ADAPTER

Waiting for some feedback on the screens...

tomh009 wrote:and Montevina is still very far away.

Well, when you get older, a year doesn't seem like quite so long anymore.

But I hear your concerns.

Just sold the Z60T, and if the price on this stays the same in about a month - I'll be getting one. It has everything I wanted in the Z, and more.

Plus the audio ports are on the front - fan-freaking-tastic!

Why would you want audio ports on the front?

majiklantrn wrote:Kind of pointless to order a new laptop based off Santa Rosa since 800mhz ram isn't out yet. Supposed to be released later this year.

As of today, Lenovo is heavily discounting the 667MHz RAM, so I could buy 2 X 1GB for not too much and swap it out once he 800MHz RAM is available, I think. Anyone see problems with this?

My T41 isn't so stable, it takes a long time to boot, sometimes takes areally long time to shut down, doesn't like it when I shut down, move it and reboot somewhere else with none of my normal extra drives or network, ... (ThinkVantage software is a mess, drivers maybe, probably XP too). If I could fix it, I would be OK for a while, but I haven't been able to and I didn't get much help while it was under warranty (tech: "you are correct, the software update program does not work, (nor does access connections at this time) and you need to update drivers manually"); also the 40 GB HD is a way too small and a bit old and should be replaced.

Or I could rush in and buy a T61 for about $1800 that is pretty loaded, at least as far as the currently-available options are concerned. I am not interested in Vista for now! I only want an OS that has a chance of functioning, and I don't hear or read anything good enough as of today. So, I pay a premium for XP Pro. but at least I can get it on a T61 now- how long will that last?

Any thoughts?

I ordered one yesterday as I've been waiting for weeks for the release. I've been using ThinkPads for about nine years so it was at the top of my list. I really wanted the Sony SZ with the 13" screen but I've seen several Sonys over the years that are busted up after a year, especially the keyboard, and didn't want to roll the dice this model will be better.

For me, battery life is a big consideration, I don't even care about an optical drive. I currently use a X31 and need a larger screeen, the 12" is too small. That ruled out waiting for a refresh of the X series so I bought a T61 with the Intel Graphics Chip and 7 Cell battery which should buy me 6.5 hours of use; that is acceptable. I'm hoping the screen is nice but I doubt it will be as pretty as the one on my A31p.

All said and done, I'm reasonably happy with the biggest disappointment being battery life. I would have liked the seven cell to buy me 9 hours, an IPS screen and 4.5 pounds but there ins't a notebook out there that is the perfect machine. The keyboard is still top quality and that was a factor in choosing the TP.

Regards-Michael G.

Why would you want audio ports on the front?

Why wouldn't you? I'm trying to figure out why the sides are a better placement for the audio ports.

ANDS wrote:

Why would you want audio ports on the front?

Why wouldn't you? I'm trying to figure out why the sides are a better placement for the audio ports.

In my experience, when you have external speakers and have them constantly plugged in running wires from the back of your laptop to the front if first of all is ugly and secondly the wires will be in the way or dangling.

ANDS wrote:

Why would you want audio ports on the front?

Why wouldn't you? I'm trying to figure out why the sides are a better placement for the audio ports.

With audio ports on the side, I have to either fit my head between my laptop and my tower pc to see them or turn the laptop 90 degrees and bend my back at a funny angle to see them (not funny as in ha ha). Neither is a favorite activity. Front mounting is the way to go. If you accidentally pull out the headphones from a front mount, you place little or no torque on the connector and don't risk damaging things like you do by yanking on a wire that is connected to the side.

Desktop computers, VCRs and audio receivers have all added front-mounted audio (or A/V) jacks (and usb and firewire if you are lucky) because they are more convenient when you have to connect and disconnect things frequently. Everybody wants them. Now we have them too!

I don't see a problem with getting the 667mhz RAM, not at all. I would love to get a T61 but my Macbook Pro is serving me well. Also my T43 is hanging in there.

newskin wrote:

ANDS wrote: Why wouldn't you? I'm trying to figure out why the sides are a better placement for the audio ports.

In my experience, when you have external speakers and have them constantly plugged in running wires from the back of your laptop to the front if first of all is ugly and secondly the wires will be in the way or dangling.

Ahh. . .I never had my Z60 set up on my "desktop" - always on my lap in bed or at school, so I never had this problem (I also always used headphone).

mgerbasio wrote: All said and done, I'm reasonably happy with the biggest disappointment being battery life. I would have liked the seven cell to buy me 9 hours, an IPS screen and 4.5 pounds but there ins't a notebook out there that is the perfect machine. The keyboard is still top quality and that was a factor in choosing the TP.
Regards-Michael G.

If you're getting 6 hrs out of a 7 cell i think thats pretty good. My 6 cell t60 gives me 4 - 4.5 hrs top and I'm extremely happy especially since my old r51 barely gave me an hr - 1.5 max!

ps. sticking to my t60, like the size, appreciate the performance, haven't heard a vote of confidence on the t61, its new, hasn't been tried and tested too much.... might as well wait and see what users have to say a month or 2 down the line after using it.... besides, im in love with the t60....

pae77 wrote:Why would you want audio ports on the front?

chemrat wrote:...Front mounting is the way to go. If you accidentally pull out the headphones from a front mount, you place little or no torque on the connector and don't risk damaging things like you do by yanking on a wire that is connected to the side.

I have to agree with pae77. I don't like front ports at all.

I think the logic about it is that when you use your laptop fulltime at home, you place it in a dock that has an audio out that is connected to your stereo. While on the road, front ports would then be considered handy as you would use a headphone or if you just want to plug in something quickly.

For me, it's just unhandy. I use the thinkpad at home fulltime (in combination with a mac) and I don't want to spend money on a dock so I just plug in a firewire cable (straight connection from mac to thinkpad for file sharing), a usb hub (with external keyboard etc, mostly connected to mac) and the audio cable nicely on the side.
I actually can plug it in blind.

Now as you may have noticed: I plug in all cables at the side. So why should the audio ports be on the front while all the other cables are at the side?

Besides, who switches the audio devices on the audio ports often while on one location? More then you switch usb devices?

As for the T61: I don't know enough info about it (mostly because I don't need another laptop so I'm not activily looking for info) to judge the quality of the product. (although by reading the forums I will learn more soon )
Though, I really like my R60 so I would like a thinkpad in the feature in case it offers me the same experience. However, I'm converted a little bit towards Mac OS X which somewhat limitates my choice, but for my next laptop I would also look a little bit deeper into running OS X on a pc which might offer the opportunity for another thinkpad.

I can get a very well configured T60 right now or wait 2-3 months for the T61, but I don't know if the T61 would perform significantly faster in real life eventhough the benchmarks don't show it. I had this experience last year when I swapped my R51 for an identical R52, the only difference being the bus speed, but the R52 is way faster.

Great forum, first post.

Wow, lotsa speculative criticism of the T61 here and elsewhere!

No, it's not perfect but give it a chance. Field reports will soon be forthcoming...

Most baffling is lament or outrage over "loss" of the IBM logo. Are y'all kidding? Notwithstanding eminence in science and design, IBM couldn't make money, couldn't keep pace, couldn't compete and couldn't even deploy CTO. Its TP stewardship simply had to end. Lenovo's doing heavy lifting here (note Santa Rosa's timely release!), and something else: It's listening to us. Was 'user dialog' in IBM's Playbook?

Going forward, we need Lenovo to "own" some science. Design, supply-chain, assembly, and distribution skills won't be enough.

A ThinkPad UMPC form factor (say, a more advanced OQO 02) wouldn’t be out of bounds, either.

Currently, it appears that the key ThinkPad performance challenge is improved displays. A proprietary solution, while tough to levitate with limited market share, would be best. In any case, something worthy of envy must succeed IPS.

Have a full config T60p (14-in footprint, SXGA+); will repeat with T61p (14-in WSXGA+) when all options appear, including 7k200 HD.

Thanks for collective thought leadership.

--BAM

KBAM wrote:Have a full config T60p (14-in footprint, SXGA+); will repeat with T61p (14-in WSXGA+) when all options appear, including 7k200 HD.

I've seen in this and other threads a general expectation that there will be a 14.1" WSXGA+ panel. To my knowledge we have no evidence that such a panel exists. Is there any information to support this?