Thinkpads Forum

Got my new (to me) T60 a few days ago and thought I'd share my impression of the machine. Previous ThinkPads have been a 600E, 570, T20, T21, T22, T23, T42p, X21, X32 and X41. I currently own an X22 (for sale), an X30 and an X31, along with a Toshiba Portege M400 tablet (also for sale) and the new T60.

Overall build quality of the T60 is close to the best I've ever seen in a ThinkPad, better than the T42p and various X series, though 600E may have been better (its been A LONG time, glasses are definitely rose colored). T42p had a better keyboard, but other than that, it didn't come close to the tight construction and total lack of flex on the T60.

The screen (14.1" 4:3 ratio SXGA+) is brighter and has better color than the SXGA+ panel on my T42p (Hydis - not sure what I have on the new one) and also much better than any of the others. The only brighter screen I've ever used was the glossy screen on an Apple MacBook, but that had the downsides of glossy as well. Overall, this is a terrific screen.

I liked the styling better on the T42p with regards to the red trackpoint trim and the grey function keys, but other than that, the T60 has nicer lines. Function appears to follow form as little touches are much improved. For instance, the flat bezel on the DVD drive makes it harder to accidentally open the drive (and harder to intentionally open as well) and the ThinkLight now ONLY shines on the keys, no longer washing out my display (T2x) or shining into my eyes (T42p).

Wireless was better with my T42p and its Atheros card, and while I have an Atheros card for the T60, I haven't had any luck getting the machine to recognize it. The Intel works fine, but range and connection integrity aren't up to Atheros standards.

This thing is FAST. I have the T2500 CoreDuo, 2GB RAM, a 7200 RPM Seagate hard drive and the X1400 video card. I'm currently running Vista business after a nightmare trying to get a clean XP instal working.

More impressions to come. So far, this is by far the nicest T-series I've ever used. It is also a major PITA to get everything on it configured and working, especially after I stupidly erased the factory partition and found afterward that my restore images quit with an error. Vista installed easily.

Forgot to mention, right palmrest gets pretty hot. Its not unusable by any means, but is far warmer than previous ThinkPads I've owned.

asiafish wrote:Forgot to mention, right palmrest gets pretty hot. Its not unusable by any means, but is far warmer than previous ThinkPads I've owned.

I wouldn't blame Lenovo on that one. SATA Seagate 7200 seems to run hotter than PATA Hitachi 7K series.

sugo wrote:I wouldn't blame Lenovo on that one. SATA Seagate 7200 seems to run hotter than PATA Hitachi 7K series.

I think they are to blame here: didn't they choose to source hd from seagate instead of hitachi?

gauthier wrote:

sugo wrote:I wouldn't blame Lenovo on that one. SATA Seagate 7200 seems to run hotter than PATA Hitachi 7K series.

I think they are to blame here: didn't they choose to source hd from seagate instead of hitachi?

They source both for the T60. It's luck of the draw whether you get a Hitachi or a Seagate.

asiafish wrote:Forgot to mention, right palmrest gets pretty hot. Its not unusable by any means, but is far warmer than previous ThinkPads I've owned.

I think this is a problem only on the 14". The palmrests on my 15" T60 (it has a hitachi 7k100 though) feel don't get hot at all, even after 8+ hours of use. Very comfortable to use ... I don't like the HDD noise though, but it is a necessary evil - the drive's speed makes it worth having anyday.

Actually Lenovo sourced a 120GB 5400 RPM Toshiba, I swapped in the Seagate.

asiafish: Is the ATI X1400 faster than the 128MB FireGL T2 your T42p had?

asiafish wrote:Forgot to mention, right palmrest gets pretty hot.

I can never tell, God I love being a left hand-hander.

xtr wrote:asiafish: Is the ATI X1400 faster than the 128MB FireGL T2 your T42p had?

I think so, though I've only compared Doom3 and Rome: Total War, both of which run far better on the T60. Of course, it could also be the CoreDuo or the faster Bus, or most likely, a combination of all three.

asiafish, FYI running 3DMark05 in my T42p I got:
1260 3DMark Score
3059 CPU Marks

I had other programs running in the background so I don't know if that would affect the outcome.

I haven't and won't be running any benchmark programs. I only really care about how a system works on the tasks I perform.

Curious as to why did you pick the 14" SXGA+ instead of the 15" SXGA+ (which has IPS Flexview instead of TFT screen) for only $150 more, or instead of a T61 (which seems to offer more bang for a lower buck).

SkiBunny wrote:Curious as to why did you pick the 14" SXGA+ instead of the 15" SXGA+ (which has IPS Flexview instead of TFT screen) for only $150 more, or instead of a T61 (which seems to offer more bang for a lower buck).

First off, I got an exceptional deal on the machine, but more important, the 14.1" T series is the absolute largest laptop that I can almost tolerate. I always go back and forth between the X series (perfect travel size, too small screen) and the 14" T-series (good screen size and ergonomics, too big and heavy), and find the 15" to just be way too big.

Second, I value battery life far more than viewing angle.

Third, T61 doesn't offer 4:3 ratio, which I prefer.

Honestly, even the 14" T60 is really pushing my size/weight limits for a laptop. What I really want and what nobody is making is a modern take on the ThinkPad 570, weighing at most four pounds, with SXGA or SXGA+ on its 13.3" screen and a 6 hour battery. I actually seriously considered an SXGA+ X60T but the resolution is just too high for a 12" screen and my 40-year-old eyes.

asiafish wrote:What I really want and what nobody is making is a modern take on the ThinkPad 570, weighing at most four pounds, with SXGA or SXGA+ on its 13.3" screen and a 6 hour battery.

Have you thought about the Panasonic Y5? Only 3.4 lbs, but has a 14.1" SXGA+ screen, a built-in optical drive, and I believe a pretty long-lasting battery (>4 hrs?).

asiafish wrote:First off, I got an exceptional deal on the machine, but more important, the 14.1" T series is the absolute largest laptop that I can almost tolerate. I always go back and forth between the X series (perfect travel size, too small screen) and the 14" T-series (good screen size and ergonomics, too big and heavy), and find the 15" to just be way too big.

Second, I value battery life far more than viewing angle.

Third, T61 doesn't offer 4:3 ratio, which I prefer.

Honestly, even the 14" T60 is really pushing my size/weight limits for a laptop. What I really want and what nobody is making is a modern take on the ThinkPad 570, weighing at most four pounds, with SXGA or SXGA+ on its 13.3" screen and a 6 hour battery. I actually seriously considered an SXGA+ X60T but the resolution is just too high for a 12" screen and my 40-year-old eyes.

Pretty much echoes what I've thought too, except I'd pick viewing angle over battery life for me.

Did you buy it from lenovo's memorial day sale or get something better??

Bought it "almost" new from a forum member. I actually wasn't even in the market as my 12" XGA tablet was serving quite well, but the price was too good to ignore.

Viewing angle is actually a negative for me, as I fly frequently and hate it when people read off of my screen.

I agree with pretty much all the way.

I find the right palmrest quite annoying. A form of heat isolating material just under that specific piece of plastic would be great, along with a build that allows airflow over the HDD.

Torque wrote:I agree with pretty much all the way.

I find the right palmrest quite annoying. A form of heat isolating material just under that specific piece of plastic would be great, along with a build that allows airflow over the HDD.

That would make the laptop thicker though. Even with the 7200 RPM Seagate drive I think I'd still take the warmth over extra thickness and weight, but thats just me. I can see people finding the heat objectionable, I just don't find it too bad. Guess its all those years with aluminum Apple PowerBooks, now those get hot palmrests.