Thinkpads Forum

I've had my new T61 for about 4 days now, and I've been trying to instal linux on it. I'm getting there. .

I have to say though, the quality of the LCD screen sucks compared to my stand alone LCD screens. I'm okay with its sharpness and brightness, but the color reproduction is not good, for example; for yellow I get light orange. I should have researched little more, cause I now know that I could have ordered T60 with Flexview. I would have gladly paid the $250 extra.

I could live with it, it's no big deal. But does anyone know if it would possible to order a LCD screen and install it?

Also, I had to go online and download users' manual to figure out what the opening slot in the front is, but it's not there. Does anyone know? There is a slot in the front, about 2 inches to the left of the LCD cover latch.

ArlexBee-871RBO wrote:I could live with it, it's no big deal. But does anyone know if it would possible to order a LCD screen and install it?

Yes it is possible. Flexview/IPS screen? No...

Also, I had to go online and download users' manual to figure out what the opening slot in the front is, but it's not there. Does anyone know? There is a slot in the front, about 2 inches to the left of the LCD cover latch.

On the front end you'll find firewire port, wireless button and two headphone jacks. On the left end there is a ExpressCard/PC Card/Smart Card/4-in-1 media card slots depending on the models (strictly 14.1 WS).

Would Lenovo sell me the Flexview LCD screen, or would I have to buy it from some 3rd party?


BTW, on the front I have Firewire port, wireless button, and that weird open slot with no lable on it. My headphone/mic jacks are on the left side, and so is my PC Card slot & Express Card slot.

Here is a link that shows two T61. The one on the bottom looks just like mine with that open slot barely visible.
http://tech.sina.com.cn/h/2007-04-26/0030297954.shtml

You have a T61 widescreen. Will a 15inch screen designed for a T60 even work on a T61?

Sure they can sell you one (as a replacement part), but it physically would never fit in a T61, since the T61 can't be ordered in 4:3 15". And it never will be available.

Just a guess... but the open slot could be a media card reader?
Not sure, but it's possible to get a T61 with that

You have a 15.4'' model of T61 and the slot you're talking about is 4-in-1 Media Card Reader.

I don't believe you can and will find flexview in 15.4'' from lenovo. About the 3rd party vendors, I have no idea.

Well I now know that that open slot is a 4-in-1 Media Card Reader. Thanks for that.

As for the LCD screen, I'll live with it till my next laptop with a better screen.

As for the laptop itself, I'm very happy with. Everything about it is top quality, except the LCD screen.

Do you have a WSXGA+ panel?

Could you lookup the part number to see if it is a samsung or LG panel?

I had a t60 15.4ws WSXGA+ w/ a samsung that I just sold... I hated it -- dim, bad viewing angles, whites were grainy grayish...

I would love a high res screen with discrete graphics, but only one that is going to look good. I hate the sacrifice of going to the 14.1 WS T61 because IMO the WXGA+ is not worth such a little size/weight difference vs a 15.4 WSXGA+ and especially a 6 cell battery that protrudes.. UGH...

Maybe I will wait for a t61 14.1 4:3 with discrete... who knows how long that will take.

ArlexBee-871RBO wrote:I have to say though, the quality of the LCD screen sucks

That's a common sentiment. Although some ppl are satisfied with the screen quality (except for the notoriously poor viewing angles).

It seems the quality of the LCD on T61 might be inconsistent.

For that matter, the quality of the T61 seems inconsistent, hit-or-miss. Indeed, a couple I saw at IBM today side-by-side were quite different... one had an okay screen and keyboard, the other T61 was a lot worse. Probably the parts are sourced from different suppliers and the quality is more inconsistent.

Seems Lenovo is prioritizing on cost over quality now?

chadwicktr wrote:I would love a high res screen with discrete graphics, but only one that is going to look good.

Maybe I will wait for a t61 14.1 4:3 with discrete... who knows how long that will take.

Then you want an IPS screen, which on T61 is said to be available only to corporate custom orders, not for general availability. There's some new T60 with IPS screens and T60p's available, which became available just recently. When they're gone that's the end of IPS thinkpads for JQ.Public.

SkiBunny wrote:

chadwicktr wrote:I would love a high res screen with discrete graphics, but only one that is going to look good.

Maybe I will wait for a t61 14.1 4:3 with discrete... who knows how long that will take.

Then you want an IPS screen, which on T61 is said to be available only to corporate custom orders, not for general availability. There's some new T60 with IPS screens and T60p's available, which became available just recently. When they're gone that's the end of IPS thinkpads for JQ.Public.

I would even be content with something that is not IPS. I ordered two t60ws 15.4 WXGA for friends. Both came with Samsung panels, but they were decent. A couple notches brighter than mine, pure whites, no graininess (is that a word . But after 1680x1050 I could never go back to 1280x800.....

Ah if only it was a perfect world

The only plus I can think of to a 14.1 WS T61 WXGA+ I'm guessing would since the LCD panel is smaller, it actually may be a bit brighter than a 15.4 ws WSXGA+. Is this a safe assumption?

My unit is on the plane now, so I haven't seen the screen yet. I hope it's decent - that's one big selling point for the Mac, they seem to recognize the photographers use them.

I hope it doesn't suck, as I didn't research the return policy very well.

-Dane

ArlexBee-871RBO, What screen manufacturer did your T61 come with? My 15.4" T61 came with a LG/Phillip panel and i am quite satisfied with it. It is bright and the colors seem pretty accurate.

SkiBunny wrote:Then you want an IPS screen, which on T61 is said to be available only to corporate custom orders, not for general availability. [..]

Any further info on this?
That would be pretty interesting as no WS IPS panels below 20" ever existed, let alone for laptops, and it has never been available in a 14" 4:3 form factor either.
T61 is not available in 4:3 15" either.

It would certainly be good news if that was true.

I'm very curious about the screen as well. I'm in line for a T61 14.1" WXGA+, if they ever decide to ship it (fricken delays!), and I'd love to replace it with an IPS screen. Is there any information as to where one may be able to get such a screen, either salvaged from another laptop or directly from IBM?

I was referring only to IPS in 15" std aspect, which may be limited only to custom orders by strategically important corporate clients, and not generally available. This is due to limited availability with the supply chain, not due to demand.

Another way to get an IPS flexview screen (15" 4:3 only) is to get a laptop that has a broken one and is still in warranty. IBM stocks these screens for warranty service but those are only for warranty service and cannot be ordered from service for purchase, period.

chadwicktr wrote: I would even be content with something that is not IPS. I ordered two t60ws 15.4 WXGA for friends. Both came with Samsung panels, but they were decent.

I've had a chance to put a 15" Flexview tpad beside a 15" Samsung tpad. Side by side, I found the flexview to be a strikingly better viewing experience. Not happy with my TN samsung now, lol

Some ppl prefer the regular LG over the regular samsung on tpads. Ever seen one of each side by side?

SkiBunny wrote: I've had a chance to put a 15" Flexview tpad beside a 15" Samsung tpad. Side by side, I found the flexview to be a strikingly better viewing experience. Not happy with my TN samsung now, lol

Some ppl prefer the regular LG over the regular samsung on tpads. Ever seen one of each side by side?

No doubt the Flexview would win hands down. I was just making a point how terrible the sumsung WSXGA+ panel looks even compared to a samsung WXGA.

I have read several threads that have stated that the LG WSXGA+ is much better, but haven't seen on in person. So I just sold my T60 and now I'm waiting for a T61 14.1 SXGA+ or 15.4 WSXGA+ w/ discrete graphics ...

chadwicktr wrote:Do you have a WSXGA+ panel?

Could you lookup the part number to see if it is a samsung or LG panel?

42V8287 SBB 15.4 WSXGA+ TFT
There is the part number. I dont' know if it's Samsung or LG though. How can you tell?

The only reason I say the color reproduction sucks is because I'm comparing it to my stand-alone 19" Samsung SyncMaster 970p LCD screen, which I got it for about $500. Before my 970p, I was using a 22" Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 2070SB. I fell in love with the 970p mostly because of it's sharpness, image quality, and contrast. I haven't turned my Diamond Pro on in 3 years.

Now, I got my T61 mostly for school, and I don't plan on playing games on it, or do any kind of high-end graphics work. But I was hoping the image quality, say the color reproduction, would be better than what it is now. The brightness is okay, but the contrast is not so good. I don't mean to be unfair, but my PSP has a better screen than my T61. Also, the viewing angle isn't that great either.

That part-no. didn't turn up anything unfortunately. But some other people seems to have recieved the same screen.
According to the hardware maintenance manual, page 133 in ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... 2x3546.pdf - the part nos are either 42T0329 for Samsung, 42T0417 for LG.

You can try the app. Fresh Diagnose which can tell the exact manufacturer model of the LCD panel. Works on T42, T60p, so i guess it should work fine on T61 too
http://www.freshdevices.com/freshdiag.html
When it's installed, start it, and find "Hardware System" and pick "Display Monitors".

Some REALLY bad news for anyone considering the WUXGA T61p:
The only manufacturer who supplies the WUXGA screen is..... Samsung!

Your 970p Samsung also has the now rare S-PVA panel. It is extremely hard to find now below 24", because the competition is so hard and Joe Average doesn't mind a TN display, since it is so cheap.
PVA is really getting hard to find these days, so if you had to find a good replacement someday, it would be hard.
It sounds like you really should have opted for a 15" T60/T60p with a flexview. Not as portable though, and the T60 does have other problems which seems to be corrected in the T61.

ArlexBee-871RBO wrote:Now, I got my T61 mostly for school, and I don't plan on playing games on it, or do any kind of high-end graphics work. But I was hoping the image quality, say the color reproduction, would be better than what it is now. The brightness is okay, but the contrast is not so good. I don't mean to be unfair, but my PSP has a better screen than my T61. Also, the viewing angle isn't that great either.

I don't mean to be rude or anything, you should've done your homework before ordering one. What I can suggest is to contact lenovo and tell them you're unhappy with your purchase, if you get lucky then perhaps some generous rep can waive the restocking fee too and you can buy T60/p with flexview later on.

I got an LG screen (LP141WP1), and while I do feel that my Z70Va's screen is a bit brighter, this one is far from dark. Colors look pretty nice as well.

Like I said in my original post, yes, I should have researched it (done my homework ) and gotten the T61p with the Flexview. But I think I can live with the LCD screen.

I have to say though that this is my very first laptop that I've owned in my life, so I can't comapre my current experience with anything in the past. That's why I'm posting this here in need of your feedback.

That said, I've had more days to play with my laptop before school starts and I have found another issue that might become a problem for me. BATTERY LIFE. I have 6 cell battery, and I can't remember a time when it lasted more than 2 hours after being fully charged. I would say it lasted 1 to 1.5 hours before the OS had to shutdown. My question is, is this normal performance for a 6 cell battery??? I didn't get the 9 cell cause it would stick out the back. Plus, how much of a difference would it have made? another 40 minutes of added battery life??? I was hoping I could go at least 4 hours of lecture without having to recharge the battery.

My options now are to either order 9 cell battery or try to get the X series. Do the X series consume less power? And would Lenovo let me exchange my T61 for X series? I've only had it for 19 days now.

Thank you all again for your inputs.

EDIT:: would it be better to keep the 6 cell and get a ThinkPad Advanced Ultrabay Battery???

I think you meant T60p with flexview.

Check your power scheme, you must be using it on Maximum performance or would be running some power consuming heavy software(s) or a game. Your system with integrated graphics should ATLEAST do 2:15 mins on battery. The max will be around 2:50 mins-3 hrs. Tabook states around 5.5hr, which I will doubt can happen under normal conditions unless a specific environment is set.

Check this thread, it would answer rest of your questions.

Yes, I meant to say T60p with flexview.

I don't play games on my laptop, that's why I got it with Intel X3100. Also, my MODE FOR BATTERY in the bios is set to BATTERY OPTIMIZED. I'll set it to MAXIMUM BATTERY to see how much of a difference it makes.

I'm tempted to get a Advanced Ultrabay Battery though. I read 8 hours of battery life. I would love that.

ArlexBee-871RBO wrote:I'm tempted to get a Advanced Ultrabay Battery though. I read 8 hours of battery life. I would love that.

That's dreaming. If you can't get over 2hr with the primary battery, how would a secondary battery add 6hr?

ArlexBee-871RBO wrote:Like I said in my original post, yes, I should have researched it (done my homework ) and gotten the T61p with the Flexview. But I think I can live with the LCD screen.

...

My options now are to either order 9 cell battery or try to get the X series. Do the X series consume less power? And would Lenovo let me exchange my T61 for X series? I've only had it for 19 days now.

Thank you all again for your inputs.

EDIT:: would it be better to keep the 6 cell and get a ThinkPad Advanced Ultrabay Battery???

Truthfully, there's only so much that "homework" can do with regards to things like screen quality - I'm 99% certain that these widely-varying reports on screen quality are all differences in personal opinion rather than widely-varying manufacture.

Laptop makers really should have venues where people can see/feel them. Apple made the right move with their stores, and Dell at least has Mall kiosks. The only place I've been that even has thinkpads to test out are campus computer stores.

As for the X-series, they ARE known to last quite a long time on a charge, partially due to the smaller, dimmer screen on most models (if you didn't care for the T's, I'm not sure what you'd think about the X), and larger 8-cell battery available. The X's are really nice machines; now if only they made the SXGA+ superview for the X60S

ArlexBee-871RBO wrote: Also, my MODE FOR BATTERY in the bios is set to BATTERY OPTIMIZED. I'll set it to MAXIMUM BATTERY to see how much of a difference it makes.

Not in the Bios.

You need to change the power plan through Thinkvantage power manager. Set it to Power Source Optimized or you can create your own scheme.

Kenn wrote:Laptop makers really should have venues where people can see/feel them. Apple made the right move with their stores, and Dell at least has Mall kiosks. The only place I've been that even has thinkpads to test out are campus computer stores.

Lenovo has been marketing thinkpads in few stores for a while now; you can find them in CircuitCity and BestBuy.

ryengineer wrote: Lenovo has been marketing thinkpads in few stores for a while now; you can find them in CircuitCity and BestBuy.

While I recall someone mentioning Costco had T60s briefly, I don't remember seeing anything other than Z-series consumer models at CC and BestBuy. Do they have tyically carry Ts and Xs in-store?