Thinkpads Forum

I need some help deciding on this one: I'm ordering a T60 2613CTO w/ a 15" SXGA+ Flexview panel and have the option of getting a "p" version for an additional $115. all other components are equal with the exception of the WiFi - the T60p would ship with the newer 802.11n card while the T60 would ship with the IBM a/b/g card. no difference to me so I'm not taking that into consideration.

Is the V5250 worth the additional $115? does it produce much more heat than the X1400 or cause more of a drain on battery life?

That's a tough question to answer without knowing how you use your computer.

For me, it's worth it. I write and use software that make heavy use of graphics, and I'm running Vista with Aero.

If you do mostly document editing, run XP, and otherwise don't have heavy graphics use, then it's probably not worth it.

X1400 can easily run Aero. You should go for the V5250 if you plan to play games, or use other heavier 3D-applications. You can go to ATI's site and lookup the X1400 and X1700 (of which the V5250 is a professional version).

If you only type and browse the net, I'd choose the integrated video instead.

if you use video editing or play any games the v5250 is the way to go.. I have used all 3 video cards in the t60's and t60p's and you really can't even compair the x1400 and v5250. the v5250 blows the x1400 out of the water

The downside I see of FireGL gpu are a little heat issue and more battery consumption. Other than that it's newer, better and faster than ATI counterpart.

thanks to everyone for the excellent replies.

It looks like the decision is made: T60p it is.

I also realized that resale should be better on a T60p v. a T60 ( I tend to buy a new ThinkPad every 5 months) so that $115 should be well spent.

now do I go for the 7K200 or stick with my 7200.2? (off-topic so more of a rhetorical question)

ryengineer wrote:The downside I see of FireGL gpu are a little heat issue and more battery consumption. Other than that it's newer, better and faster than ATI counterpart.

I thought the 5250 was ATI?

While the X1400 is not a slow card, the v5250 is definitely worth it to me. What people do not seem to realize is that generally everything that a computer is doing is largely displayed on the screen.
A slow video card can be a bottleneck for perfomance. especially on laptops where the connection is all digital and also where the screen resolution may be higer.

For these reasons, I always go for the fastest video card that I can afford.

your question is misleading.
the N third antenna itself is worth $55 on my Z61m. the abgn card retails for $400 in korea (you can get it for about $100)

this alone is worth the upgrade cost.

as for the extra graphics horse power (x1400 => v5250) is always good to have. you can turn it on when needed. if you don't have it, you can't.
no brainer IMHO.

But the full list price of the FireGL is only $100 more than the ATI X (usually only $75-$85 more with various widely available discounts).

As others point out, it's worthwhile only if you need it, otherwise in fact it's a detriment. For me, I have plenty of RAM (should update my sig lol) so the ATI is more than sufficient. I'd like to find the sweet spot between battery consumption and graphics needs.

It seems that for the T61, the designers have sacrificed far too much power consumption (26 watts) for the sake of dedicated graphics. You'll need a 12-cell battery, like HP offers, with a power thirsty monster like the T61's nvidia.

Be sure to get a flexview on that nice T60p. EDIT: oh you did, hehe

I just compared a T60 flexview side-by-side today at work with a new T61 SWXGA+, and the T61 screen quality was just awful compared to the T60p flexview.

winslow wrote:I thought the 5250 was ATI?

It is, FireGL is a chipset name, ATI continued to use it after the acquisition of that company.

upon learning that there is a $250 off coupon for the T60 w/ a Flexview (even on EPP!), I decided to go with that instead of the T60p.

I really have no need for the more powerful graphics and fear that the extra heat and reduced battery life would negate any possible upside in resale value or performance.

besides, that $250 pays for a 200gb 7K200 which is sure to bring more of a performance gain in my case.