Thinkpads Forum

Hi all,

I have a T60P, 14.1" square screen with FireGL VL5200 video, running XP, which I got soon after they were released. (It's probably my 10th Thinkpad but who's counting?

I'm in a weird but cool situation where I need to replace this machine in the next few months, and I'll likely stick with Lenovo. Keyboard and trackpoint are the deal makers here. (Yes, this T60P was totally flaky for the first two months, but the bios updates finally fixed things. And my previous T40 had every single hardware item replaced at least once (through on site warranty) but I can't help but stick with these [censored] black boxes.)

So, my question is what to replace this T60P with? I only want a 1400x1050, 14.1" square screen, and given it's been a year since I purchased this, I would hope to get better video hardware, not worse! And, I've finally had it with these dim Thinkpad displays, particularly after using my wife's gorgeous MacBook LCD for a little while. Also, compared to the amazing Dell 30" LCDs on my desk, my Thinkpad display almost looks invisible in comparison.

I'm planning to wait until Lenovo gets its act together and comes out with a serious upgrade. I don't want wide screen (and don't know anyone who does), and I'm not going to lug a 15" behemoth around. I simply want an improved version of what I have now. It seems like Lenovo has taken a step backward, and I can't believe they still don't offer a 200G 7,200 RPM drive!

Does anyone know when Lenovo is going to upgrade the form factor we've all grown to love, with options Dell has had for months?

Thanks!

well, whats your budget?
if you just want an upgrade, i suggest the T61P (14.1 comes in standard), and get a 32gig SSD (solid state disk). that will be a serious upgrade on the memory.

Thinkpodder wrote:Hi all,

And, I've finally had it with these dim Thinkpad displays, particularly after using my wife's gorgeous MacBook LCD for a little while. Also, compared to the amazing Dell 30" LCDs on my desk, my Thinkpad display almost looks invisible in comparison.



Thanks!

A question for all the geniuses in this forum - why can’t Lenovo build a 14.1 standard sized LCD screen which is compatible to the quality of the 13-inch MacBook LCD?

Because no manufacturer makes good 14.1" SXGA+ screens. They're all low contrast, low brightness for some reason or another.
It's not in this market field that R&D is done because it is always cheaper to make a widescreen tft, and the demand for them is much higher....
You'd be suprised how bad most small size 4:3 displays are, except the oddball $$$ IPS display.

T61p is the only option but screen will not be far better... You will also have to buy a 7K200 and change the hard drive by your self.

Quadro FX 570m is about 2 times more powerfull then the FireGL V5200. Other T61 with Quadro NVS 140m have less 3D power then the FireGL.

I was going to replace my T60 with the T61p 14" SXGA+, but there were two things that made me change my mind.
1) IMHO the bigest weakness on my T60 is the dim 14" SXGA+ LCD, but it seems the 14" SXGA+ LCD on the T61p is almost the same as the one on my T60 (150nits).
2) Penryn is going to be available for the Santa Rose platform in the next 3-4 month and the new platform Montevina will be available in Q2 2008, and the difference between the Penryn and Merom (SSE4, up to 3.06Ghz, lower TDP, lower power consumption with DDR3) makes me believe that I will definitely upgrade again even if I buy a T61p right now:
Some information about the new CPU and platform:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20070821PD217.html

dickeywang wrote:the new platform Montevina will be available in Q2 2008

But are we sure that 14.1" SXGA+ will still be an option in Q2 2008? When the T61 just came out, there were rumors that it would be the last T series with a 4:3 screen (and that the X62 would be the last X series with such a screen).

pianowizard wrote:

dickeywang wrote:the new platform Montevina will be available in Q2 2008

But are we sure that 14.1" SXGA+ will still be an option in Q2 2008? When the T61 just came out, there were rumors that it would be the last T series with a 4:3 screen (and that the X62 would be the last X series with such a screen).

I guess it depends on demanding and cost. The wide screen does save Lenovo some $$$, but if many people like the 4:3 14" SXGA+, I guess they will continue to provide it as an option. I still don't see a replacement option for the 14" SXGA+ that provides the same kind of good balance between resolution and mobility. On the other hand, why bothered by the rumors if it is just a "rumor"?

paOol wrote:well, whats your budget?
if you just want an upgrade, i suggest the T61P (14.1 comes in standard), and get a 32gig SSD (solid state disk). that will be a serious upgrade on the memory.

Budget isn't an issue for this purchase. Presuming the price isn't highway robbery, then it doesn't really matter, as the price differences between similarly configured laptops are pretty minimal. (It will be the fully tricked out version of whatever system I get.)

There is nothing currently available from Lenovo that's a remotely tempting upgrade and I'm not in a rush. The T61P doesn't fix any of the things I don't like about the T60P, so it's not the answer.

I'm really wondering if Lenovo has something coming down the pipeline that would be a significant upgrade to what I have now. In other words, better screen, larger drive, faster processor... (I don't need more cores, as it runs hot enough already.) Yeah, I can buy a Hitachi drive, but it's absurd that Lenovo isn't offering it. These were once the power machines that set the trends for high-end users, and they seem to have lost that edge.

I'll probably just wait for Penryn, but if they don't get their displays improved, I may for the first time in a decade buy something other than a Thinkpad, which I really don't want to do.

Bah, it was such a nice product line for so long. I'm disappointed the choice of buying a new laptop is no longer a no-brainer. Selecting a new laptop simply used to be answering the question, what's the best 14.1" Thinkpad available? No longer.

I kinda agree about the screens and the hard drives are nothing more than another victim of Lenovo's worst section, procurement.

LED screens will probably be available by February.

But as i've said many times before, while ThinkPads have their small annoyances, there is simply no alternative as far as i'm concerned, even the competitors which have a trackpoint, the buttons are normally so badly designed that using it efficiently is almost impossible.