Thinkpads Forum

Hi,
I'm about to buy a T61 and am still looking for the right one.

I read some complaints about the 14" TFTs poor quality (few contrast and brightness, screen looks washed out, bad viewing angles) and less for the 15"?
What is your opinion? Should I go for the 15" instead of the 14", also for other reasons?
I don't think the extra ~0,3kg will be much of an issue in terms of portability, do you?

Thank you for your opinions.
Steve

My girl just went to Frankfurt .... gonna miss her!

Anyways, for me the extra 0.3Kg is a killer. It feels like i'm dragging around a car. My girl has a 15.4" system and man that thing is HUGE! As for you tho, you said it probably wont matter so get the 15.4" and be happy

The first rule is if you start out looking for problems you'll find some. Nothing is perfect. If you weren't so keenly looking some stuff might have not bothered you as much as looking for it and finding it compared to if you accidentaly ran into it oneday. Maybe you would have never found it at all.

SHoTTa35 wrote:Anyways, for me the extra 0.3Kg is a killer. It feels like i'm dragging around a car.

go lift some weights!

seriously though, my 15.4" isn't that much heavier or bulkier than my girlfriend's 14.1" SXGA+ T60.   it's only 4cm wider and 4mm thicker overall.   weight doesn't seem much different (maybe .25kg at the most) and we each have 6-cell batteries.   but, the T61p is roughly the same weight as the 15" T41p that it replaces so i don't notice it that much.

I have the 15.4" T61 with 9-cell battery. I lovingly call it "the plank". It is big, but I don't care; still plenty portable for my purposes, which include road warrior duty (lugging around airports, etc.) and moving from the home office to the back deck when the weather is nice....

It is my main computer, so I wanted the larger screen. Screen quality is good (though I am probably not as picky as some), and with the intel integrated graphics, I get lots o' battery life (nearly 5 hours w/ wireless on).

I would make the same choice again; I just don't like tiny screens. But you should decide your own priorities. Have fun!

Actually, if you read carefully in tabooks, it said the weight "starts" at (and also for the battery life, it used word "up to"), this mean with very minimal configuration, I think. So, Lenovo spec wasn't wrong... just a bit misleading.

Anyway the T61/T61p 15.4" weighs about the same as T6x 15" or T4x 15" IPS.

I have been using both 14" and 15" and I can say that the difference in weight and bulkiness is HUGE. However, the screen real estate in 15.4" WUXGA is excellent and FAR BETTER than 14" SXGA+. Also, you have the option to choose better graphic card, and wireless USB in 15.4". So, you have to trade off between these factor.

In my personal opinion, after using T60 14" SXGA+ T43p 15" UXGA, for a while, I'd prefer 14" SXGA+ for its less weight and mobility. But that implies that I accepted a bit less screen quality, brightness and real estate.

My classmate bought a T61 14.1" WSXGA+. With the battery, it doesn't feel significantly lighter than my 14.1" SXGA+ T42. It is thicker, too.

0.3 kg may not matter "at first", but for me, after lugging around a 5-lb T42 around for 3 years, I think I've had enough. Time to move on to something lighter. Too bad the X61 or X61s do not come with SXGA+, and the X61 tablet has the bezel problem.

My classmate bought a T61 14.1" WSXGA+. With the battery, it doesn't feel significantly lighter than my 14.1" SXGA+ T42. It is thicker, too.

I didn't compare about 14" wide and 14.1" 4:3 and I think lenovo offers up to WXGA+ (1400x900) in 14" wide, no WSXGA+ (1680x1050).

And rhema, I am thinking the same thing as you do! I have been comparing X61 and T61p for a while. I love the lightweightness of X61, but afraid of its small screen, meanwhile I love the great performance and screen size of 15.4 WUXGA of T61p. Ah well, we can't have everything in one machine. (One more thing to add, I had used HP/Compaq WUXGA for two years and 15.4" WUXGA were the best!!, excellent for engineering and core software development).

NaT wrote:snipped

My bad. It is WXGA+ (1440x900).

I wanted something light enough to carry around everyday (5 lbs or less), and yet powerful enough to do 3D CAD and some gaming when connected to an external monitor. So far I have had no luck. The closest things are the Dell XPS M1330 and Sony SZ640. Both are pricey and have less than stellar graphics.

My dream machines:
T61p 14.1" WXGA+ with FX570M 256MB
X61 12" SXGA+ with discreet GPU (LG managed to put a GeForce Go 7300 in its 10.6" C1 ultraportable tablet)

Steve06 wrote:snipped

yea its an extra .3kg...however an inch wider and longer makes a huge difference in portability...i first ordered the 15" under the same pretenses, however, I ended up exchanging it for a 14 and I am much happier

did someone weighted his T61 14" SXGA+?

corsac wrote:did someone weighted his T61 14" SXGA+?

Depending on the model, around 5.3-5.6 lb.

Hmm...