New T61p: Hardware component impressions, questions...

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So I just received the new T61p I ordered yesterday! That's not a typo, lol. I run a computer store, got it from a private supplier. 6460-67U, replacing the T41p in my signature.

Overall the machine feels real solid. The LCD hinges are unbelievably tough, even for a ThinkPad. Haven't heard any creaking, and the fan is near silent. That last part I'm really happy about.

As far as my individual components...

The bad news is that the keyboard feels like absolute crap. As soon as I laid hands on it I knew it's not the NMB I've gotten used to on my T41p. After looking it up, it's apparently a Chicony.

The screen is a Samsung, which I would actually appreciate some clarification on. Which one is generally accepted as the better one, Samsung or LG? In any case, I was graced with no stuck pixels.

The brightness is equal to my T41p. Some may find that surprising, but I don't, because Lenovo replaced my T41p screen just 3 months ago. So, not only is there no backlight wear, but I may even have a better LCD in my T41p than they originally came with.

The hard drive turned out a Hitachi 7K100, which overjoys me. My T41p is a Hitachi, and the secondary drive in my T41p is a Hitachi, and I would basically not choose any other brand of mobile hard drive over them.

I will post more impressions and maybe pics of the T61p and T41p side by side as I play around with it.

[erik]

The bad news is that the keyboard feels like absolute crap. As soon as I laid hands on it I knew it's not the NMB I've gotten used to on my T41p. After looking it up, it's apparently a Chicony.

mine also came with a chicony and was quickly replaced with an NMB.   the newer NMB keyboards are softer than the T4x ones but i like the feel of mine.

The screen is a Samsung, which I would actually appreciate some clarification on. Which one is generally accepted as the better one, Samsung or LG? In any case, I was graced with no stuck pixels.

LG is anecdotally better but i have yet to see hard evidence of this in terms of the WUXGA panels.   if you like your samsung then don't worry about it.   i have a samsung on mine and am extremely happy with it after calibration.

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Yea, no complaints on the screen! I've actually always liked Samsung LCDs, and not so much LG-Philips, because I've seen great levels of variation on the quality of the latter.

Where did you get your NMB keyboard? I'd call IBM but I am really discouraged by all the forum comments I just read about people ordering NMB and receiving Chicony with an NMB sticker.

[erik]

the re-badged chicony keyboards haven't been an issue as of late.   in fact, i haven't seen it happen for at least two years.

call IBM maintenance parts at 800-388-7080 options 2:1:1 to order a keyboard.   the FRU numbers you need for the US english layout are 42T3209 (alps) or 42T3143 (NMB).   these are listed on lenovo's site as R61 keyboards but i assure you they are correct for the T61p.   fwiw, i'm currently typing on a japanese layout NMB keyboard with FRU 42T3169 and it came from the parts division in mechanicsville, PA (by way of china) and wasn't re-badged along the way.