Review of moving from T42 to T61p

[dalee18]

I know there have been several reviews posted of T6x machines, but I'm hoping that my experience in moving from a T42 (15" 4:3) to a T61p (15.4 wide) may help some people attempting to make the decision about switching at this point.

Externals:
In terms of the dimensions, the T61p is slightly shorter, about 1" wider, and essentially the same thickness as the T42 15". I didn't take any measurements - these estimates are by eyeballing it.

The hinges definitely feel tight compared to my T42, but the T42 did loosen up a bit over time.

It seems to attract fingerprints and smudges on the palmrest more than the T42 does. Not a major deal.

Keyboard
The keyboard (ALPS I believe) feels okay at first touch. HOWEVER - when pressing down hard and letting go of any of the keys in the middle-left side of the keyboard (A, S, D, F for example - but not left shift or caps lock) there is a LOUD thud that I assume is from the flexing of the keyboard. I'm going to be looking into a fix for this cause it is quickly driving me insane.

Temperature
After only a few minutes of use while vista was getting set up, the left side of the computer underneath the fan outlet got quite warm. I would say it got warmer more quickly than the T42, but it is a more powerful machine. I do appreciate that the main 2 usb ports are on the other side of the laptop so that usb devices are not roasted while in use, like they did on my T42. The third usb port is on the same side (left) as the fan, but it is further towards the front and I doubt that anything plugged in would get too warm.

Display
The WUXGA screen is gorgeous. I was worried about moving from 15" SXGA+ to 15.4" WUXGA but I don't think it's going to be a problem. Some would argue this is due to my young eyes but since my uncorrected eyesight is worse than virtually anyone I know, I'd debate that point I haven't determined if I got an LG or samsung display yet but I'll post when I do. Either way, it's beautiful. Definitely plenty bright, for those who are worried about that.

Audio
Audio sounds good. I particularly appreciate that the speakers are back above the keyboard right under the hinge, rather than below the curved front edge like on the T42. That was a huge complaint about moving from my 600 to the T42 - any time the laptop was in my lap, sound was muffled. Consequently I kept it muted most of the time.

***

Ok, time to get down to work puting my slipstreamed version of XP on this baby. I'll post more if I have anything to add!

[dalee18]

After a couple days of use, I have a few things to add.

First, the display is an LG-Philips. I have no complaints, although the viewing angles definitely are not as great as the IPS T42, but I didn't expect them to be. The screen could be a bit brighter for my taste, but it isn't a problem either.

The machine definitely gets hot when I'm running the processor at a high load but for more "typical" use it's comfortable. It plays Lord of the Rings Online quite well on medium settings. My T42 could hardly manage "very low." It does get hot during play, but I keep a usb cooler underneath and it seems okay. I haven't gotten to measuring actually temperatures under stress, but I intend to.

My complaint about the keyboard "clunking" when keys are pressed on the mid-lefthand side of the keyboard hasn't been an issue for me during daily use. I think it's quite annoying that it makes this sound when you press and release a key hard, but I haven't noticed it at all during normal typing.

One complaint that I haven't figured out yet - when playing MP3s through iTunes I'm hearing some small but noticable skips. I need to figure out what's causing this, because it is quite annoying.