Is the T-61 the best Lenovo has to offer??

[kingman99]

Hi

My wife's company is going to buy her a laptop in order to use at home plus a docking station to use at work.

She doesn't use complicated graphics and will set up to use her office computer from home.

Is there any other Thinkpad that would be better? She will also have at home a seperate flat panel screen to plug into so the screen size is not an issue.
Thanks

Alan

[ryengineer]

If on budget, Thinkpad R61 would be better for her, nevertheless if all expenses are being borne by the company then T61 it is.

[kingman99]

Hi

My wife feels that she only needs what if right, it doesn't have to be the most pricey. Keep in mind that we will be paying for a router so that she can use the laptop in any room that she is in. And when she is working at her home desk it will be in a wide screen of her choice which we will be also paying for.

Most of the people that work for her company do not take advantage of their good nature. It's like a team. They feel that a happy worked is to their best interest.

Thanks

Alan

[ryengineer]

Go to lenovo.com , check the prices for both Thinkpads T61 and R61, in terms of performance; there is absolutely no difference between T61 with integrated graphics and it's Thinkpad R61 counterpart. The latter even comes with S-Video port.

[bill bolton]

My wife's company is going to buy her a laptop in order to use at home plus a docking station to use at work.

If the machine is going to be lugged backwards and forwards between home and the office, a T61 is definitely the most rugged offering and will survive the daily travel best of any ThinkPad.

On the other hand, if weight while travelling is an issue, and screen size is not really a big deal, then an X61 may be a better choice. An X61 is noticeably lighter and smaller than a T61, and in practice that means it is less likely to get banged around.

In terms of processing power for general purpose business computing purposes, there's really not much of a call between a T61 and an X61

Cheers,

Bill

[Hellbore]

If you have the option I would get the T61. It's just the best. Do you want the best?

[rxblitzrx]

If you have the option I would get the T61. It's just the best. Do you want the best?

I love rhetorical questions.

[eyecon82]

does she ever use dvd's on her notebook? i would want the x61s for portability

[Hellbore]

does she ever use dvd's on her notebook? i would want the x61s for portability

Dang that's a good point, the X61 is pretty awesome too.

If it was me I would get the T61 14" if you like that size, and if you want smaller, definitely the X61s. That thing is fantastic, great battery life, so small, etc. In my case I didn't want one that small though.

[pianowizard]

The 14.1" T61 with 1400x1050 resolution (i.e. SXGA+) is considered by most people to be the best Thinkpad:

1) At 5.2 lbs, it's not too heavy.

2) 1400x1050 offers much more working area than the X series' 1024x768 and even the 14.1" widescreen T61's 1440x900.

3) Many people still prefer 4:3 screens than widescreen.

4) It has an internal optical drive, unlike the X series which doesn't.

5) It looks much nicer than the widescreen T series, which is quite ugly.

[whizkid]

... still seriously missing the 13.3" sweet-spot screen size of the 600s, 560, 570...

[rxblitzrx]

Agreed. I'd sell my new T61, the day they make a 13.3" screen... LED backlighting, of course.

[eyecon82]

i also agree..i think my t61 14in is too big...and the x61 as too small...the 13" would be the perfect sweet spot

[andyP]

Yes 13.3" would be nice, but when the choice which ThinkPad, I believe the decision lies between the T and X series. As the OP says in home office there's a flat panel, if that is also the case at work I believe the deciding factor must be if an internal optical drive is a necessity, or not.

[pianowizard]

Unfortunatley, the highest resolution ever made for 13.3" 4:3 laptop screens was 1024x768, which is too low for many people.

[dr_st]

In some ways, a T60 is better than a T61.

Availability of 4:3 SXGA+ models is one (the 14W WXGA+ are clearly inferior in screen size / real estate, battery capacity, and some people find the front placement of the audio jacks annoying). Availability of models with XP is another.

The skewed screen on a T61 is also a downside for some people.

[ulrich.von.lich]

Do Widescreen T61s have the audio ports in the front? That would be kind of unpleasant when connecting to speakers at home.

The T61p's layout seems more logical IMO. I would consider the 14" SXGA+ T61p the best ThinkPad available for now. Personally I like Nvidia better than ATI.

[pae77]

Thankfully, there is still a T61p available in the 14.1 non wide SXGA+ format, with the audio jacks on the left side rather than on the front the way the wide screen models are set up. The only negative with that model is that the nVida 570 only comes with 128 mb dedicated video ram instead of the 256 mb the larger widescreen models come with. But for me the trade off is worth it to get that "classic" layout.

[Crunch]

In some ways, a T60 is better than a T61.

Availability of 4:3 SXGA+ models is one (the 14W WXGA+ are clearly inferior in screen size / real estate, battery capacity, and some people find the front placement of the audio jacks annoying). Availability of models with XP is another.

The skewed screen on a T61 is also a downside for some people.

I agree completely. For one, no more IPS Flexview screens on T61/p's. I just ordered a T7600 to make my T60p as fast as possible. I'll also buy another T60p w/UXGA, T7600, and 200 or 250GB 7k2 hard drive (when the 250's come out with 7k2rpm).

I sold my T43p with $300 profit, just because it was 15" UXGA w/IPS. For the first time, computers will appreciate in value for those who know the difference in screens.