What is the difference between the T60 and T61 series?

[litsnsirn]

I was looking at a T60 or a T61p, I really wanted a 14" SXGA screen and it looks like my only choice there is the T61p, but the price on the widescreen 15" T60 is really good. I have been really having a hard time trying to decide between the two, One difference seems to be the x1400 vs the 570m. I have heard a bunch of people say that they like the 60 over the 61 without really saying why.
Thanks.

[whizkid]

The T60 can be purchased with a FlexView screen. It's the best laptop LCD panel anywhere.

They also use different chipsets, and the main effect for you is that the T60 can use only 3GB of RAM, while the T61 can use 4GB with a 64-bit OS.

The T61 uses a newer nVidia graphics chip versus the T60 using an ATI that's a little older.

Some of the T60's have a Core Solo, Core Duo, or Core 2 Duo CPU, and the T61 (AFAIK) all have Core 2 Duos.

The T61 can use a flash drive for boosting Vista performance... a little.

What did I miss gang?

[litsnsirn]

I have seen someone post somewhere else that they think that 61's are ugly and 60's are not. I have had and loved a 14" sxga T30, which I'd probably still have, except for a dead sodimm slot. I replaced it with a 15" sxga T42, which I made the mistake of getting the 15", which is kind of chunky to use in the car, as a field tech, that is where I spend alot of time, and I miss the serial port. I have been looking for for a replacement for the 42, because it has to go in for warranty work. Are newer ones as nice as the T42?

[whizkid]

I think my T60 is as nice as my (wife's) T42, except the T60 has a 9-cell battery that makes it larger and heavier. The T60 is a first-class ThinkPad in my book.

[wswartzendruber]

I have seen someone post somewhere else that they think that 61's are ugly and 60's are not. I have had and loved a 14" sxga T30, which I'd probably still have, except for a dead sodimm slot. I replaced it with a 15" sxga T42, which I made the mistake of getting the 15", which is kind of chunky to use in the car, as a field tech, that is where I spend alot of time, and I miss the serial port. I have been looking for for a replacement for the 42, because it has to go in for warranty work. Are newer ones as nice as the T42?

We have loads of T42's that come through our shop for maintenance. From what I can tell, they're NOWHERE NEAR the T60 (mine, anyway) in terms of build quality.

[Crunch]

As whizkid said. The T60p's 15" SXGA+ and UXGA LCD panels are IPS Flexview's and they are...STUNNING. If you don't need 64-bit, I would not get a T61/p.

Hsaving said that, however, it all depends on what you need the laptop to do. If you don't care about the screen quality as much, and/or need 4GB of RAM for graphics-intensive applications, then by all means, get a T61/p.

The highest CPU that you can upgrade a T60 to is a T7600 Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz per core. Maximum RAM is 3GB.

[Tony Chan]

T60 can also run 64 bit OS if your cpu is a core 2 duo ( i.e. T7200/T7400/t7600 ). My T60 comes with a core solo. I upgraded cpu to T7200 and it has been running Vista 64 bit since.

T61 also has the LCD roll cage which I think would better protect LCD screen. I've never own a T61 but my T60's lcd has a ( ever so slightly ) eraser head mark on the screen. Maybe it won't be there if I have a T61??

[litsnsirn]

I will only be using XP Pro 32 bit, so the memory limitation is not an issue. The bargain priced T60's also don't have a DVD burner, but I don't think that I have ever used a laptop to burn a DVD in my life, so I don't think that is an issue. Thanks to everyone for all their help.

[asiafish]

While Flexview screens are nice, personally I would never get a 15" laptop. As far as 14" T60 and T61, both are very nice, so I'd go for the newer T61 with its 4GB RAM capability.

That said, my 14" T60p is still more than adequate, so no real urgent need to upgrade.

[Crunch]

I will only be using XP Pro 32 bit, so the memory limitation is not an issue. The bargain priced T60's also don't have a DVD burner, but I don't think that I have ever used a laptop to burn a DVD in my life, so I don't think that is an issue. Thanks to everyone for all their help.

Well, almost ANY T60 will be able to run XP very efficiently.

Maybe we can help you better if you tell us what you're going to be using the machine for? You might not even need a T60. My old T43p with a pretty decent Pentium M CPU even ran Vista just fine.

Remember, the screen is the one part of your computer that you'll be using all the time. You don't want to skimp on quality with the screen. That's what my new buddy's ebay ad said, which I thought was very original. Then I clicked on BuyItNow. I didn't need to know that, as I knew exactly what I wanted.

[litsnsirn]

There is nothing really wrong with my T42, other than, like I said, it is kind of clunky for using in the car. I was hoping that the wide-screen T60 would not be as deep as the 15" regular screen, that I have now(think stomach to steering wheel). I am on the road enough that I want to get a replacement before I send mine in for a loose power plug. Performance wise, the graphics on my 42 seems to bog alot with many instances of a browser open, and in general, Access databases are a little on the slow side to open, warranty is gone next year, and my battery is getting a little shallow. I am a radio field tech, so I am checking my files for information, checking manuals, researching problems online, or keeping myself entertained while updating firmware in equipment(with another machine, I still need a serial port for my real work computer, I use Procomm Plus, alot) or waiting for something to burn in. I have been checking Ebay for a 14" T42p and for a few hundred more than I have bid up to on them, I can get a new T60, with a fresh three year warranty. That was what I had in mind. I just wasn't sure if I should go with another 3 or so hundred and get a T61p 14". Both would be T7200 processors, I am really trying to figure out what the difference is.

[asiafish]

The 14" widescreen is a very tidy size. I just bought the R61 with 14" wide (a smidge larger than a T61) for my associate and it is much more tidy than even my 14" (non-wide) T60p, far better for automotive or airplane use.

[USMC_Sniper]

<snip> Both would be T7200 processors, I am really trying to figure out what the difference is.

From what I've seen when I was studying which one to buy, the biggest common or regular difference is the GPU. The T61 uses a higher-end Nvidia or ATI graphics card, up to 256 MB.
The T60 maxes out at the ATI X1400 GPU with 128 MB, which I got for my widescreen model. It's way more than adequate for what I use it for, just don't expect to do any modern, graphics-intensive gaming.
Other than that, they can be spec'ed so similarly that the differences can be negligible.

[eyecon82]

the t60 has a magnesium cover and a roll cage only on the bottom base, versus the t61 having a roll cage on lcd (top) and bottom

the t61 is also slightly thicker due to the roll cage by a few eighths of an inch

the architecture also supports the santa rosa platform

[kienbk8008vn]

I think that the outstanding feature of T60 or another kind of before in T-series is logo IBM.
It is certificated that IBM will give high responsibility for IBM products.
These can ensure that our products will run continuously, strongly, enduring under every working condition.
After all, the series T60 or before have an excellent design, I think, that a beauty from inside but never have in series T61.
About hardware, of course, T61 have more power than T60 but T61 uses WinVista, so all the power from hardware in T61 there is no meaning.
Win Vista is a crazy OS, it will limited all the other software we need for working or we used to work.

[asiafish]

From the T43 onward they were all Lenovo, not IBM. Having the IBM name in this case, only means that they (Lenovo) has a license to use the name.