T61p to replace Athlon desktop

[KiwiTT]

I have an old Athlon XP 1800 desktop with a 6600GT and 1.5 Gb of RAM. I have always loved my work supplied Thinkpads and am now seriously considering placing an order for my own personal T61p. So much so in fact I have given away my 19" LCD to my mum and reverted to a 17" CRT in the interim.

The one I am considering is the T61p (6460-8VU T7700 2.40 2GB 15.4" WUXGA 256MB 160G 7200 DVD±RW ✽ Intel 11n /54 Blue 9 XP Pro No Oct 07). I feel I do not need to go for the T9300 version (as discussed in another thread) as the perfomance increase over my desktop will be significant enough.

I am considering retaining the older desktop as simply a backup (test) server and will use the laptop for gaming, web browsing. I play strategy games (Civ, etc.). I will now consider getting Total War:Medieval II, now that I will have a decent machine.

Any one have any experiences playing Civ IV @ 1920x1200 ?
Should I get a separate keyboard and laptop expansion module ?

The laptop will be predominately deskbound, so I am 25% of the mind to get an updated desktop. Will I be happy with the T61p or should I consider a new desktop / screen.

[tnn2000]

If you are going to be using this as a desktop replacement, you should get the docking station, keyboard, mouse etc.... and at least a 22" monitor, so the Thinkpad wont feel bad.

I don't know if the GPU in your laptop is as powerful as the 6600gt. You'll have to find that out for yourself for the games that you play.

I use my TP exclusively for work and school and don't even have a game installed on it.

[KiwiTT]

I won't be getting a T61p after all.

I have decided to get myself a new 22" LCD TV for my aging desktop and will also plug in a new Nintendo Wii to it for my wife.

I still have my old work T41, which plays my games as well (don't tell them), which I will eventually buy it off them for next to nothing in the interim.

The future looks interesting with Quad-cores, etc on the horizon, so I may wait for either buying T62/T63p or a new "quadcore" desktop.