Thinkpads Forum

So, what sort of system to BUY and get a great screen?

I THINK that I am going to add a different system as my primary workhorse. Having use a T21, T41, T42, T43 for the past eight years collectively, (okay, there were some original thinkpads in there) I have come to LOVE the screens on the thinkpads. Bright, great detail, good contrast, sharp, etc.

Lately though, I have been using a MT X61t tablet, which I know is a sacrifice in the screen area what with the XGA resolution and the screen overlays. I have also used a T60p, which has a 15” widescreen, which must have some type of coating on it, since IT doesn’t pop either. Not as sharp or contrasty as my last T42. Or T41 for that matter.

So, I think I want to have a second more integrated unit, with DVD and probably a 14” screen, and SXGA+, but my concern is around SCREEN QUALITY. I want sharp, I want bright, I want contrast, I want quality along the lines of the previous T4x models that I HAVE.

Can anyone recommend what models in the T61, T62, and what SCREENS that go with them have the best of this?

Watch out, you will get all sorts of replies telling you about flexview IPS, which have NEVER been available in the 14" size you want.

asiafish wrote:Watch out, you will get all sorts of replies telling you about flexview IPS, which have NEVER been available in the 14" size you want.

he said that he "probably" wants a 14" screen. "probably" means that it is not a requirement but rather a preference.

yes, it ISN'T techincally a requirement, but having had a 15" T43, and T60 widescreen, I don't really like the size too much. A bit heavier and not much value add IMHO. Definitly SXGA+ though. I can handle the high res, on a larger screen.

nikemen wrote:So, what sort of system to BUY and get a great screen?

Answer: Macbook Pro

(if that is your only consideration...)

Love to, HAVE it, but I need a pc for work. I COULD use the MBP for work using parallels, which I use. It is easier, though, when colleagues take my machine to have the pc just for work.

well if you don't like the size of 15" T60, you can go for tablets. they have great screens, high resolution and are small in size.

I have, have had, both current tablets. The screens are high res SXGA+, and the XGA is fine, but not great.

Yup yup, Flexview is something else. I first discovered it when I got my T42p w/ 15" UXGA screen. Prior to that, I also like the screens on the T22, T23 (both 14.1" SXGA+ screens, which I liked a lot). I skipped the T30 series, which, well, was kind of a joke (it was like an A serious in a T series body, which is why there was likely never anything like a T31 series, IMHO.

So the T42p was my first exposure to IPS. Next one was a T43p, also with 15" UXGA. Then I went with a T60p with 15" SXGA+, and it took about 3 months, before I missed UXGA, and ended up with my current T60p with has an even better version of IPS, so moving up to a T61p is currently not an option for me. Just like after I moved from two UXGA's to an SXGA+, I went right back to UXGA, so I won't move back on my screen for a while. And I couldn't even get a 4:3 15" UXGA in a T61p. I don't like the 15.4" screens. Personal preference. My .02 on the issue.

I'd love to try an IPS, but I just can't possibly tolerate the bulk of a 15" laptop. Even a 14" T is too big and heavy. What I would do for a neo-600 with a 13.3" SXGA+ IPS at an inch thick and 4lbs.

So, I am totally lost now.
but, is the UXGA not just higher resolution? I really am looking at super rich contracts, color, brightness, etc. Is THAT UXGA?

nikemen wrote:So, I am totally lost now.
but, is the UXGA not just higher resolution? I really am looking at super rich contracts, color, brightness, etc. Is THAT UXGA?

Well, yes, you're right. But in the T60p, if you get a 15" UXGA, you automatically get Flexview, which has all the advantages of high contrasts, color, brightness to a point, where I never take it up to more than half the brightness, except for outside.

Some other factors will likely have to be part of your decision as to which Thinkpad you'll get. How important is CPU speed to you? How important is buying a brand new Thinkpad for you With very few exceptions, including some of the "Lenovo blowout sales", Lenovo doesn't really offer the T60p's anymore. I usually never buy from Lenovo directly, due to what I deem to be an unnecessarily high expense. But that's me. ebay has not let me know in 9 years. You want to make sure that the seller is legit, though, so it's not for everyone.

So, are the UXGA screens ONLY available on the 15" models? I don't see any configurations on the 14" models, T61 that include better res monitors than SXGA

What do people think of the SXGA 14" models on the T61 models today? Are they great screens?