Chance to change mind on new T61--what to do?

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Shelby Griggs · #1 Post by **Shelby Griggs** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:14 am

I ordered a new T61 on the 15th, BUT canceled the order today and will reorder, the Lenovo rep told me no way to add the WWAN without placing a new order, which is why I canceled the original order.

So, in the meanwhile I have been rethinking the display, I had ordered the 15.4" WS, but keep going back and forth to the 14.1" 4:3 screen. Here are the questions:

I notice the 15.4" screen has 200 NITS vs. 150 NITS on the 14.1 screen and that the contrast ratio is WAY lower on the 14.1" screen, 200 vs. 500.

Do either of these items make much difference OR am I not comparing oranges to oranges due to different sizes? I am ignorant about what these really mean, BUT it seems to me the 15.4" screen is a lot better in both respects.

As I mentioned last week, the screen choice has been the toughest decision, and I still don't have a clear idea of what I want. It was much easier on the T43, 15" IPS screen, EASY!

Since I am reordering, I am seriously thinking of getting VISTA Business since it is the same price as XP pro and I can downgrade to XP Pro for "free" if I decide to. I don't know if that is good logic but since Lenovo started offering that option, it seems I can't loose, can I?

sjthinkpader · #2 Post by **sjthinkpader** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:22 am

The WS are just too large and heavy to move. So I ordered more 14.1 inch on Monday, last day of the 25% sale.

The higher brightness and contrast will have an effect on the battery life. We have desktop LCD monitors anyway.

So if you don't move the machine much, go for the WS.

#3 Post by **ZaZ** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:42 am

I have the 14" SXGA+ screen on my R60. The brightness ranges from barely tolerable to not too bad. At the highest brightness levels my screen looks pretty decent, but that will cut into battery life. I'd have to agree if you need mobility I'd go smaller.

whizkid · #4 Post by **whizkid** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:06 am

The 15.4 inch "short" screen has an area of 106.6 square inches. The 15.1" 4:3 you're used to has 109.4, so it will be 3% smaller and lighter.

200 vs 500 nits is a huge difference. If you start with 500, you can always turn it down. Not so the other way.

As for OS, you might want to consider Vista 64-bit if it's available. The T61 should/could/might be able to use 8GB of RAM when the 4GB sticks come out, but Vista 32-bit will only use up to 4GB.

Shelby Griggs · #5 Post by **Shelby Griggs** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:30 pm

whizkid wrote:
200 vs 500 nits is a huge difference. If you start with 500, you can always turn it down. Not so the other way.

The 200 vs. 500 is the contrast ratio on the two displays, the NITS are 150 and 200, still the 15.4" appears on paper to have better specs than the 14.1" display.

Has anybody compared side by side both a 14.1" 4:3 display AND a 15.4" 16:10 display? Is there a noticeable difference in the real world between those two choices?

SHG

sjthinkpader · #6 Post by **sjthinkpader** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:15 pm

Are you considering the WXGA or the WSXGA+? The current choice for 14.1 inch is only SXGA+. So the choices are:

15.4 WXGA 1280x800, 200 NIT, 98 DPI
15.4 WSXGA+ 1680x1050, 200 NIT, 128 DPI
14.1 SXGA+ 1400x1050, 150 NIT, 124 DPI

Other than the size, weight and brightness, the 15.4 WSXGA+ and 14.1 SXGA+ should look very close in terms of image size on the screen. The 15.4 inch WXGA should have less desktop space but easier on the eyes. Vertical scrolling for the WXGA would be close to XGA also.

We want portability and screen space for large spreadsheets. So went with 14.1 SXGA+ again for the current T61 orders.

sircas · #7 Post by **sircas** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:54 pm

I would go with the 14.1" 4:3 screen. You will be happier!!

Sircas

Shelby Griggs · #8 Post by **Shelby Griggs** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:14 pm

The contrast still concerns me on the 14.1" NS at 200:1 vs. the 15.4" WS at 500:1.

Does that mean the 15.4" WS will have 2 1/2 times better contrast?

I will get SXGA+ on whichever display I settle on.

SHG

sjthinkpader · #9 Post by **sjthinkpader** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:16 pm

Shelby Griggs wrote:The contrast still concerns me on the 14.1" NS at 200:1 vs. the 15.4" WS at 500:1.
...

Contrast is a by product of the brightness. They get longer battery life with lower brightness. We have a number of X60s' and they are also rated low on brightness and contrast. I have been using several generations of the 14.1 SXGA+ at 200:1 (T22, T23, T30, T41, T60) mostly for work and several 15 Flexviews at 400:1 (A31, A31p, T42) for home and switch back and forth everyday.

I have a 20 inch NEC 2010X monitor that is over 8 years old at work. It is getting darker than the T60 14.1 inch now. But I still use them side by side and moving window panes back and forth. It was much brighter than my laptops before.

I would go for the 15.4 if you don't move the computer everyday and go for the 14.1 inch if you move it everyday.

Chance to change mind on new T61--what to do?

Chance to change mind on new T61--what to do?

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