Upgrading from T41p to a T6x. Suggestions?

[Tsuioku]

Just got a new coop job and got bit by the upgrade bug. Thinking about upgrading to either a used T60p or a T61 but the main deciding factors will probably be weight and cost.

Other things I'd look at are heat, noise, size, performance and maybe battery life (compared to my current T41p). Not really looking for marathons, as long as the battery life is >2hrs (on wifi and music), it's fine by me. I'd look up weight and size myself but I can't seem to find an old tabook that has the T60.


Here's what I'll be looking for:
T60p - Any C2D (T7200?), 14" SXGA+, FireGL V5200, 1GB RAM (1 stick preferred but not necessary), any 7200rpm (preferred), Wireless G, BT
T61 - Any C2D, 14" WXGA+, Quadro 140m, 1GB RAM (1 stick preferred but not necessary), any 7200rpm (preferred), Wireless G, BT

I know the above specs are really broad so a price or recommendation on the lower end of the price spectrum would more than suffice.


I have read many comments about the T60 series running hot.
I don't game but I'm notorious for running multiple programs. I'm in Electrical Engineering so I may run CAD or simulation programs (even though I normally save that stuff for the desktop). Will the heat issue have much of an impact on me?

I found this post especially useful but probably outdated.
For the T61, has the BSOD issue been resolved or any new bugs that have come up that I should be aware of?

Which would you suggest? Is there a particular Wireless card that is especially good/bad? Estimated cost, model numbers and any advice is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[hart22]

I believe a machine such as this one meets your requirements:

Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.2 GHz)
Vista Business
14.1" WXGA
1 GB RAM
160 GB 7200 RPM HD
Dual-Layer DVD Recordable
Intel 4965 AGN Wireless
1 Year Depot Warranty
6-Cell Battery
Bluetooth
nVIDIA Quadro NVS

Available for $896.10 at the Lenovo Outlet (refurbished). Seems like a decent deal to me, although various similar deals are readily available now. Don't know about T60 machines, but that's roughly the price you should expect to pay for a similarly equipped T61, if you're willing to go the outlet route.

Link to the machine here.

[ajkula66]

Is there any particular reason why you're not considering a 14" SXGA+ version of T61/p? These should be easy to come by, or for that fact, configure a new one on Lenovo's site...and the prices (at least here in the U.S) are quite acceptable IMHO.

As for T60p vs T61, the main question is whether you're intent on running Vista or XP. Most of the bugs that people complain about when it comes to T61 are actually Vista bugs...

When it comes to the heat...T60/p are nowhere near as bad as T43/p, take it from someone who has owned all of the above in quantities.

Decide what you can afford to spend, and take it from there...at least that's what I would do, apart from staying away from Vista...

Just my $0.02..

[pianowizard]

I believe a machine such as this one meets your requirements:...
14.1" WXGA

I think the OP needs a high-res display.

[hart22]

Ah my mistake... didn't notice the "+" in his original post! Scratch that then...

Edit: There is this machine, which has everything he asked for except the 7200 RPM HD, and which is new. It costs a little less at $783, however, making a separate HD upgrade a little more affordable. Of course, for a real bargain at the outlet you'd need to wait for a big lot to refresh and grab one before they're gone.

[sjthinkpader]

My current work machine is a T60. Comparing to personal T42 and T43 in the house, the T60 is more solid with the internal structural piece. I can't really say the T60 bought me much in terms of performance.

We just bought a few T61 with 802.11n. This is an important and relatively cheap option to order. We opt for the intel graphics just due to these are used mostly for office applications.

[Tsuioku]

Is there any particular reason why you're not considering a 14" SXGA+ version of T61/p? These should be easy to come by, or for that fact, configure a new one on Lenovo's site...and the prices (at least here in the U.S) are quite acceptable IMHO.

As for T60p vs T61, the main question is whether you're intent on running Vista or XP. Most of the bugs that people complain about when it comes to T61 are actually Vista bugs...

When it comes to the heat...T60/p are nowhere near as bad as T43/p, take it from someone who has owned all of the above in quantities.

Decide what you can afford to spend, and take it from there...at least that's what I would do, apart from staying away from Vista...

Just my $0.02..

I've been watch a lot of widescreen movies and series lately so sorta prefer a widescreen and I hear it's also lighter. If the 14" SXGA+ will be cheaper/easier to find, I'll definitely consider it.

I'll be running XP for sure. What kind of bugs should I look out for?

I'm hoping to spend ~800... 900 tops... but since I'm in Canada, it gets difficult. From your response in my IC thread, it looks like it should be feasible. Of course, I want to spend less if possible that's why I'm not too picky about the processor (hence any C2D will do). I tried configuring a T61 with the options I wanted on Lenovo US and it came to just under 1k and that's with the current sale pricing. I'm guessing the newer processors (T8xxx and T9xxx) drove up the prices.

There is this machine, which has everything he asked for except the 7200 RPM HD, and which is new. It costs a little less at $783, however, making a separate HD upgrade a little more affordable. Of course, for a real bargain at the outlet you'd need to wait for a big lot to refresh and grab one before they're gone.

Would that be considered cheap or avg? Definitely something worth considering. Compared to the T61 that I configured for 950, the differences were CPU (T7300 vs T8100), HDD (80GB 5.4k vs 100GB 7.5k), Wireless (Intel 3945ABG vs Atheros ABG) and probably RAM (2 DIMM vs 1 DIMM?)

I wouldn't mind doing the HDD upgrade myself either. How often do these "big lots" come in?

[dr_st]

I'd get a SXGA+ T60. My workplace gave me one. Some of the guys on my team have recevied a WXGA+ T61 and have been crying ever since, and calling me a [censored] because I have a T60.

SXGA+ is better in terms of screen real estate (virtually everyone of my mates complains about the vertical space deficiency of the T61 WXGA+). T60 is slightly lighter than T61 (due to absence of internal rollcage) and the hardware is less buggy. My pals all run XP and got into quite a lot of trouble with the video card driver (although that may be an Intel X3100 thing, not necessarily something you will run into with the Nvidia), and the laptop freezing once in a while during standby/hibernation/undocking.

Reasons to go for WXGA+ would be if watching movies is your primary use (and even then, it's not that big of a diff, since cinema movies are way wider than widescreen anyway), or you want the webcam that is only available on the widescreen models.

The laptop itself looks kinda ugly and assymetric (non-widescreen T61 is also assymetric, but not as bad as the widescreen).

[hart22]

There is this machine, which has everything he asked for except the 7200 RPM HD, and which is new. It costs a little less at $783, however, making a separate HD upgrade a little more affordable. Of course, for a real bargain at the outlet you'd need to wait for a big lot to refresh and grab one before they're gone.

Would that be considered cheap or avg? Definitely something worth considering. Compared to the T61 that I configured for 950, the differences were CPU (T7300 vs T8100), HDD (80GB 5.4k vs 100GB 7.5k), Wireless (Intel 3945ABG vs Atheros ABG) and probably RAM (2 DIMM vs 1 DIMM?)

I wouldn't mind doing the HDD upgrade myself either. How often do these "big lots" come in?

It's actually not that great a deal compared to some of the better ones available at the outlet. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that you're located in Canada: I think the outlet is only available to US customers.

[Tsuioku]

I have a friend that lives in the US and comes to Canada regularly so it's still ok... Just somewhat roundabout since I'll need to have it sent to his place, have him bring it up, then have him mail it to me.