Thinkpads Forum

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T8100 (2.1GHz 800MHz 3MBL2
NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M (256MB Open GL)
15.4 WSXGA+ TFT
1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
80GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG

how much should i pay for these spec?
Do you think that I can manage a website and handle multimedia with these specs? flash movies, adobe illustrator or quarkxpress

IMPORTANT: Is this machines fan noisy or is the machine noisy?
And does the machine run hot? will it be hot on my lap?
what are the pros and cons to buying this model
how does it compare to the r series?

I am going to buy the base model and upgrade ram. Is 4gb ram too much? do you see a performance difference?

anyone know any free shipping or additional discounts deals?
How is lenovos return policy?
how long does it take to arrive? lenovo says 2-3 weeks.
Sorry I know i asked newbie questions, but i am having a hard time finding the information. to make a good decision.

Lenovo offers free shipping, and for additional savings click on the "ecoupons" link at the top of this page.

I'd prefer having a 14" machine on my lap as opposed to 15.4".

R series are very similar to T series, but heavier/bulkier. Also, "R" series is not offered with the GPU that you've chosen.

From what I know, 4Gb RAM is the maximum RAM that you can currently install in these machines. And yes, you will see a difference in performance.

Personally, I'd go with faster and bigger HDD, whether you order it from them or buy it elsewhere and install it yourself. I'd also upgrade to a better wireless card.

As for Lenovo's return policy, do a search on this forum using the "search" function provided, since I'm not that familiar with all of the details myself.

For feedback on performance of the particular model, also visit Lenovo's own forum.

Hope this helps.

my budget is tight so, hard drive and wireless cards expendable. For the hard drive I plan on getting a external like mybook or something so i backup my work.

As for the wireless card, if i get it from lenovo installed will i need to by another card to insert in expresscard slot to connect to network. That was the reason I passed on it, but now that you brought it up it might be cheaper to just have lenovo put it in. what do you think? I really dont know the price of that stuff of the top of my head but im going to look into it, right.

thanks for the lenovo forums advice. Im going to check it out and post there to.

I think the t61p is write for me. I want to work on two documents side byside on the screen that is why i need it to be longer. plus multimedia.

Do you think it runs hot or noisy?

I don't quite understand your expresscard slot question, but if by "network" you mean LAN, the answer is no, you already have a separate LAN (RJ-45) port that has absolutely nothing to do with your wireless connection.

Does it run hot/noisy compared to what? If I were to compare it with 600 series in your signature, I'd have to say "yes". Meanwhile, comparing it to a T43p that I'm typing this on I'd say "no".

Any serious GPU will generate some heat. You'll feel it less with a 15.4" frame than you would with 14".

Hope this helps.

lets say i install the "n" wirelsss card would i be able to connect to network with that alone. Or would i need to by an additional card that goes into the expresscard slot?

I guess hot and noisy is vague. But let me ask you this. Do you notice it being hot to the point it disrupts working on? Is it noisy enough that you cant focus? Or have to crank up the tunes to cancel the noise out.

fr0zenmon wrote: ....

I guess hot and noisy is vague. But let me ask you this. Do you notice it being hot to the point it disrupts working on? Is it noisy enough that you cant focus? Or have to crank up the tunes to cancel the noise out.

I am typing on a t61p right now. As far as heat goes, it's not bad. It doesn't get uncomfortably hot for me. On the top of the laptop it just gets a little warm, on the bottom it can get hot. But again neither of which are uncomfortable.

I would also consider it pretty quiet. I love it.

fr0zenmon wrote:lets say i install the "n" wirelsss card would i be able to connect to network with that alone. Or would i need to by an additional card that goes into the expresscard slot?

4965 a/g/n card is all you need. It will connect to any wireless lan out there. If you have a draft-n router you can connect at 130Mbps ( or higher? ) which is more than twice as fast as 'g'.

Expresscard slot is for additional connectivity, such as WWAN which uses mobile phone bandwidth, or additional usb ports.

In my opinion, the T61P does get too hot to use in one's lap. It also gets very hot on soft surfaces like a couch or bed. The left rear where the air vents are puts out substantial heat and the right wrist rest over the hard drive gets warm, too.

This is my third Thinkpad, but the first with the discrete graphics and a 7K drive. It gets a LOT warmer than my R52 or old T21 after a few hours of operation. I'm really surprised at how much.

I've had my 15.4 inch WUXGA T61p since September. Mine has a T7700 2.4 GHZ processor, the best you could get back in September.

3GB of ram is optimal, but 4 GB is better if you might go to x64 Vista. If I were you, I'd get 1 GB in a single dimm from Lenovo and buy another 2GB aftermarket.

I run mine with a 200 GB 7200 Hitachi hard drive. At the time I bought mine, Lenovo only sold 100 GB so I upgraded aftermarket. At this time, you can buy a 200 GB 7200 Hitachi Travelstar for about $175, so it costs MORE to upgrade to that from Lenovo than to buy it ADDITIONALLY as after market.

I love the 15.4 inch screen WUXGA screen except in really bright light. The older IPS screens were better but no longer available.

It gets hot on my lap but I still use it all the time.

It is silent.

I've been buying ThinkPads since 1995. This is about my 20th and the best. I still use an R50p at work every day, though.

If it had a Blu-Ray writer, I'd buy that. The R61 does but the T61 does not.
Barry