Thinkpads Forum

Hi
Which of the the present options from thinkpad stable would you consider if your T60/61 has to be replaced?
Considering that these are last of the 4:3 aspect ration thinkpads, it looks difficult for me to think of the time when my T60p will require replacement. I see widescreens all around
Not that T60/61 did not have its shortcomings. People with T42 have been less motivated for T60/61 unless they had no option.
Just looking for pointers in case I have to move on after T60p.
Cheers
Chetan

T400s/T410s are the models that I find most interesting in the current lineup. Yes, they are widescreen, but they have a very nice combination of fairly large screen (14"), fairly high resolution (WXGA+) and very low weight for the given configuration (~1.8kg).

Their downside is the low 3D graphics power. Currently only integrated models are available, although a dedicated/switchable graphics T410s is said to be on its way.

And of course, screen quality wise, if you are comparing to the 15" T60/p SXGA+/UXGA Flexview screens, the new screens will be no match for them.

Upgrade to C2D T7600 2.33Ghz will extend the fun time with your T60p.

It looks like he already has the T7200. An upgrade to a T7600 will only offer marginal performance boost.

IMO, that marginal performance boost still accounts for user experience improvement in Vista and Win7 systems (not including XP, because even T2400 is fast enough).

My upgrade steps are T2400->T5600>T7400->T7600. My experience is

T2400->T5600 no big difference
T5600->T7400 big difference
T7400->T7600 still noticeable difference.

Someone may worry about the increased amount of heat from T7400/T7600. However, due to the much bigger core their heat transfer efficiency is higher, therefore, T7400/T7600 run cooler than T2400/T5600.

Can you guys confirm that a CPU upgrade from a CD T2500 to a C2D T7600 is not possible with my T60/p (26238YU). CPU-Z is reporting the motherboard revision # as 02.

cpu-z motherboard tab screenshot

cpu-z cpu tab screenshot

Am I F'd here ? I was hoping to try out 64 bit Linux.

AFAIK the systemboard has to be at revision 3 for a Core 2 Duo upgrade.

Motherboard Model: VirtualBox? How about trying CPU-Z outside a virtual machine?

Also: how did you overclock that processor?

Back to the point:

After T60/61 what?

Same question bugs my mind.
I have no idea.

In my opinion replacing the mechanical HDD with a good quality SSD beats any other upgrade unless you are gaming or running very CPU intensive programs. A T60 updated with an Intel SSD will beat any new Thinkpad for office and internet use.

Frobe70 wrote: A T60... will beat any new Thinkpad ..

My point exactly

I think the X100e obviously has comparative drawbacks compared to an X60 in areas of performance and battery life. But just having received one, I have changed my mind about the screen aspect ratio. I now think widescreen is the best choice for an ultraportable due to its enablement of a larger keyboard whilst keeping the total size small.

jvarszegi wrote:I think the X100e obviously has comparative drawbacks compared to an X60 in areas of performance and battery life. But just having received one, I have changed my mind about the screen aspect ratio. I now think widescreen is the best choice for an ultraportable due to its enablement of a larger keyboard whilst keeping the total size small.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have access to an X61 and have recently played with an X200 in a shop. The X200 blew me away as a lots more usable machine - it has a great full-size keyboard and a more comfortable display format for reading\writing. The X61 is too narrow in comparison. But with the T series, I still prefer 4:3

T61p

I have been going through the same question for the last month too. I have a 15" T60p with 16:10 aspect ratio so I had to stop crying for 4:3 a long time ago ( ). I moved the taskbar to the right and I can live with it as is ...
T510 and W510 were the logical next step (since they have the I7 processors and most of the latest options) but, to me, going to 16:9 is accepting another defeat. I need the vertical real estate and since this is supposed to be a business machine (and I do use it for work) it boggles the mind that watching 1080p movies on your laptop is the driving goal. Plus I think FHD is getting too small of a font a 15" or 14".
So for me, since I wanted to stay at 15", next option was W500. Despite having the Core 2 Duo processors at least it kept the 16:10 aspect. However as you can see on their website they do not ship in less than 4 weeks (and I read on other forums that people that ordered them, as well as FHD laptops, have been getting a lot of delays in delivery).
So I find myself in the odd position of considering the W701 since it keeps the 16:10 aspect and has the latest processors. Or look at other brands (Sony Vaio F is 16:9 but has a 16.4" screen so that gives you a little better viewing screen). I will wait until beginning of April to see if they do release it (I think it was supposed to be out already by now). For now I have bought more RAM for my T60p and a new HDD (could not bring myself to buy a SSD for it).

Keep us posted on your conclusions.