Thinkpads Forum

I'm sure this is a frequently-asked question, but search couldn't find anything. I'm thinking of the X61T tablet. Should I get XP or Vista (and if the latter, which version)? Which works with the pen better?

I only have a handful of apps I plan to run, in case that matters (browser, Office, and Photoshop -- the last of which I will use via a mouse).

Go with Vista Ultimate. Just make sure that you get at least 2gb of ram and you should be ok. The 5 X61t's that I recently purchased have 2gb of Lenovo ram. Most people say that you should upgrade the memory yourself, but an extra $60 for another gig if it's included with the machine is well worth it. You don't want to be hunting around Fry's for more ram later on. I wouldn't go with a single 2gb stick though because that's like $150 more. If you have any proprietary applications, then you are probably better off with XP due to slightly better support but I would jump on Vista Ultimate because it's only $50 more and Vista has numerous small but noticeable enhancements. I wouldn't upgrade to Vista later though if you choose XP to begin with because then it's much more expensive.

Also, Lenovo has been giving out XP downgrade discs and they will do so until a bit into 2008. That way, you can use XP until Vista will work for you.

there are a lot of small "improvements" in Vista but basically it all boils down to better Tablet Input Support. You pay for this by a slightly longer resume time. Also you should be aware that Vista does a lot of things differently than XP, so there is quite a learning curve required that does not really pay off. A good choice therefore would also be to get XP and use RitePen as Handwriting Input which is as good as Vistas but I prefere it because of the write Anywhere feature.

Anyway and a bit off topic, I would recommend a Linux installation. I personally switched over to Xubuntu on my x61t after struggeling for a long time with all the various Vista issues (mainly the Tablet Battery drain Bug, see http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=364651). And I am impressed of the overall experience.

Thanks for the input. I pulled the trigger on the following x61t system:

1.6Ghz cpu
Vista business
1400x1050 screen
1GB ram (plan to get 4GB via Crucial)
100GB 7200 RPM hard drive
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN
Office home and student 2007
2 Year Depot Upgrade with 2 Year ThinkPad Protection

After sales tax, it was $ 1,732.41 (after deducting a 20% coupon). Another 10% off expected via ecoupons.com.

Couldn't think of a better way of spending my bonus money from work.