Agony: T61 or X61?

[leicalove]

Long ago, I owned a TP 750. After a 15-year hiatus, I'm back! I'm leaning towards getting an X61, versus the T61, because of its apparent higher quality and its manifest lower weight/size--thus I'm posting in this forum. But my mind is still not made up, and--horrors!--I'm even considering a MacBook. Can anybody here who has used both the T and X series tell me why they prefer the X over the T or vice versa? And yes, I have looked through the forums--have done so obsessively for the past three days.

For what it's worth, I'm probably buying a new model from Lenovo's Outlet.

Thanks.

[Gadreel]

This X61t has been serving me quite well the past few months. Love it. I can tell you that I owned a T21 back in the day and it outlasted everything I have until I cracked the screen by sitting on it. It outlasted desktops and other laptops. It even had a spiffy light that lit up the keyboard for you.

(A property I miss greatly. I got my X61t through Newegg and they advertised in the specs that it had a keyboard light. Yeah.. I know. Making a decision to purchase something just because it has a keyboard light. Blah)

But anyway, from the X61t field. Great laptop. I can undock and take it with me to work and class. Battery lasts for about 4 1/2 hours while I'm word processing and checking my e-mails with the proper power settings. Shut the monitor and let it hibernate and it lasts much longer.

I don't know if you are interested in the tablet X61, but the feature is a plus for when you need to show a co-worker something and you don't have to lift the laptop and show him/her. Also an eyeopener when someone sees you do that.

One of the best experiences was when I was working on a chart for the boss and she asked me how the progress was going and I flipped the monitor around, showed her the chart and even circled a few things that I needed to ask questions about later. She was left pretty much speechless. It was a great feeling. I hope I get a bigger bonus for Christmas.

Worse comes to worse, you can look up second hand-first hand review sites after comparing specs. Don't compare apples with oranges though. I'd place the macbooks in a different category. Essentially a macbook is a laptop that looks pretty. My friend owns a macbook and it is fun to play with but being a kid that grew up using a PowerMac desktop, I didn't really remember why I liked my PowerMac so much after looking at the macbook interface. I'm much more inclined towards corporate and minimalistic laptop design, a full keyboard and a keyboard light.

[qviri]

(A property I miss greatly. I got my X61t through Newegg and they advertised in the specs that it had a keyboard light. Yeah.. I know. Making a decision to purchase something just because it has a keyboard light. Blah)

X61t doesn't have a keyboard only because it's a tablet and its screen has to fold down flat; there's no space for a properly angled thinklight. The regular X61 does have one.

[Gadreel]

(A property I miss greatly. I got my X61t through Newegg and they advertised in the specs that it had a keyboard light. Yeah.. I know. Making a decision to purchase something just because it has a keyboard light. Blah)

X61t doesn't have a keyboard only because it's a tablet and its screen has to fold down flat; there's no space for a properly angled thinklight. The regular X61 does have one.

Right. That's why I miss it.

[Justintoxicated]

(A property I miss greatly. I got my X61t through Newegg and they advertised in the specs that it had a keyboard light. Yeah.. I know. Making a decision to purchase something just because it has a keyboard light. Blah)

X61t doesn't have a keyboard only because it's a tablet and its screen has to fold down flat; there's no space for a properly angled thinklight. The regular X61 does have one.

Must be hard to type without a keyboard?

The T series is larger for sure, if you want the portability go for the x61s. The tablet is another option if you want a tablet...I get mad when people touch my screen so no tablet for me Decision was easy for me since I already have a desktop for power computing and 37" monitor. I got my laptop as a PORTABLE computer so it was hands down x61s here.

[Brad]

The multiview screen is usable outside if that makes a difference.

Brad

[qviri]

X61t doesn't have a keyboard only because it's a tablet and its screen has to fold down flat; there's no space for a properly angled thinklight. The regular X61 does have one.

Must be hard to type without a keyboard?

My bad. X61t doesn't have a keyboard light. Always proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

[j-dawg]

I had a very hard time deciding between the T61p and the X61 Tablet a few months ago, when Lenovo still offered a 14" T61p. Ultimately I chose the tablet, and I think for my needs I made the right choice. The smaller computer is more portable (marginally--I chose the tablet with the extended battery, which weighs considerably more than the standard X61 or X61s) and gives me seemingly endless battery life. I like it, and the tablet features are fun, so I'm pretty happy with my choice.

[ajkula66]

Before we go any further into X vs. T which is very much apples vs. grapes IMHO, what are your needs, user patterns, etc?

[rhema83]

Or we can put it this way. Which is more likely to happen (or more often)?

• Being frustrated because your laptop is too big, too heavy, and has too short battery life.
• Being frustrated because your laptop takes too long to render 3D objects in AutoCAD / Solidworks / etc.
• Being frustrated because your laptop doesn't play the latest games.

If your answer is the first one, like me, you will be much better off with an X61.

If your answer is the second one, you might want to look at the workstation-grade T61p instead. But FYI, my X61 runs AutoCAD 2008 decently.

If your answer is the third one, you should be looking at T61p. The NVS 140M graphics card is not powerful enough to run the latest games. It is only equivalent to a 8400GS. On the other hand, the FX 570M in the T61p is equivalent to a 8600GT. (Of course, you can easily build a quad-core desktop system with a 9600GT or 8800GT with that money.)

Good luck with your purchase!

[ronan_zj]

depend on how you use your laptop.
I have both T42 and T60, and both of them work perfectly.
If you are a student and bring laptop with you everyday, I will suggest you get an X series, for its light weight. I bring my T60 ,5 books and 5 notebooks to school everyday, and I do feel hurt on my back coz they are too heavy , so I am thinking to get X61 tablet for school using and may try a paperless school quarter.

[leicalove]

I opted for the X61. I like small devices, so the X61 plain vanilla model will hopefully satisfy that requirement. I will probably install Ubuntu and run XP Pro within VirtualBox. Any ideas on the best way to install an alternative OS w/o dropping $100 on an external optical drive? I have an external hard drive. . . . Can I boot via USB somehow? Anyway, I know Google is my friend, and will act accordingly. I was just hoping to get a quick answer while I'm amongst "those who know".

Here's what I got (or at least ordered):
2.1 GHz processor
3 GB RAM
160 GB 7200 RPM hard drive
8-cell battery

I ordered it 5/12 and was given a shipping date of 6/20! Holy cow. I'm not a student, haven't been for a while, and I love books and paper (and film coincidentally, hence the "Leica" in my username), so tablets just don't appeal to me.

[j-dawg]

I wouldn't worry about the shipping date. They're very pessimistic. Mine estimated a similar time, but the computer arrived within a week of placing the order.

As for choosing the X61, good choice. The T-series is nice, but I can't see why you'd buy one unless you weren't going to have access to a desktop computer for a while.

[crashnburn]

I opted for the X61. I like small devices, so the X61 plain vanilla model will hopefully satisfy that requirement. I will probably install Ubuntu and run XP Pro within VirtualBox. Any ideas on the best way to install an alternative OS w/o dropping $100 on an external optical drive? I have an external hard drive. . . . Can I boot via USB somehow? Anyway, I know Google is my friend, and will act accordingly. I was just hoping to get a quick answer while I'm amongst "those who know".

Here's what I got (or at least ordered):
2.1 GHz processor
3 GB RAM
160 GB 7200 RPM hard drive
8-cell battery

I ordered it 5/12 and was given a shipping date of 6/20! Holy cow. I'm not a student, haven't been for a while, and I love books and paper (and film coincidentally, hence the "Leica" in my username), so tablets just don't appeal to me.

Good choice.

[leicalove]

On its way: they sandbagged the delivery date by a friggin' month!

[crashnburn]

On its way: they sandbagged the delivery date by a friggin' month!

I wish I had the time to share a little secret. There was a great deal on Buy.com & JR.com that I was looking for X61 SXGA + Ultrabase

7767 96U
Link.

I got the tip from a TP fellow here and was looking at it and refreshing for 2 days on Buy.com thinking what to do... & boom

JR.com showed it for 1399 and they have 2% Fatwallet Cash Back. I bought it Sunday night.

MOD EDIT: Link shortened for better scrolling.

[ronan_zj]

to be simple, I just bought a X61 tablet for school, and put my T60 at home as a desktop. I would say if you have a desktop, go for X series.

[DavidNY]

The only major drawback, to me, with the X61/X61t is that there is no built-in optical drive.

I bought a small USB-powered optical drive and Vista couldn't see it.

$50 later I downgraded to XP (from the very drive Vista wouldn't see) and it works fine.

[GoofyG28]

My bad. X61t doesn't have a keyboard light. Always proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

Looks like you did it again. Haha!

[Rovers3]

The only major drawback, to me, with the X61/X61t is that there is no built-in optical drive.

I bought a small USB-powered optical drive and Vista couldn't see it.

$50 later I downgraded to XP (from the very drive Vista wouldn't see) and it works fine.

I can see that being an issue. 99% of my cd/dvd are in ISO format as well so i just use daemon tools. to mount them. works great and no Optical drive eating my battery.

I have yet to downgrade to XP (although it is coming). I hate Vista, but i think it is superior to XP in on a Tablet. Now if i can just work around the other quirks with it.

[bigwormie]

went from t40 to x61t and after upgrading to 4gb of ram, 200g harddrive, and vista x64 I honestly could not ask for anything else in a machine other than a "thinklight".

x61t=Almost perfect.

[leicalove]

I'm the OP. Anyway, after having it for a few weeks, and installing Ubuntu with the OpenBox window manager, here's my opinion on this little thing:

Positives
1. Solidly built--when I have it on my lap, it doesn't flex at all. Surprisingly, this attribute has become one of my favorites. I don't feel as if I'm using something quite as cheap and disposable as most other laptops.
2. Small and light. Can't emphasize how important this is to me, now that I've experienced the difference. Going small and light means I'm much more inclined to carry it around with me. Not the case with my old big-screen Toshiba.
3. Battery life: five or six hours, more or less. Outstanding. In conjunction with its small size, the X61 also allows you to leave the charger at home, further lightening what you need to haul. Love that.
4. Fast perceived performance. Very nice, indeed. I read that the video processor wasn't that great, especially for gaming, but I don't do games. I was pleasantly surprised by how well it handled video, like how un-glitchy YouTube could look, for example. I've used desktop PCs that handled flash-based videos much worse than the Thinkpad does. The processor(s) move along quickly enough for me under Linux.
5. Works like it should--no surprises. This is very important to me, especially with regard with laptops.

Negatives
1. I'm still getting used to the trackpoint "nipple," but I'm still torn: I don't like trackpads, but the trackpoint tire my finger quickly, so I guess I have to adapt to the machine. I might move to the Awesome window manager in order to minimize my need for a pointing device.
2. Gets warm quickly, but this isn't a problem while using battery power, which now that I appreciate how long battery life can last on this machine, is practically 100% of the time.

So, yeah, color me satisfied.

[crashnburn]

Nice feedback L - We are only 2 hours away - Houston, TX