Thinkpads Forum

I have an X61 and the Ultrabase.

I also have a Thinkpad Advanced Dock from when I used to have a T60p.

Is there a way to connect the X61 to the Advanced Dock?

The reason is, I'd like to use the DVI video connector on the Advanced Dock or plug in another video card with DVI video out in the Advanced Dock.

don't you already have this thread to ask your questions about dvi out?

as i understand it, the only dock that the x60/1 is compatible with is the x6 ultrabase. even supposing you could use a different dock, it would be like the other thinkpads with integrated intel video - you can only use the vga out. dvi out works for thinkpads with discrete video solutions only.

now if you added an external video card via the dock (as you've orginally mentioned), then i guess you'd have dvi out from that video device, but at that point, it's neither cheap nor portable. you might be better served by a usb tv-out device.

if you don't care about cheap/portable, then just take another machine you might have around the house and re-purpose it as a temporary htpc. if you want to have this ability from your laptop while on the go, then the dock strategy would have been extremely clumsy to begin with.

I would like to know that as well.

Scottkeen,

On pictures I can see that the Advanced dock has plastic protrusions that are incompatible with the X61 base. However, disregarding the plastics, are the actual docking ports the same on the Ultrabase and the Advanced dock?

gongo2k1 wrote:
. even supposing you could use a different dock, it would be like the other thinkpads with integrated intel video - you can only use the vga out. dvi out works for thinkpads with discrete video solutions only.

Actually, it would seem that Thinkpads with integrated Intel video only were able to use DVI out according to this thread

http://forum.notebookreview.com/archive ... 54223.html

that thread was extremely confusing... people confusing the advanced dock with the mini dock, referring to pci express as 'pci-x' (which is different) and vice versa and then someone even mentions that they were using the nvidia tools to set the correct video mode!

i have a t60 with a mini dock at work, but all of our monitors at work are vga (i work for a cheap company...) so i haven't had opportunity to check it out. besides, it wouldn't do us any good since you're looking for the x3100 and i have the gma950 in my t60.

gongo2k1 wrote:that thread was extremely confusing...

Yes, very. However, there was a support (?) guy claiming that at work he was running 20+ T61p's with X3100 and using the DVI on the advanced mini dock.

My understanding is that the 60-series (e.g. T60) did not support DVI out through the dock unless they had discrete graphics, while the 61-series (e.g. T61) did support it.

Note the qualifications stated below for the 60-series vs the 61-series.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-61232

jketzetera wrote:

gongo2k1 wrote:that thread was extremely confusing...

Yes, very. However, there was a support (?) guy claiming that at work he was running 20+ T61p's with X3100 and using the DVI on the advanced mini dock.
...

Obviously I haven't read that other thread (yet), but there is the confusion right away, a T61p always has discrete graphics, never X3100.

Dunno, about the old series, but this is what I know:

All T60/T61, even with integrated graphics support DVI and dual display through the mini-dock. I know this for a fact because I have one of these and many guys at work do too.

Most of the Z61t's with advanced graphics do not support DVI out. Exceptions (according to the LTWBOOK) are the last batches that came out with Core 2 Duo CPUs in October 2006. Never tried one of these myself, so cannot vouch for that.

basketb wrote:

jketzetera wrote: Yes, very. However, there was a support (?) guy claiming that at work he was running 20+ T61p's with X3100 and using the DVI on the advanced mini dock.
...

Obviously I haven't read that other thread (yet), but there is the confusion right away, a T61p always has discrete graphics, never X3100.

It was my mistake (typo). In the thread the support (?) guy actually says T61 and not T61p.

dr_st wrote:Dunno, about the old series, but this is what I know:

All T60/T61, even with integrated graphics support DVI and dual display through the mini-dock. I know this for a fact because I have one of these and many guys at work do too.

dr_st,


Do you know what the highest possible resolution for the T60 and T61 (with integrated Intel graphics) is, when using DVI through the mini-dock? What resolution do you run?

jketzetera wrote:Do you know what the highest possible resolution for the T60 and T61 (with integrated Intel graphics) is, when using DVI through the mini-dock? What resolution do you run?

I run 1280x1024 on my T60. One of my co-workers runs 1600x1200 on his T61.

I just purchased a mini-dock for the home, where I will be able to test the T60 on 1600x1200 and 1680x1050. I will report as soon as I do. Unfortunately I do not have higher resolution monitors to test on.

dr_st wrote:I run 1280x1024 on my T60. One of my co-workers runs 1600x1200 on his T61.

I just purchased a mini-dock for the home, where I will be able to test the T60 on 1600x1200 and 1680x1050. I will report as soon as I do. Unfortunately I do not have higher resolution monitors to test on.

Great! Looking forward to hearing from your results. In theory the GMA 950 should be able to power up to 1920x1080, which the older Mac Mini's (with GMA 950 and DVI-out) are able to do. However, when it comes to computers theory and practice seems to diverge quite often.

all of this is assuming, of course, that we'll be able to use the dock with the x60/1... which we still don't know will work!

hmm, if only i could get my hands on one to try...

gongo2k1 wrote:all of this is assuming, of course, that we'll be able to use the dock with the x60/1... which we still don't know will work!

Oh, we do know. It won't work.

dr_st wrote:

gongo2k1 wrote:all of this is assuming, of course, that we'll be able to use the dock with the x60/1... which we still don't know will work!

Oh, we do know. It won't work.

I see two possibilities.

If it is possible to get 1920x1080 with a GMA950 or X3100 I might pick up a T60 or T61 from eBay and get the dock. When I in the future buy an 1080p HDTV with HDMI/DVI inputs, I can then connect a Thinkpad and get full-resolution goodness.

As I have an X61s already, I would prefer to have the dock to work with it (which I do realize is highly unlikely). I am waiting for scottkeen's response in comparing the physical interface on the dock, compared to the Ultrabase.