Is this a good deal?

[falconbox530]

so the place i work at (BJ's Wholesale) has a Thinkpad Z61t for $850. the specs as i remember them:

14" widescreen
120 GB hard drive
2GB ram
Intel Core Duo
Windows Vista
DVD+/RW

i am trying to decide between a Z61t and a T61. however if i got 120GB and 2GB ram on a T61 it would be over $1000.

are the z61's pretty good? i have not seen a T61 in person so i was wondering the size comparability. thanks everyone.

[Brad]

Welcome to the forum!

What warranty are they offering with the Z?

As I understand it Lenovo has ended their relationship with the manufacturer of the Z series. Not sure if that would make a difference for you but for me without a long warranty like three years for the Z I would go with the T series.

Brad

[falconbox530]

ended their relationship? i thought THEY were the manufacturer?

anyway, im pretty sure its just a 1 year warranty through Lenovo and then i can buy an extended one if want to that will go for 2 more years after the 1st expires (so 3 years total), which will cover basically anything.

[Brad]

Makes sense that Lenovo would manufacture Lenovo laptops but this series was made for them by another company as I recall.

I fully expect that Lenovo will completely cover support and repair but if it were me the T series would be the way I would go. More options for parts and information.

That's just me though.

Lenovo's warranty will be excellent for either machine but if the T would include three years then I think that for sure the T would be a better deal.

Brad

[cj3209]

Here's another opinion: the z-series are good and they are just as good, if not more feature-rich, than the t-series.

If you can get an extended warranty after the first year, I say GO FOR IT! There will be enough parts on the z-series for many years.

CJ

[barrywohl]

they are just as good, if not more feature-rich, than the t-series.

I'd get a T61 series for $1000 rather than a similarly configured Z series for $850. The T61 series handles heat better than the T60 or Z61.

I know of no feature on the Z61p I used to own that is not also present on my current T61p.

[cj3209]

I use a z61t and it has the carbon fiber casing of the t-series unlike the z61p.

The z-series has a webcam with 14" WSXG+ and a titanium lid which none of the t-series has.

Also, one of the benefits of an integrated graphics chip with the z-series is that it has no heat problems I'm aware of. Both t60 and t61 have heat issues mainly b/c of the discrete graphics chip.

Don't pass the z61 series aside; for many applications, it makes sense.

Options are always good to have.


CJ

they are just as good, if not more feature-rich, than the t-series.

I'd get a T61 series for $1000 rather than a similarly configured Z series for $850. The T61 series handles heat better than the T60 or Z61.

I know of no feature on the Z61p I used to own that is not also present on my current T61p.

[barrywohl]

Like the Z series, selected T60 and T61 computers have the webcam.

The T61 series have a metal reinforcement in the lid to help protect the LCD. Neither the T60 or Z61 series have that.

The T61 has a graphics chip on the motherboard also, with an upgraded graphics chip available.

The T61 series has better designed system cooling than the T60 and Z61 series.

Basically, I don't disagree with you that many of the Z61 units are really nice. However, I don't think anything has been lost in the move to the T61 series.

I use a z61t and it has the carbon fiber casing of the t-series unlike the z61p.

The z-series has a webcam with 14" WSXG+ and a titanium lid which none of the t-series has.

Also, one of the benefits of an integrated graphics chip with the z-series is that it has no heat problems I'm aware of. Both t60 and t61 have heat issues mainly b/c of the discrete graphics chip.

Don't pass the z61 series aside; for many applications, it makes sense.

Options are always good to have.


CJ

I'd get a T61 series for $1000 rather than a similarly configured Z series for $850. The T61 series handles heat better than the T60 or Z61.

I know of no feature on the Z61p I used to own that is not also present on my current T61p.

[Diehard]

so the place i work at (BJ's Wholesale) has a Thinkpad Z61t for $850. the specs as i remember them:

14" widescreen
120 GB hard drive
2GB ram
Intel Core Duo
Windows Vista
DVD+/RW

i am trying to decide between a Z61t and a T61. however if i got 120GB and 2GB ram on a T61 it would be over $1000.

are the z61's pretty good? i have not seen a T61 in person so i was wondering the size comparability. thanks everyone.

If it is:
1400x900
Intel Core 2 Duo
The answer is Yes. Otherwise, NO!!!!!!

[omays4430]

stay away from the Z series, as you can see the issues i am swimming thru at the moment in my thread. they are a dead series and if you have a warranty on it and god forbid something goes wrong, you'll be in the BS loop as well with me. or you might be 1 of the lucky ones who get a true thinkpad. a test of luck?

[Diehard]

My Z61t is quite good except 2 stuck pixels. I sold my T61, and moving back with Z61t. The only bad things about it is no playing games, short lasting battery.

I think Z61t is better than X60 because it has 1400x900 high resolution, and ultra base.

[ZaZ]

[quote="falconbox530"]ended their relationship? i thought THEY were the manufacturer?

anyway, im pretty sure its just a 1 year warranty through Lenovo and then i can buy an extended one if want to that will go for 2 more years after the 1st expires (so 3 years total), which will cover basically anything.[/quote]

Nobody makes their own laptops any more not Lenovo, Dell, HP, Apple, etc. The assembly and in some cases the design it contracted out to ODMs(Original Design Manufacturers). They make the laptops and sell them to the brand names who handle sales and support. Compal, Wistrom, Quanta and Asus are some of the ODMs.

[falconbox530]

thanks for everyone's help. yes, the resolution is 1440X900 and it has the Core 2 Duo processor. i went out and bought it today with my new credit card because it just got an $80 mail-in rebate that expires 1/1/08, so that at least covers the tax i spent on it.

so far i love it. its dead quiet, not nearly as hot as my old HP laptop got, and SOOOOO light. the only thing i dont like is that it comes with Vista basic, but if i can find a cheap copy of Windows XP i may just switch over.

no webcam on this one though, although i dont care. id never use it anyway.

I do have ONE question though:

on the near right side of the laptop there is a strange gray button. it is right next to the 2 USB ports and the firewire port. if i press it in it a plastic rectangle pops out. the symbol on the face of the laptop where my right palm rests is a half shaded rectangle. WHAT IS THIS THING?

[qviri]

on the near right side of the laptop there is a strange gray button. it is right next to the 2 USB ports and the firewire port. if i press it in it a plastic rectangle pops out. the symbol on the face of the laptop where my right palm rests is a half shaded rectangle. WHAT IS THIS THING?

The cover to the right of the button covers the PC Card slot of the laptop. If you had a PC Card in the slot, pressing the button in would make it eject.

A PC Card slot is not going to be of much use in a Z61t. The primary use for many of them was for wireless and USB 2.0 cards for older laptops, and the Z61t has both internal wireless and USB 2.0. There are some premium sound cards you could put in that slot, wireless WAN (cellular) cards, and other assorted accessories.

[cj3209]

Sorry, I had a good laugh after I too was wondering what that button was and examined my own z61t...

I love the webcam but just never use it. Lenovo got the size just right around 4-5 lbs and it's a lot easier to carry than my T60p workstation.
Parts should be readily available for the z-series; they're not custom-made for goodness sake and share many if not all the same parts as the T-series. The mobo is, perhaps, the only thing that is customized for the Z.

CJ

thanks for everyone's help. yes, the resolution is 1440X900 and it has the Core 2 Duo processor. i went out and bought it today with my new credit card because it just got an $80 mail-in rebate that expires 1/1/08, so that at least covers the tax i spent on it.

so far i love it. its dead quiet, not nearly as hot as my old HP laptop got, and SOOOOO light. the only thing i dont like is that it comes with Vista basic, but if i can find a cheap copy of Windows XP i may just switch over.

no webcam on this one though, although i dont care. id never use it anyway.

I do have ONE question though:

on the near right side of the laptop there is a strange gray button. it is right next to the 2 USB ports and the firewire port. if i press it in it a plastic rectangle pops out. the symbol on the face of the laptop where my right palm rests is a half shaded rectangle. WHAT IS THIS THING?