My Life with a T60p (as it happens)

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Ujeni.net · #1 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 9:12 am

Hi everyone,

I'll be receiving my first Thinkpad (a T60p 200786) in a few days and thought I would start this thread to document my experience with. This forum has been very helpful to me in making my decision, so I thought I would provide my experiences to potentially help others who are considering the T60p

I'm a digital artist, so I need lots and lots of power (CPU power for rendering, 3d power for Maya and other 3d apps and flexibility power to test my work on various operating systems). To complicate matters, I'll also be moving to Africa in September as a Peace Corps volunteer to help create AIDS awareness materials. So you can see why I need a machine that is powerful, portable and rugged. After looking at all the dual-core options out there, including the MacBook Pro, the Sony SZ-160 and the new Acer line, I settled on the Thinkpad T60p. Here's the specs of the model I choose:

2.16 ghz Core Duo
14" screen
2 gigs of RAM
100 gig HD @ 7200rpm
ATI v5200 256mb Video Card
DVD+-RW DL Drive
9 Cell Battery

My plan is to have multiple operating Systems running on this computer including WinXP Pro, OSX and a Linux distro (probably Ubuntu, SUSE or Fedora). I'll be editing video, creating 3d animations, programming multimedia projects and spending loads of time in Photoshop with it. I'll document how all of these tasks perform on the T60p and will, of course, be happy to answer any of your questions.

I ordered the machine on the 15th of February and received a ship date of 3/22. The date changed to 4/4 by the middle of March, but I received an email on 3/15 saying my laptop had been shipped.

Next post will be the arrival of the machine! Stay tuned!

RaysMD · #2 Post by **RaysMD** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:24 am

T60p got the same one. Mine also shipped.

Ujeni, can you check to see which screen yours came with. Check out the other thread on the 14" SXGA+ screens.

fullauto · #3 Post by **fullauto** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:24 am

Ujeni.net wrote: I'm a digital artist, so I need lots and lots of power (CPU power for rendering, 3d power for Maya and other 3d apps and flexibility power to test my work on various operating systems).

Just curious, have you used the Final Cut Suite of tools for OSX?

Ujeni.net · #4 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:31 am

fullauto wrote:
Ujeni.net wrote: I'm a digital artist, so I need lots and lots of power (CPU power for rendering, 3d power for Maya and other 3d apps and flexibility power to test my work on various operating systems).

Just curious, have you used the Final Cut Suite of tools for OSX?

I use it everyday on my Powerbook....the Intel versions should be coming out pretty soon...so hopefully I'll be able to use them on the thinkpad.

Ujeni.net · #5 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:32 am

RaysMD wrote:T60p got the same one. Mine also shipped.

Ujeni, can you check to see which screen yours came with. Check out the other thread on the 14" SXGA+ screens.

Not sure how to check...can you tell me how to?

Ujeni.net · #6 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:38 am

Figured it out.

Screen by Hydis.
Keyboard by ALPS.

Ujeni.net · #7 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:26 am

The t60p arrived today. I am currently setting it up for testing....a few quick thoughts:

1. Thin. Very thin. I'm impressed.

2. Seems pretty solid, except that the 9 cell batter jiggles. Not cool. Will need to address that.

3. Screen is ok. I have seen better (sony screens even though they reflect) and I have seen worse (powerbook 12" screen and even my powerbook 15" screen). The pixel response is not good so far. Text blurs when you move a window. More on the screen later.

4. Catalyst drivers for the 5200v. Weird. Installing maya now and will twist some polygons to test.

5. Keyboard is nice.

6. Takes a long time to charge. I'm use to the rapid charging on the powerbook. 80% in 1.5 hours or so on the powerbook. The t60p is much slower.

More later today. Send questions if you have them.

lithium726 · #8 Post by **lithium726** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:32 am

If by "weird" you mean its on the new catalyst control center, you might wanna go ahead and get the omega drivers.... the CCC has made the CPU spike in the past and decreases battery life, the omegas still use the old style ATI control center.

Ujeni.net · #9 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:41 am

WOW

This thing is fast! Ok, I have the same model (in Maya 7.0) up in 3 places:

1. My t60p (still only 1 gig in it by the way)

2. My Dell Desktop (3.0 ghz P4, 2gig RAM, 9800 Pro)

3. 15" Powerbook (1.67 G4, 2gig, 9700 128mb)

Swivled the model and got these frame rates:

T60p: 132 fps
Dell Desktop: 78 fps
Powerbook: 62 fps

WOW! This laptop has almost TWICE the OpenGL horsepower as my 9800pro. Not bad at all.

Then I rendered a shot. Maya knows how to use dual core, so this is a good test. The results:

T60p: 3 seconds
Dell Desktop: 5 seconds
Powerbook: 10 seconds

WOW! The T60p did the render 66% faster than my 3.0ghz P4! Granted, these are quick, unscientific tests...but I am impressed with the speed so far!

#10 Post by **archer6** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:07 pm

Thanks, Ujeni.net for reporting on your experience. This forum has been very helpful for me as well.

I have a question please, how to you find the keyboard in regards to how solid, key travel, quiteness etc.

I am on this forum a couple of times a day looking for T60P feedback as I have a need for one. I am only concerned as I have read some negative feedback here on the different makers of the displays, dead pixels, keyboards etc.

Thanks Archer6

Ujeni.net · #11 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 3:07 pm

Hi Archer6,

The keyboard has no flex at all. Its about as loud as the powerbook keyboard (pretty quiet really). Travel is more then the powerbook and the key shape is better.

Very happy with the keyboard!

#12 Post by **archer6** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 3:50 pm

Greetings Ujeni.net

Thanks for your timely response. Very helpful !

I just ordered my new T60P, 15" TFT 1600x1200
Type: 2007-96U

Archer6

Ujeni.net · #13 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:59 pm

I am having a lot of trouble reinstalling the palmrest after adding RAM. ANyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?

#14 Post by **archer6** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:06 pm

Hi Ujeni.net

I also struggled with that when intalling the additional 1 gig in my T60. Please be a little more specific about the type of problem and perhaps I can help.

#15 Post by **archer6** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:15 pm

Ujeni.net

http://www-306.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-61339

This is a link to a movie that may be very helpful. It's for a Z60t however after watching it, it's the same as my T60. There are no movies for T60 yet.

MaloventEvil · #16 Post by **MaloventEvil** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 12:04 am

how is the battery life with the 9 cell battery? Thanks a bunch!

Ujeni.net · #17 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:30 am

Well, I finally got the palmrest installed correctly. This gave a me a quick chance to experience IBM tech support...which I must say is fantastic. I was connected to a human in Atlanta Georgia within one minute of calling at 10:30 last night. She was very friendly and helped me through the issue. Turns out you need to put a pretty good amount of pressure on the upper right corner of the palm rest for it to snap into place.

MaloventEvil,

I am so far happy with the battery life. The estimates range from 4 to five hours with normal use (wifi on, brightness high and opening and closing apps). I am not wild about the jiggle in the battery, perhaps I will attempt to fix that today with a little tape wedged between the battery and the case.

A few more thoughts so far:

1. Several people have been asking about fan noise. It is on, but is VERY quiet. No big deal at all to me.

2. My machine runs cool. I have not yet had the chance to run intensive apps for a long time...I'll report more on this later.

3. If you listen closely you can hear the hardrive, but, gain, it is very quiet. You'd have to be in a sealed room for it to bother you.

4. The power management settings are very cool. I have a feeling that with some tweaking, I can get more battery life when mobile and more speed when plugged in. I'll continue to play with it.

More later!

christopher_wolf · #18 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:50 am

Ujeni.net wrote:Well, I finally got the palmrest installed correctly. This gave a me a quick chance to experience IBM tech support...which I must say is fantastic. I was connected to a human in Atlanta Georgia within one minute of calling at 10:30 last night. She was very friendly and helped me through the issue. Turns out you need to put a pretty good amount of pressure on the upper right corner of the palm rest for it to snap into place.

MaloventEvil,

I am so far happy with the battery life. The estimates range from 4 to five hours with normal use (wifi on, brightness high and opening and closing apps). I am not wild about the jiggle in the battery, perhaps I will attempt to fix that today with a little tape wedged between the battery and the case.

A few more thoughts so far:

1. Several people have been asking about fan noise. It is on, but is VERY quiet. No big deal at all to me.

2. My machine runs cool. I have not yet had the chance to run intensive apps for a long time...I'll report more on this later.

3. If you listen closely you can hear the hardrive, but, gain, it is very quiet. You'd have to be in a sealed room for it to bother you.

4. The power management settings are very cool. I have a feeling that with some tweaking, I can get more battery life when mobile and more speed when plugged in. I'll continue to play with it.

More later!

With those specs you gave and the performance you have been getting from it so far; you are tempting me...sorely.

I may look into purchasing either the T60p or perhaps a T61p (Maybe a T70p?).

Ujeni.net · #19 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:10 am

Yeah, I am pleased with the performance for sure.

The battery jiggle and the screen are the only two downsides at the moment. I think the jiggle can be solved...the screen however....

I love the res, and the brightness is fine. But the viewing angles are about the same as my 15" powerbook. Not horrible....but I was hoping for better. The pixel responce has me worried for video editing and animating. I have a job coming up with both of these taks...so I'll report back when I have more data.

Ujeni.net · #20 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:35 pm

Ok, a few more things to report that several people have asked:

1. Dead pixels. None. No joke, I have 1,470,000 perfectly operating pixels. Nice.

2. Battery life. I have been working this evening for at least 4 hours with wifi on, brightness high and playing video and audio. My battery monitor is saying that I have another hour left. Folks, with this much horsepower, 5 hours is fantastic. I couldn't be happier. For those considering the MacBook Pro, I think the T60p deserves a good look for battery level reasons alone (this coming from a mac user since 1985).

3. Heat. My lap feels slightly warm (just slightly). WAY cooler than the powerbook again. The fan is one and is usally on. Battery power or not. There is probably a way to tweak my settings to have the machine run cooler. I'll play with this in the future.

4. Price. Ok, we all know the rules here and I won't break any. I purchased this through a university that I worked for and got a great deal. Still expensive...but on par with equivilent Apple prices.

One thing that is bugging me is that when ever i put the laptop to sleep or wake it up from sleep is greets me with a loud and annoying beep. Anyone know a way to turn that off?

Herr Yunta · #21 Post by **Herr Yunta** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:45 pm

Yes, go in the bios and disable system beeps completely. They are annoying.

You can order the power cord that will mate with your power adapter for travels. I ordered the European one for about $14 shipped a couple years ago direct from IBM.

Ujeni.net · #22 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:18 pm

Just thought I would update this thread with a little more info.

I now have OSX installed. It runs very fast...no audio or power management though.

Although this thing is very fast and well built, I remain unhappy with the screen. To be perfectly honest, a laptop this expensive should have a better screen. I am considering returning it and looking elsewhere for that reason.

I have another week or two to decide though, we'll see.

astro · #23 Post by **astro** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:32 pm

Agreed -- it does seem strange that they do not offer (for some time now) IPS for the 14.1" and below screens, at least as an option and especially on the 'p' series. I would think that the only barrier would be cost, not technological. I would also think that people willing to fork out for a 'p' would also be more than willing to fork out for the best screen available.

That said, I don't think it would cost you much more to upgrade to the 15"... Unless the size is prohibitive?

lithium726 · #24 Post by **lithium726** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:19 pm

anything mentioning IPS on the 14" models is a typo, that option is not avaliable.

snife · #25 Post by **snife** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:17 pm

astro wrote:Agreed -- it does seem strange that they do not offer (for some time now) IPS for the 14.1" and below screens, at least as an option and especially on the 'p' series. I would think that the only barrier would be cost, not technological. I would also think that people willing to fork out for a 'p' would also be more than willing to fork out for the best screen available.

That said, I don't think it would cost you much more to upgrade to the 15"... Unless the size is prohibitive?

cost = yes
but its also heavier and reduce battery life, people what p models might object to a heavier system and reduced battery life. If the heavy thing is not an issue then it would be a good idea to go for the 15" model anyway.

Ujeni.net · #26 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:43 pm

Size is an issue in this case...I'll be living in Africa and likely traveling daily with the laptop. Honestly, even the 14" with the 9cell is a little bigger than I want. I have made the mistake of owning 12" powerbooks in the past....very small and well built...but not too fast.

The screen on the t60p 14" is bright and has ok color quality...but the pixel refresh time is very poor. Gamers would cry...and much of what I do requires fast movements on the screen (video and animation for example). Its too bad that Lenovo included such a monster of a graphics chip with such a poorly performing screen.

Not trying to keep people from considering the t60p 14" models...not even sure I am going to return it yet...just providing my thoughts for those who are interested

astro · #27 Post by **astro** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:17 am

snife wrote:
astro wrote:Agreed -- it does seem strange that they do not offer (for some time now) IPS for the 14.1" and below screens, at least as an option and especially on the 'p' series. I would think that the only barrier would be cost, not technological. I would also think that people willing to fork out for a 'p' would also be more than willing to fork out for the best screen available.

That said, I don't think it would cost you much more to upgrade to the 15"... Unless the size is prohibitive?
cost = yes
but its also heavier and reduce battery life, people what p models might object to a heavier system and reduced battery life. If the heavy thing is not an issue then it would be a good idea to go for the 15" model anyway.

Something just twigged (perhaps I'm a little slow) -- you say the IPS screens are bigger than the non-IPS? Is that why the 15" T60p has a thicker lid than the 14" (not just for more rigidity)?

Maybe IBM/Lenovo think that increasing the thickness of the lid on the 14" would ruin the form factor... It's probably just that they don't want to manufacture 2 types of lid for the 14". It would still be nice to have the option, though.

Though the 15" XGA screen would require a different lid anyway? *sigh* I give up...

Isaac000 · #28 Post by **Isaac000** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 1:56 am

Ujeni.net wrote:Just thought I would update this thread with a little more info.

I now have OSX installed. It runs very fast...no audio or power management though.

How did you get OS X installed on your Thinkpad? Any tips or links?

Thanks

kwramm · #29 Post by **kwramm** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 3:24 am

a sweet review. I'm also getting the laptop to do 3D work, beside some modest gaming (civ4, WoW and maybe some oblivion).

The Maya performance is really nice.

Can you try turning high quality testuring on and play around with it a bit? I never got that to work properly on the radeon cards with the catalyst drivers. There were always nasty artefacts. I suppose this doesn't happen on the Fire GL?
Would be nice if you could try and report

Ujeni.net · #30 Post by **Ujeni.net** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:01 am

kwramm wrote:a sweet review. I'm also getting the laptop to do 3D work, beside some modest gaming (civ4, WoW and maybe some oblivion).

The Maya performance is really nice.

Can you try turning high quality testuring on and play around with it a bit? I never got that to work properly on the radeon cards with the catalyst drivers. There were always nasty artefacts. I suppose this doesn't happen on the Fire GL?
Would be nice if you could try and report

No problems at all with maya and textures. This thing rivals the speed of a lot or 3d workstations out there. Very very nice.

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