Comments on this Z60t configuration?

[K. Eng]

Here are the specifications on a customized Z60t I am thinking about buying:

Thinkpad Z60t 2511F4U (Customize to Order) Titanium Lid
Intel Pentium M Processor 760 (2GHz, 2MB L2, 533MHz FSB) (Standard)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
14.0 inch TFT 1280x768 WXGA (Standard)
512MB PC2-4200 CL4 NP DDR2 SDRAM SODIMM
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 (Standard)
40GB 5400 rpm SATA Hard Drive
ThinkPad 24x/24x/24x/8x Max Combo Ultrabay Slim Drive
56K V.92 Designed Modem (Standard)
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet (Standard)
ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Express Adapter
ThinkPad Z60t Series 4 Cell Li-Ion Battery
3 USB 2.0 (Standard)
Integrated fingerprint reader (Standard)
Special offers: Free ThinkPad Backpack Carrying Case
Extended Service Contract 3 YR depot repair 9x5

Configured price $1,584.20
Free Shipping
Tax $110.88
Total Price: $1694.88
All components can ship within 1 week

My comments:

I'll be using this machine for office work, and it should see a moderate amount of travel, probably to and from the office every day.

I opted for the Titanium lid because it is very very sturdy. I saw a Z60t w' Titanium lid at Office Depot and it felt much much tougher than the Magnesium alloy lid on my T40.

Integrated graphics aren't great, but I don't use my ThinkPad for games.

I upgraded the base 256MB of RAM to 512MB (+$40) and opted for integrated ABG wireless (+40). I also opted to upgrade the standard 1-year warranty to 3 years at cost of $130.

Did not upgrade the battery to 7-cell because I don't need that kind of battery life, nor do I want to add more weight. If I find I need the battery capacity later, I'll buy a 7-cell.

What do you all think?

I'm planning to buy soon as the warranty coverage is ticking towards 0 on this T40.

[ericssonboi]

You might want to consider a bigger hard drive. 40gb is really not much these days unless you always have an external hard drive with you.

[K. Eng]

I'm not sure though that there are any circumstances where I would need bigger than a 40GB HDD.

I've had my T40 for just under 3 years now. It has a 30GB HDD (25GB if you subtract the 5GB hidden partition). I have 11.8GB free. As you can see I have trouble filling up even a 30GB drive over the course of several years.

People I know who need bigger and bigger HDDs generally have either a lot of games (at 4-5GB per install it adds up quickly) or lots of DVD rips. I don't play games on my ThinkPad, and I don't encode or download movies. I have about 4.6GB of MP3 and AAC files, and 150MB of photos from my camera.

No chance of games on the new ThinkPad, as the GMA900 is too pathetic to play modern FPS well at all.

Edit: If this machine was for one of my friends, I'd recommend more than 40GB though One of them built a Terabyte RAID array and still doesn't have enough space for DVD rips.

[ericssonboi]

Well... just as long as you know its wise to upgrade the hard drive.
From the specs.. you pretty much have one of the more expensive units with the 760 processor and Ti lid. Check out what price difference it is to jump to 60GB and if its not too much, i'd suggest it.

If you plan on keeping the system for a long period of time, the 50-100 bucks will be nothing in the long run.

My music collection is around 10gb and is constantly growing each day. Like you, i don't game on the GMA900 but I d/l TV episodes which adds up on your hard drive.

A second thing.. I don't think the price is that great.
I'd recommend phoning into IBM to speak with a rep to see if you can get a better rate by paying with a major credit card VISA, MC, Amex

[christopher_wolf]

I think that, for now, that HDD should last awhile; if not, you can always get another one and use that. Then you have the advantage of using 2 HDDs for anything you want; and if indeed the change in space usage is that great, you would benefit from having two HDDs for backup purposes. I don't know about that price, but I am looking at an Office Depot catalog of what I think is a very similar model (2511FEU Titanium) except it has a few more bells and whistles (80GB HDD, DVD+RW) with the 750 Processor. In this catalog, it costs about $1999, so it looks like you are getting a fairly good deal on that; have you searched around for other deals similar to that one?

[K. Eng]

How much of a discount have you been able to get in the past?

A second thing.. I don't think the price is that great.
I'd recommend phoning into IBM to speak with a rep to see if you can get a better rate by paying with a major credit card VISA, MC, Amex

[K. Eng]

I've seen the 2511FEU personally at Office Depot. I agree with you that the price is not so hot.

It does have extra bells + whistles but for $1999 you don't even get a 3-year warranty! $132 for that upgrade bumps the price to $2131, then with tax $2280! That's a lot more than I want to spend.

I am looking at an Office Depot catalog of what I think is a very similar model (2511FEU Titanium) except it has a few more bells and whistles (80GB HDD, DVD+RW) with the 750 Processor. In this catalog, it costs about $1999, so it looks like you are getting a fairly good deal on that; have you searched around for other deals similar to that one?

[ericssonboi]

I've read that other people have gotten amazing discounts on T60's (which are somewhat overpriced to begin with) but its amazing what kind of discount you can get by just phoning in your order.

Refer to this thread.
http://www.laptoplogic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2101

Or you can do a search in the T60 forum for "discount"

Myself....
I ordered off this Canadian website www.visaperks.ca
Basicly order direct from Lenovo, pay by Visa and you get a discount. All you have to do is go through a few clicks and i automaticly got a few hundred off.

I ordered the

ThinkPad Z60T (2511E6U) (Lenovo Express Model) with Integrated FingerPrint Reader and an upgrade to 3 Years On-site Warranty Service......$0 Shipping

Intel Pentium M Processor 750 (1.86GHz, 2MB L2, 533MHz FSB) (Standard)
512MB PC2-4200 CL4 NP DDR2 SDRAM SODIMM
80GB 5400 rpm SATA Hard Drive
DVD Recordable 4X
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Screen: 14.0 TFT 1280x768
Onboard Graphic Chipset: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 Onboard Audio: Intel High Definition Audio
Included Modem: 56Kbps data/14.4Kbps fax
Hard Drive Controller: Serial ATA
Onboard Network Contoller: Gigabit Ethernet- Integrated 1000Mbps,100Mbps,10M
Battery Type: 7 Cell Lithium-Ion
PCMCIA Support: 1 Type I/II External Speakers: 2 (Internal Speaker) Warranty: One year (system battery:one year) parts and labour Wireless:Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG

http://caipsgws001.can.ibm.com/store/ad ... =EA1VISASB

Reg Price: 1828.00 CDN
Sale Price: 1553.80 CDN

So basing my specs to yours... you have a few slight advtanges.. but i think your price could be better...

[K. Eng]

Wow that's a great deal you got there!

Too bad there doesn't seem to be any equivalent site for US customers. I did a google search for Visa perks and didn't pull up any US sites. I'll have to keep looking I guess.

I've checked the online IBM stores for the major credit cards, and they offer 5-15% discounts on various models, but not Customize to Order machines. I will try calling Lenovo directly to see if they make a better offer...

[ericssonboi]

Well..
I suggest calling in to speak with a Rep on the specific configuration you want... and what "the best price" they can give you based on the Visa or MC discounts..

It doesn't hurt to ask and the worst thing can happen is that the price will be the same as the one you priced out. If its most expensive... i'm pretty sure Lenovo would match it ...