Received 2007-68U : First observations

[bart]

Recieved the 2007-68U today.

I love the machine. It's beautiful, the build is far superior than *any* laptop I've seen, including the T42 I've used before.

I've detected 1 dead pixel on the panel[Hydis]. Yet to call support, does anyone hv an idea if I'd have to ship this beauty back or will they send a replacement panel? Wud hate to send it back.....

First observations -
1. Fan noise: Haven't heard anything abnormal, but then really done nothing intensive to kick it up. There is a continous whirr I hear *only* when I move to a really quiet room and listen for it or put my ear close to the vents. That should be normal I guess. Not noticed any high pitched noise so far.

2. All my worries about the 3945 ABG were gone, connecting to wireless was a snap. I'm using a DI-624 router, and it detected/connected immediately. No dropped connections for the past 2 hours. I'm not sure about the range, certainly does not look as good as the 2915 I have in my current laptop. 3945 is one bar less when side by side by 2915.

3. Keyboard is much better than expected[ALPS]. Haven't used a NMB, so cannot compare, but apart from the plasticky look as noted by darren, this one is good.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased, the only concern is the dead pixel. I'm really hoping that I need not ship this back to lenovo.

Will update this thread after doing some more stuff on it.

[bart]

From the T60 HMM

LCD-related symptoms
The TFT LCD for the notebook computer contains many thin-film transistors (TFTs). The presence of a small number of dots that are missing, discolored, or always lighted is characteristic of TFT LCD technology, but excessive pixel problems can cause viewing concerns. The LCD should be replaced if the number of missing, discolored, or lighted dots in any background is: v XGA: 8 or more bright dots, 8 or more dark dots, or a total of 9 or more bright and dark dots. v SXGA+: 11 or more bright dots, 13 or more dark dots, or a total of 16 or more bright and dark dots. v UXGA: 11 or more bright dots, 16 or more dark dots, or a total of 16 or more bright and dark dots.Note: A bright dot means a pixel is always on (white or color.) A dark dot means a pixel is always off (black color.)

Does this mean I'd have to live with the dead pixel or I could still get the panel changed? It's really not a bother, but then when I buy a premium laptop, I expect it to be flawless, atleast the components exposed to me.

[jobes]

Recieved the 2007-68U today.

I've detected 1 dead pixel on the panel[Hydis]. Yet to call support, does anyone hv an idea if I'd have to ship this beauty back or will they send a replacement panel? Wud hate to send it back.....

My experience from other mfg's is one DOA pixel isn't enough to say the panel is worthy of a return/replacement.

But I am new to Lenovo. Hopefully I'm incorrect.

[bart]

Checking lenovo suppport, says no LCD replacement if dead pixels is less than 11 (for 14" SXGA+)

[darrenf]

bart,

You can return the unit for any reason in the first 30 days. You probably would not get them to change it out under warranty but you can send it back and re-order.

-darren

[lithium726]

Yeah, and they will absolutly not send you a panel to replace yourself, its not a CRU.. you gotta send it in.

[emachine]

I've detected 1 dead pixel

This'll sound silly, but have you tried gently rubbing it a little? Remembering I'd read about people rubbing away stuck pixels on another forum, I gently rubbed a stuck pixel that showed up on my old dell clunker less than a week ago and it actually fixed it.

There's also a piece of software out there (maybe just a movie file) that flashes colors, apparently it has some low success rate of fixing pixel weirdness. I don't have a link but you could porlly google it up and give it a whirl.

But failing that, I'd send it back. Stuck pixels drive me UP the wall, I'm not the sort of person who can rationalize them as being common with the technology. There's too many perfect screens out there to settle for one that isn't.

[RaysMD]

http://www.dps.uk.com/freeware.htm

I used this to test out the screen.

[bart]

Thanks for the tips. Gonna try all of them

I wouldn't mind the dead pixel if it were on some corner of the screen, this one is dead right in the center

I'm trying to ignore it, but just can't guess will take sometime to get used to.

Oh btw, it's an always-on bright pixel.

[RaysMD]

return it! You paid good money to get a perfect laptop. I'm over here, complaining about a bad keyboard, hard drive noise, and I already want to get them replaced. It's a no brainer for me with the LCD. If you can't get rid of it, then return it.


I do remember having a laptop with an always on pixel that went away after a little manipulation and restart.

[archer6]

Just a friendly reminder that Lenovo will allow you to return it for any reason within the first 30 days. A dead pixel would make me crazy.

[rocketman]

I'm actually alergic to dead or stuck pixels. I start sneezing uncontrolably and break out in hives if I see any stuck or dead pixels on first boot of a new laptop.

[bart]

http://www.dps.uk.com/freeware.htm

I used this to test out the screen.

Thanks Ray, used that to test the screen, and got one more dead pixel, and this too bang in the center in the screen. only thing is this is a dark pixel.

guess this machine will have to go back

[archer6]

Whew! what a relief ... I thought I was the only one affected

[serpico]

Checking out my new 2007-68U and noticed 3 bright pixels. Two are off to the side and you really have to look for them to notice them. The third is green and near the middle of the screen and much more noticeable, especially on a black screen.

I know some people feel like their screen should be perfect. I have a Dell lcd monitor that came new with a bright pixel. Fact is I only noticed the pixel when I first set up the monitor and ran a pixel checker, and never noticed it again in 3 years.

I'll see how it goes over the next week or two. If I forget about the pixel, well there's my answer. If not, maybe I'll return it, but I think it would take another problem to tip me towards a return. Of course, I could always end up with another screen with bright or dead pixels.

Thanks to Ray for providing link to pixel checking freeware.

[donking!]

What's the rate at which dead/stuck pixels tend to occur on new machines? I'm a little surprised there are already two people here reporting them. (It's definitely the sort of thing that would drive me crazy.)

[dr_st]

Dead pixels are usually not a big problem. People tend to exaggerate it.

[movado]

RaysMD that is a great little program to test dead pixels.

I learn something new on this forum everyday.

I have had a T22 with a dead pixel bottom right hand corner and a T42 with one bright dead pixel left hand side. My current T43p has no dead pixels.

The thing I have found with these screens is that you either have a dead pixel(s) on day one or never get them.

[LastQuark]

Take note that if you return it back, it is possible that you will get more dead pixels than what you have as long as it is within their manufacturing limits. If it doesn't bother you at all except wanting a perfect laptop, do not return it.

[bart]

some more observations -

1. The Alps keyboard is good, but the travel is deep. Maybe I'd have to get used to it. Making too many typing mistakes on this keyboard.

2. The volume buttons look cheap plastic, not as cheap as they appeared on pics earlier though. The PCI card buttons certainly look cheap. The ones on my dell look far polished.

3. The TP is not noisy and silent most of the time, there is a continous whir but heard only when I put my ear to the vent.

4. Battery is a good fit. Sits tight and perfect.

The bright dead pixel is certainly a bother.

[bart]

but have you tried gently rubbing it a little?

didn't work. it just sat tight there

[serpico]

but have you tried gently rubbing it a little?

didn't work. it just sat tight there

Yeah, I tried this as well. No luck.

[hoya]

donking!

I'm seriously considering ordering the 2007-62U, strictly because it has the Atheros card rather than the Intel WiFi card.

what are your impressions thus far? do you have another machine to compare it to?

some owners of thinkpads with that card were seeing cpu spikes when an AP was out of range - are you seeing any issues like that?

If I don't order the 62U, I'm going for the 68U so I can get the 7200rpm drive.

thanks in advance,
john

[donking!]

I posted my initial (somewhat random) impressions of the 62U here:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=22362

I haven't had much of a chance to experience the performance of the 62U yet, because I'm deeply ensconced in figuring all this clean install stuff out (a little over my head, but I'm learning, and very time consuming).

I really haven't fiddled with the wireless hardly at all. Yes I'm hoping I don't have that cpu spike problem. I chose this unit specifically for the Atheros chip (in general they seem to have had less problems in the past) and because I really didn't want that WWAN antenna sticking out.

The one time I did try the wireless, it picked up about ten or fifteen routers near my place, all with different signal levels, and didn't do anything weird. But that's the meager sum of my experience so far.

I don't have another ThinkPad to compare it to. My previous ThinkPad experience is limited to using other people's notebooks.

I probably won't have much of a chance to get into really using it until late next week. Sorry I can't be more helpful now.

[ghanwani]

1. The Alps keyboard is good, but the travel is deep. Maybe I'd have to get used to it. Making too many typing mistakes on this keyboard.

I have the same problem as well. Relative to typing on my T20,
I make a lot more mistakes with my new T60 200768U.

Anoop

[christopher_wolf]

Just one note to make here regarding the difference between stuck pixels and dead pixels

Stuck pixels are due to individual differences amongst the TFTs on the screen; the PSP video program can get rid of, as well as generate, stuck pixels. They are usually either light grey or darkish in color.

A dead pixel is due to an extreme variation in the TFT that is affected; usually the appear as either bright red (common), bright green (less common), or blue (uncommon) depending on what part(s) of the TFT is/are affected. These cannot be gotten rid of using a software program as they are a hardware glitch that manifests itself during the normal operation of the LCD and is not affected by software states except for being either on or off.