Z61P vs T60P

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maximus_ · #1 Post by **maximus_** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:45 pm

This is my first post and want to say this forum has been a great resource for information regarding ThinkPads. I am in the process of replacing my A31P 1.8 P4M, 1GB RAM, 64MB Fire GL7800, 60GB 7200 RPM hard Drive(upgraded myself)...

I'm looking at the T60P 2613H5U with 2GB of RAM (will upgrade to 4GB when RAM prices drop).... But I just noticed that the Z61P is listed as having a maximum of 4GB and now has the Fire GL and resolution are up to 1920x1200.

My question is what are your overall thoughts of the two in performance, build quality, and any other factors that may come to mind.

I need a reliable high powered machine, I'm an IT consultant, travel weekly, and these two fit the bill but I have never used a Z series before and wanted some advice in the area. I never really looked at them as workstation replacement class machines but I could be wrong.

I posted this is the T60 section but thought I'd ask you Z guys as well.

thank you!

devilsrejection · #2 Post by **devilsrejection** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:37 am

its just personal preferance

christopher_wolf · #3 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 2:02 am

Do you mind having a widescreen format? the Z61p also has more "media" features over the T60 but the T60 is part of the the flagship slimline business Thinkpads. Do you watch movies whilst on an airplane or waiting for one and are you doing alot of media work? Another factor is that more people have had and reported, on here anyway, about their T60ps than have Z61p users; that can give you a better feel for the most part.

After that, it comes down to, as devilsrejection says, personal preference.

maximus_ · #4 Post by **maximus_** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:44 am

Performance is very important to me so if they are close in performance I'd prefer the wide screen. I tend to write a lot of documentation so the extra screen space is nice. Since I'm at a different client site every week I don't have the luxury of a docking station. But what concerns be is the screen brightness and clarity. I notice in the spec that the T61P has Flexview w/ IPS and the Z61P does not.

I also find it odd that on Lenovos site you can configure a Z61P with memory, processor, HD options etc....

One other thing is anything differnt concerning the case construction and materials?

thanks in advance for your assistance!

snife · #5 Post by **snife** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 2:19 pm

Performance should be almost identical on a T60p and Z61p which are configured the same (amount of memory, cpu type etc).

Construction and materials are very similar as well, the only cause for concern would be a Z61p without a titanium cover as this would make the back cover much weaker than a T60p but due to the thickness the t60p does feel like the better machine (the 14" T60 at least)

IPS will affect viewing angle but not really clarity. AZ61p brightness is 175nit versus 150nit or 200nit (SXGA+ and UXGA models) so there is not much in it and I doubt it would be very noticable unless you had the two side by side

I use Microsoft Virtual Desktop Manager to work with multiple documents concurrently on a 4:3 display - may be worth investigating depending on what exactly you are doing.

maximus_ · #6 Post by **maximus_** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 3:20 pm

I thank you guys for your input, its hard to make a decision when you have not seen the model first hand. I have seen many T60P models but no Z61s... I was not even considering one until I saw the specs on the Z61P 4GB RAM and 1600x1200 or 1920x1200 are essential in my new laptop. Although I'm not going for 4GB right away due to the RAM prices.

I’ve read a few places that the T60P has a magnesium case… Is this true?

Looks like it will come down to the screen quality at this point.

Snife – I tend to work with a lot of large Visio documents and the extra space never hurts. I also like being able to have 2 pages side by side at once at a decent size… My A31P is 15” and running 1600x1200 but some docs that are landscaped are still a tight fit.

devilsrejection · #7 Post by **devilsrejection** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:23 am

sounds like you need a z then, get the z!

1920x1200 = god

maximus_ · #8 Post by **maximus_** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:20 am

At the moment that only thing I'm worried about is not having the Flexview screen.

seeplus · #9 Post by **seeplus** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 7:35 pm

I've been deciding between the same two systems.

I use a 17" widescreen now, so going back to a standard aspect ratio might be awkard, but I am tempted by the IPS..

Does anyone with a z61p know if the CPU is mounted in a PGA Socket-M interface (vs a BGA mount CPU)? (I'm asking with an eye towards Core 2 Duo compatibility..)

maximus_ · #10 Post by **maximus_** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 7:48 pm

I hear the Core 2 Duo is a direct drop in... I plan on ordering the T7600 as soon as I order my new T60/Z61P...

megalosaurus · #11 Post by **megalosaurus** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:38 am

The Z61P has two memory sockets, each of which is occupied by a 512 MB memory module. There is no option to upgrade at purchase time. If you want more than 1 GB, you're going to have to throw away some or all of your original memory. These machines are very finicky about what kind of memory they work with, so you'll most likely end up throwing away both modules if you upgrade.

If you want a 9-cell battery, you'll have to buy that in addition to the 6-cell battery that comes standard.

The T60P has a 3-year warranty. The Z61P has one-year.

Rumors of a forthcoming widescreen T-series are enticing. It would be great to have a WUXGA flex-screen. I just hope they really do offer a widescreen model, rather than a shortscreen. I would consider it worth waiting for, but given the current availability and my need for something quick for school, I'll probably go with the Z61P with an extended warranty.

maximus_ · #12 Post by **maximus_** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:50 am

I've pretty much decided to wait for the merom T60P or a possible T60P wide screen with the Merom....

tselling · #13 Post by **tselling** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:30 am

If anyone has access to both the Z61p and the T60p and a good digital camera would be great if they could post some side by side comparison shots (both 14" and 15" T60p with the Z61p would be even better). The firewire port and the card reader are attractive since for the T60p I use SIIG expresscard cardreader and the IBM Cardbus 1394 cards. Would be nice to have that capability built-in and not give up the 256mb videocard.

seeplus · #14 Post by **seeplus** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 11:09 pm

I've pretty much decided to wait for the merom T60P or a possible T60P wide screen with the Merom....

Have you learned something else about merom + z61p compatibility? I know some Dell people have been dropping in Meroms with no problem.. but haven't been able to find any information (other than what's here!) on z/t series & meron compatibility.

maximus_ · #15 Post by **maximus_** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 12:03 pm

I read somewhere on this forum that a BIOS upgrade was necessary for the thinkpads. I'm not sure and have not been able to find someone that has made the change.

briansmith · #16 Post by **briansmith** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 6:17 pm

* At least when I ordered my T60, customized T60's have a default 1-year US-only warranty, not a 3-year international warranty.

* Core 2 Duo is not a drop-in replacement for a Core Duo--it needs a BIOS upgrade. People have tried it already with T60's and it doesn't work right now.

* A 14.1" 16:9 is one inch wider than a 14.1" 4:3 screen. But, the 4:3 screen would be 1.5 inches taller than the 16:9 screen. I prefer a taller screen to a wider one, because making a web browser window taller is usually better than making it wider (wider text is harder to read).

JohnDrake · #17 Post by **JohnDrake** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:15 pm

On Oct 16th/17, the Merom T60's should be announced.

and...I think a widescreen T60 as well. Not sure about that, though

christopher_wolf · #18 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:17 am

JohnDrake wrote:On Oct 16th/17, the Merom T60's should be announced.

and...I think a widescreen T60 as well. Not sure about that, though

With Napa or Santa Rosa chipset? Napa, right?

#19 Post by **ZaZ** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:38 am

I thought Santa Rosa is not due until next Spring?

Manarius · #20 Post by **Manarius** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:49 am

Some of the z60m's come with a 300 nit screen...they're pretty darn bright. I would assume that some of the z61t's come with them as well.

devilsrejection · #21 Post by **devilsrejection** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:40 pm

FredGarvin wrote:I thought Santa Rosa is not due until next Spring?

correct

Z61P vs T60P

Z61P vs T60P

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