Thinkpad z61m Quality?

[dejola]

I ordered a new Thinkpad z61m type 9450-35U with Titanium cover. Bought it through IBM Employee Purchase Plan promotion and paid $999999999. I'm hoping that this machine lives up to the high standards that Thinkpads have been known for over the years.

But I'm wondering to what extent quality and performance of Thinkpads may have suffered (if any) since the sale of the division to Lenovo. For example, I ran across one post on another forum from a guy who said to avoid anything from Lenovo, because its cheap made in China junk. This fellow was replying to my inquiry about which is a better notebook, the Toshiba Satellite P105 or the Thinkpad z61m, so I guess he believes that the z61m is made in China and that's not good.

I recall that in the past some Thinkpads were made in Mexico. I believe it was the "R" series, and lots of people found fault with them.

Is the Thinkpad z61m made in China and is that bad? Or is it the specs that matter and not the country where the Thinkpad was made?

Thanks.

Note from Moderator: Price discussions of programs such as EPP or student discounts are expressly forbidden in the Rules of the Road. Read them, and adhere to them.

[captmiddy]

I have had a T20, T40, T41P (my wife's really) and this Z61M and to me the quality of build seems very much the same. I have had no problems with my Z61M in the last month and it hasn't been off for more than about 12 hours during that time. I really like this laptop. This is actually my first personal laptop, all the others I have had are company machines. The only thing I can't get to work is the multimedia slot in Linux but that was sort of known to be an issue. The production of Thinkpads is still being done by the same assembly plants and the fact is that they were always partially produced in China. I have heard mixed things about the Lenovo branded laptops, but the Thinkpads still seem to be the rugged well built machines that they have been for several years.

[dejola]

That's good news, Captmiddy. I thank you for getting back to me on this. I expect to get the first z61m of two I ordered (one for my boss's wife and the other for a friend) any day now. Then I'll be able to see for myself. Your words are encouraging.

Thanks again.

[archer6]

I'm wondering to what extent quality and performance of Thinkpads may have suffered

I have been using ThinkPads since they were first introduced. I must admit that when I heard Lenovo was taking over I was concerned.

Now after more than six months of extensive testing and usage of 3 new 60 series models, the T, Z & X I am happy to report than they are every bit as good as before. Not only that, there are some very nice improvements to the 60 series lineup.

[P-Meyer]

Having used for the past 4 years the "rolls royce" of the IBM laptops, the A31p, I can say that the Z61M definitely has a different feel over it.

The finish is not the same standard as the old machines: there is some space between the bottom of the DVD multiburner and the bottom of the laptop which is not ergonimically pretty.

I am not particularly charmed by the speakers sitting on the top next to the keyboard - dirt seems to get attracted to sitting in the small perforations.

Discovered the Wireless switch on the front and don't like the feel of it, do not expect I'll be using it a lot though so am not overly concerned. Still built feel could be improved upon.

What does bug me is the screen quality. Seems that indeed (like another poster mentioned) that the screens are not up to what they used to be. The old IPS screens were a delight to use but they did wear out with heavy (and I mean HEAVY) use. As long as the life expectancy is better than the A31 screens then I won't complain too much....

The screen having only one lock to hold it close will take some getting use to... it is not as smooth as the two locks used on my A31p's.

Further it has some nice innovations and seem to be well built.

These are only first impressions but as they say: the rpoof will be in the pudding and the final judgement will be to see how it will perform under heavy load...

Peter

[Zen]

I'm very pleased with my Z60m. Despite the glitches that i'm having with the indicated processor speed. It is important to update everything to avoid any problems.

Overall i would say the screen is a huge improvement over my 5yr old A22m. The whites are really white compared to the dull yellowish tinge i see on the A22.

My machine had not been fully tested yet as i still havent had time to fully set it up just the way i like, but i feel confident that it will last some time like my older machine!

[P-Meyer]

Having used the Z61m for just 5 days I must say that the machine is starting to "grow" on me - am liking it more than when I got it initially. Got it finally configured but it was some struggle: my old partitioning tools do not work with the SATA drive.

Upgraded the memory to 1 Gb, runs smoother with it.

Screen has some "glittering" to it, unlike the old A31's and in certain ways I regret not getting the R60 with an IPS screen. but the formfactor of the widescreen suits my work better - sometimes you just cannot win.

Some other tools ain't working with the dual processor and I have some graphics issues with the widescreen - basically some compatibility of old software with the widescreen (not around in the days when that was cerated)

Overall I think I have got a nice machine and am quite happy with it. I have two machines, one for backup in case some mishap happens to one and I need to get back up and running quickly. But when it comes to replacing the other machine then I will definitely get a machine with an IPS screen (if they are still around).

Peter