Any downsides to a Z61P?

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Zak · #1 Post by **Zak** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:41 pm

I'm considering buying a Z61P. I have lots of experience with older Thinkpads and I'm pretty sure I would be unsatisfied with anything other than a Thinkpad. I like the configuration and feature set of the Z-series, but I haven't seen one in person.

Are there any significant downsides (other than size/weight) to a Z61P vs a T60P or T43P?

The new computer will run Linux and be used mostly for programming and web development. I know the performance models are overkill, but I like the super high-res screens.

pianowizard · #2 Post by **pianowizard** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:57 pm

The super high resolution can be a downside. Super tiny text.

Zak · #3 Post by **Zak** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 3:52 pm

pianowizard wrote:The super high resolution can be a downside. Super tiny text.

I know. I'm looking for non-obvious things like build quality, durability, screen appearance (other than the obvious tiny pixels), nonstandard hardware components and anything else Lenovo isn't going to tell me.

pianowizard · #4 Post by **pianowizard** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:04 pm

Well, I mentioned it because it's not obvious to everyone. Many people don't have a good understanding of resolution and try to get the highest resolution possible, only to regret their purchases because the small text is too hard to read. I didn't know you weren't one of these people. Weight is another consideration that's obvious to experienced laptop users but not so obvoius for many others.

Have you seen this review? It may answer some of your questions.

hoopics · #5 Post by **hoopics** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:48 pm

A big downside is that if you order it you may never get one. I ordered mine November 7, and may or may not have it built for me on December 26. I'll beleive it when I see it, given the number of times that date has changed from the 8 to 10 business days I was originally promised. Although they claim it is a shell shortage that has kept it from me, my rep keeps talking mysteriously about "improvements" they are investigating to get it to me more quickly. I am not optimistic.

pianowizard · #6 Post by **pianowizard** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:01 pm

hoopics wrote:A big downside is that if you order it you may never get one. I ordered mine November 7, and may or may not have it built for me on December 26.

Gee, that's terrible. Considering the fact that new laptops depreciate about 40% per year during their first two years of use (and 20% annually in subsequent years), I really think Lenovo should give you a small rebate (calculated by an exponential decay equation) for each day past their promised ship date.

hoopics · #7 Post by **hoopics** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 5:23 pm

Don't feel too badly for me - I locked in the price when they were offering the free RAM / free DVD Burner / free upgraded wireless promotion, and I got a price that (at least for my configuration) the website hasn't improved on since. They've also offered me an additional discount if I stick with the order. But for that and I'd be in a Dell XPS now.

My out the door cost should be under $2000 for the Z61p standard build with the following optional configuration:

T7200 Core 2 Duo
1.5 GB RAM
Fingerprint reader
a/b/g/n ethernet card
100 MB 7200 RPM HD
3 year extended thinkpad protection
Ultrabay DVD-RW
Windows XP home
Microsoft Office Basic

Zak · #8 Post by **Zak** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 11:21 pm

pianowizard wrote:Well, I mentioned it because it's not obvious to everyone. Many people don't have a good understanding of resolution and try to get the highest resolution possible, only to regret their purchases because the small text is too hard to read. I didn't know you weren't one of these people. Weight is another consideration that's obvious to experienced laptop users but not so obvoius for many others.

All good points. I frequently find myself telling other people similar things about laptops.

I've already considered the implications of everything on the spec sheet. I didn't know they were having troble building them on time though. I need mine within two weeks of ordering, so delays could be a real problem.

jkozlow3 · #9 Post by **jkozlow3** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:43 pm

It will most certainly take more than 2 weeks based on my experience and everyone else's stories on this forum and over at notebookreview.com

And please, make sure you look at WUXGA on a 15.4" screen in person before ordering. Many will agree that WSXGA+ is the highest comfortable resolution on a 15.4" screen, and many even feel that is too small. I could not imagine WUXGA on anything less than a 17" screen and I have perfect vision.

Here's a good comparison chart of resolutions:
http://www.powernotebooks.com/articles/ ... news&id=21

mikeponm · #10 Post by **mikeponm** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:32 am

I have a Z61m with the black plastic lid and believe you'll have the same lid with the Z61p. If you press on the center of this lid from the back it will bend. The upside to this is that the lid is really thick (accounts for much the the Z's thickness in my opinion because the base is really thin) and seems to offer thickness as a buffer between pressure applied the outside and the internals of the display. Considering this, I put mine in a sleeve then into a messenger for my daily commute (along with books, an umbrella and other equipment). The fact that it flexes may bother you. When you apply pressure to center of the lid and 3 borders (front and two sides) the lid is pretty resistant When the notebook is closed and you apply pressure the the back border you can actually see the screen flex between the two hinges and make contact with the base. This is truly my only minor gripe about this machine. On the upside, you may save 0.5 lbs or so by getting the black lid.

Any downsides to a Z61P?

Any downsides to a Z61P?

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