14.1" w/ T7700 128 MB nVidia or 15.4" w/ T7800 256

[uks4z]

I'm thinking about purchasing a new t61p. I currently have a 14.1" t41p, and I really like the form factor, but unfortunately, you can't max out a 14.1" as much as a 15.4". Questions:

1) I'm planning on running Vista, so would the extra VRAM help with rendering? I don't really play games, so the main interest I have would be improvements on a day-to-day basis.

2) Would there be a noticeable difference between the T7800 (2.4 GHz) and the T7700 processor (2.6 GHz)?

The T7800 is not available on the 14" but on the 15.4" it's available for the SAME PRICE as the T7700. I'm planning on purchasing pretty soon, so general advice as to which I should get (T7700 128 MB 14" or T7800 256 MB 15.4" for about the same price take ~$30) would be appreciated. Thanks.

Udayan

[Pascal_TTH]

What do you plan to do with your laptop ? For basic usage Quadro FX 570m 128 MB or 256 MB is the same. You want see any difference. It's about the same for the CPU. Extra power can be shown by benchmark but not during common use.

[uks4z]

I'm an engineering student, so mostly it'll be Mathcad, MATLAB, etc. Maybe occasional CAD work. I'm not actually going to be moving it around too much, but after I graduate, who knows. From what I hear, the 15.4" are beasts, size and weight wise. I'd like to have the extra memory and processor in the 14", but...

So would there be too many instances when the extra VRAM or processor would make a substantial difference? If not, I'll prob go with the 14". It just bugs me that right now the T7800 is the same price as the T7700. Seems like an error that won't last long.

Udayan

[erik]

either thinkpad you're considering will work just fine, even with a T7100 C2D.   install 3GB system memory and call it a day.   my 3-year-old T42p ran solidworks and autocad like a champ and it had 25% the performance of my current T61p.

[Pascal_TTH]

I agree. Load any T6x(p) with maximum RAM and the fastest hard drive and you can do any thing. After using an R61, 15,4" is really a too big size. It's a bit sad beacause 1680x1050 is nice to use.

My next laptop will be a T61p or T62p 14" SXGA+ (the best size/resolution). I'am gonna wait 2008 to have new Core 2 Duo 45 nm.

[rhema83]

I use a T42 (specs in my signature). It runs Mathcad and MATLAB under both XP and Vista with no problem. Maybe a little slower than the workstations in my lab (those are beasts), but definitely very acceptable performance.

I say you stick with the 14.1" SXGA+ with the FX570M 128MB. You'll appreciate mobility once you start having to bring the laptop around. Max out the RAM and the HDD (get a 7K200). You should get good performance for years.

[uks4z]

Thanks everyone for your responses. The T7800 appearing for the 15.4" was apparently a mistake and it isn't really available, so there's even less incentive to get the 15.4". Which means I'll be ordering the 14.1" t61p. My t41p was awesome, and I'm pretty sure the t61p will be even awesomer.

[Pascal_TTH]

Thanks everyone for your responses. The T7800 appearing for the 15.4" was apparently a mistake and it isn't really available, so there's even less incentive to get the 15.4". Which means I'll be ordering the 14.1" t61p. My t41p was awesome, and I'm pretty sure the t61p will be even awesomer.

Nice choice. Take care about battery life, it seems to be far shorter with T61p then T4x.

[seattleike]

I am curious about others usage. I use the extended battery on a day to day basis with my T60p and whenever I travel I carry around an extra basic battery in my briefcase in case I watch a movie on a flight.

[Pascal_TTH]

My T60p run more then 5 hours with the 9 cells battery (85 Wh). Power consumption is about 13~14 watts. Now, I use the T61 witch needs about 15~16 watts for the same usage (with same screen brightness). With the 37 Wh battery, it can run about 2 hours.