Difference between R61, R61e and R61i

[asiafish]

Does anyone know if there is any difference between standard R61 and the "e" and "i" models? From what I've seen for sale online, "e" and "i" are both budget series and available only in 15.4" widescreen, and both lack the touchpad.

I currently have an R61 14" widescreen with 1.8GHz Core2Duofor my associate attorney, and just ordered an R61i with the 15.4" widescreen and 1.5GHz Core2Duo. Other than processor speed and screen size, the specs on both machines is about the same, with WXGA resolution and X3100 integrated graphics.

In use, the 1.8GHz R61 feels considerably slower than my 2.16GHz CoreDuo (not 2) T60p, though both machines are running Vista business, though of course the T60p has far better discreet graphics and a faster 7200 RPM hard drive. What I want to know is if the 300MHz slower R61i running XP Pro will match the speed and responsiveness of the regular faster R61 running Vista? Are the batteries interchangable?

Most importantly, can the R61i use the same port replicator as the T60p and regular R61?

Comments from anyone who actually owns an R61i would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[ZaZ]

Depending on the machine type, the R61i may have a trackpad and a port replicator. The R61e lacks those features.

Almost any computer is faster running XP in my experience. The faster drive on the T60 is a significant advantage. The hard drive is often the slowest part on a notebook in everyday tasks like Office and Internet where the CPU isn't taxed all that much, but if the system has to wait for data to be read off the drive, it can seem laggy. I don't know how much memory the R61, but if it's only got 1GB, that could be another issue with Vista.

While all the ThinkVantage tools are great, having them all run in the background can slow things down, especially if they are turning on with Windows. You might want to dump the one you're not using to see if that helps speed things up. I personally only use Easy Eject, Hard Drive Protection, Power Manager and UltraNav though your needs may be different. You can always re-install them later if needed.

The batteries on the 15" models are interchangeable as far as I know. The 14" widescreen models use different batteries, so you wouldn't be able to use those on the 15" or the 14" standard screened T60.

[asiafish]

Well the R61i that I ordered does not have a touchpad. Does that mean that it won't have a docking connector either?