Buying a new Thinkpad T61

[jazzys2]

So my boss has given me the green light to get a new laptop, here are the specs:

ThinkPad T61 with nVIDIA Graphics - 1 Year Depot Warranty


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T8300 (2.4GHz 800MHz 3MBL2)1
Genuine Windows Vista Business downgrade to Windows XP Pro
14.1 WXGA TFT, w/ Camera
nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
3 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim5
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)10
No Bluetooth
9 cell Li-Ion Battery60

Intel® Turbo Memory hard drive cache Intel Turbo Memory 1GB
System expansion slots PC Card Slot & Media Card Slot
Power cord Country Pack North America with Line cord & 90W AC adapter
3 Year On Site Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection



So that's what I have picked so far, there having a sale till tomorrow and then i found an additional 10% coupon.

I'm back and forth on the integrated video card or nVidia On board video card. What is any one's thoughts.

I dont need to be on battery all the time, I'm an IT manager at 3 stores and can always have power available. I also work from home alot.

Im also trying to figure out the difference between the express slot and the media slot. Anyone have insight? is the media slot like the 7 in 1 slots or what can anyone tell me about them?

Oh and Im deciding between this thinkpad and the Dell Latitude d630. But im leaning towards the thinkpad.

I would love to here anyones thoughts or advice.

Thanks in Advance

[agarza]

Hi and welcome here to thinkpads.com SC

The media slot you could plug a variety of memory cards, the Express Slot is the succesor of the old PCMCIA/Cardbus adapters. It just comes down to what uses your laptop will serve you.

In the graphics department, having an integrated graphics chip lead to more battery life and a more cool machine.

I'm debating on whether get a T61 with the X3100 or a T61p which supposedly runs cooler.

Definitely you made the right choice to order a Thinkpad. I just compared a new T61 against my T42p and the former definitely feels much more sturdier.

[jazzys2]

so what are the advantages and dis-advantages of the nVidia card?

I dont need it for gaming, but I will be using Adobe photoshop and some web design. Would it be good for that?

[flypenfly]

It'll be fine for that.

[qviri]

If you're only going to be using 2D (which is what Photoshop is), there is virtually no performance difference between integrated and dedicated graphics cards. Where the difference starts showing is 3D stuff like games, rendering, CAD, and some desktop effects.

The dedicated cards almost always give you less battery life than the integrated ones. They also typically put out more heat, so depending on the cooling the notebook may be hotter.

[Wiz]

I bought a T61p recently and found the heat/noise to be no problem like my previous two Thinkpads (T60 and T43p). The T43p i found to be useless without nhc/fancontrol utiliy because of the noise/heat. The T60 is better, but still to noisy. So i don't think the heat/noise really is a big problem with the T61p, but i guess the battery last longer with the X3100. So based on my experience i would not choose the X3100 even if the battery last longer.....i would rather buy a 9 cell battery and choose the nVIDIA.

[jazzys2]

so whats the difference between the t61 and the t61p??

[briangig]

i went with the integrated graphics over the dedicated because of reduced battery life and less so for the heat. i didnt want a 6 or 9 cell, so I figured i needed all the help i can get. I don't game. So far nothing I have had to do was hampered by the integrated graphics.

[agarza]

so whats the difference between the t61 and the t61p??

Basically the GPU. T61p have the option to order them with UXGA screen (1920 x 1200 pixels) while T61 only with WXGA, WXGA+ or WSXGA+.

It's supposed that both heatsink designs on the T61 & T61p are the same, but everyone owning a T61p claims is a very quiet and cool laptop. I guess it only comes down to the screen size (14.1 vs 15.4)

I'm also looking to buy a new T61, 4x3 form factor, not those fancy widescreen displays. I'm not a hardcore gamer, this will be a personal laptop. On my work, I need to use CAD but it just doesn't justify buying a 1,500+ laptop just to get the Quadro FX570M if my employer could just buy me a new Thinkpad like the new W500.

In the graphics department I'd say the GMA X3100 performs very decently with some not so older games.
I was surprised to found out the X3100 can handle San Andreas at 1024x768 resolution. There's even a thread on NotebookReview forums discussing the games supported for the X3100.
In my T42p playing San Andreas or Most Wanted on battery and it would completely be drained so dramatically.

If you will not be gaming hardcore, not playing some of the newest titles that comes up, for example GTA VI which has been recently announced I think the X3100 is a good choice.

Here are the 3D Mark 05 values of the various GPU's available on T61 series:
X3100 - about 1000 points
Quadro NVS 140m - 3200 points
Quadro FX 570M - 7700 points

The 570M is a hell of a GPU, I would buy one T61p just if I had the budget, but for daily use the X3100 is a bang for the buck.

Gaming Performance

The following benchmark values are average Frame rates that were achieved with strong CPUs and enough main memory. Some games may not be playable with low end specifications and a X3100 graphics card (like only 512 MB RAM or a slow Celeron M CPU).

F.E.A.R.: 640x480, min/min: 40 fps -> fully playable
Doom 3: 640x480, min: 8 fps -> not playable
Unreal Tournament 2003: 1024x768, high: 40 fps -> playable
Quake 3 Arena: 1024 x 768, high: 80 fps -> fully playable
Battlefield 2: 800x600, Low Quality: 28 fps -> playable
Company of Heroes: 800x600, Low Quality: 35 fps -> playable
Far Cry: 800x600, Low Quality; 30 fps -> playable
Half Life 2, Episode 1: 800x600, Low Quality: 35 fps -> playable
Half Life 2, Lost Coast: 800x600, Low Quality: 18 fps -> not playable
Supreme Commander: 1024x768: 10 fps -> not playable
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: 800x600: 30 fps -> playable

-- Taken from NBR Forums:

To follow up on John's previous response concerning the Thinkpad: This is what IBM's official numbers say for the T61 with X3100 v. Quadro NVS 140M (which is a rebranded 8400M GS):

-------X3100-------NVIDIA
4cell: 3.6h...........2.5h
6cell: 5.7h...........3.8h
hi-cap: 7.2h.........5.3h
9cell: 8.6h...........6.0h
9hicap: 10.1h.......8.0h

hi-cap= 6cell + additional li-poly battery
9hicap = 9cell + additional hi-poly battery

Now, you obviously have to take the actual numbers with a big grain of salt, and also realize that different systems have different components (LCD screen, default power profiles, mostly) that affect battery life as well.

But apples-to-apples, it sounds like the discrete graphics is gonna cost you about almost 1/3 of your battery life (a 6-cell effectively becomes a 4-cell, a 9-cell effectively becomes a 6-cell).

Hope this helps.

[jazzys2]

So it sounds like the nVidia is really just needed for gaming or applications like CAD which I dont plan on doing either.

which means i can probably get away with the integrated card. I just dont want to regret not getting it. however, the longer battery life does sound nice.

[flypenfly]

One thing to keep in mind though, and the reason I ordered a 140M is that it's the minimum GPU needed to power a 30" LCD monitor through the advanced Mini dock.