looking to buy/adopt a z61...

[EngineersCake]

Howdy thinkpadders. I'm looking to replace my x41 tablet with a z61. I've read that the z61 was available with the wsxga display or the wuxga display. I know that higher resolution is better, but I also hear that the wuxga has sub par brightness and the wsxga doesn't have quite as awesome resolution.

So here are my questions:

Is it better to find a z61m with the wsxga and discreet ati grfx which are much easier to come by, or wait to find an z61p with the highly sought after wuxga and the more bad a** ati grfx?

Also if the z61m is the way to go, can I eventually replace the wsxga panel with the wuxga panel without replacing the graphics card?

Moreover, assuming I can swap out the sxga with the uxga, and I have to replace the graphics card, can buy any ati pci-e card or is the one used in the thinkpad proprietary?

Thanks for your help guys. I look foward to hearing back with help here like I got with my x41 tablet project.

[ajkula66]

First things first...graphic cards are NOT replaceable, you'd have to swap the entire mobo.

No need for that, though, since the existing planar will drive a WUXGA screen.

With that said, I'd stick with WSXGA+ since it's a much nicer LCD in my book.

[EngineersCake]

ajkula66, thanks for the info. I'm probably gonna start the search for a z61m with the WSXGA+ display then, unless a p falls in my lap.

Anybody know what else can be used in the mini pci slot that the evdo takes up?

What was the significance of the titanium lid? Was it a special edition or just a CTO option?

[ajkula66]

Not all of them have EVDO. That's a fairly rare option.

Titanium lid was not available on a regular basis, some people like it and some don't. Performance-wise, it has no significance.

While titanium lids look nice when they're new, they don't age too gracefully in most cases.

[EngineersCake]

In regards to the z61m, for somebody who has the tools and a decent understanding, how easy is it to upgrade from the Yanah line of processors to the Memrom line of processors? Is the socket the same?

I like the titanium lid, what makes the not age well? Just curious.

[ajkula66]

As with most items, how well something ages depends on who, how and where handles it...

The fastest CPU that these will take is T7600, which is still quite expensive. You may want to go with T7200 - that's what I've done in my FrankenPad. Quite similar ooomph for far less money.

YMMV.

[EngineersCake]

The fastest CPU that these will take is T7600, which is still quite expensive. You may want to go with T7200

Great. Thanks for the info.

I have the T7500 (2.2 ghz C2D) in my R61. What makes in incompatible with the Z61?

[ajkula66]

Different sockets. Please don't even attempt it...

[EngineersCake]

Is it possible to have discreet graphics in a z61t?

[EngineersCake]

I should have thought of this before... can I use the empty PCI-e slot in the z61t for a graphics card?

Like this one: http://www.amd.com/us/products/notebook ... specs.aspx

Call me out if I'm being ignorant.

[EngineersCake]

It appears here that the z61t can have the graphics upgraded via the mini PCI slot.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3118

It's a lengthy read but it mentioned that his Z61t has an NVidia mini PCI card...

3DMark05

Notebook 3DMark 05 Results

Lenovo ThinkPad Z61t (2.0GHz Core Duo, Intel Integrated graphics) 582 3D Marks

Lenovo ThinkPad Z61t (2.0GHz Core Duo, Geforce Nvidia 6600 256 MB PCI Express Card) 1,332 3D Marks

Lenovo ThinkPad Z60m (2.0GHz Pentium M, ATI X600 128MB) 1,659 3DMarks

ThinkPad T43 (1.86GHz, ATI X300 64MB graphics) 727 3DMarks

Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB) 2,092 3D Marks

Quanta KN1 (1.86 GHz Pentium M, NVIDIA GeForce Go 6600 128mb) 2,486 3DMarks

HP dv4000 (1.86GHz Pentium M, ATI X700 128MB) 2,536 3D Marks

Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 256MB) 4,157 3DMarks

[EngineersCake]

Different sockets. Please don't even attempt it...

Good in formation. Just looked at the Intel support site and trying to fit a 45mm processor in to a 65mm socket sounds like a BAD idea.

On that note for somebody with a bit of experience, how difficult is it to swap processors? Is it as simple as doing it on a desktop machine? Are there any special tools involved. (maybe a plastic spudger?)

Also are there any special steps in upgrading from the Core Duo (Yonah) to the Core 2 Duo (Memrom)? I figure if the socket is the same and the later faster processor was available in the same machine, there shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for the help.

[ZaZ]

A screwdriver and that's it, 10 minutes tops, just make sure you're running the latest BIOS. The T7200, which can be had for $100 or less on eBay, is a good choice. Though the T7x00 run a bit hotter. If you're not doing anything CPU intensive, the T5500 or T5600 might be the way to go.

[leftbrain99]

It appears here that the z61t can have the graphics upgraded via the mini PCI slot.

This is interesting. You would be sacrificing WiFi for improved graphics, correct?

[EngineersCake]

Well according to thinkwiki the z61 has both a mini PCI express slot in addition to a mini PCI slot. The wireless card uses the mini PCI-e slot. So my assumption is that the mini PCI slot that was used for the Verizon cellular data card option is vacant and can be used for a graphics card.

Either way, I would give up the internal wireless for better graphics. I can always get a wireless N PC card or even (God forbid) a USB dongle... assuming I had a display that made the investment in time and money worthwhile.