15" T60 Build Quality

[CoolRunnings]

I recently was able to obtain a 15" T60 with a Flexview screen. These screens are AMAZING. I had to do a little work on the laptop due to cracked plastics and am working on both a T61 and my "new" T60 back to back. I am astonished at the build quality difference between the 15" T60 and the 14" T61! The fit and finish are simply better in the T60. In fact, after completely disassembling the laptop and reassembling it I didn't find a single squeak or sloppy fit anywhere. The T61 is another story and I'm disassembling it for the 3rd time to try to get some squeaks and rattles out of it. Just thought I'd share my experience.

[Binh]

I have an opposite opinion: in my view the build quality of T60 15" is not as good as 14" T61: flex in the right palm rest area, cracked structure frame near VGA port or/and under touchpad button are definitely drawbacks of T60 15" design.

[CoolRunnings]

Really? I've worked on a bunch of 14" models but not many 15" models. Many of the 14" models I've worked on always had a squeak after removing and replacing the palm rest but the 15s did not...

[Binh]

Really? I've worked on a bunch of 14" models but not many 15" models. Many of the 14" models I've worked on always had a squeak after removing and replacing the palm rest but the 15s did not...

Does your T60 suffer like in this video?

[dr_st]

The Flex in the right palmrest area is indeed something present on all 15" T60 models, to some extent. I've discussed it here. My conclusion is that there just isn't enough force holding the palmrest down at that particular point. Basically a fifth screw would be useful in that area (4 screws across the palmrest are enough for 14" but not for 15"), but since this flex is merely a minor cosmetic issue, the extra work was probably not worth the gain.

Also, many many complaints about the chassis crack near VGA port. Apparently also happens on 14" models, but way more on 15" or so they say. Mine is not cracked there, though. I wonder if some later Core 2 Duo models had somewhat improved structure frames (as I understand the 15.4" widescreens did).

[ajkula66]

My biggest gripe with the 15" T60/p units is the fact that the hinges seem very weak, and start wobbling reasonably early in the machine's life, at least in my experience.

Not a dealbreaker by any means but quite annoying nevertheless.

[dr_st]

Ah, good point! Indeed they start wobbling, however - they are still pretty strong, and they also don't get wobbly past a certain level most of the time (at least according to my experience with 2-3 machines). My current machine is almost 4 years old with hinges that wobble a bit when the screen is open, but they are still so tight, that it's difficult to open the screen one-handed sometimes.

[EvilH]

My T61 hinges are super stiff (cannot open it one handed) yet also super wobbly. Not exactly sure why this is or how to fix it. Thought it was just loose screws or broken mounting points (this is a problem I encounter frequently on Dell Inspiron 6000's and 9100's) but these seemed to be fastened securely. Any ideas? Is this just normal behavior for widescreens? My 4:3 T60's do not exhibit this problem.

[steveg1988]

When i get my T60 from newegg, i will see what "reconditioned" means on it. hopefully it does not mean that they just cleaned it up. i will report back on hinge quality though.

[lead_org]

the fit and finish of the system do vary, the widescreen T60 is similar to the T61 widescreen, while the standard screen T60 and T61 are similar.