Looking for my next Thinkpad adventure "Flexview"

[brucehe]

Hello all,

To continue my Thinkpad education and play I was considering looking for a Flexview screen based on the positive stories on the Forum about this display. I would also enjoy a bit more graphic processing than my T60 X1300 so was considering a T60p.

I saw this deal on Ebay and was considering making an offer.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-IBM-Thin ... 336ce7528a

It does not have a battery and charger but I have that so it would only need a hard drive and caddy. If I liked the unit I might consider other upgrades. Any thoughts?

Thanks you all for your expertise and consideration.

Bruce

[j.harris]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/15-IBM-Lenovo-T ... 27bef3e2b7

I would get this one. It comes with 250gig hdd, battery, and charger. More than worth the 40 extra dollars over the one you posted, even if you do have a battery and charger you can't beat having spares!

[brucehe]

This unit does not specify Flexview or IPS. Did all T60P's 15" have IPS screens?

Bruce

[ZaZ]

All 4:3 models did, but the 16:10 models did not have IPS screens.

[brucehe]

Pouring through a list of Thinkpad's I found on the forum it looks like all 15" SXGA+ and UXGA had the Flexview screen. Is that correct?

Bruce

[ajkula66]

Yes, you are correct.

All 4:3 15" models - apart from the XGA ones - had FlexView screens on both T60 and T60p models.

[tenpointnine]

Going from the above posts, I have just (2 hours ago) bought a T60 with 15" 1400 x 1050 screen. I hope I am right in thinking this is a Flexview / IPS?

Walter

[j.harris]

Yes, if you look at the first thread in the T6x forum, it talks all about displays for the T60/p T61/p . So as long as it is 15" 4:3 and not xga then it is an IPS display. But don't fret if you have a xga monitor, you can always get a QXGA 2048x1536 IPS monitor .

[Prodeje79]

Sorry I missed your thread! I wishI could have shared my knowledge.
I have one of these on the way from laptopcomponents on ebay. Another guy on here just got the exact same one from the same seller. We both got the 160gb 7200RPM model
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LENOVO-IBM-T60p ... 1c1e95bf7d
He has various T60p listings with different size HDs basically.
He has buy it now for $335 + $9 shipping for the 160GB.
100GB for 299 + 9

I got my 2007-YS3 T60p 160GB for $232 from this seller's *secret* auction listings.
It will be the exact same one in the listing. I am bummed the one that ended right after mine went $15 cheaper that I paid!
I like the idea of having the 9 month warranty too.
Since I am gonna get this hot GPU, figured I'd get the 512mb one.
Note that he includes 9cell battery and DL DVDRW too.

[ajkula66]

Prodeje79 wrote:

Since I am gonna get this hot GPU, figured I'd get the 512mb one.

I hate to disappoint you, but V5250 actually has 256MB VRAM. The other 256MB that people add to boost their listing (and what gets "seen" in Windows) is "borrowed" from the main RAM...

I like the idea of having the 9 month warranty too.

Getting a 9-month warranty from an eBay seller that is here today and may very well be gone tomorrow is not something I'd ever consider to have any value, but YMMV...

Regardless of all of the above, you got yourself an excellent deal.

[Prodeje79]

I hate to disappoint you, but V5250 actually has 256MB VRAM. The other 256MB that people add to boost their listing (and what gets "seen" in Windows) is "borrowed" from the main RAM...

ahhh bummer!
Can I disable it to maximize my main ram instead???

This thing can only take 2x2GB right?
Although 32bit windows only sees 3gb right?

[Prodeje79]

Hey OP!

Check into going N as noted here and that akula66 is advising:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=96855
the 42T0825 is the Lenovo/Atheros abgn adapter that works perfectly in any T60 T61
ebay has it for under $15 shipped from Atlanta, Georgia!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0862766975
seller is atlantatech
I got 1 on the way!

[ajkula66]

You can install 4GB and the BIOS will show all of it, but the chipset limitation is 3GB of usable RAM regardless of OS used.

Sharing of memory can't be disabled.

With 3GB installed, you're unlikely to feel the "loss" of 256MB that the GPU borrows...even at 2GB I can't sense anything...YMMV...

[brucehe]

Hello all,

Wow, I have now spent a several hours reading many of the postings regarding IPS and my options. I am sorry i originally missed the sticky that answered my first question regarding IPS and model types.

So.., what is a "secret" eBay auction. I only saw "Buy it Now" options on "laptopcomponents" store. Please let us know about the T60p you purchased and the "secret" auction.

I was also intrigued about the possibility of a T6x Frankenpad project. Sounds like purchasing aT61 Motherboard and installing into the T60p would work but you still need a few parts from the T61. A T61 parts machine with a good MB and bad display might work? Or as someone mentioned purchase a good T61 and build two machines. I assume the MB for a T61 is independent of display size. Thanks for all of the information.

This Ebayer is dumping quite a few T60p's, if the quality is decent, a gamble as I have found (I have purchased Ebay and Forum machines and their is certainly less risk on the Forum) I will consider.

Thanks,

Bruce

[Thinkpad Lover]

Hi again Bruce. Hope all is well.

Some very interesting comments from everyone. I wonder if I might share a few thoughts...

Sounds like some very good deals are "lurking" on Ebay. Just be cautious and prayerful, as what you get is not always as described or pictured in the beautiful *stock* photos. I personally never buy a laptop from stock photos unless there is a clear and specific description of the particular item I will be receiving, and the price is half what I might pay elsewhere and warrants the risk. I hope you do find a great deal, just be very careful. This advice comes from someone who has purchased hundreds of items off of Ebay over the past several years, including dozens and dozens of laptops. Not to belabor the point, but many Ebay sellers are experts at crafting a listing and skillfully wording their item descriptions. Exaggerations are common, such as the 512mb video memory claim mentioned above.

You may want to read through 2 or 3 pages of recent feedback for one of the sellers mentioned here, especially focusing on the Lenovo laptops recently sold. Even in some of their positive feedbacks there are allusions to dead batteries, items being very beat up and not as expected, slow return process, frustrating or impossible to deal with, etc. Remember that even some of the Positive Feedback comes from a Feedback Revision request from what amounts to a "bribe" of replacing the laptop or sending another battery, however long that takes, after someone threatened negative Feedback, and felt the only remedy was to open a Paypal claim or Chargeback with their credit card company. This stuff happens on Ebay constantly.

I don't want to get into a long discussion about any particular seller on Ebay, as there are many honest and reputable ones who run a clean business and try their best to resolve issues which will necessarily arise when selling corporate surplus items at rock-bottom prices. And it is also worth pointing out that despite the best precautions, test methods, refurbishing techniques, checks and balances in place we must always remember that electronics can have a mind of their own. They can malfunction. So I personally never leave negative feedback for an Ebay seller once they work with me, communicate honestly and try to resolve my issue within a reasonable time frame. It's the scammers who leave town and never respond to emails, or the big arrogant ones who send a DOA (Dead on Arrival) unit which was advertised as working, yet plain refuse to refund my money that I leave negative feedback for.

There are many opportunities for trouble and a good chance of a major hassle mixed in with the possibility of getting a good deal. Sounds like Russian roulette to me Well, let me not be quite so dramatic. Let's just say it's always a bit of a gamble shopping on Fleabay (or Fleecebay, whichever you prefer)...

Now, if you would like to support a nice little youth pastor doing some (less than glamarous, exhausting, fatiguing, but rewarding) work (which no one else wants to do) among some children here in New York City (whom no one else wants to care for), here's an opportunity:

I have one of the rare T60P UXGA (1600x1200) Flexviews for sale here: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=99809 These are more expensive and hard to find. But I also have a T60p Core Duo T2600 2.16GHz with a beautiful 15" SXGA+ (1400x1050) Flexview screen arriving soon. In overall excellent condition. I could put a 100GB or 320GB hard drive, 2 or 3 GB memory, with or without battery or charger- if you have those items already, it will cost less. CDRW/DVD or a DVD Burner for a few bucks more. I can offer it to you at a very competitive price compared to some of those Ebay listings mentioned in this thread. But as I said, I am not trying to compete directly with Ebay. If you want to take a walk on the wild side, go ahead. Try your luck on Ebay. Mark my words. You might get burned as often as you luck out. The laptop I have to offer can be custom designed to meet your needs- with a MINT keyboard, and whatever else you like. 6-cell or 9-cell battery will be fully tested (as you know I have sold many, many batteries on the Forum here: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=99121 with excellent Feedback always: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... start=2250 ). What you see is what you will get. Send me an email for more details.

So if anyone out there wants to work with me over the next week or so I can get you a nice Flexview T60P at a nice price, and you would be giving a cup of cold water to "one of these little ones." You will not lose your reward (Matthew 10:42, 25:34-40).

P.S. If this post sounds self-serving, think again. I take whatever money I have and open up free/low-cost schools for children in the inner city. I hardly keep anything for myself. So that's called serving the least and poorest members of society. I love these kids, and I will keep fighting for them. One day I will get married and have children of my own. Until then, they are as my own. They are my own. I believe there is a Wonderful Man, a Prince named Jesus who says, "Let the little children come to Me, do not forbid them."

Daniel,
the little YP/teacher in NYC.
"We had pizza in the Lion's Den "

[tenpointnine]

J.Harris

Sorry, I should have made it clear, I meant having read the earlier posts on this thread and the originating post by Kyocera in the other thread.
I really just wanted reassurance that having read these I had reached the right conclusion, ie that a 15" 1400 x 1050 screen on a T60 was the Flexview 'holy grail'.

Thanks for confirming that.

Regarding ebay, I took a chance last year when I bought my current T60 from a company called Viper-IT (here in the UK), based on their excellent feed back. Their service has been great, so when I wanted a T60 for my granddaughter, I went back to them and got one which is virtually mint condition, at a good price.

When I saw they were selling this 15" Flexview, I was able to speak to them again and confirm condition etc, and it is now on its way to me. I will update this thread when it arrives.

Walter

[ajkula66]

brucehe wrote:

I assume the MB for a T61 is independent of display size. Thanks for all of the information.

No. You need a board from a 14" (4:3 classic aspect ratio, not widescreen) machine. Nothing else will work.

Thinkpad Lover wrote:

P.S. If this post sounds self-serving, think again.

No matter how much I think about it, it reads that way to me...you seem to be pushing your item in someone else's thread outside of Marketplace, and that's not something we do around here...you won't see other sellers utilize that approach. Sending an OP a PM would have been a whole different story...

[seiyafan]

Is it possible to get a T61 or T61p then swap the screen for Flexview?

Also does T61/61p have more "major issues" than the 60 besides the nvidia defect?

[Thinkpad Lover]

No matter how much I think about it, it reads that way to me...you seem to be pushing your item in someone else's thread outside of Marketplace, and that's not something we do around here...you won't see other sellers utilize that approach. Sending an OP a PM would have been a whole different story...

Actually you're quite mistaken. First of all, the OP (Bruce) has bought many items from me and we have communicated quite freely outside of the Forum. So you lack some information there. Secondly, there are many threads on the Forum where a discussion arises about a particular item and someone mentions some Ebay listings or other places where they saw a great deal. And someone else mentions that they have one for sale- why take a chance on Ebay. This is done outside of the marketplace, as you call it, by many respected and long-time members of the Forum. Nothing wrong with that at all. In any case, the original post in this particular thread we're posting in is all about "where can I get a great deal on a T60 Flexview, here's one I found, what do you guys think?" So I will offer my opinion as a Forum member.

I used the term self-serving to make it clear that I'm not criticizing the Ebay listings to make my item look better. I don't have to, as my Feedback on the Forum speaks for itself. I would give the same advice to a family member or neighbor who asked me about whether it's safe to shop on Ebay or not. The answer is "no" unless you take certain precautions and weigh your risks carefully. I have posted some comments about shopping on Ebay in quite a few other listings where I didn't have that particular item for sale, just to offer my honest experience as having bought many items from Ebay myself. So if I choose to mention I have an item for sale at a competitive price, and say, hey you can consider my character and reputation versus taking a chance on Ebay, and support a charitable work we are doing here in NYC to benefit some poor children, and post it in my friend's thread, then for you to post an uninformed analysis of my motives is unfortunate.

Daniel.

[jdom58]

Hey just chiming in here to say that I was the guy Prodeje was referring to that bought the T60p from the ebay seller he mentioned. Although I would agree you have to be careful on ebay, I would definitely feel very comfortable buying another one from them if I needed to. They have the company phone listed and are willing to anwser any questions you have. The laptop I received was in a 9/10 cosmetically and functioning perfectly, so no compalints here. In speaking with them several times I'm sure my 9 month warranty will expire long before they close up shop.

[Thinkpad Lover]

Hey just chiming in here to say that I was the guy Prodeje was referring to that bought the T60p from the ebay seller he mentioned. Although I would agree you have to be careful on ebay, I would definitely feel very comfortable buying another one from them if I needed to. They have the company phone listed and are willing to anwser any questions you have. The laptop I received was in a 9/10 cosmetically and functioning perfectly, so no compalints here. In speaking with them several times I'm sure my 9 month warranty will expire long before they close up shop.

That particular seller has been on Ebay since 2002 and their overall Feedback is very good. So I agree with you that it's ridiculous to think they will close up shop and leave town. If they receive and return phone calls promptly that's definitely another good sign. Once I've had a Positive dealing and positive vibes with an Ebay seller I bookmark them in my saved sellers list for future reference. In my case I do a lot of purchasing from Ebay and other sources, so I am a very shrewd and careful buyer by now.

The general precautions I mentioned in my previous post apply to those buyers who only make a major purchase (let's say a $300 to $700 laptop) once or twice a year. They may not be aware of the runaround some Ebay sellers can give you if there does happen to be a problem with their purchase. They may not realize they should document everything immediately if a package arrives with damaged or missing components, a laptop refuses to boot up and is DOA, and how to read Ebay "as is" listings carefully and recognize the legal ramifications of such terms. They may not be aggressive in promptly filing a claim with Paypal and allow the 45 day limit, (which is what Paypal currently offers, I believe), slip through their fingers. They may not realize how some companies can play games with Tracking Numbers and slow shipping times, which all counts towards their time limit for filing a claim. So my comments are meant to be helpful to other Forum members since I have been through all of the Ebay processes as a buyer. By the way, I find that my bank (especially since I use my business credit card and am a well-respected client) gets much faster results than going through Paypal. They don't play around, and of course a Paypal claim is still opened on my behalf against that particular seller once I open a chargeback with my bank.

So just some wisdom I'm sharing here, especially since there are so many sellers on Ebay, and new ones which pop up every day. And when a person does a search on Ebay and notices the item for sale that they just happen to be looking for with "5 minutes to the end of the listing" and 30 bids- yet the price is still so low- they can't believe it- they have to get in on this- and so, without proper caution and checking Feedback or talking to other Forum members as we are doing here, they take a gamble- and lose. That's my main concern, the pressure, excitement and opportunity for fraud fostered by the greedy company called Ebay, which is just out to make a buck on the back of newcomers to their website.

One final point. Just as you had an all-around positive experience with this particular company on Ebay, the next person may get a dead battery, a beat-up laptop which does not match their expectations or worse yet, a dead on arrival laptop. That does happen, especially, as I pointed out before, when you have an honest seller clearing out massive quantities of recently off-lease corporate surplus equipment at rock-bottom prices, limited manpower and limited ability to double-check every part of an order as carefully as they may wish. A person must be prepared, when purchasing items under such circumstances, that they may be the one out of ten that experiences a problem with their order. What proves you are truly dealing with an honest seller is how respectfully they answer your email or phone call, and if they work with you to fairly resolve your issues within a reasonable time frame.

That's why I avoid *rude* Ebay sellers and Forum sellers and buyers alike. Rudeness is a warning sign. They can have the greatest level of knowledge concerning Flexview panels, all makes and models of Thinkpads, and how to diagnose every beep code known to mankind. If they don't show civility, courtesy, decency, morality and something called good old-fashioned MANNERS in their communication here on the Forum, I couldn't care less for their advice and wouldn't trust buying from or selling to them from here to infinity plus one. Manners, morality, decency,civility, sincerity and honesty is not something which can be taught at university, or an IBM/Lenovo training seminar. It is an issue of the heart. And there's One I know Who does heart transplants. I pity such people. I pray for such people. They need the Love of God.

Daniel.

[jdom58]

Daniel, that was an awesome write up!!

For quite a few years Iv'e been mostly purchasing but have also sold a couple of things on ebay and it sure is not what it used to be when I first registered. I too have learned my lessons and dissect every part of a listing before even thinking about offering a bid.

Thanks for sharing

[Harryc]

That's why I avoid *rude* Ebay sellers and Forum sellers and buyers alike. Rudeness is a warning sign. They can have the greatest level of knowledge concerning Flexview panels, all makes and models of Thinkpads, and how to diagnose every beep code known to mankind. If they don't show civility, courtesy, decency, morality and something called good old-fashioned MANNERS in their communication here on the Forum, I couldn't care less for their advice and wouldn't trust buying from or selling to them from here to infinity plus one. Manners, morality, decency,civility, sincerity and honesty is not something which can be taught at university, or an IBM/Lenovo training seminar. It is an issue of the heart. And there's One I know Who does heart transplants. I pity such people. I pray for such people. They need the Love of God.

Daniel.

Daniel, I honestly hope that you are not referring to any particular members of this forum with the above comment/s. I have not seen any such 'rude' behavior. If there was any such behavior on this forum I trust in the Admin and Moderator staff to manage it appropriately. I'm not sure I like the direction or tone this thread is taking, so please tread lightly going forward. Thanks

[Thinkpad Lover]

I am speaking about general principles which I think we can all agree on. I think I have expressed myself pretty clearly with that last post. I don't have much more to say on this issue anyway. Mutual respect among Forum members is obviously my point. If you notice the course and contour of my last comment I am giving sound advice about being careful with Ebay sellers. And my point is that any rude replies encountered when dealing with an Ebay seller should be a warning sign. And of course this applies to doing business on the Forum also. These are general life principles. Respect and proper manners must prevail. For me, knowledge of laptops without proper manners doesn't impress me. Decency, sincerity and civility are far more important ideals to pursue.

I am personally pleased with how the Administrators and Moderators seem to manage this Forum. A big thank you to all of them, as they obviously put in long hours reading, researching and trying to help new visitors, as I once was. I have noticed some comments and insulting or offensive language in some threads from years back when I research the Forum but haven't noticed anything too bad recently. I am a Christian and easily offended by curse words and such things. Others may have that as part of their normal vocabulary. So I may notice things others don't. People obviously have different views and philosophies of life. My beliefs and comments spring forth from a Biblical perspective and world view. And in a country founded upon religious freedom I hope my views may be considered and respected.

Daniel.

[Thinkpad Lover]

Daniel, that was an awesome write up!!

For quite a few years Iv'e been mostly purchasing but have also sold a couple of things on ebay and it sure is not what it used to be when I first registered. I too have learned my lessons and dissect every part of a listing before even thinking about offering a bid.

Thanks for sharing

You're very welcome Hope my experiences may keep others from problems on Ebay. I am a young man but I learn quickly and try to help others.

Daniel.

[ajkula66]

ThinkpadLover wrote:

They don't play around, and of course a Paypal claim is still opened on my behalf against that particular seller once I open a chargeback with my bank.

The above statement is incorrect.

PayPal *will* terminate the claim once they're notified of a pending chargeback. No ifs, ands or buts there. One can NOT have both processes running at the same time, for rather obvious reasons.

If one prefers to start the initial dispute through PayPal for whatever reason, and the issue does not get resolved to their satisfaction, then they can submit a chargeback to the credit card company and get their money back n 99.5% of the cases. All of this only holds water in cases where the actual PayPal payment was withdrawn from the credit card, and not one's bank account.

[Thinkpad Lover]

I guess what I should say is that the seller is notified by Paypal of a chargeback case. It's been a while since I made a claim through Paypal directly. I always go through my bank nowadays. That's also the reason I always pay with a credit card when using Paypal, to receive buyer protection from my bank, which I trust will protect my rights better than Paypal or Ebay. I had to open a case against a seller on Ebay last month. I have bought many things from them before. I made over $200 worth of payment for various laptop parts and 2 weeks later, they still had not shipped. I had received no communication from them whatsoever. After calling them they promised me a refund, without giving an explanation, and offered no apology. So I patiently waited several more days to see if anything was initiated at my bank. I called again to make sure hadn't forgotten or weren't playing games. I couldn't reach them by phone this time. So as a last resort I realized I better make a charge-back claim with my bank to protect my rights. After 2 phone calls and a few short questions my bank made a decision in my favor. I received the funds in full back into my account the next business day. I don't know that I will always get such fast results or that another bank will treat me the same, or what others usually experience with their banks in such cases. But I'm relieved because I needed those funds to purchase something else. For me, $200 is a lot of money.

The funny thing is that I still do business with this company, at least with one of their other Ebay divisions since I don't think they are crooks. I believe they were doing some restructuring and I noticed a lot of negative feedback coming their way for a couple weeks concerning slow shipping or no shipping. I also, regrettably, felt it necessary to leave negative feedback as a warning to others. Now it seems they are back on track in their business and shipping things out on time, so I may consider purchasing directly from their Ebay division in the future. I don't like to harbor any bitterness against anyone. Just have to stand up for my rights once in a while as I make my way through this thing called life. It's great to forgive, forget and move on.

Daniel

[BillMorrow]

RELAX Gentlemen..!
NO feather ruffeling, please..!

If any further ruffeling occurs i shall unleash jane who will rap some knuckels with her stainless steel ruler..!
or harry who will not stop at the ruler..

now, back to our regularly scheduled programming..

re. 15 inch SXGA+ T60 and T60p's..
i have seen those and the display, when new, is beautiful..
if what you are seeking is an IPS (flexview) display that is in excellent condition, i would purchase one from a reputable seller with a replacement or refund policy if the display is not in excellent condition..

if i had cash to spare i would pick up a nice 15 inch T60 SXGA+ thinkpad..
hard to beat one of those..

[crashnburn]

Did you buy? BuyItNow or Made an offer? What did you end up paying and which seller?