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    14" T61 or T61P? help I can't decide!

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by tallshorty, Mar 3, 2008.

  1. tallshorty

    tallshorty Notebook Evangelist

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    Which one?

    For me, the things going for the T61:
    -Widescreen
    -better battery life because of inferior graphics card

    For the T61P
    -Better graphics card but shorter battery life and not widescreen.

    Both are the exact same price for me so I have such a hard time deciding which to get! omg...it'd driving my nuts.
     
  2. SkeeteRX8

    SkeeteRX8 Notebook Deity

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    Actually, the NVS 140m plays on almost the same level as the FX 570m in the 14.1" T61p.....it has a 64-bit memory bus as opposed to the normal 128 in the full-sized T61p...

    For your uses, I would just go with the normal T61.
     
  3. tallshorty

    tallshorty Notebook Evangelist

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    Really? So your saying that they both will perform about the same?
     
  4. SkeeteRX8

    SkeeteRX8 Notebook Deity

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    There is a slightly noticeable difference in new games with the FX 570m (due to the GDDR3 memory) , but the NVS 140m T61 plays some widescreen-oriented games better (in a few cases)..

    But, if you want a more futureproof system, get the T61p.
     
  5. tallshorty

    tallshorty Notebook Evangelist

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    ok, great. That makes me feel better. i guess I'll go ahead and order the 14" t61.
    The total came to $1200 CDN after taxes with the friends and family discount.

    Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2)
    Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
    Operating system Language: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium - English
    Display type: 14.1 WXGA+ TFT
    System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M 128MB
    Total memory: 1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 (1 DIMM)
    Keyboard Language: US English Keyboard
    Pointing device: UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
    Fingerprint : Integrated fingerprint reader
    Hard drive: 100GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
    Intel Turbo Memory hard drive cache: Intel Turbo Memory 1GB
    Optical device: DVD Recordable, Ultrabay Slim
    System expansion slots: PC Card & Express Card Slots
    Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth PAN
    WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (US/CAN/LA/AP)
    Modem: Yes - AMoM
    Camera: with Camera
    Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion Battery
    Power cord: 90W AC Adapter; NA, LA, (2pin)
    Publication Language: English US Publication for Vista

    Now...how much do you think my current Asus A8Jm can be sold for? see my sig.
     
  6. SonDa5

    SonDa5 Notebook Deity

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    Why not get a R series? Seems like a better deal for what you are looking for.
     
  7. tallshorty

    tallshorty Notebook Evangelist

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    They R61 with my configuration is only $60 cheaper. But what are the exact differences compared to T61?
     
  8. jnorman5

    jnorman5 Notebook Consultant

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    I was looking at the R61 and T61 as well, but I decided to go for the 256mb option that was only offered with the T61p. I am suprised that the option is not on more ThinkPads.

    Oh, and the primary difference is the size, the R61 is slightly larger but other than that, not much.
     
  9. rickydd

    rickydd Notebook Enthusiast

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    if you wanted a 14 inch , then i recommemd t61 standard...t61p's graphy card is too powerful for me and i don't need that graphy station ,also shoter bettery times
     
  10. tallshorty

    tallshorty Notebook Evangelist

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    Question about battery:

    Are the 6 cell and 7 cell the same size? Is the 7 cell more heavy than the 6 cell?

    Question about weight:
    What is the weight of the T61? I'm confused. Lenovo website says starting at 4.5 lbs but does that include the 4 cell battery? Everywhere else I read the weight is 5.1 lbs.
     
  11. Arki

    Arki Super Moderator

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    They are pretty much identical in size. The 7-cell is probably a couple millimeters more. They weight pretty much the same as well.
     
  12. tallshorty

    tallshorty Notebook Evangelist

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    really? damn...maybe I should've ordered that.

    Also...should I order the Intel Turbo Memory? I've been reading there is a lot of BSOD associated with that.
     
  13. Arki

    Arki Super Moderator

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    I think the general consensus about Intel's Turbo Memory is that it's too much trouble that it's worth. Hopefully Intel proves a more stable driver for it later down the road.
     
  14. tallshorty

    tallshorty Notebook Evangelist

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    Another question:

    is the 7 cell battery worth the extra $55 increase from the 4 cell? The 6 cell battery is only $12 more than the 4 cell. Which one should i get? Or should I stick to the 4 cell and maybe buy the 3 cell ultrabay battery later? The problem with the 6 and 7 cell batteries is that it will likely not fit into my 14" laptop pouch anymore.

    I'm trying to optimize battery life while keeping the weight down. If I have the 4 cell, I'll likely have to carry the charger around, which is about the same weight as the 6 cell.

    Can someone give me a breakdown of what battery life is expected from the 4, 6, and 7 cell batteries?

    I'm so confused.
     
  15. Bunz

    Bunz Newbie

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    well I faced the same issue, but in the end ordered the t61p for the quadrofx... if you're gonna use it to do office/school work, i wouldn't recommend the widescreen at all... i have the widescreen dell lcds on my desktop and sort of regret missing out on the extra vertical space (for programming, typing, or just viewing websites, you normally need to scroll up and down a lot more than left and right...)

    for viewing movies and maybe for apps like photoshop where you might need extra "side" space for miscellaneous windows, widescreen could be useful... but if you deal more with text/documents, I would just go for the standard screen.. especially on a 14" screen that's already fairly scrunched up.
     
  16. Axure

    Axure Notebook Enthusiast

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    The guy who said NVS 140m is almost as good as FX 570m doesn't know what he's saying. There's a world of difference between the two.

    NVS 140m is targeted for businessmen and the likes. It has performance, at best, comparable to GeForce 8400 GT.

    FX 570m works on the same chip as GeForce 8600 GT. Which makes it a proper gaming card.
     
  17. LoneWolf15

    LoneWolf15 The Chairman

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    The problem is that, on the 14" T61p, the memory bus of the 570M is only 64 bits wide, crippling it. The 15.4" T61p has a full 128-bit memory bus, so it makes a lot more of a difference.

    As to the question about the battery, I would go with the 6-cell for the extra $14, definitely worth it. I don't think I'd pay the extra $55 for the 7-cell, but that's just me.