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    About to purchase my T61p, but some questions about config

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by darkside31337, Apr 21, 2008.

  1. darkside31337

    darkside31337 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm ready to buy my T61p but I had a few questions about how I should actually end up spending my ~1150 dollar budget (my current spec is 1140). I'm using this laptop for school mainly, and some movie watching/gaming on the side (wow, and some other not so intensive games) and right now I have this as my spec.

    Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T8300 (2.4GHz 800MHz 3MBL2)
    Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
    15.4 WSXGA+ TFT
    NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M (256MB Open GL)
    2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
    UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
    160GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
    DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
    Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG10
    Integrated Bluetooth PAN
    9 cell Li-Ion Battery60

    So I'm wondering how noticeable the difference is between the T8100 and T8300 (if at all), should I get 3 GB ram instead of 2, and the difference in speed with a 160 GB HDD 5400 and a 100 GB HDD 7200, since both are the same price. I heard that higher storage 5400s are faster, but I don't really know much about laptops, and was wondering what other t61p owners thought about this.
     
  2. agent.felixla

    agent.felixla Notebook Enthusiast

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    You don't seem like the type of guy that will push the CPU to bottleneck so the difference between the 8100 and 8300 is negligible in your case, I think. The 7200 hdds run a bit faster but they also run a little louder and cost more for less space. Again, I doubt you'll need the extra speed (its really not that much of a difference). I don't know much about RAM but my brother dual-boxes on WoW on my old 1420 with 2gig RAM, a t5450, and a 8400 gs and its pretty fast.
     
  3. havoc531

    havoc531 Notebook Evangelist

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    Just a few minor things I would personally do without:
    Bluetooth- I was set on having it for the machines in sig, but all Bluetooth mice are painfully uncomfortable. Any attempts to use BT headphones was a failure.

    Get the 1gb of RAM and buy another stick yourself. Not sure what Lenovo charges for that, but its likely you can do it yourself for less.

    Also, you would never notice the difference between the T8100 and T8300.

    Being a student, you'll need every penny you can save (or at least I do)
     
  4. darkside31337

    darkside31337 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the help guys, was able to shave the price down to under 1100 with the changes I made to the processor and HD (decided to keep the ram because it was only 27 bucks for the stick, and it costs like ~20 everywhere else I look). I have a mouse and pair of bluetooth headphones that I actually use, I find the sound quality decent enough on them (motorola ht820) and it's nice being able to watch my movies at 2 in the morning without disturbing my dorm mates. Do BT headphones have some compatibility issues with the computer? I can't really find anything on that anywhere. Not a deal breaker but it'd be a slight pain in the wallet if I have to buy some new accessories.