Buying advice... X61s vs T61p

hey folks, first post here! looking for a bit of buying advice

i want to replace my 2.21 ghz desktop and aging (though much loved) X40 with a new notebook w/dock. i've narrowed it down to either the X61s 12.1" UltraLight XGA or T61p 14.1" SXGA+

portability is a must... but, wouldn't you know it, so is performance. i love the tight little package that is my X40, but i also need a workstation that'll run heavy apps and power my 37" 1080p LCD no problem. gaming would be nice, though not my main concern, as i do most of my gaming on consoles anyway.

so here are my questions

1. as a big fan of the X series form factor, am i going to be disappointed with the larger T61p? (i know this is subjective, but am hoping for opinions anyway)

2. can the integrated video of the X61s handle my 1920x1080 external display? this is obviously critical. i'm also wondering whether the DVI output of the T61p Mini Dock represents any real benefits over VGA.

3. regarding screen quality, is the UltraLight much of an improvement? i'm used to XGA by now, but the extra real estate of the T61p would be nice. of course, with a big monitor at home i can live with a small screen on the road.

4. what's the real world difference in battery life between the X61s and T61p? how about heat issues, any significant difference there?

thanks for the help. i'm looking to buy soon and am having a hard time getting of the fence. any opinions welcome...

 

There's always going to be a trade-off between performance and portability, so you should make one your priority. However, I seriously don't think that a 14" laptop will be too much of a burden on you.

X61
-Smaller and lighter
-Better battery life

T61p
-Larger, higher res screen
-More powerful graphics card, capable of gaming

As far as I know, the X61s should be able to handle that output, although you shouldn't expect to run any games on it. I've never had any heat issues with my T61p, despite having the more powerful 15" one.

 

I guess only you can decide. I should be getting my x61s very soon and I can't wait, but I'm certainly not trading it out for my Liquid Cooled Desktop and 37" monitor either. I'll keep the desktop for serious computing and gaming and use the laptop as a backup/away from home device...Gaming on a laptop really just can't compete with a overlcoked desktop with G92 graphics card etc etc and the laptop will never be as upgradable or as cheap either.

I think the DVI is definately important for you, VGA cables are not really made to display such high resolutions (it might work but you will lose some quality). For me I can get by either way since I'm keeping both machines!

 

never seen a T series notebook in person...but I enjoy my x61s. The fan is on alot, but its not intrusive at all. The laptop never gets hot, and it flat out flies for what I use it for (internet and office). The screen is very bright...I use mine on 10/15 and its plenty for me. Never fully tested the battery but I did use it for about 4 hours and it had plenty of juice to go.

 

good points. i'm most concerned about playing nice with the external display (a lovely westy). this may be the deciding info, thanks

 

That display is perfect...

How much did it cost??

 

i am going to miss the little X40, though. there's something about looking at it that just makes me happy.

or maybe not. i'm hoping the T61 has similar appeal... wish i could see side by side pics

 

regarding the westy, around $1100 shipped. if i remember correctly. and yes, it is perfect. i'm normally very picky

 

Nice, my 37" is also a 1080p westy, but it was only $899 (got in on the costco deal about 6 mo ago) It makes a lovely monitor so I know exactly what your lovin, I'd have to go with the DVI laptop then for sure, or maybe look at the dell XPS so you can have a smaller laptop with a DVI. But I'm not sure about docking stations for those.

edit: actualy I had 2 37's dual screen for a while, totaly spoiled. The build quality on those Westinghouse Monitors are hit/miss my frist one had some firmware issues and a dead pixel and also 1/2 the screen was brighter than the other 1/2, so I ordered a second one as replacement but ended up using both until my 90 day return policy was about up lol. Second monitor has been rock solid though I'm actualy planing to use the VGA on it since my cable box is using the HDMI and my PC uses the DVI (I have the SE version not the origional with 2DVI's)

Are you a member from [H] forums? your nick looks familiar.

When I get the X61S I'll have to take a picture of it hooked up to the Westinghouse it will certainly be dwarfed lol.

 

the X40 looks tiny indeed next big dubya. but then, i'm also blessed with an HD projector for wall size gaming, so it's all relative. (my roommates projector, not mine. for some reason it lives in my room, along with his PS3. it's kind or overwhelming, really)

strange they dropped the second DVI for the SE. it's very useful. one of the things i dig about the monitor is all the extra inputs. so what's the upgrade?

i'm not a member of [Hard]Forum, though i lurked around shamelessly for about a month whilst shopping for my dream display. think that's where i first heard about it, actually. lota of fans there

anyone have pics of the T61 14" other than this site's review? my eyes are still hungry...

 

I had two T61 14.1 SXGA+ one of which I sold. Here are the pics of it. Its a nice computer I just wish more of my classmates would show it some respect. Thinkpads are just viewed as uncool over at my school.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/azncoolkid08/

 

looks tight to me. just remember the words of my friend Ernest. "all b*tches ain't sh*t." especially those who'd judge you by your laptop.

thanks for the pics

 

They upgraded the contrast ratio (supposedly more contrast) and removed the second DVI so as to have true HDCP compliance (Guess there was some issues autosenseing or something I'm not sure although I'd still prefer to have the second input and deal with the miniscule issues)

Lenovo Ugly heh, they are probably on shiny HP's or Macs? Well I'll take function and form over junk slapped with glossy screens and and even moreso I dislike glossy cases. Shiny != better in fact to me it much less practicle.

 

Hey there,

was pretty much in the same situation. Either the full options x61s or the full options T61p...

Since I didn't play games for a long time on my previous notebooks I finally got the T61p with its 15.4 Wide screen. (I don't have a desktop PC and I miss playing some Computer games when I am in the hotel e.g.). Additional to that I actually don't mind to carry a little more weight.

However... Not sure if I should regret the decision. I mean the T61p is huge. No really, it looks like from the 90's. Not really adorable and its I guess around 800 USD more. Sure its powerful but it looks really funny in a presentation or when you get it out in the hotel lobby to check your mails.

Still not sure what I should think...

Cheers

 

I don't know about fully optioned since I usually purchase minimally configured thinkpads but base price is not that far off, certainly not 800 dollar difference.

I don't see why the processing power should be different with the same cpu/ram/hard drive in a x series or a t series besides graphics capabilities. The 15.4" T series is much much more massive than a X series.

Much better battery life on a X series, 6 hours or more on extended battery.

 

I think if you want the power, go with the T61p. Having the peace of mind that you can run the applications you need flawlessly is something that is more important than a slightly smaller package imo. (Then again I run CAD applications and occasionally play some games so I need a powerhouse ) If you think about it, laptops are pretty small as is nowadays considering what they are capable of. Just my 2 cents though.

 

Although you won't go wrong with either, I can't think of a reason to go with the T61 unless you're significantly interested in PC gaming or need to run programs like CAD. The x61 doesn't have the power of the T61 but it'll run anything flawlessly that isn't graphic intensive. Although the T61 isn't a monster, it certainly is more than slightly bigger than the x61, and the battery life is about half that of the X61s.

 

The X61s focuses on mobility, and sacrifices some performance in its favour. Long battery life and lightweight. The T61 is the balance between performance and mobility (with the p series favouring performance). You'll have to choose what's most important for you.

I think that the X61s lacks more performance then what I feel comfortable with, so the T61 is the perfect balance for me. You can switch to a X61, which will have a stronger processor, but will loose in battery life.

 

@elfroggo

I bought it from the UAE. Here it was about 800 difference....