CONFUSED : Please Help (t60p vs t61)

I'm not a crazy computer enthusiast... but my 5 year old desktop finally decided to crash on me. I have been looking to switch to a notebook for sometime and I fell in love with the T43P I used at work a few years back. Since then, I have decided to only stick to thinkpad T-series. I play the occasional game here and there as well as some home video editing. I have come across many thinkpads and have broken the decision down to these following specs:

Option 1: $1389 T61
Intel T7300 2.0Ghz 4MB L2 Cache Core2Duo Processor
1GB Intel Turbo FLASH Disk-Cache Accelerator
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) High-Resolution WideScreen
nVidia Quatro NVS 140M (GeForce 8400) - 128MB Dedicated Graphics
2GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667Mhz RAM
160GB 5400RPM 3GB/s SATA HardDrive with Active Shock Protection
DVD Multi-Burner (CD/CD-RW/DVD+/-RW) Internal Swappable Drive
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n (Intel 4965AGN MIMO 2x3 Kedron) Wireless Internet
BlueTooth EDR 2.0
1 x IEEE 1394 Firewire / 3 x USB 2.0 Ports
High Definition (HD) Audio Output
Integrated FingerPrint Reader Authentication
4-in-1 Reader (MultiMediaCard/MemStick PRO/Secure Digital/xD-Picture Card)
Windows Vista Business 32-bit Edition Installed
Extended Life 6-Cell Li-Ion SMART Battery (>5+ Hours of Battery Life!!!)

Option 2 $1299 T60P
* Intel Corel 2 Duo T7200 2.0GHz Processor
* 4GB RAM
* 100GB 7200rpm HD
* 15.4in 1680x1050 WSXGA+ TFT LCD
* 256MB ATI FireGL V5250
* CDRW/DVDRW Dual Layer DVD Burner
* Intel 802.11a/b/g wireless
* Bluetooth/Modem
* 1Gb Ethernet
* UltraNav
* Secure chip
* Fingerprint reader
* 9 cell Li-Ion battery
* Windows Vista Business

Option 3: $1299 T61
* Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz Processor
* 4GB RAM
* 160GB 5400rpm HD
* 15.4in 1680x1050 WSXGA+ LCD
* 128MB nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
* CDRW/DVDRW Dual Layer DVD Burner
* Intel 802.11abg WiFi
* Bluetooth/Modem
* 1Gb Ethernet
* UltraNav
* Secure chip
* Fingerprint reader
* 6 cell Li-Ion Battery
* Windows XP Professional

ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED AS I HAVE A FEW HOURS TO DECIDE AND CANNOT MAKE UP MY MIND... especially with the nvs140m vs. v5250

 

Get this, upgrade the ram yourself, and make sure you call them and tell them that you want the 570m instead of the 140m.

 

hmmm I can upgrade the RAM but these are as is laptops... and I can't get the video card upgraded... which is the better overall video card in this case... the nvs 140m or the v5250?

 

nvs140m
v5250 unless you run autocad. I think this is also drain more battery.
if you play game nvs is better.

Check out T7500 on T61. I think you can upgrade it's for free.
I saw it couple days ago.
use USPBUSINESS coupon to get 10% off

 

What are you talking about? the FireGL v5250 is much superior in gaming, especially with the proper drivers.

It drains more battery... but that's usually how superior cards work.

IMO the only reason to get the T61 is for wireless n. To most people the design and ergonomics are inferior to the T60, and Santa Rosa offers a negligible increase in speed over the older Napa platforms. If you really want the newest thinkpad available, then wait for the Santa Rosa refresh with Penryn in the near future(T62??), which would include a significant speed boost.

 

I have the T60p and I can vouch for the great N-wireless (that I upgrade myself), fast processor, etc. Just don't get the 4GB of RAM, but rather just buy your own.

And get the NVidia, it's not only better for gaming, but also better support in Linux as well if you plan to move to that platform.

 

Yeah, I second S60.

 

I don't know where you live, but you could always wait till the Penryn-based notebooks start appearing. This isn't too far off.

The V5250 is supposed to be based off of the Mobility X1700. I would imagine it would offer better gaming performance, since it has a bigger mem bus and has more dedicated memory. Unless you find an FX 570 (which makes the points I mentioned above moot), I'm with Clutch66 on this one.

As others have said, buy the smallest amount of RAM and upgrade it yourself. It's easy to do.

Get a 7200rpm drive if you want a bit more performance.

Skip the TurboCache if you can.