Couple of questions to any one that owns R61

I am thinking of buying a fully loaded R61. And I mean fully loaded.

2.6Ghz 6MBL2 processor
Vista Business 64bit
4GB Ram
Blu-Ray
Etc - I think you get the point.

I have some questions about some of the options and I can't seem to find the answers on the Lenovo site.

1. Battery options. What is the best route? They offer 4 cell, 6cell, and 7 cell. Do both the 6 and 7 cell batteries stick out of the back of the laptop? Which is the best bettery setup to get and why? If I wanted more run time can I add a batter to the Ultrabay and pull out the DVD player when not in use?

2. Screen options. What is the difference between WXGA and WXGA+. Do they offer a high gloss version? I am coming over from a Sony SZ and I love the screen on that laptop. Will I be dissapointed in this one?

3. Turbo Memory Hard Drive Cache - does this make any difference?

4. System Expansion Slots. What is a smart card slot and do I need it? What configuration will make the most sense for me no and down the road? Express Card Slot? Media Card Slot? Smart Card Slot?


Seems like the T series is much better than the R series. Is there any way to get blu-ray on the T series?

Thank for your time. I hope some of you are R series owners. Seems like most posts here are from people with the T series.

 

Hey, I posted in your "SZ vs. R61" thread before. R61's are identical to T61's except for the lack of a high-end mobile workstation variant (T61p with Quadro FX570m GPU) and a normal-sized optical drive (Ultrabay Enhanced, not 9.5 mm Ultrabay Slim)

A few answers:

1: Get the 6-cell if you are worried about the weight, because it is flush with the laptop, and it provides decent battery life. I'm not quite sure that there is an Ultrabay Enhanced extra battery option, though there is one for the Ultrabay Slim.

2: WXGA+ has a resolution of 1440 by 900 pixels, while normal WXGA has a resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels. WXGA+ is better for watching HD video and fitting more items on the screen, but the R61 only offers a matte screen, which is not as bright as the screen on the SZ, but the higher resolution allows for a better movie-viewing experience.

3: No, not on your system. The performance gains of Turbo Memory are incremental in such a high-end system.

4: No, you don't need a smart card slot, the R61 has a built-in TPM security chip, eliminating the need for a smart card. If you use SD cards often, get the combination PC Card/Media Card slot, which forgoes the Express Card Slot (at least on the 14.1" models) for a 4-in-1 flash card reader. If you want to have two card slots or use a multimedia remote, get the ExpressCard/PC Card slot.

Another suggestion: Save $200 and just get the Core 2 Duo T9300...There is no difference, in both tests and real-world performance.

As of now, Lenovo does not have an Ultrabay Slim Blu-ray burner, the only way to have Blu-Ray on the T61 is to buy the Advanced Dock.

 

The six cell battery on the R61 does not sit flush with the back of the notebook. Only the four cell does. The modular battery isn't that great. Since it always discharges first, it degrades quickly. I had it for my R60. It was at less than 50% capacity after six months. I ended up just getting the nine cell battery. I'd suggest buying another battery if you need more time. The seven cell is kind of a rip off since they charge a lot for one extra cell.

They offer a glossy screen on the R61i, but the best CPU you can get on it is the T5550. That's good enough for most people, but I don't know about your specific needs.

Some are reporting better battery life with turbo memory, but it's a technology that is not completely fleshed out yet. It's debatable whether just adding more memory is a better choice. Dell and HP aren't even offering it on their machines. I personally don't care for Vista. It's laggy and bloated. XP Pro is a better choice now in my opinion though that will limit you to 3GB of memory which is enough for most users in my experience.

I'd agree unless you have a specific need for security, I'd get the card reader.

 

First, I'll echo the suggestion that you should get a T9300 over the T9500. The T9500 is about ~$200 more, but only 100Mhz faster.

What are you planning on using the notebook for? For most people 4GB of RAM is overkill. Generally the most cost-effective way is to configure the laptop to have 1 DIMM of 1GB, then buy whatever extra RAM you want online (ebay, newegg etc.). For example, you could configure it with 1GB, and then buy a 2GB stick online, and you'd have 3GB. If you find you really need 4GB, you can always buy another 2GB stick and use it to replace the original 1GB stick.

Also a heads up: currently, there is a 10% off coupon on Thinkpads if you pay through PayPal. coupon code: USP1PAYPAL (exp 2/8).

 

Thanks for the feedback. I am aware of the 10% off coupon.

I use my laptop for everything. I pretty much never turn it off. I run the whole adobe suite including web design programs, MS office, email, surfing, watching movies, burning dvd's, manage other computers, post procssing for photos, etc .

So for me I want the most computer I can buy right now regardless of price. Given I do agree paying $200 more for the small increase in speed does not make sense - so I will probably go with the 2.5.

The only hold up for me is size and weight of the R61. I carry my laptop with me everywhere. I travel about 2-3 times a month both for work and vacations so carrying 15.4"+ laptops are totally out of the question. I have found my 13.3 to be the perfect balance of size and function. So I am a little leery of the 14.1.

I would just buy the Sony SZ again if they offered blu-ray.

The R61 does seem like it can be configured to be my ultimate machine but will it be too big and will the screen dissappoint me.

Those are my concerns.

 

It's not too heavy, especially considering that it's matte screen is among the best available, and it will last a lot longer than the SZ...

It's also easier to service..

 

Trust us, the screen is a joy to use, especially since it's easy on the eyes.

I do a lot of what you do (burn DVDs, write documents, minor photo editing, etc) and my dad also uses it to post pictures on his website; and I never turn mine off either. It should be fine.

The weight of this thing is not too heavy but not too light, a tad over 5.5 pounds for mine with a 6-cell. That may seem a bit heavy, but compared to everything else I carry around with my notebook it's not much.

The notebook fits into my standard backpack, and takes the abuse of my textbooks and whatnot quite well.

 

I think they have one at Circuit City if you want to go look at one.