Final T61P questions (about to purchase!)

Ok so after weeks of deliberating i think T61p is the choise, and the price right now is unbelievable.

I have a few questions about features im unfamiliar with.

1) i know xp performs better, but im a software engineer and as such i want vista exposure. Is ultimate the way to go (for only $50 more?)

2) after mixed opinions on the turbocache, i woudl like to try it, but can it be disabled if it causes problems?

3) Is the wireless personal area network (UltraWide Band (UWB) [add $49.87] ) worth it? wireless usb sounds great but how different is it from bluetooth? and do/will many products support this?

4) with no video out, there is a chance i would like to play games through my hdtv and this would be a problem, is there any way around this?

6) can/should the screen be replaced? (or can i ensure i get the LG panel when i order?)

Thats it! I will be purchasing today so any comments on these last minute issues are appreciated!

Thanks!!!!

 

1) Exposure would be good for you and the Lenovo price for Ultimate is very good.


2) If it has been reported to slow down a computer it probably isn't ready to buy yet. I didn't get it because of this. Also if all of the sudden it begins to work you could buy it later on and install it yourself.

3) don't have any UWB devices to use. Didn't get it.

4) If your HDTV has RGB in it is possible to got VGA out to RGB in. I have a HDTV with RGB in. I will try it later on to verify this. From what I have read it should work. There are other ways around this. VGA to RGB is better video quality than S-Video.

5) Luck of the draw with Samsung or LG display from factory. I have the Samsung and It works good. Not great but good. I use a desktop Samsung 226BW most of the time when it is docked.

 

for #2 on the contrary if i get it, i could remove it if it does cause issues right?

 

You should be able to remove it but why buy it if it doesn't work and then you will have to remove it?

 

Did you use the VISA card/ ecoupon pricing?

That is the lowest price that the "regularl" people can get right now.

 

when i use the visa site, the UPSAPRILSAVINGS coupon doesnt seem to stack

however if i use the shareholder site it does.

its like $880 in savings lol

 

Which ecoupons are trying to stack?

The VISA LEnovo Ecoupon site uses USXAPRILSAVINGS

Try it. I think you will save more money.

 

I think the turbomemory is not quite ready for primetime... I would skip it for now. You can disable it in software, but the hardware will still be there.

 

Hello.
I am about buing T61p /t9300 4gb Vista6 4bit/
At the monent there is 25% discount on the IBM site.
You are saying about enouther 10% discount.
Could please explain what do You mean by>>>"use the visa site" and "shareholder site". Could please explain.
I am not from US, but some one from US will buy it for me.


BR, Marcin.

 

here is what i got!!!

the form says 'shareholder price' but really its the visa discount(google lenovo visa)

ThinkPad T61 15 Widescreen - 1 Yr Depot Warranty

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2)1
Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate12
15.4 WSXGA+ TFT
NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M (256MB Open GL)
3 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim5
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)10
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
6 cell Li-Ion Battery60
6459: Express - 1 Yr Depot Warranty7

41U5253 Lenovo Messenger Max

Subtotal: $ 2,152.95

Sale price: $ 1,485.66

[USXTHINKMADNESS] -$ 146.27

Shipping and handling: $ 0.00

Estimated tax: $ 108.48

Estimated total: $ 1,447.87*

IBM Shareholder Purchase Program savings $ 81.05

Total savings $ 813.56

 

Looks like a nice setup... did you opt for the free integrated wide area network? I didn't see it on your list.

I just re-ordered a Thinkpad and made sure they included it. Between that and the free DVD writer, the T61P is quite the bargain.

Edit: Oh, and to answer question 4, you can always get the mini-dock which gives you DVI output.

 

Congrats on the purchase. Be sure to drop a line or two about your experience.

 

Don't forget that.

Free is too good a deal to pass up.

 

you know i saw it and passed because i highly doubt i will ever front the fee for wireless service. between me being at home or at work or having unlimited data on my blackjack i wont see the need. I guess i figured save the weight...

i just emailed my rep and asked her to modify my order to include it, your right, free is nice

 

I think the same way.

Why get it if I'm not going to use it.

However free is a good deal and it could possible come in handy later on. May even increase resale value later on.

My only fear would be that it will take Lenovo longer to ship.
Probably not the case. They probably have to many already configured like that and are trying to save "man power" cost in removing the hardware.

 

in fact took an extra 2wks to ship, i skipped it

 

The VGA output can be converted to analog component HDTV, which most tvs have, but results vary so try make sure you try the adaptor/converter first. Or better yet, just get the mini dock and use the dvi.

 

Please tell us how your machine works under big gaming stress. There have been many complaints about it freezing, rebooting, giving BSOD and so forth. If you have a copy of WoW or Bioshock or whatever, a small testing session (i.e. play game for 30 mins ) would be most appreciated.

 

ccoleman, I ordered almost the same setup two days ago! I just ordered a 9cell battery, a 3 year warranty, and opted for the Windows XP Pro (want the best performance/ want all my old programs to work!).

I'm curious what they told you your estimated ship date would be?

The website told me that mine would ship on 5/21!!!! Out of concern I called lenovo yesterday and the customer rep (in india?!?) told me that the website was wrong and that my notebook should ship on 4/23. I hope that isn't BS... but I'm gonna call again next week to confirm.

 

My first system shipped weeks before the estimated ship date, so I wouldn't worry too much. We'll see about the second one, since apparently the WAN antenna takes longer to install.

 

CCOLEMAN Thank You wery much. You halped me a lot......
I am so happy becouse of You.
Some one already bot a top wersion of T61p
t9300/4gb/vista busines 64/UXGA/160hdd 7.200/wi-fi draftN/1gd Intel....MEM(hope one day it will give the real adwantage)

And for the savings that I got becouse of You I was able to buy extra:
MOGO BLUETOOTH MOUSE
THINKPAD T60 SERIES 6 CELL
LENOVO USB WEBCAM

I`m the happy man ;-)

 

Just got a system with roughly the same specs.
Played COD4 for more than 1 hour, overclocked slightly and run some nvidia demos (more demanding than games) and no problem.

 

I've been playing Bioshock for a few hours now with no problems.

I think the problems with those systems were defective motherboards. RAM issues. Not sure.

My specs are in my sig.

 

Hey Sonda, what is the "Antec Formula 5" that you have in your sig?

 

It's a high quality thermal compound that is supposed to lower CPU/GPU core temperatures by allowing heat to dissipate faster.

I did this mod when I upgraded my RAM.

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=77063

It's not an easy mod to do.

 

Sounds like an interesting mod... though it would surely void the warranty, yah?

 

I don't think so. It's just thermal grease.

 

Would you mind describing the process? I would like to try it, and a little guidance will help...

 

I'm not going to do a "How to" because I don't want people to have problems.

It's not that hard to do if you can figure it out. If you can't figure it out then I wouldn't recommend that you do it.

 

If you need DVI out, you might check out the Advanced mini dock. I agree, that the decision to use VGA instead of DVI was dubious, as they could have included a small adapter such as apple uses for use with old projectors. Should Lenovo incorporate a Blueray drive, they are going to have to switch at least to DVI to offer HDCP.