Getting used T61p off eBay

Hi, i was looking for a used or open box T61p recently. Well, i'm happy to say i found one very cheap on eBay, it's come to about 600$. I haven't received it yet but was surprised to see what high end specs it had and condition for the what i am paying for. I think i must've really lucked out here.

Core 2 Duo T7700
160GB 7200RPM HDD
Wireless apparently-specific card not stated
Bluetooth
2GB 667 RAM
DVDRW

Intechraparts felt they needed to wipe the HDD so i guess i need to install an OS but i have windows 7 right here on my table. I think no one may be bidding much on it because the title listing labels the HDD as a 60GB but the description on the full listing is a 160GB but still a larger HDD costs very little to upgrade if it was a 60GB so i have nothing to lose. No warranty it stated though so i guess if the GPU fails or it has that stupid RAM issue that can only be fixed by a MOBO replacement then i'll be SOL.

Edit:could someone give me a ballpark estimate as of the percentage of those systems that had the GPU failure or RAM address issue.

 

It's hard to say about the GPU failures. nVidia and Lenovo aren't realeaseing any numbers. Given the chatter around here I'd say it's above where the T60p and the W500 are sitting. As always luck probably plays a role. If it's still under warranty you might wish to consider upgrading it.

 

Also just note that nvidia can't actually project failure rates accurately anyways because cooling solutions differ among the OEMs and notebooks.

It would be most helpful if lenovo mentioned it :\.

 

OP, why not just spend another ~$300 and get a T400 brand new? it'll have superior spec over the T61p.

 

BriS2k-because i hear the "quality" on the T400 really takes some getting used to if you're used to using many of the pre-Lenovo era like the T2x's or A3x's if you know what i mean.

 

T400 $612
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) 25W
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRA
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm

 

I would risk my money buying a time-bomb T61p. Yes save and get a T400 or get a T61 with integrated graphics.

 

Considering I can get a new T500 with P8600, dedicated graphic, 2GB RAM, and 160GB HDD for around $900 if I look hard enough, then you're really just paying the average price on that T61p. Throw in the Nvidia graphic timebomb that is in the T61p, and you're looking at buying another computer within a year, provided that your computer runs out of warranty.

 

He's not necessarily purchasing a time bomb. I just had my main board replaced and I think that new boards come with new Nvidias.
Renee

 

"why not just spend another ~$300 and get a T400 brand new? it'll have superior spec over the T61p."

Why do you say that? I have a t61p with the ultimate everything. Other than battery life I defy you to give a dimension where anything newer is better.

Renee

 

That's exactly the point
If your warranty runs out before the card fails, then there's nothing you can do. Luckily for you, the card dies within the warranty period, so you got it replaced for free.

 

The nVidia cards do have higher failure rates than the ATI cards in the T60p or W500. Nobody knows what the exact rates are cause Lenovo/nVidia haven't divulged the information. It does rather suck for ThinkPad owners who are out of warranty. Replacing the planar is an expensive proposition even if you can do it yourself. Unlike Dell, HP, Apple, Lenovo has chosen not to extend the warranty for the GPU issue, which in my opinion would have been the right thing to do.

 

Just an FYI --I find the quality on my T400 beats that of my T61, but that's just me.

 

I'm really pissed off at this god darn GPU issue.. how is it a timebomb? You're making it seem like every T61p owner is doomed to buy a new T400. My T43 that i'm sitting on a patio with has been going strong for a long time now. I can squeaze max 4h out of it's 6 cell still after 3 years. Today i look in an HP magazine and see them touting 2h of battery life. Brand new is not necessarily better. I run CoD2 on almost all high settings, DX 9 rendering method very smoothly on windows 7 and it looks great, i'm happy with it.

 

yep, I now know what the "A" stands for in your name.

 

Let's keep the snarkiness to a minimum.

As for the T61p it's really hard to say with any certainty whether you're going to have this issue. I'm sure lots of users won't have any issue with it all while others are going to get hosed on the deal. It's why I said if you have a warranty you may wish to extend it. Then you'll be covered.

 

26 minutes till it's mine, looks to be in great condition and i just dug up the original specs.
Original description: T7700(2.4GHz), 2GB RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HD, 15.4in 1920x1200 LCD, 128MB nVIDIA Quadro FX 570M, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11agn, Bluetooth, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Fingerprint reader, Intel Turbo Memory, WinVista Business 32