Going to buy a T61, but have some questions first.

Hi,

So now that we've got a look at the prices for the new ThinkPads, I've decided that a T61 is the best option for me. I'm about to buy one that I configured, but I've got some questions.

1. I'm undecided between a 160 GB 7200 rpm HD or a 250 GB 5400 rpm HD. I'll mostly be using it for Internet browsing, word processing, listening to some music (around 10 gigs), and viewing photos/photoshop. Is the 7200 rpm a big difference in speed?

2. There's two options for optical drives, one with a CD-RW/DVD, and a DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer. The second option includes the CD-RW right?

3. What's the difference between an Express Card Slot, Media Card Slot, and a Smart Card Slot?

4. Integrated WWAN is a free option. What is WWAN exactly? I'm going to be a college student (possible computer science major) and I'll be using a direct ethernet connection and WiFi.

5. I'm on the student and alumni page, and I can't seem to find a coupon for the T61 that hasn't expired yet. Anybody know any codes?

Thanks for the help!

 

1.. If your not going to use 250gb good with the 160gb. It will make a difference.
2. Dvd recorable should record cd-rw aswell..
3.. Look at the description on lenovo I think it should explain it better than i can.
4.. Can someone help? Idk..
5. There arent any.. Ive been trying all day they dont work

 

To my understanding, WWAN cards are used for going on the internet using cellular companies like Verizon and AT&T. You have to get a separate contract with the cellphone company to use it.

I've heard for a review of the x200 that their WWAN card is GPS enabled. I'm not sure how it works or if this feature is in the WWAN card of the T61 (I don't really think they are different).

 

(1) IMHO 250GB @ 5400 rpm is going to be close to 160GB at 7200rpm. A 250GB disc has a higher data density than a 160GB, so that can offset the RPM difference. In normal usage I expect it'd be difficult to discern the difference.

(2) Yes. The first is read-only on DVDs, the second writes both DVD & CD

(3) ExpressCard - next generation of PCMCIA. Media Card - like what your digital camera might use. Smart Card - its a security technology - if you don't know what it is, you don't need it. Best bet is go with the ExpressCard slot. You can buy ExpressCards that will read Media Cards. You can't do the reverse.

(4) WWAN refers to where you put a Verizon or ATT or SPRINT card in your laptop and are online through the cell carrier. ~$70-80/month. Doesn't hurt to make it WWAN ready and have the antenna in case you later want it or might resell the laptop in a couple years.

(5) Can't help you there -- I've seen both USXSAVE15NOW and USXBACKTOSCHOOL coupons work today, and I just tried USXBACKTOSCHOOL and it worked. Try clearing your browser cookies and cache and trying again. Note that the USXSAVE15NOW says it's good only for the first 200 uses, I imagine those have been used up by this late in the day.

 

Wow, that helps a lot. Thanks for the info.

There's two more things that I'm unsure of. Should I get a WXGA and TFT w/ camera or the WXGA+ and TFT? Is 1440x990 or 1280x800 resolution preferable on a 14.1" screen? I have a 19" desktop monitor, and using 1440x990 is fine, but how does that resolution differ on a 14.1" screen? Will the icons be smaller than on my desktop monitor?

Secondly, if I'm downgrading to XP Pro, does the OS recognize 4 gigs of RAM?

 

Screen is personal preference. I have a 1280x800 Compaq 14" and now I want to upgrade to at least 1680x1050 in a 15.4", so it's really up to you. Personally I'd rather have the larger resolution and fit more on the screen - this comes in handy if you're a developer and like lots of windows open at once.

Your XP question has been answered on here before (check the 'Which notebook should I buy?' forum), but IIRC 32-bit XP only sees 3.3GB. Might as well still get 4GB (don't buy it from lenovo, buy it afterwards at a place like newegg) in case you dual boot Linux, upgrade to Vista down the road, etc.

 

The icons will be smaller than your 19" desktop monitor. I personally would get the WXGA+ since I like the higher resolution. It's easier to multitask since you can view many things at once. If your eyes aren't too good I would go with WXGA.

Your laptop will only be able to recognize 3.5GB of ram.
Tim

 

Will there be any more coupons coming out for the T61? I thought they were refreshed every week. None of the current ones (USXSAVE15NOW, USXBACKTOSCHOOL) seem to be working for me.