Great Deal on a T60?

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=203482823&adid=17070&dcaid=17070

Thats about 20% off, I think.

Pull the trigger?

 

that looks like a great deal.

 

Well, on the bright side that's more than $100 less than I paid for that exact model from Lenovo, using an EPP discount, in late December. On the downside, I really didn't like the machine, plus it seemed to be defective and the service I received from Lenovo was shockingly crappy.

On balance, I'd say this is a great deal if you don't mind the following:

- This is a big machine (the same critique applies to all 15.4" laptops - this is a bulky form factor).

- The screen is at best mediocre, with brightness levels that I consider only marginally acceptable at the brightest setting.

- The battery life is very poor at what I consider an acceptably bright setting.

- The sound through the built-in speakers is too quiet for my comfort.

- The clasp mechanism is surprisingly fussy and flimsy.

- The Thinkvantage software is pretty intrusive, and God help you if you try to use the fingerprint-recognition software - I thought this was a neat feature until the first time I couldn't get my fingerprint to read after about ten tries (which was during my first day of ownership).

- If your experience is anything like mine, you will get poor tech support from their Atlanta call center.

I don't mean to sound unequivocally negative about the machine, since most of my beefs relate to actual design choices Lenovo made, rather than actual mistakes. This is clearly a well-built machine. I just wasn't happy with mine, at all.

 

Personally, I don't think I'd ever ever buy a laptop that has a 15" or bigger screen. I'd be looking for 14.1" and under in the future.

I love my T60 with 14.1" screen. The screen isn't A+ quality and X1400 card isnt superior but it's very satisfying nevertheless.


Strangely, the T60p is a lot cheaper than a T60 with the same specs and same FireGL 256MB card. I didn't notice this.
Would upgrade my T60 to a FireGL card someday but I don't know if it's worth it.

 

err... the T60p is the only one available with the FireGL.

 

No,
go to Lenovo's site. customize ThinkPad T60 with Wireless Wide Area Network

choose one of the SXGA+ TFT screens

you get FireGL as an option.

 

I ordered one of these from Buy.com but most likely I will just sell it because something tells me it's not going to be better than my current Z61m.

 

Whats EPP discount?

 

EPP = Employee Purchase Program

If you work for IBM/Lenovo or have a friend or family member that does then you can get EPP pricing. Sometimes you can get a real good price through EPP and other times it's cheaper on the main site if Lenovo is running a special. Lenovo was also offering the EPP pricing to students not long ago, but I don't know if they still are.

If you're looking for a T60 widescreen however I don't think you're going to find a better deal then the one a Buy.com right now. I ordered one from there the other day.

 

huh... I never knew that. pretty odd...

 

So will Lenovo let me cancel an order without penalty I could get something "better" faster if I ordered one of these.

 

yea, I didn't know either at first but I went crazy comparing the different T60's. Many people think that the T60p and T60 WS are the only ones that can have a FireGL card configured with it.

The T60 with just Bluetooth (no WAN) has no option for FireGL card and only has ability to have 2gb of ram. They might have a different motherboard. That's what kills me. I don't think I can upgrade this T60 even if I wanted but at the same time, I don't know why I would want to pay $200 more just for WAN capabilities.

 

the WS has no option

 

My guess is they will, if you can reach them. My own experience is that my Lenovo salesman became unreachable as soon as I placed my order, and he steadfastly ignored my numerous voice mails and e-mails. To their credit they were very responsive and helpful when I returned my machine, though.

 

Don:

I called them, and they said they would send a note to the factory people and try to stop the build but if it had past a point of no return it would be built they would send it and I would have to send it back.

They said it should show up as canceled in a day or two, if it worked.

I assume you got every dime back. I really don't mind even having to send it back as long as they credit me quickly. That that happen in a timely fashion?

Let me know if any of that is fishy. Really I would have stuck with my Lenovo order if it weren't for one thing: Sales tax...

 

I paid 1700CAD from the exact same model (through visaperks.ca) which is about the buy.com price. Frankly I haven't found an issue with what you describe. Yes, it is bulky but I think is one of the less-bulkyer 15'4 WS. It could be an issue for those who carry it around all day, for which a 14' would be more appropriate. Personally I like the screen, I have no issue with how bright it is. It seems bright enough for me (I got the LG screen). I really wanted a matte screen and Lenovo was one of the few options that had it. My first choice for a Laptop was initially the LG-S1 M0029, but was about 700CAD more expensive. As far as the screen is concerned is probably the same (S1 is driven by X1600 thou)

Didn't really test the battery life since this is not a big issue with me. Sound seems week, better through headphones, but again not something I care about very much. I removed some of Thinkvantage stuff that loads at startup and haven't tried the fingerptint reader yet.

No regrets so far with the purchase. Hope it stays that way.

 

Glad you're enjoying your machine! As I said, I think many of my beefs were with design choices Lenovo made on purpose, and that might work for many users. I really wanted the Lenovo build quality, but in other respects my preferences are more aligned with a media user than a business user (i.e., I prefer a glossy screen, better audio quality, etc.). I ended up replacing my TP with a MacBook of all things, and find it suits me a lot better. To pull out one issue I brought up, you're 100% right that the TP is a relatively compact 15.4" computer - I just find a 15.4" computer unwieldy (a preference that certainly isn't Lenovo's fault). So far I find my 13.3" MacBook perfect, which is part of the reason I went for a MB and not an MBP.

In any case, enjoy your computer.

 

Yep, I got every penny back, in spite of the fact that I had opened the box and used the computer for a day. They were pretty cool about the whole returns process.