Help me fine the perfect T6X for my budget.

I have a $750-$850 budget. I need a laptop to last me through the summer until I have the money to buy a X200t.
I would like something small, but Price/Performance dictates something a bit bigger.

There seem to be 20 different R/T60 Models. R60-T60-T61-T60p-etc-etc
I need:
Widescreen
A high screen res (at least 1280x800)
80GB+ HDD Bigger is better but I can also upgrade this part myself.
A 6 cell (maby) battery as long as it sits reasonably flush with the rear.
And the most important---
A dual core processor, Low voltage preferred if any are available.
Speed 1.6 and up, dosen't really matter since now I'm using a 1.8 Cel M lol.
Light weight would also be good.

If I cant find the perfect one, I will probably just go with the SL300.

Does anyone know if X61t's can be had in this price range?

 

There are plenty of new Thinkpads in the Lenovo outlet. Providing you are buying from the US.

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/LenovoOutlet/Notebook/new/

 

Have you looked at the Lenovo Outlet. They have some great deals.

 

What's wrong with your current machine; should that not last until summer? You could apply the money you save by not buying one now to the X200t you want in the future.

 

I agree with ZaZ. 6 months is too short a time to buy a computer as a bridge (unless your current one is broken).

Either save your money up for an x200 Tablet (it's worth it in my opinion) or see if you can find a x61 Tablet at a decent price [probably at least $1100] (this is not much of a step back from the x200 Tablet [main difference is screen brightness/keyboard size]).

If you absolutely must buy a computer to get you through the next 6-9 months, I would recommend you consider picking up a used model off eBay/Craigslist/etc. from somebody that is upgrading to a T400/x200/etc. You should be able to find a T60 (non-P) or x60 model at a decent price to hold you over. If you want low voltage, you should look for a x60s or x60 Tablet. Very few of these models will have widescreens (and some may only be 1024x768) but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

Yeah I just took a look at the used places near where I live, they have a lot of like X60's and I found a few X41t's for maby $300 USD.
I might get one of those.

Can the processor on older Lenovo's be upgraded? I read about a guy who swaped a C2D into his Acer. As long as the FSB is the correct speed and the newest Bios it would work right?

But I need my own pc because the one im on now is my girlfriends, and she needs it a lot for school, and I need mine for school also.

Are there any Lenovo PCs that are say, 14", with a very high screen res? I was looking at some R400's, and some older laptops that seemed okay, since im just going to get rid of it in awhile anyways.

 

I don't think you will have much luck upgrading the processor on older Lenovo's. I know the x series uses soldered (not socketed) CPUs, so upgrading them is almost impossible. Even if you could swap it out you may have issues with the BIOS and/or cooling, so I wouldn't try it.

What is your definition of very high res? The T4x (and t60) were available with 14" SXGA+ (1400x1050) screens. You can also get SXGA+ on the 12.1" X60/x61 Tablets (these screens are also FFS [much higher quality color and viewing angles than TN displays]). To the best of my knowledge, 1600x1200 was only available on 15" or larger displays (e.g. the 15" T60P with UXGA Flexview [very good quality, albeit not very bright]).

If you need dual core performance, your best bet is probably to pick up a T60/T61 as these offer dual core (some Core 2 Duo, others Core Duo) processors and SXGA+ 14.1" displays. You may also want to consider the T4x as they offer good (albeit single core) performance, superior keyboards, a manageable size, and great overall design/feel (I used a 14.1" T40 for 5 years and loved it).

If your main concern is a light machine with good battery life and acceptable power for taking notes, creating documents, watching videos, and similar tasks you may be better served by the x series (Tablet for high resolution/flexibility, -s if you want smallest size). The x60 Tablet offers a Dual core low voltage processor (some Core 2 Duo, others Core Duo) and some were available with SXGA+ 12.1" displays. The x60s will be thinner and lighter, however it is only available with an XGA display.

No matter what you get, you should max out the memory (DDR2 is dirt cheap) to get improved performance. You should also focus on integrated graphics if you care more about battery life than gaming (even the dedicated ones will be deficient for most games).