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ThinkPad T61 15 Widescreen - 1 Yr Depot Warranty
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Ships within 1-2 weeks** $1,230.52 $1,230.52
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2)[1]
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium[12]
15.4 WSXGA+ TFT
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB)
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)[8]
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm[4]
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim[5]
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)[10]
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
6 cell Li-Ion Battery[60]
6459: Express - 1 Yr Depot Warranty[7]

System Processor[1] Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2)

Operating System[12] Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium

Operating System Language Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium US English

Display Panel 15.4 WSXGA+ TFT

System graphics NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB)

Total memory[8] 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)

Keyboards Keyboard US English

Pointing Device UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader

Hard Drive[4] 160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Optical device[5] DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim

System expansion slots PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot

Card Reader 4 in 1 Media Card Reader

Wireless cards[10] Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)

Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth PAN

Wireless Personal Area Network UltraWide Band (UWB)

Battery[60] 6 cell Li-Ion Battery

Power cord Country Pack North America

Language Pack Language Pack US English


40Y9214 1 Year On Site Upgrade with 1 Year ThinkPad Protection $119.00 $119.00



Savings: -$ 592.48

Subtotal: $ 1,349.52

eCoupon: Apply

Note: The eCoupon code is case sensitive


[USPSAVEMORE] -$ 136.73

Estimated total: $ 1,349.52*








How does this look? Do I need to add anything or take anything away...

 

You could downgrade your processor a bit and upgrade your RAM. Other than that, looks good.

 

nah T9300 is fine. Its much easier to upgrade RAM later and cheaper (aftermarket) than it is to upgrade CPU so always get the best cpu you can afford. If anything I'd make it 1Gb Ram (1DIMM) or 2Gb Ram(1DIMM) so as to leave one slot free for future upgrades. Note if using Vista you need min 2Gb.


btw there's better coupons than that. The one in Notebook deals still works.

 

I would downgrade the screen to just WXGA+ unless you are used to it.

My current Dell has that high res screen, 1680x1050, its nice, but I'm pretty sure it made my eyes go bad since I've used it. Fonts too small, and when you adjust it sometimes site don't look right.

 

I considered the T9300 but decided on the T8300 because I don't thing the performance boost is that great.

Insted of 2GB ram, get 1GB (1 DIMM) and buy a 2GB DIMM from some place else for cheaper than the 1GB upgrade from Lenovo.

Same is probably true for the HD. Both is what I did, but YMMV.

 

How did you decide that?


Seems like the T8300 would be good choice for lower processing required applications and longer battery life.


The T9300 would be a better option for more demanding applications.


IMO the pricing on upgrades from T8300 to T9300 is very fair and worth the extra money if you need the power.

 

Stay with the T9300, it really isn't that much more money and IMOP is worth it.

 

I would love to do that myself, but unfortunately with a 15.4" Widescreen you have a choice between WXGA and WSXGA+. I would love a 1440x900 option on a 15.4" T61.

 

I based it on comments from this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=214306

Personally I think the T8300 is the best bang for the buck. I chose to use the money saved on the processor and upgrade the graphics (going to T61p instead of T61).

 

Hard Drive[4] 160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

I would pick a 250 GB 5400 rpm drive if the price difference is minimal and you plan on keeping the laptop for many years. It's amazing how fast an HD fills up. Plus, the slower spinning drive will save you battery time. The rest is all fine IMO.

I'm considering about the exact same config in a 14" model.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=226339

 

I would get more than 1 yr of warranty if I were you.

 

At the price Lenovo is giving the T9300 I think it is worth it to upgrade. Other places are charging 100+ to upgrade from T8300 to T9300 and that may not be worth it.

Go with the best processor you can afford I say.

Did you use all the discounts? If you use a Visa card to purchase you can get an additional 5% plus up to 11% off. That's on top of the Lenovo 25%.

If you don't use a Visa card I think there are similar deals, but I don't know them exactly.

 

^^ You brought up a good point. I've seen other companies and they 're charging alot more for T9300. The T8300 is still excellent but I'm always of the thought that when it comes to notebooks, go for the best cpu you can afford as long as price is reasonable and its not going to increase the heat output all that much ( ie no extreme processor price premiums).

Why? Because you're likely going to be stuck with that cpu for the lifetime of that notebook. RAM and HDD aren't and can be swapped in and out easily and cheaply w/o voiding warranty, anytime the need arises. However, with ultraportables or a user on the go alot they may need to balance power efficiency and speed.

 

This is somewhat true, although the T61's CPU should be replaceable for a user with technical skills, since it isn't soldered to the mainboard. That said, the CPU is cheaper to purchase in this case than to upgrade later. It all depends on what applications the original poster intends to run. I got the T8300 myself; it was worth $35 to me over the T8100, but I couldn't justify another $80 above the T8300 for the T9300.

I would agree with this assessment, though I don't think more than two years is worth it, as cost goes up and the laptop depreciates.

Truer words could not be spoken. I really wanted a 15.4" 1440x900 display myself; too bad it isn't available.

If she plans on keeping it many years, by the time the 160GB is full, drive prices will likely have dropped. It's already possible to buy a 120GB 5400rpm drive for $60 new; not so long back that same drive would have set you back $100. The same applies to other notebook hard drives, the price has gone down. Plus, buying a new larger drive later will give a better warranty on the drive (3-5 years, provided you purchase the right brand) and likely even better performance.

Outdoorsygal, one other note: Before you make the purchase, do a Google search for "lenovo coupon". Lenovo has a lot of promotional codes; you could easly save 10-15% off the price in your basket depending on the deals available at the time.