I've gone retro - who needs "modern" Lenovos? (my collection)

So, after chasing specs and coupons for a shiny new Lenovo, I finally paused and actually though about my needs. I don't game. I don't need a blazing processor. I don't need 16gb of RAM and I don't need 1TB of disk space. I just need a reliable machine that is capable of Office/Internet/Video duties. I love Lenovos and have used them for over 15 years. So why do I always chase the latest and greatest? This I cannot answer. Keeping up with the Joneses I suppose. Well, I had an ephiphany the other day and finally realized the key things I need are a high resolution screen, portability and a tablet.

So how did I solve this quandry? Why I decide to buy three computers, of course! I am selling my new T520 and calling Lenovo to return my X230 tablet. I wanted to keep my "spend" under $1,000 for a (or multiple) machine(s). Here's what I managed to snag:

Lenovo T61p w/15" 1920 x 1200 screen

Found this beauty today locally online. $175. I picked it up this afternoon, got home and took it apart, blasted out the dust and vacuumed the nastiness out of the keyboard. Works like new. The screen is amazing with it's ridiculous resolution. My only complaint is it's a little dim. Total cost = $175 cash money

(snickers)
Lenovo IBM T61P T9300 2.5Ghz 4 Ram 500 Gig WUXGA 1920x1200 Windows 7 & Office! | eBay

Lenovo X301 w/13" 1440 x 900 LED screen

Snagged this on eBay for $409. Has a warranty until 1/2013. Mint condition and will be my travel machine. Also got a refurbed 256gb Crucial 1.8" SSD on eBay for $151 shipped. Total cost = $560

hasn't arrived yet

Lenovo X61 tablet w/1400 x 1050 screen.

Bought on eBay on 7/29/12 for $175 ($15 shipping). Wanted a tablet and never really use finger touch, so this machine will be perfect for notes/OneNote/sketching/fiddling. Didn't see any bubbles on the eBay photos, so we'll see. Doubt it has a warranty, but whatever. Total cost = $190

hasn't arrived yet

Total cost for all three? $925 And I firmly believe I now own three of the most legendary Lenovos ever built. Sounds exciting, right?

So here I sit with one (so far) old Lenovo. It feels great. Typing on it now. I guess the redeeming quality is I don't feel like I dropped too much money on a single machine. The X301, at $409, is my "premium priced" machine. Outside of that, I've spent more on dinner for the T61p and X61 tablet, so no worries there.


My point of this post is to share with the community that if you needs are pretty simple, there is no reason not to give an "old" Thinkpad a new life. I love the T61p and it's nice to know you can't get a screen like this on a laptop on anything but a 17" MBP (and yes, I've owned two of them in the past).

So, if you are shopping around for coupons and such, pause and ask yourself: why not an oldie but a goodie? I'm sure there are reasons this isn't an option (crazy gaming, CAD, whatever) I'd be willing to bet an old machine is perfect for most everyone. And it feels much better on the wallet, that's for sure.

Anyone else agree?


(I'll post some pictures when I have more time...)

 

My R60e is still a more than capable performer unless you need to max the CPU frequently.

 

I've pretty much gone back to just 1 main ThinkPad, my X61 tablet, though I do want an X200 tablet with multi-touch, which they are coming down to the ~350-400 range, 500 in warranty. I kind don't even like mainstream T series anymore, got rid of all but 1 last Z61t which likely will be sold shortly.

I got a pristine one off of ThinkPad forums for 200, bought an SXGA+ X60 tablet parts only for 160, swapped the SXGA+ and sold the X60 tablet for 60 bucks, bam.

 

I bought a mint T60p with a 15" 1600x1200 Flexview IPS screen last week for $210.

 

Battery life?

 

I was just about to post that.

Sandy/Ivy Bridge ThinkPads have significantly longer battery lives than the ones from the Core 2 era.

 

Well yes, that's a valid concern. The T61p battery on mine has 275 cycles and is in good condition. Hold at least a 3.5hr charge.

The good thing is, there are no "IS IT AUTHENTIC?" chips in the older machines, so off to eBay you go for a low priced (genuine) battery.

I'm plugged in 90% of the time so maybe it's not a big issue for me. If it becomes one, I'd consider it wear and tear and just part of ownership (like an oil change) to buy a new battery.

Edit: just read the clarification about chipsets. Makes sense. If this is critical, then by all means drop the cash on the latest machine. I care not personally. I never find myself away from an outlet for longer than 3 hrs. If I am taking a trans-continental flight without a power source, I'll carry a spare or two (which you'd need with the newest of machines anyway).

 

Nice hunting. X301 is the luxury model, right? But doesn't that kind of overlap with the T61p?

If I were you, I would just keep the X301, and let go of the rest. X61T is good once you upgrade to SSD, but the problem is with the battery life when it gets that old. Even if you replace the battery to a brand new, you won't get close as Sandybridge/Ivybridge because of efficiency. I remember I could get about 4.5 hours on a X61T with brand new battery, for normal internet surfing.

 

I've quickly learned that the X301 is one of the best, so I grabbed one. I don't consider it in any way overlapping the T61p. The T61p is a boat anchor. The X301 is very portable and light. Funny you said what you did because I am planning on using the X301 as my primary machine. If I find myself not using the others, I'll just get rid of them. At least I will most likely recoup 100% of my purchase price, unlike new machines that depreciate faster than a new car.

I paid $1,600 for a W520 last year and sold it for $1100. That hurt. Selling a klunker I got for $175 won't hurt one bit.

 

I'd be careful with that one presuming a production date older than 08/08...NHC is your friend, undervolt the darn nVidia...

You're missing at least seven to have the "top ten"...

No argument from me on that one...even a Pentium M-powered unit is plenty for office work and stuff like that...

Apart from X220T which has yet to be put to any remotely serious use, the newest machine in our household is Z61m, so yes, I'd tend to agree...

 

There are several issues with most of the X301's:

1. They run hot
2. Fan noise can become an issue
3. The screens suck (though they are bright)
4. 1.8" SSD drives aren't that plentiful or cheap

 

Thanks for the wet blanket

What is this you speak of? My production date is 12/2007 so I'm listening...

My T61p had a 3-yr warranty so what are the chances whatever was wrong with the nVidia card has been fixed? Any way to tell? I mean, it works fine after 5 yrs of use, so I'd be shocked it if up and dies on me all of a sudden.

 

Nice. I wish I had the will power to hold off on new laptops, but I unfortunately don't. Most people really don't need (myself included) the latest and greatest laptops. It is really just more a function of want and consumerism. I feel the same way about my previous cars, which was more of a problem until I moved to Seoul.

 

This is a very good point to consider! ^^^

I do not own a current ThinkPad at the moment as well. I have my "cute as a button" X200 that is my haul around campus work machine. So far it is working great for the programs that I have been using for my clourses. I was a bit worried but so far the labs have their own designated computers for running specific procedures. The programs for school that I do use (for rendering digital microscopy files for observations, NMR spectroscopy results, etc) work fine with the Core2Duo X200

I also have a T400 that I keep docked and connected to my 23" monitor. I often use a wireless mouse to navigate around the screen and play videos or music. I have gamed lightly on the T400 with games like zombies vs plants (yeah I know not the most demanding game ), Mirrors Edge, and Portal.

I plan on keeping these two ThinkPads for the time being. They have been good to me and I honestly like to be unique in an auditorium of silvery glowing apple laptops. Doesn't bother me one bit

 

T61/p and R61 units were shipped with defective nVidia chips, the same buggy GPU platform that had affected Dell, HP and Apple.

It's not the BGA solder problem like it was on A3x/T4x/R5x machines. The chip itself has an internal defect. There's no known permanent cure short of motherboard replacement.

Internet is full of horror stories regarding these GPUs. I wouldn't be that concerned, though...

December of 2007 is not a good date, the first boards with revised chips were rolled out in February of 2008, and from that point until July/August everything is a 50/50 chance...only boards made in August '08 or later are deemed "safe".

I wouldn't play games on that machine, or do anything GPU-intensive. Undervolting the GPU also sounds like a good idea in my book. Apply Middleton's BIOS so you can throw in a cooler-running Penryn CPU, a cheap one like T8100/8300 will work like a charm and produce far less heat that whatever Merom (T7500/7700?) is now in there...

Would I lose sleep over it? Heck, no. You can pick up an Intel board for the same size machine and live happily ever after.

I'm about done building a T601 FrankenPad that has a 14" (4:3) Penryn-capable nVidia board from February of 2008. To say that I've abused the living daylight out of the GPU to make it fail before I transplanted it into the new shell would be an understatement of the millenium. But that's me...and of course the darn thing lived...LOL...now I'm pretty certain that it's not going to fail anytime soon unless the next owner overclocks it...

Good luck.

 

My T500 got 8-9 hours of battery when my 9-cell was new, and it still gets about 6 hours of battery from light use at a usable brightness

I really do like my T500. From what I've seen, it manages to run quieter and cooler than the later x510 and x520 generations (haven't yet seen an x530 in person, so can't comment on that), and provides all the oomph I need with the P8700 and an SSD. Sure, the GPU could be more powerful, but as I have less and less time to game nowadays, it's not much of an issue. I'll probably continue using it for the next few years.

 

I get around 5-6 hours on X200T with 8-cell battery and I can't say I really need more. On top of that it runs extremely quiet even with fan on max RPM. That said, the new X230 was $600 on Barnes&Noble the other day. It's probably worth picking up over older models.

 

mehh ..

I've been gaming non-stop (~5 years already) on my heavily overclocked GPU, (and CPU by a little) and mine is a 2007 model. By heavily I mean over 50% on the GPU, lol. So if one knows how to keep temperatures down, no worries, the darn thing runs like a champ

that about the date stuff - I dont think nVidia changed production for the last month only, so IMO all chips within the revision are the same.

and on top of that all T61 boards can use Penryn CPUs. Older models would not measure CPU temp accurately, but no biggie, luckily there's another temp sensor that sits close to the CPU socket for the same reason, and luckily again TPFanControl uses that one Not that the Penryn temp sensor that Intel builds in is a precise one anyways.

if you plan on not using the laptop to its full capabilities, then just sell it and buy another one.

 

You've definitely gotten your money's worth out of that T61. Not everyone was that lucky. My first T61p lasted about three months before blowing the planar...and it was bought new...

While you're most certainly entitled to your opinion, you're not entitled to your own facts.

The "revised" chips started rolling out on T61/p units in February of 2008. From there until late July - when Lenovo destroyed thousands of boards because they were unable to determine which ones were good - everything is "mix & match". From August on - and the newest nVidia-based T61 I've ever seen was dated November of '08 - only the "revised" chips were used.

I used to believe the same thing. However, some recent reports on TPF seem to prove both of us wrong:

forum.thinkpads.com • T9300 in a T61 - with Nvidia Chip

A valid point indeed. However, a $175 full-size-well-equipped desktop replacement is hard to beat in my book...

 

Well, looks like the T61p honeymoon is wearing off already. Anyone who owns one, can it play 1080p youtube videos smoothly? Mine freezes and lags all over the place, fullscreen or not. This isn't a "deal-breaker" but with a 256mb graphics processor, I'd like to think it would work fine, no?

 

Eh, I thought you bought those vintage boxes to run Office 2007.

Anyway, there are many factors at work here, not just 256MB graphics memory. The GPU and driver implementations are obviously dated. And you know how ugly Flash can be.

 

Busted lol. I guess I am surprised it can't do this. Oh well.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

Windowed no problem at all, fullscreen occasionally choppy. And that's with Linux+nouveau, i.e. mostly without hardware video acceleration.

I also found myself on a retro trip recently with using my T61p quite often. The screen size and format is as awesome as the keyboard and the overall build quality.

 

Hardware graphics acceleration has come a long way in the last few years, so you'll tend to see that a lot with pre-Intel GMA 4500MHD machines (ie, before Core 2 Duo Montevina). The hardware acceleration and drivers are quite dated in that respect.

 

I just bought a new T430s for $890.11 delivered (including Core i5, 1600x900 display & 3yr warranty). BUT I actually tried to find a used/refurb X200s or x201s with a 1440x900 12.1" display first! I ordered a refurb X200s from TigerDirect that was listed as having the 1440x900 display and the 1.86GHz C2D SL9400 processor (for $399). It showed up with a mediocre 1280x800 display AND a 1.6GHz SL9300 processor! I wouldn't have minded the SL9300 if it just had the display that I wanted, but no such luck and I had to send it back. TigerDirect sucks, note to self.

Anyway, I love my new T430s, but I will still be keeping an eye out for a deal on a X201s. There are none to be found right now, but when they hit the 3-year mark in early 2013, off-lease units should start showing up on Ebay...or at least I'm hoping!

 

This is why I don't have Flash installed anymore.
I'm using script that does auto download YT videos as .flv files to HDD and then plays them with VLC.
I've forgot it's name, but I'm sure that some seraching over the web could be useful (for those interested with this idea).

But yeah, I'm quite Linux geek...

 

I was using the latest Chrome beta with flash preinstalled. I don't have flash installed otherwise.

Guess 1080p is too much. Oh well. Maybe I'll set YouTube to HTML5 and see if that works.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

guys, whoever is having problems with youtube videos may want to try out ThrottleStop, great program.

I guess here you need to point out how you get all that inside information on what's really going on at Lenovo. Or in a same manner you're entitling yourself into making your own facts based on what you've ever seen. At least I said "I think this is what happened" and gave my reasoning while you said "this is what happened".

now that is interesting. I just bought T9500 for my other 14" T61 wide with intel graphics and plan to install it when it arrives (within couple days). Will update on how it goes.

 

And I'm not going to provide the information that you're looking for directly, but will answer your question in a roundabout way: ask folks from Lenovo who were involved in the "extended replacement" program whether they'll deny anything I stated above. You know who to reach out to.

If you really want to pursue this matter further, feel free to PM me.

 

Well my thread caused quite a little dust-up, eh?

I got my X301 yesterday and it's quite the piece of engineering. Speakers are very loud and it's just so thin. It's definitely a keeper!

And I think the screen is fine. If you are looking for a Lenovo that you may never sell, the X301 is it.


.....although I have two incoming X230 tablets (don't ask) that are set for Tuesday delivery. I am seriously considering selling the T61p and X61 tablet (haven't even received it lol) and keeping the X301 and the X230 tablet as my only computers.

I also have a T520 I need to sell (brand new, literally).

I'm fickle and have way too many computers. And not enough sense, apparently. My wife has even stopped commenting when the doorbell rings...

 

the T9500 in my other T61 works just fine, at 2.8GHz may I say

small performance info: my primary T61 uses 4-4-4-12 g.skill memory and scores ~17.5 GFlops, while this one has the standard 5-5-5-15 chips and does ~17.15 Gflops. Heh, there's still performance increase if you choose good memory

EDIT:
mehh, today it's giving me constantly 17.75 Gflops with two times hitting above 17.8X
I still bought 4-4-4-12 memory for it though

 

Happy to hear that you like the little one. Enjoy!

I'd suggest giving the X61T a test drive for a few days...you may end up liking it more than the X230T, especially if you value higher-resolution screens...

My wife has been unusually quiet on these issues ever since she ordered (and subsequently received) her X220T...

If I had the resources/justification, now it would be a perfect time for me to sneak in a 17" IPS-equipped EliteBook, but that's not going to happen...

 

I do have an issue with the X301 though. The DVD drive doesn't work. I had to use an external drive to install Windows 7. I guess it's not that big of a deal since it has a warranty until 1/2013. I filed a warranty claim with Lenovo and they should be out next week (the warranty has next business day onsite).

 

Well, I guess you paid for onsite so you might as well use it. It's a 5 minute job though.

 

I'm honestly baffled that they haven't just offered to send you the part, since it should be a CRU...but then again, what do I know anymore...

 

Hmm. I sent a request here:

https://www-930.ibm.com/support/esc/signin.jsp

Is there a better way? I can easily replace the drive if that's all that's wrong.

 

I don't know whether it's better, worse or indifferent, but I'm old-school enough to always call the support, and not rely on the web...guess you'll wait and see what happens at this point, I don't see it as a big deal.

 

That's usually what I do but was super busy today so wrote them in-between conference calls.

If I don't hear back by Monday, I'll ring them.

 

That X301 is a beautiful laptop. I had one briefly. Just wish the screen wasn't as horrific as it is, wonder if there are any suitable replacements.

 

The somewhat-odd screen size makes sourcing a proper replacement (with the correct pinout etc.) a rather difficult, if not downright impossible task.

I'm not aware of any LCD that could be hacked into the X30x frame, while maintaining the resolution, and would be very curious to find out if there are any out there at all...

 

The MacBook Air comes with a 13.3" WXGA+ (1440x900) LED Display, but I don't know if it uses the same type of video cable and connector as the X301? Their version is also Glossy, not Matte, but it's a high quality display overall.

I loved my last ThinkPad (14.1" R61) except for the AWFUL display and that was why I dumped it on Ebay in less than six months! My brand new T430s is the first ThinkPad I've ever had with a decent display!

 

Heh, so the 430s has a good screen? Everyone seems to trash that one too.

 

I don't think that'll work.

The X300 and X301 used a custom panel.