Impressions of the T61p

I'm thinking of ordering the 15 inch T61p today. I like the general design and it has great specs. I just have a couple questions for anyone who owns it.

What do you think of the screen (I'd get WSXGA+ but whatever you have I'd still like to hear about it)? I've heard complaints that it's washed out and not very bright.

Does anyone know if you can buy it with only the 9 cell battery? That's all I plan on using and I'd rather not have to buy it separately and then just throw aside the 6 cell that comes with it.

Is there any way to get a webcam on it? I think I heard that it was available on the European version but I'm not sure.


Also any general comments about the laptop from personal experience would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

I always get the WSXGA+ . The resolution is improved. Though I think if you get the WSXGA+ you will not be able to get built in webcam.

You should be able to buy the 9cell battery as the standard battery.

anyways, just go to lenovo website and customize one. You will see all the features that are available.

 

WSXGA+ is actually the lowest resolution lenovo offers on the T61p, but regardless of which screen I select I don't any option for a webcam. I know you can get an external one but it's not really the same.

And under power options they only let you choose a six cell. I think a month or so ago when I looked they also let you choose a nine cell but maybe it's just always been like this.

 

can you upgrade to a 9 cell battery? that's how i got mine. it was like a $60 upgrade.

 

I don't think so. Look under "power" near the bottom.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...000311:&smid=1F106632CBC24D2CBD23DF19644D3694

And so how do you like the screen?

 

The T61P is a powerful laptop, but it is business-oriented. So, no webcam, no HDMI, etc. The screen is matte, so you don't get the nice vibrant colors like you would from a glossy screen such as a Sony Vaio (although the upcoming LED screens may change that). It is solidly built, has a great keyboard and can run about anything. The battery life ain't shabby, either (I've got the 9 cell).

IMO, if you're looking for a portable computer that is comfortable to type on for long periods of time, and has a good GPU for running applications and games, it's right for you. If you're looking for a top-of-the-line gaming rig or multimedia station, you'll be disappointed in the screen quality.

I've already used my new T61 to type a lengthy paper and I can honestly say it was easier to type with than my desktop.

 

I'll be taking it with me to college, and I'll be using it for photoshop, video editing, some gaming (hence why I want a powerful laptop), but probably most importantly just web browsing and word processing.

I need the keyboard to be comfortable for long typing sessions (which everything I've read suggests it would be), and for the screen, I don't need eyepopping colors, though it would be nice if movies and pictures would look pretty good, but the most important thing is that the screen is easy to view for extended periods of time. I decided against glossy screen because I was worried that the reflections would get too bothersome, but I'm just worried that if the T61P's screen is too dim then it'll be really eye-straining.

 

For me the resolution is far more worrisome than screen brightness. Have you gone to a brick and mortar shop to take a look at how a laptop with similar resolution/nits looks to you?

Also, if you're concerned about brightness then you may want to consider waiting until the new LED-based Lenovo laptops come out over the summer (probably well in time for school).

 

I've seen laptops with the same resolution I'm considering, but I'm not sure how to compare brightness.

Anyway I didn't know that LED lenovos we're coming out soon, I think I should probably wait for that. I was only thinking of getting it today because there was a sale and good coupon (USPTHINKSAVINGS).

Is there any rumor as to when the new laptops should be out?

And thanks for you help everyone.

 

Lenovo is always having coupon and sales.
The new line of Thinkpads will probably come out around June. But as said before, if you can wait to buy a laptop, then wait. If not, buy it now. IMO the current price is a really nice deal. New models will be very pricey.

 

I got a T61p with a WSXGA+ LG screen. Isn't grainy, pretty even backlighting but backlight bleed when screen is black, from the bottom. It's not as bright as a glossy, but I think the colour reproduction is much better than LG Dell M1530 panels (I used to have one). Only nitpicks would be backlight bleed when the screen is black and not extremely bright. I think the reason why most call the Thinkpad screens dim is because they are matte, in comparison to the majority of laptops today, which are glossy. The gloss coating definitely makes a difference. It's sometimes quite annoying as it's reflective.

The build quality is much better than the M1530. Only nitpick here is a mushy palmrest (same with the Dell). It can be fixed easily by removing 4 screws on the bottom, removing the palmrest, and putting 3-4 layers of electrical tape underneath the palmrest.

Keyboard (ALPS) is a bit loud, asked for a NMB replacement. But I think it is just me not being used to IBM keyboards.

Really quiet laptop, doesn't run very warm (palmrests don't feel warm at all!).
Was able to undervolt the T9300 to 1.150V under load (totally stable).

Battery life is excellent: 2h30min with 6 cell, 4h with 9 cell.

The gigabit ethernet is pretty fast in comparison to other implementations. It's an Intel chip. Downfall of the M1530 was no gigabit ethernet.

Arrived with less bloat than most laptops, but still too much for my taste. Easily rectified.

Feels really solid. Fingerprint reader isn't as finicky as the ones on the M1530.

Hinges are tight, don't wobble.

It's actually quite thin, thinner than I thought. It's just the LCD frame that is thicker than usual.

The trackpoint and left/right/center click are (surprisingly) really productive.

Things I miss (of the M1530) (in order of importance):
1. Media remote
2. HDMI out
3. Glossy screen (this is debatable, the gloss is sometimes nice)
4. Slot-load optical drive
5. Magnetic lid closing system

But I really find the T61p much better as the Dell m1530 has absolutely HORRENDOUS build quality. I could literally use one finger and pry the whole LCD frame apart. The "metal" palmrest was mushy and was pretty rough in texture. The front of the laptop had really crappy plastic, you could see the remnants of the plastic molding process. And the 320GB hdd in the M1530 clicked every few minutes, quite annoying (this is not a defect, others have reported this).

 

Well first off I love the screen it looks great I never set mine to full brightness because it is just too bright. With a calibration the colors look great not washed out or dull. Overall the screen is bright the picture is sharp and the colors brilliant.

I am 100% sure you can get it with just the 9-cell I ordered mine a couple of months ago with only the 9-cell.

No webcam it is not an option on the t61p.

I completly love my T61p Check out the review and screen comparison in my sig to get some more info. I don't think there is any other laptop that can compare to the T61p. It is built like a tank, it is small and thin, very quick and powerful and is just a pleasure to type on.

 

justin_c: Great review and I agree with just about everything you said which is why I did not get the Dell 1530 after a lot of serious looking, including seeing it first hand at the Dell Kisok near my home. I'm happy with my T61's.

 

I've got a question. Is that an exposed display ribbon cable between the chassis and the display panel? Not sure if I like that or not.

 

Sure, you can see the ribbon, but that really isn't a dealbreaker for me.

 

Yeah the ribbon cable is exposed. It's not in a vulnerable place.

I have noticed a few problems with my T61p:

1. Very faint whining sound, because of Speedstep. To be honest, you have to hold the left palmrest to your ear to hear it in normal, quiet room conditions. The fan obscures it. But when you've been in a quiet room for a long time, it starts to bug you, moving from low pitch to high pitch. I think this is unavoidable because it is coming from the voltage regulation of the CPU. Some people claim that they don't have whine, but after talking with a fellow Intel engineer, he said that almost all laptop CPU implementations have a whine, even very very quiet.
So I guess this doesn't warrant a return. Your thoughts?

Mushy palmrest, lot of laptops have this. I'm thinking of ways to solidfy the right palmrest and the left and right sides of the keyboard.

Ultrabay DVD writer is loose (vertically). Drive can be wobbled up and down and there are gaps between the chassis and drive.

I have downclocked my T9300 to 0.95V from multipliers 6x to 10x, 11x at 1.0000V and 12x at 1.0375V. With low brightness, and CPU on 6x, the battery estimate with 9 cell is ~6h. Snappy speed for browsing.

So...in short, do you guys have CPU whine? If so, have you replaced your T61p? And is the optical Ultrabay supposed to be loose?

 

I've read elsewhere that a few layers of electrical tape on the underside of the palm rest can firm it up, if it's a problem.

 

How much photo editing? I love my T61p, but that's because I use it mainly for Word and monster Excel sheets... if I had to do photo-editing on it, I would send it back. The screen has horrible dithering (6 bit panel?), as shown in my review.

Hooking it up to an external monitor would be good, as it does have a good graphics adapter in it... I'm still at a loss as to understand why they would hook up a professional graphics adapter to a panel so obviously unsuited to graphics work.

 

I have the WXGA+ screen in My T61P. The "washed out" comments are most likely due to its lack of color correction. Stock, the display is too blue. There is a little light bleed from the bottom, which shows while playing Thief.When color corrected, I feel the display is not bad, well for a 6-bit display, but no one seems to want to give the consumer a choice on that.

Also, the CMOS and (Nvidia's) display driver can be set so that the text is readable outside, whereas stock both systems try to dim the display.

 

I think I'm going to wait for the new thinkpad's to come out (in the next month or so?). The LED backlit screens should solve any problems and I think I'd be much happier in the long run. Is Lenovo likely to discontinue the T61p's right after launching the new line? I think I'd probably get the new one but if it's really expensive and I'd have to make too many sacrifices in terms of power I'd want to be able to fall back on the T61P

 

you should still be able to get a t61p after the new ones come out.