Head up on the Lenovo deal

[LordMorpheus]

So everyone knows Lenovo builds laptops just as well as IBM used to, but you paid for it.

They've got a bunch of large discounts running through (I think) the 25th of november. I just bought a Thinkpad T61p, very well spec'd out (2 gigs ram, T7300 proc, nVidia Quatro FX 570M 256 mb, 15.4" screen) for 1192.50

Original price: 1625.00
Current deal: -300.00
e-coupon : -132.50 (code is USPSAVE1DAY)

I think it's a hell of a deal, I'm sure a number of you are already aware of it, but for those that aren't and want a windows laptop ...

Anyway, I'm excited. I've yet to hear a bad thing about a lenovo laptop, and I bought one powerful enough to do real work on (mostly large matlab programs, and some 3d design/finite elements stuff).

Probably roughly twice as powerful as my huge desktop, and easily portable. I can't wait.

 

[SleepWalkerX]

good stuff. lenovo is the only way to go for me. wouldn't replace it for any other laptop.

 

[zetsway]

Great find! I have the T40. I think it may be time for me to upgrade. :Q

 

[DarkThinker]

HOLY COW THAT IS A NICE DEAL ON THE T61P

 

[cmv]

Good stuff. I can't afford one at the moment but I can't wait to toss this POS Toshiba low-end laptop (it's an unfair comparison because it's dirt cheap but man does it suck compared to the T61p I had through work).

 

[Stas]

I wish IBM was still making laptops

 

[Taejin]

I don't see the Thinkpad 61p, and I don't see the 256MB nvidia quadro gfx card as an option when customizing your laptop..how did you do this?

 

[Jenova314]

Originally posted by: zetsway
Great find! I have the T40. I think it may be time for me to upgrade. :Q

As a current IBM employee, let me warn you against that. The T60 was one of the first laptops produced by Lenovo, and right away, our consultants began having widespread BSOD issues. The T61's were no exception.

I'm actually using a T40 right now, and I refused an upgrade to a T6x from my manager for the reasons mentioned above.

 

[EEmarty]

I use my t60 at work for 8 hrs a day and bring it to and from work every day. It's been the most reliable and satisfying computer I've had yet. I've had no BSOD's and actually no problems at all so far, I've been using it full time for 2 months now.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: Taejin
I don't see the Thinkpad 61p, and I don't see the 256MB nvidia quadro gfx card as an option when customizing your laptop..how did you do this?

lenovo.com>United States > Notebooks > Thinkpad series >T series > Thinkpad Mobile Workstation (the other two options here are for T61's, the T61p is under the Thinkpad Mobile Workstations, and the offered datasheet here is for the T60, but if you select this you find the T61p with the 256mb quadro).

You might have to pay ~49 more than I did, I have an unused copy of windows vista ultimate (my current machine isn't compatible enough for it to be useful, so I went back to XP), so I downgraded to vista home basic to save the money and I'll install ultimate when I get the computer.

 

[apac]

FYI, my company supplies Lenovo laptops to all our employees and we've had nothing but trouble with the T60p models. Lockups, BSODs, heat issues, etc. Who knows, maybe we got a bad batch, but the consensus is they haven't been very good.

 

[bactiman]

Got in on the X61 for $1400.

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

Originally posted by: apac
FYI, my company supplies Lenovo laptops to all our employees and we've had nothing but trouble with the T60p models. Lockups, BSODs, heat issues, etc. Who knows, maybe we got a bad batch, but the consensus is they haven't been very good.

I service all the t60s (we've got maybe 10) and all the t41/t42/t43 (we've got around 30) laptops for the company I work there. I also configure them for the users when they are new and reconfigure used ones for staff changes... etc.. I take care of just about everything IT related. I started there 2 years ago, before t60s even existed, I've had my hands on all of our systems, a lot, for any and every niggling little issue.

The t60s are just as good as the t41/t42/t43 laptops. We don't have any T60p, nor anything else p. The best part and the worst part of these machines are the IBM/lenova/thinkvantage custom software pieces. They enable functionality that makes things happen and work quickly (especially for noobies who are unable to 'find a way'), but also tend to be fragile and non-functional unless rolled out correclty and still frequently come down with problems. Examples- sysem restore, rescue and recovery, fingerprint software, client security solution, presentation director, access connections, and system update.

Not meaning to take this thread and make it too OT, probably a more important point than the side tracking statements above is that the machine the OP has configured out seems like a very good price for a good machine. I think we are paying more for ours when we buy them and I know for a fact the machines we are getting have lesser processors, video cards, and also memory. If possible I would try to see if I could get a 7200 RPM drive in my system, at least for the tasks I find myself doing, a little extra speed for storage-intensive tasks will pay off big time over the lifetime of the machine.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: Shaftatplanetquake

Originally posted by: apac
FYI, my company supplies Lenovo laptops to all our employees and we've had nothing but trouble with the T60p models. Lockups, BSODs, heat issues, etc. Who knows, maybe we got a bad batch, but the consensus is they haven't been very good.

I service all the t60s (we've got maybe 10) and all the t41/t42/t43 (we've got around 30) laptops for the company I work there. I also configure them for the users when they are new and reconfigure used ones for staff changes... etc.. I take care of just about everything IT related. I started there 2 years ago, before t60s even existed, I've had my hands on all of our systems, a lot, for any and every niggling little issue.

The t60s are just as good as the t41/t42/t43 laptops. We don't have any T60p, nor anything else p. The best part and the worst part of these machines are the IBM/lenova/thinkvantage custom software pieces. They enable functionality that makes things happen and work quickly (especially for noobies who are unable to 'find a way'), but also tend to be fragile and non-functional unless rolled out correclty and still frequently come down with problems. Examples- sysem restore, rescue and recovery, fingerprint software, client security solution, presentation director, access connections, and system update.

Not meaning to take this thread and make it too OT, probably a more important point than the side tracking statements above is that the machine the OP has configured out seems like a very good price for a good machine. I think we are paying more for ours when we buy them and I know for a fact the machines we are getting have lesser processors, video cards, and also memory. If possible I would try to see if I could get a 7200 RPM drive in my system, at least for the tasks I find myself doing, a little extra speed for storage-intensive tasks will pay off big time over the lifetime of the machine.

I thought about the 7200, it was another 80 dollars. In the end I didn't want to spend the money, and the 5400 will give the battery a longer life. I also thought about the 9-cell, but again, another 80 dollars. Maybe in the future.

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

Originally posted by: LordMorpheus
I thought about the 7200, it was another 80 dollars. In the end I didn't want to spend the money, and the 5400 will give the battery a longer life. I also thought about the 9-cell, but again, another 80 dollars. Maybe in the future.

Yeah, $80 extra for the drive is a total ripoff. The 7200 RPM drive itself should cost about $80, so its almost like they aren't giving you any money for the stock 5400rpm drive in the upgrade process. And you are definitely right about the battery life going down. Also, depending on which drive you get, it may also be quite a bit noisier.

 

[piotrgurin]

Its an even better deal now!

7500 proc, $1150

code is USPDECSAVINGS

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: piotrgurin
Its an even better deal now!

7500 proc, $1150

code is USPDECSAVINGS

Nice.

I've been telling my Mom to get a Lenovo for ages, this looks like it'll get the cost down enough to make her bite.

 

[legoman666]

I love my R61, if I hadn't bought it already, I'd grab this one.

 

[alien42]

i just built the exact same T61p that the OP has listed with the code USPDECSAVINGS (13.33% off but expires tomorrow) and the current grand total is...

$1,056.25

I am thinking about this same laptop except upgrading the HD (for speed more then space) and downgrading the processor to a T7250

 

[Savarak]

all my BSODs in vista ended when i turned off active protection system

 

[carver5678]

our family has owned thinkpads for maybe 10 yrs. we currently have 3, including a T60p and a T61p. IMHO they are still built like tanks. the T61p has survived a very hard fall with no damage other than a very small crack (son left it on top of the car and drove off; it was in a sturdy brenthaven laptop sleeve).

i get maybe a couple of BSODs per year, which is the least of any windows machine i own. of course, i don't run vista.

they still rate very highly in PC mag's annual reliability surveys, even after the transition to lenovo. from my perspective, the transition to lenovo was huge win: no degradation in quality but a big drop in price!

 

[luv2liv]

i got my x61 a month ago with the coupon and couldnt be any happier!
this thing feels very solid. very well made! just wishing they have other colors besides black