Detailed Specs for Santa Rosa Lenovo ThinkPad T61 and R61 Listed on IBM Site

[Andrew Baxter]

IBM.com now lists all of the information for upcoming ThinkPad T61 and ThinkPad R61 notebooks due out in May.

• 14.1" Screen Lenovo ThinkPad T61
• 14.1" Screen Lenovo ThinkPad R61

Updated: the IBM pages above have been taken down, the specs for the T61 can still be found in a PDF downloaded from the T61 page however: Lenovo ThinkPad T61 PDF Specs, more specs can be found on an IBM site here

Lenovo ThinkPad T61

According to the information listed on the site, the ThinkPad T61 will have the following new features over the current ThinkPad T60:

• New Core 2 Duo (64-bit) processors with up to 2.4 GHz clock speed
• New Intel GM/PM965 chipset
• Choose a new 32- or 64-bit Vista or XP Professional operating system
• Improved wireless LAN (WLAN) and wireless WAN (WWAN) communications
• Faster hard drives available
• Selected models with Intel Turbo Card for improved performance (Robson technology)
• Full hard disk encryption available
• Balance of performance and portability with NVIDIA graphics
• Top cover LCD roll cage
• New four-in-one media card reader on selected models
• Integrated SmartCard reader on selected models
• IEEE 1394a
• Latest NVIDIA discrete graphics offerings
• SmartCard on select models
• Dimensions of 14.1" widescreen system: Width: 335 mm (13.2 in) x Depth: 237 mm (9.3 in) x Height: 27.6 to 31.9 mm (1.09 to 1.26 in)
• Weight for 14.1" widescreen: As light as 5lb

(view large image)

The site lists some example machine configurations, it appears that there are only widescreen versions of the T61 listed, an example config for the Australia region is:

• Lenovo ThinkPad T61
• 14.1-inch WXGA TFT (1280 x 800)
• Bluetooth wireless technology
• Integrated Fingerprint Reader
• Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7300
• Mobile Intel PM965 Express Chipset
• NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
• 120 GB / 5400 rpm
• DVD Recordable
• 1 GB Memory
• Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
• 6-cell battery
• IEEE 1394
• Express Card
• Microsoft Windows Vista Business

There are no listings of 15.4" screen versions of the ThinkPad T61 on the site, though we would expect such a machine to be available at launch. The fact that there are only widescreen 14.1" screen options listed for the T61 is interesting, Lenovo did not do a version of the T60 14.1" in wide but it appears they're now going all out with the widescreen option.

Also interesting is seeing the Intel Turbo Memory feature being offered, this will essentially be a form of hybrid hard drive in which 1GB of flash memory will be used to supplement hard drive performance -- a nice feature given the fact Windows Vista has slow boot-up.

Lenovo ThinkPad R61

According to the information on IBM.com the ThinkPad R61 will also be offered in a 14.1" widescreen format. Below are listed the new features for the ThinkPad R61:

• Intel Core 2 Duo (64-bit) processorsup to 2.4 GHz — T7100, T7300, T7500, T7700
• New Intel GM/PM965 chipset (Speedy 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), up to 4 MB L2 cache)
• Next generation of wireless LAN (WLAN) performance through 802.11n 2x3 MIMO
• 1 GB Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth, modem
• 14.1-inch wide screen
• Hard drives for different needs: Up to 160 GB, 5400 rpm / Up to 100 GB, 7200 rpm / Intel Turbo Memory Card boosts performance (select models) / Full disk encryption provides security
• Graphics: New NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128 MB) discrete graphics
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 graphics for clear images
• Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG LAN, Intel wireless 4945AGN LAN, or ThinkPad 11a/b/g⁶ WLAN card
• UltraConnect II antenna to help optimize frequency coverage and performance for improved WLAN connectivity around the world, when used with compatible options
• Widescreen 358-mm (14.1-in) with WXGA (1280 x 8000) or WXGA+ (1400 x 900) resolution TFT display 358-mm (14.1-in)
• Ultrabay for fast and easy hot- and warm-swapping of selected options
• 4-in-1 multi card reader
• FireWire IEEE 1394
• Dimensions of 14.1" widescreen system: Width: 335.5 mm (13.2 in) x Depth: 237 mm (9.3 in) x Height: 30.0 to 34.9 mm (1.20 to 1.37 in)
• Weight for 14.1" widescreen: 5.2lbs

(view large image)

Again, the site lists various example configurations for different regions of the world, an example for the Australia / New Zealand region is as follows:

• ThinkPad R61 774212M 7742
• 14.1- inch WXGA+ TFT (1440x900)
• Bluetooth wireless technology
• Integrated Fingerprint Reader
• Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7500
• Mobile Intel PM965 Express Chipset
• NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M
• Hard Drive: 120GB / 5400 rpm,
• DVD Recordable
• Memory: 2GB (2x1GB)
• Intel PRO/Wireless WiFi 4965AGN
• FireWire IEEE 1394
• 4-1 Multi-Card Reader
• Microsoft Windows Vista Business 64

Wrapping it up

So basically the story is The T61 and R61 are coming with planned availability dates of the following:

• May 2007 for initial rollout of the widescreen 14.1" versions
• Models with NVIDIA graphics and Microsoft Vista 64-bit or XP Pro will be available July 2007.
• Models with 160 GB (5400 rpm) FDE hard drives will be available July 2007.
• Models with Blu-ray DVD burner will be available July 2007.

So the rollout will be gradually over a couple of months for various configurations to be available. Intel Santa Rosa and new Nvidia graphics cards will be part of the mix. The widescreen domination continues, as Lenovo has now shifted to making this the first release for their new series. Other new features include Intel Turbo Memory, a rollcage for the lid, Blu-Ray available in the R61, integrated media card reader and FireWire. For more information on everything from warranty to heat and power dissipation just visit IBM.com:

• 14.1" Screen Lenovo ThinkPad T61
• 14.1" Screen Lenovo ThinkPad R61

[mujtaba]

Hmmmm,
There is no sign of the said X1800 or the FireGL V5250 in any of them.
Hopefully better GPU's will turn up.

[jtanwanteng]

yikes, who wants a x1800 in there? it would suck your battery dry in about 3 seconds.

I would like extremely good gfx performance however... where does the quadro nvs 140m stand?
is it better than a 7600/7700? If this is the same chip as the recently released 8600GTS (7900gs/x1950pro class performance), then: omg Lenovo has created the perfect laptop.

[martynas]

great, thanks for info!

[a75user]

still no 17 inch screen in Lenovo ?
I guess it is really hard for Lenovo to make own die-cast for biger screens

[klas]

does anyone have any idea if these laptops have HDMI or at least DVI output? So much new technology and it would really suck if they stick with VGA

[acaurora]

I do not believe they will have HDMI or DVI output. Those are more for the multimedia user, which Lenovos aren't meant for (rather business).

One thing I did find out is that the nVidia Quadro NVS140M that is on the T/R 61s is that it is based upon the G86, which is similar to the low end of the GeForce 8 series, which means that chances are it will be slightly if not a lot more powerful than the 128MB X1400 current ATi solution.

I wonder where they are going to stick this media card reader... there's no where really to put it ?

UltraConnect II... does that mean we get more antennas?

I thought someone had said they'd be coming with 1680x1050 14.1" as an option? No? Booo =[...

I really wonder how durable/effective/useful the "top LCD roll cage" is...

EDIT: After looking at the pic, it appears
- The T61 has an option for a webcam? COOL!
- ThinkLight has been moved to the left of the webcam... kind of "destroys the 'balanced' look" =[
- The UltraConnect II antenna(s) probably are below this webcam, as you can see the 'ribbed' strip above the screen, which actually makes the whole screen look smaller as that looks like about a 1 inch thick top frame... is that a bad thing for cosmetics?
- The media card reader probably is on the left side, as nothing looks changed/new on the right
- The front now has audio jacks instead of them being on the side! (I actually liked it being on the side =[ )
- The mic has been moved from the lower left corner of the keyboard to the right of the touchpad buttons
- Touchpad still is on the small side =[
- Logo plate has changed to "ThinkPad T series" - i believe some current new Lenovo owners have seen this change already
- Speakers have been moved to the sides, which means that either the keyboard has been moved forward or /gasp the touchpad actually IS bigger?

I cannot really talk for the R61's changes, as I do not have an R60

[Andrew Baxter]

I do not believe they will have HDMI or DVI output. Those are more for the multimedia user, which Lenovos aren't meant for (rather business).

They would have that in the docking station, there's no integrated HDMI or DVI.

[acaurora]

I'm still waiting on a good deal for the docking station for my T60, now that you mention it. I would love to hook up my T60 to my 22" Widescreen

[Paul]

Hmmm... a Thinkpad with nVidia graphics? Sounds like the perfect Linux laptop!

Seriously though, if they're going with nVidia graphics and a 14" widescreen format, I just might be tempted to jump on board with a Thinkpad T61.