Starting from ground zero for my laptop search

Summary

I'm on a quest to replace my Thinkpad T41. (More background here as well.)

Which machines are in the "realm of possibility"? Thinkpad T60/T61 are looking best thus far (T400's and up look too bulky...but I'm about to visit a retail store to see them in person to find out for sure...)

My answers to the "question template":
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...c6400-6910p-6930p-thin-cheap.html#post6493703

Most recently-discovered issue: "shorter" 16:9 is problematic

Just saw in-person (for the first time) the 16:9 display of a T61p. Very disappointing. Don't like the "shorter" display (less vertical space) one bit. If I must, I probably want a 1920x1200 resolution (not sure of exact number) to deal better the shorter display.

So I'm now adding T60's and T61's with 4:3 displays to my hunt list. Also going to visit retail store with T400/T400s/T410/W510 to check out what the chassis sizes actually look like.

My "utopia" machine

• Thin laptop (width depth aren't as much of a concern): 1.2" or less (or "in the ballpark")
• I want to get maximize height from my display; need 'em tall. Widescreens won't do. Presumably this means 4:3 (or at least 16:10 in some of the T60/T61's, but 4:3 much preferred), but not 16:9. And probably 15".
• 1400 x 1050, 1600x1200 resolutions (or similar/greater size)
• bright display to handle outdoor viewing in sunlight
• Superb battery life
• All in a Thinkpad

It looks like I'm not going to get all of these (unless maybe I get a T60/T61...but concerned about battery life and display brightness in ourdoors/sunlight). Trying to figure out the tradeoffs.

I can possibly get over battery life with multiple batteries, but need external (non-laptop) charger. May be hard to steer clear of Thinkpad, but right now with dearth of models that fit above needs I'm open to other suggestions (see my other posts below).

 

T510 or W510 are the only options.

You wont be able to get a 4:3, youll be lucky to get 16:10 and not 16:9 lol.

 

Thanks ahl395. Problem is, the T510/W510 looks like it's enormous, with it's 1.8" thickness. But I'm about to see for myself at a CDW store.

Will be looking at the T60/T61's otherwise... unless anyone else has a better suggestion?

 

I'm at a store physically inspecting a W510, T410, and T410s, and comparing them all along with my old T41 and R52.

Upside: neither of the T410 or W510 seem nearly as bulky as I expected they would. I'd be comfortable buying either and lugging them around.

A downside: the 15" screen on the W510 is offers almost no extra vertical display space over the 14" T410 I'm looking at. I'd guess .1" more. But set them right next to each other, and the only real difference I see is width (which is significant), not height. Summary: 15" display doesn't help me for vertical real estate.

Yes, width is helpful, particularly for showing two apps side-by-side on same screen. But I'm trying that on the W510 with web browsers, and it's very cramped. Not that useful. I don't watch movies on these things. I do business. And the width helps with big spreadsheets, but that's the only thing I can think of where lots of width helps.

Bottom line: New thinkpad T/W-series physical chassis size and weight work for me, but I still have big issue the shorter (less vertical height) widescreen. If I didn't, I'd be buying some T400/T410 without thinking twice.

 

To portray how much I like height in my displays: My home desktop has 2 rotate-able Samsung SyncMaster 204B's that I prefer to rotate to "vertical" mode (and 1200x1600...instead of 1600x1200). I simply don't watch movies or anything like that on my computer. I read/write email, surf the web. I'll try to get eliminate every last millimeter of "status" bars from my web browsers so I can display max height for my web pages. Occasionally I'll want a widescreen for "wide" spreadsheets. But not usually.

 

Right now, this is looking to boil down to:

Is the much taller display of a 15", 4:3, 1600x1200/UXGA, Flexview T60 or T61 worth the "step down" in battery life compared to a T400/T410?

 

I should also ask: is there anything "taller" than the 15", 4:3, 1600x1200/UXGA T60(p) or T61(p) Flexview in the Thinkpad line (even if it's an OLD model)?

 

Saving helpful thread about Flexview/UXGA/1600x1200 T60's: http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/127769-compre-t61s-screen-t60ps-uxga-flexview-ips.html (for my future reference)

 

For your screen requirement, i would say the T60 or T61 is your best option then. I dont know of else really available with a 4:3 screen

 

^I second this. If you're looking for the best vertical resolution and size, the 15" T60p with the 4:3 UXGA display is probably the best suited to your size needs. However, they are out of production and you won't be able to find them new.

I used to have one of these machines. It's about the same height as a 17" 16:10 notebook, but not as wide... the resolution is the 4:3 equivalent of 1920x1200. When I had mine it was a compliment to a Dell XPS M1730 I had, which was 17" and 1920x1200. The IPS Flexview display is by far one of the best LCDs ever fitted to a laptop in terms of clarity, viewing angles, and color reproduction... it is simply wonderful.

The only problems I could see for you are the battery life and the fact that the UXGA panels on the T60p are kinda dim... since on an earlier thread you said you needed a good panel for use in direct sunlight. I'd say my experiences with the T400 in that regard are much better, but the T60p should still be usable. Expect a major reduction in battery life, on a machine that sees about 3 1/2 hours from a new 9-cell. When using it in college I carried around four batteries... one 6-cell, two 9-cell, and an Ultrabay so I could swap out without powering the machine off.

Other info on the T60p: For what it is the prices are coming down nicely... for its time these systems were north of $3K and very well-featured. Port selection is pretty much identical to a T400 minus the Firewire. Max RAM is 3GB(chipset limitation that can't be worked around) but it will take up to a Core 2 Duo T7600, making it relatively powerful by modern standards.

The only GPUs on a T60p are the ATi FireGL V5200 and V5250. No integrated graphics option as these were designed to be mobile CAD workstations. They're older and a little less powerful than the optional HD3470 on the T400, but they're still capable. The only caveat is that they run hot. Idle temps will be in the 60-70C range, and under load you'll hit nearly 100C. However, I've never heard of a GPU failure on a T60p... these things are stable despite the blistering temps.

So, all in all: The T60p provides a top-notch screen, great keyboard and good hardware at a price that'll fit your budget. However, the cons are that it's kinda heavy, runs very hot, and the battery life isn't that great. Get what you think is best, but many people still see this machine as the gold standard of ThinkPads. I'd get one again in a heartbeat as long as I could fit it in the budget.

Edit: Here's a review off of this site for the 15" T60p. Good comparison pics to show you what you're dealing with: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2864

Also, if you're really savvy(or know someone who is) I've heard of some people modding a QXGA(2048x1536) display to fit in one of these. However, this requires some serious modding skills to the point where even I seemed a bit hesitant to go forth and do it.