T60p is in da house

[UtwigMU]

I needed a backup notebook to my X61 Tablet (if it stops my business stops), which shows some signs of flakiness - bubbles in display and battery died.

So yesterday I snagged 14" 1400x1050 T60p for 150 Euros. Battery in it is also dead but even if i buy new battery, the price is very good.

Now I need to pimp it up a bit with more RAM SSD and perhaps 64-bit CPU.


I don't like widescreen and newer notebooks which appeal to me are currently too expensive (W520, T420s, X220 Tablet). I'd rather have a desktop with multiple large monitors.

[UtwigMU]

Update:
It came with Intel network cards, no bluetooth, 2x512MB, 100GB 7200 drive. I split the RAM between T60p and X61T as 2.5GB each and I'm now installing Windows 7.

I can get new original battery on Monday. If I can replace display on X61 T successfuly I'll upgrade it to 8GB and then transfer 4GB modules to T60p. SSD and 64-bit CPU are also planned.

[Chucky Cheese]

Ssd

I updated my old Sony VAIO 17" laptops boot drive to an Intel SSD drive and WOW, what a difference that made. It came with two 80 GB HDDs' originally(C,D)

[VJ]

I was thinking of doing a similar upgrade to my laptop, but it uses the 1.8" standard and has this ZIF type connector (came with 60 GB HDD). So while I can find the SSDs, they are expensive... and probably not worth it on a 5 year old laptop... of course, if the laptop were to fail, I could always use the SSD in a USB enclosure, but then it is an expensive portable disk that does not even benefit from the fact that it is SSD...

[UtwigMU]

You can go to thinkpads forum and visit X4x section - that one used non standard drive - to get ideas. You might also get by with SD to IDE adapter.

Also if you're only using XP, 60-100GB SSDs now cost about as much as standard HDDs. I know what SSD will do as I tried borrowed Intel SSD on X61 and it blew me away.

X61 Tablet and T60p both have IPS monitors. Also have T42p with IPS but that one has a dead display. The only current IPS Thinkpad is X220 and X220 Tablet, there was also AFFS X200 tablet but they only have 1280x800 or 1366x768 resolutions.

[dZeus]

are you sure your T60p contains an IPS panel? I recall the 14 inch models of Thinkpads containing TN panels.

I've read there are new high-resolution IPS panel laptops on their way. Apple has put IPS on the radar again after using it for their Ipad and Iphone (though I don't know why they haven't used them in their macbooks yet)

[UtwigMU]

Not sure if it's IPS but angles and panel are really nice.

The story: On Thursday battery in my X61 Tablet died. Also couple of months ago bubbles started forming in the screen (probably some layer is becoming unglued) and for consulting I need a working laptop with battery. On busy Friday I spotted T60p for 150 Euros. While the battery in it is also dead, I can get original new battery on Monday and with 2GB RAM transplant I have a working consulting laptop.

Now I can replace display on X61 Tablet and it also needs reinstall. X61 T and T60p have same HDD (100GB 7200 Hitachi), same amount of RAM at same speed and comparable CPU (C2D @ 1.6 and C2 @ 2.1) and about same software installed (one is 64-bit Win7, the other is 32-bit Win7). The freshly installed T60p boots up 2-3 times as fast.

Also have T42p, but that one also needs a new display (display dead, everything else in great shape).

[UtwigMU]

Pic left X61 Tablet, right T60p

[Umfriend]

Is that a desk by IKEA?

[UtwigMU]

No it's Slovenian by Glin KM (now owned by Gorenje). There is no Ikea in Slovenia, however, there are Ikeas 1h by car away in Italy and Austria.

[UtwigMU]

Also note Powered by Matrox sticker on the server under the desk. I actually have Millennium PCI in the server.