[Comp] Off lease Lenovo T61 - $170 + tax

[navigator416]

The build quality is great? Only if you love motherboard flex. As the OP mentioned, the T61's suffer from flexing of the motherboard which breaks the contacts with the video card, rendering the laptop useless. You can fix the motherboard, but it will inevitably return. I would stay far away from the T61 series laptop, unless you absolutely love huge headaches. IBM had plenty of time to fix this problem. You'd be hard pressed to find a working T41 today.

I'm actually surprised to see a T61 in working condition after 5 years of use. They must be refurbished, but trust me, the video card eventually will lose contact with the motherboard again.

My experience is anecdotal but I have a t61p running as a home server today, as well as a fleet of t60/t61 loaners and not a single one had the video issue. The hardware in my experience has outlasted the harddrives. I've also had the t40 series running as recent as last year - they were outdated severely but were working for the most part. I'm just defending my opinion with my experience but you could be correct.

[smay69]

I am on one of these right now (I have 2) - this is a great laptop. The key to making this great: (1) put RAM in it, (2) flash BIOS to enable SATA2 and get an SSD, (3) order a drive bay SATA HD tray from China on ebay ( < $15 ) and put a notebook HD in the extra bay (500+ GB). The reason I like this is 1680x1050 MATTE screen, with an SSD it is very very fast, with the extra drive bay you can have a whole lot of storage for media, etc, and the Trackpoint is actually as good as a mouse for me - I do not miss a mouse when using it - whereas every touchpad I have ever used on any laptop (even Macs) are still f^&in useless.

[mopex]

Where did OP find info that stated this configuration has screen resolution of 1680x1050?

I cannot find anything using the T6460DWU (nor T6460) keyword.

You have to delete the "T" when you do the search. (6460DWU)

[danisimo]

I don't believe the code ibmepp works. I think somewhere it said the code doesn't apply to discounted prices.

[BlackXstar]

Exactly same model I am using! The best thinkpad!
But mine is 4G RAM, 180G intel SSD + 1T HDD.

Update:
The screen is 1680x1050 antiglare, *LCD*.

[RideGuy]

This is exactly what my Sister-inlaw was looking for. A laptop under $200 she could use for school. Excellent timing. Thanks OP.

[Busybuyer888]

I don't believe the code ibmepp works. I think somewhere it said the code doesn't apply to discounted prices.

It works. I just ordered one.

[danisimo]

It works at the time of purchase, but they will charge you $200 + tax.

It works. I just ordered one.

[snoopdawgz]

donezo rfd effect lol

[cn_habs]

If you add another DDR2 RAM stick, this is still a very serviceable laptop as my mother has been using her T61 daily for the past 4 years.

Because of its full magnesium rollcage, her laptop survived from a couple of drops off a table and has been tested as "porridge proof".

[zoob]

FWIW, I still have a T40 on the side, and a few T42 and T40s being used by family members. Used a T61p with a NVIDIA FX570 daily for 5 years. Flashed it with Middleton bios, upgraded to a T9300, 3-stream Wifi N card and SSD. Great laptop. Recently swapped it for a T500 to get Displayport connectivity, but it essentially a T62p. All are functioning flawlessly, though one T40 has relatively loose hinges (closes on its own when the lid is about 2" from the palm rest).

I bought a Dell E6400 for my father-in-law and while it was a great deal, the whole machine feels 'cheap' and creaky compared to a Thinkpad. Their implementation of a trackpoint is also next to useless. If you try to draw a circle, it becomes a square (or diamond).

Brave people can try overclocking their T61p's using two jumpers made from UltraATA wires: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hard...mples-121.html

[RideGuy]

It works at the time of purchase, but they will charge you $200 + tax.

I got an order confirmation which includes the extra $30 off.

Order items

Qty Description Item Price Line Total
__________________________________________________ ______________________________

1 Lenovo? ThinkPad® $200.16 $200.16
T61 (DWU)
Product: T6460DWU

$30 off laptops Promotional Savings ($30.00)


__________________________________________________ ______________________________

Subtotal before discount $200.16
Total discount on products ($30.00)
Subtotal $170.16
Total Shipping $0.00
Total tax $22.12
Grand Total $192.28
__________________________________________________ ______________________________

Today, in addition to promotional savings of $30.00, you saved $50.04 off list price due to your relationship with IBM.

[wiggy]

The build quality is great? Only if you love motherboard flex. As the OP mentioned, the T61's suffer from flexing of the motherboard which breaks the contacts with the video card, rendering the laptop useless. You can fix the motherboard, but it will inevitably return. I would stay far away from the T61 series laptop, unless you absolutely love huge headaches. IBM had plenty of time to fix this problem. You'd be hard pressed to find a working T41 today.

I'm actually surprised to see a T61 in working condition after 5 years of use. They must be refurbished, but trust me, the video card eventually will lose contact with the motherboard again.

The problem was specific to the particular NVidia chip (G84 and G86). T61s with different video chips (Intels, for example) or built after a particular date (August 2008) didn't suffer this problem. I've got 4 T61s, all still running fine except the one with the afflicted chip. This msg. is off a T61 dated 08/08 with an Intel 965 Express chip. Runs like a top.

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T61-and-...lem/td-p/46469

[Westnylenet]

Great laptops, Ive had one since summer, been running it heavy for video editing and it hasnt hickuped.

[jeff69dini]

holy *****, what a ***** deal