CNET Editor's rating: 7.6 out of 10
Reviewed by
Dan Ackerman
Review date: 05/24/07
Release date: 05/09/07
The good: Internal roll cage protects LCD; 802.11n Wi-Fi for faster wireless throughput; very small A/C adaptor adds little to overall travel weight; Intel's Active Management Technology provides remote support.
The bad: New Centrino technology doesn't offer outsize performance gains.
The bottom line: Lenovo's 14-inch ThinkPad T61 shaves a few millimeters off the company's more mainstream R-series laptops, but still boasts the same, solid ThinkPad DNA along with IT-friendly features by way of Intel's new Centrino Pro platform.
Unless you put them side by side, you'd be hard-pressed to spot the physical differences between the two new Centrino laptops from Lenovo, the ThinkPad T61 and the ThinkPad R61. Both 14-inch models include all the important parts of Intel's revamped Centrino platform, including new Core 2 Duo CPUs, extra onboard Turbo Memory (for boosting access times), and 802.11n Wi-Fi. While the slightly bulkier Centrino Duo R61 aims for the sweet spot in the price/performance matrix, the more expensive Centrino Pro T61 is a little thinner, a little lighter, and adds Intel's Active Management Technology, allowing the IT department to manage the system from afar, even when it's in sleep mode or powered down.
Despite the new technology, this is still largely the same black, boxy ThinkPad you've come to know and perhaps love, but Lenovo is starting to add consumer-friendly features such as optional Webcams and media card readers. It's still pricey when configured for power users, but the typical excellent ThinkPad build quality makes this a system that should enjoy a long lifespan.
Like the Lenovo R61, the T61 features a wide-screen display, which is fast becoming the norm, even in business-minded laptops. The chassis itself has been reinforced with a new internal roll cage, replacing the traditional solid magnesium alloy cover. The slightly concave roll cage, hidden under a composite cover, protects the LCD, while helping Wi-Fi reception, which Lenovo claims can be negatively affected by an old-fashioned full magnesium alloy cover.
We're also firm fans of Lenovo's extremely small A/C adaptors. There's little point to carrying around a lightweight laptop if all the extra room in your bag is taken up by a huge power brick. Lenovo's two-prong adaptor, in contrast, weighs around half a pound and the brick itself measures just 4 inches long by 1.5 inches wide by 1 inch thick.
The road-ready design includes sturdy steel hinges and a shock-mounted hard drive. The ThinkPad keyboard is still one of the best laptop keyboards available, offering an extremely comfortable typing experience. The T61, in true Lenovo fashion, also features both an eraser-head pointing stick and a touch pad, each of which has a set of mouse buttons (the top set includes a scroll button in the middle). Above the keyboard are three handy volume buttons--the extent of the system's dedicated multimedia controls--and a blue ThinkVantage button, which summons Lenovo's helpful preinstalled support-and-configuration utility. Our T61 review unit was missing the optional Webcam found on the R61.
The 14.1-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,440x900 native resolution, which is a bit finer than the 1,280x800 resolution commonly found on 14- and 15-inch laptops. Text and icons are highly readable, and the screen has a matte finish, which we generally prefer to the glossy screens found on many consumer laptops.
Lenovo ThinkPad T61
Average for mainstream category
Video
VGA-out
VGA-out, S-Video
Audio
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data
3 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire
4 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, mulitformat memory card reader
The ports and connections on the T61 are in line with what you'd expect from a mainstream business laptop, although we'd have liked to see one more USB port and an S-video output. The Express card slot can be swapped for a media card reader in Lenovo's online configurator for no extra charge. Our review unit didn't have Bluetooth (which is an available option), but it did offer a built-in 802.11n antenna, for the very latest in fast Wi-Fi connection speeds. You will, of course, need a wireless 802.11n router to take advantage of it.
One major feature the Centrino Pro ThinkPad T61 has over the Centrino Duo R61 is the inclusion of Intel's Active Management Technology, where your IT department can remotely fix, update, or even recover your system after an OS failure, if you're still connected to your company network--even if the system is in sleep mode. It's a boon for large, enterprise organizations because your IT staff can push updates to all of the PCs on your network at once; it saves you from having to physically visit cubicles where the PC or laptop isn't running.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T61 can be configured with any of Intel's Santa-Rosa-compliant Core 2 Duo CPUs, from the 1.8GHz T7100 to the 2.4GHz T7700. Our review unit included the middle-of-the-road 2.0GHz T7300, along with 2GB of RAM (expandable to 4GB for and extra $495) and a 100GB 7,200rpm hard drive. You can bump the hard drive up to 160GB, but the larger drives run at the slower 5,400rpm speed.
Like the other Santa Rosa systems we've tested, including the Gateway E-475M, the T61 offered excellent performance, but fell slightly behind its less-expensive cousin, the Lenovo ThinkPad R61, because our build of that model had a faster T7500 CPU. It was also slower than the non-Santa-Rosa Lenovo T60p, a long-time laptop favorite. The T60p has a slightly faster, although older, T7600 CPU, showing that the new Centrino Duo platform won't drastically change your computing experience. We expect to see larger performance gains once 800MHz memory is available for laptops later in the year.
Overall performance differences were minor between the largely similar Gateway and Lenovo Santa Rosa systems we tested. In anecdotal testing, the T61 felt fast and was stutter-free, even while multitasking--but we'd expect nothing less from any recent laptop.
While the 128MB Nvidia Quadro NVS 140M graphics card is an option in both the T61 and R61 ThinkPads, our T61 stuck with the integrated Intel X3100 GPU, which Lenovo says will give you better battery life than running a high-powered graphics card. The system ran for an impressive two hours and 29 minutes on our DVD battery drain test, using the included six-cell battery, which sticks out a few inches from the rear of the system. That's a little more than 20 minutes more than the R61, which has the discrete video card option. Keep in mind, our DVD battery-drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.
Lenovo provides a one-year warranty with 24-hour toll-free phone support. That's the standard for consumer laptops, but is shorter than the three-year term that covers many business laptops. You can choose from several different warranty extension options--but adding three years of onsite service will cost an additional $219. The preloaded suite of ThinkVantage applications helps users troubleshoot problems, and company's support Web site also has extensive support section.
Intro:
This configuration of the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 is a 5.4-pound, consumer level notebook computer.Compared to other mainstream notebooks on the market, it is relatively expensive at around $1,545.
Noteworthy Features:
Has a plug-in module media bay, which is more favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.Also, this notebook comes with Windows Vista business and Microsoft Windows Vista OS, which is somewhat more favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.Has a modular media bay -- meaning its 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+ RW/+ R) drive is removable, allowing you easily to swap it out for alternative or upgraded units.
Weaker Features:
Has no processor, which is considerably less desirable than some similarly priced notebooks.For example, the HP Compaq 6535b, a 5.3-pound notebook at around $1, 420, has a turion X2 mobile processor.Also, this notebook has only 0 MB RAM, which is considerably less than some similarly priced notebooks.The HP Compaq 6535b, again, has 3 GB RAM.The Lenovo ThinkPad T61 comes with no-frills word processing software ? if you often create complex documents you will likely need to upgrade to a more powerful office suite.
Suitability:
Suited for those who just need a basic notebook.Archive your digital videos using this notebook's DVD recorder.
Value:
Despite its relatively expensive price, this notebook has great features for the money.However, if you were to judge strictly by how large the screen is, the average price of consumer level products with a comparable screen size is quite a bit less -- right around $1,279.
Suggestions:
For help in deciding if this is the right computer for you, see CNET's buying guide for notebooks.
8 out of 10 - Excellent A College Student's Opinion
First of all, the Lenovo T61 is a great laptop for college students looking for a notebook that is easy ...
First of all, the Lenovo T61 is a great laptop for college students looking for a notebook that is easy on the eyes (literally and figuratively), portable (~5.4 pounds), and very capable.
I've heard about shipping problems with this laptop, but my highly configured laptop arrived in just 5 days! I ordered it on June 21 and received it on June 26. Although this may have been someone else's laptop that was canceled before it arrived, so don't expect your's to arrive so quickly.
I picked the T61 over competitors such as HP and Sony because of the sheer array of options, performance and otherwise, offered by Lenovo. I liked that I was able to upgrade my screen from WXGA (1280 x 800) to WXGA+ (1440 x 900), have a fingerprint reader so I don't have to remember pesky passwords, and have a 7200 rpm hard drive so that web searching on my notebook is similar to that on my desktop. With a 2.2 GHz processor, a 100 GB 7200 rpm hard drive, the new integrated Intel X3100 graphics, a 14.1 inch Wide screen, and a four year warranty, the price with student discount came to be almost exactly $2000 dollars (Good enough for my dad to call it a worthwhile investment)
There are some drawbacks though, if you want to actually use your laptop without the AC (light as it is), you're gonna need to get at least the 6-cell battery, which isn't a problem price wise except for the fact that it very unsexily sticks out the back of the laptop by 13/16 of an inch! Not only that, but unless you're on powersave mode the battery will last about an hour under normal usage! My solution is to just carry around the lightweight AC adapter wherever I go. Oh yea, avoid the sun with this laptop because the reflection is bad even at the highest screen brightness level. There doesn't seem to be a lot of bloatware, but for some reason, memory usage on my idle laptop averages 1.01 GB compared to 265 MB on my desktop! I'm very thankful I ordered the 2 GB memory.
I found Vista to be fairly crappy because of the popups and strangely placed everything, but they say it is the future so I got it... There is the option for XP so if you really hate Vista you can just choose that. Also, there is some password manager thing which I avoid because it seems kinda dumb (along with some popup that is constantly asking you to verify everything that you do...you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it). The options for a classic look on the start menu and other sections should be exercised.
Performance wise the CPU hardly sweats (~25% capacity) when I'm watching videos on MTV and Youtube. Internet speed is almost as fast as my same network desktop which is a relief after using my dad's 4200 rpm X-series one week on vacation.
I suggest not ordering any MS office through Lenovo and instead ordering the relatively cheap Office Home and Student through your school or like Fry's Electronics ($139.99). Although I didn't order a security wire, I probably will get a Kensignton or whatever because there is cool port on the side of the notebook for it (among other reasons such as safety and security as well).
Bottom Line: The T61 is the best student laptop for those who are looking for a laptop that is both portable and usable as a primary computing device. The keyboard is regarded as the best in the business and I agree. Just don't leave it on battery for too long! I'll try to respond to any questions.
1 out of 10 - Abysmal Blue Screen of Death w/ bad Customer Service
To start off, as an introduction, I've been in the IT field for 10+ years, worked in the VAR ...
To start off, as an introduction, I've been in the IT field for 10+ years, worked in the VAR industry, and realize that issues do happen and not everything goes as planned. Below will give you a horror story regarding customer service, and a unit that will just not work without blue screening.
Well, I've purchased, owned and used quite a few laptops in my time and fell in love with the specs on this model. After doing my research, I felt this was the best deal for the $$$. Well, in the long run, I was wrong.
The old Blue Screen of Death showed it's ugle face not too long after receiving the unit (within the week), and thought the issue may be resolved by installing the updated nVidia driver for the graphics chipset (128MB version). After one day, a new blue screen error appeared with a different error code. After speaking with Customer Service, they decided to have the unit sent in. After receiving the unit back, it was determined that the memory on the system was at fault. Well...it blue screened again. Same error. This time they said the mobo should have been replaced. So...we sent it back in and they promised repair and delivery no later than 2 business days after sending it in. I called that very day when I was supposed to receive it, only to find out the parts were on backorder. Great, thanks for telling me. After I received the unit a couple of days later (after battling customer service), I boot up the machine only to find that the video driver had not been properly installed. Why is that? Because they placed the wrong system board in the system...the one with the Intel 965 express chipset for the graphics instead of the nVidia 128MB version that I had ordered. Great, they have now downgraded my system, didn't offer to tell me, and most of all, did not compensate me for the downgrade. So I emailed them regarding the issue, and received a call the next morning. That was great, but only to be told that the correct part was installed. Hmmm...the screen shots that I have will prove otherwise. The uninstall of the video driver and attempt to install the nVidia driver did not work because the hardware was not detected. The Intel 965 chipset driver was installed by Vista correctly after being connected to the internet. Hardware detects the Intel 965 board.
I'm waiting for a senior rep. to call me back to discuss. Solectron (the repair company that Lenovo/IBM use) has had the laptop longer than I have. I've asked for a full refund now, but I've been told that it is not warranted. Interesting...I pay for a brand new laptop to work, it doesn't, and yet I can't get my money back. I've already gone down the road for a replacement unit, one that works, but I've been denied that as well.
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by bluehorseshoe (see profile) -
August 21, 2007
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Tough T61 system built even better than previous tough T60
The real test of how well designed a system...when year one or two goes by, and the system is ...
The real test of how well designed a system...when year one or two goes by, and the system is not flopping open because the hinges are worn out, or failing out because the system has just been tossed, handled, dropped and abused. Thinkpads hold up very well with age, ever more important if you depend on your laptop more and more.
In this case, the previous structure of the T60 models was beefed up for the T61. Stainless steel hinges are bigger than previous models...and the previous models had big hinges. The hard drive is protected by a motion sensor, shock absorbing rubber rails, and an internal magnesium cage. Move the system, and the system "knows" it is in motion, and parks the heads of the drive.
One of the neatest features is a little known downloadable program Lenovo offers that can take their factory preload, allow a user to see all elements of it, mark the parts they don't want as "Restricted", and reimage the system to a "plain" image...no junkware, but still the stable factory image, both for XP or Vista. (Its got the rather cryptic name of Base Software Administrator, but does work: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TVAN-ADMIN#TBSA )
To keep the system updated, there is a program from the Lenovo support site (www.lenovo.com/support) that can automatically update all drivers and the BIOS...no researching what drivers are appropriate to the system and downloading them. If you don't like going to Lenovo's servers, you can host the drivers internally on a network share, so only what you want will be distributed to Thinkpads. Doesn't cost anything.
There is a Rescue and Recovery program that lets the end user's entire image be backed up to a hidden space on the drive. Everything...apps, data, OS...can be backed up. The system will "fix" itself even if it gets a BSOD, as you can boot outside the OS to a copy of Windows PE Lenovo includes on a separate partition. Also no charge.
Bad news is the system does not have a serial port. There are USB to serial adapters...but it would be nice if one was built in.
Lenovo doesn't do a good job of letting all their customers know about the "extras" they tuck away on their website for free for their systems. The URL is cryptic. http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-61432
In the interests of full disclosure...I am biased...and do work for Lenovo. However, even if I did not, for personal use, I would never buy anything other than a Thinkpad. I've torn into too many competitors systems, and rely on my laptops too much to give up toughness for a few tens of dollars.
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by rbkirk (see profile) -
May 29, 2007
3 out of 10 - Poor Terrific build; horrid functionality. Lenovo killed the ThinkPad.
After way too much research, I decided on the Lenovo T61. I ordered the T7300 2Ghz processor, 1Gb RAM, NVIDIA ...
After way too much research, I decided on the Lenovo T61. I ordered the T7300 2Ghz processor, 1Gb RAM, NVIDIA Quadro 140M, 1Gb Turbo Memory.
I had read that many of the T61s were shipping with Blue Screen of Death ("BSOD") problems. Mine was no exception. Five minutes after setting up the factory pre-load of Vista and updating the drivers with the ThinkVantage software, BSOD.
It BSOD'd twice more within the hour. I did some more reading on forums online and decided it was all the crappy Lenovo ThinkVantage software etc...
I reformatted with my own copy of windows and only installed drivers directly from the manufacturers' websites. This almost completely solved the BSOD problem. The only exception is when I chose to shut down the notebook before it completely finished loading all the background applications at startup. BSOD!
With the BSODs mostly gone, a new problem arose. Explorer.exe would completely freeze when performing mundane tasks, like opening a window. I reformatted again.
It was marginally better, but still not perfect. A few days later, explorer.exe froze again - this time forcing me to kill the power to the notebook (unable to end task). Upon restart, I had a system error message, asking for me to put in the Vista cd to replace some files. That was enough.
The next day I returned it to the retailer from whom I purchased the T61. I travel back and forth overseas and have no intention of continuously putting up with crap like that while I am in a foreign country.
As for the positives: the keyboard rocked - for those that have experienced the ThinkPad (before Lenovo raped it) you know what I am talking about. They make the best-feeling keyboard in the industry.
10 out of 10 - Perfect This is an Amazing Laptop
This computer will blow away all the competition. Thinkpads are built the way you want a notebook to be built. ...
This computer will blow away all the competition. Thinkpads are built the way you want a notebook to be built. Very very strong keyboard the keys feel independent, runs very cool. almost no heat felt. Santa Rosa chipset just rocks, but most of all the structure of this notebook is the best around. The screen wont shake and the roll cage works wonders.
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by Dwess06 (see profile) -
July 6, 2007
6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
6 out of 10 - Good Everything I wanted
I recently ordered a T61 with a 2.00 GHz processor, Vista, 2 GB RAM, the 5400 rpm hard drive, ...
I recently ordered a T61 with a 2.00 GHz processor, Vista, 2 GB RAM, the 5400 rpm hard drive, and the Nvidia 128 MB graphics card. I've been running Vista with all the goodies that come with aero, including a few gadgets on the side bar, and the system really screams. I was showing a friend of mine how fast I could load all my office professional 2007 programs, an IE window, and windows media player. The only problem was that I couldn't click on them fast enough to slow the computer down. Anywho, the build of the laptop is great, it feels more solid than any other (Dell, HP, Sony) laptop I've owned or used. As a college student this laptop gives me a definite feel of professionalism.
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by cmasterb (see profile) -
August 13, 2007
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
4 out of 10 - Mediocre What happened to the venerable Thinkpad?
LCD Bezel does not fully mate with the chassis. Fingernail easily fits between the two frame members on one side....
LCD Bezel does not fully mate with the chassis. Fingernail easily fits between the two frame members on one side.
14.1" WXGA+ screen has excessive light leakage from the bottom of the panel.
Their repair center left greasy fingerprints all over the replaced lcd panel, damaged the rubber screw-head covers, and didn't package in an anti-static bag upon return.
Their database problems placed my exact same order three times on three different dates causing me to have to contact them to cancel these persistent order placements.
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by gunner58 (see profile) -
July 18, 2007
2 out of 10 - Terrible Great Product (let's see in a year) - Horrible Tech Support
I just purchased this new T61 laptop with lots of hardware upgrades. I purchased this laptop to replace my existing ...
I just purchased this new T61 laptop with lots of hardware upgrades. I purchased this laptop to replace my existing Compaq Presario laptop (great buy) for the business purpose. The T61 arrived and worked great. I didn't move my data and programs to T61 for few weeks. On Black Friday I moved my applications (Office 2007, MS SQL 2005 etc., typical business applications) and data to T61. Everything worked except Wireless card (came with the T61) needed to repair every time I boot the laptop (still not fixed yet, thinking to write a script to kick off on reboot now). I called Lenovo Support and they flat out told me that it is not a hardware issue, it is a configuration issue. Me: Okay! Whatever! Solve it? The wireless card and configuration came with T61, so whatever Lenovo has to do, do it. Lenovo: Sorry can't do, it does not cover in the laptop warranty. Me: So what to do? Lenovo: Call Lenovo live support, pay 99 per call and they can fix it. Me: Okay why don?t you take this laptop back and send my money. Lenovo: Sorry can't do it, we have 21-days return policy which has expired. I've no choice but downgrade this laptop as a back up and buy a new laptop from other manufacturer with a helpful support service. I've been using Dell at home and swear to God, their customer service will bend backward to make me happy. I can't trust on this laptop anymore, as if it breaks down, then I do not want to be jerked around.
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by nedcpa (see profile) -
December 1, 2007
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 out of 10 - Abysmal Avoid at all costs
Like many other T61 buyers, I only took the plunge after a lot of research. This seems like it would ...
Like many other T61 buyers, I only took the plunge after a lot of research. This seems like it would be an excellent machine, and for those glorious moments in between freeze-ups and blue screens, it's actually quite nice. However, DO NOT convince yourself that you'll be able to address the problem and wind up with a nifty computer. By the same token, DO NOT assume that Lenovo will address the problem for you, no matter what the reputation ThinkPad customer service enjoyed while owned by IBM.
First, I waited 6 weeks for my order to by fulfilled by Lenovo until I finally gave up and ordered a pre-configured system through a third-party vendor. Almost immediately, the system would freeze when on battery power. I ran the hardware diagnostics, placed a service call, and shipped the computer in. It came back within two business days - and the exact same problem reoccurred literally 5 minutes after unplugging from AC power. I have now gone through 5 different service calls, and have sent the computer in for service twice, and the problem persists. I did a full clean install of Vista from the Anytime Upgrade DVD, and the problem persists. The last service rep. I spoke to smarmily told me, "These are new machines, and we're still getting the bugs out." When I pointed out that a brand that bases its entire image on reliability should have done more extensive testing and not gone right from the drawing board to the public, he replied, "Well, the public IS our drawing board."
And there you have it. If you want to be the beta testers for a machine with crippling engineering flaws - or serve as the "drawing board" while Lenovo works out the kinks - buy yourself a T61. If you want a computer that actually functions and does not require hours of your time and effort simply to get it to do so (in my case, hourse of effort and frustration have changed nothing), please look elsewhere.
Congratulations Lenovo, you've turned IBM ThinkPads into the Chery cars of the personal computer industry.
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by Sobchack (see profile) -
August 9, 2007
1 out of 10 - Abysmal Finally Somebody worse than Dell
I bought one of these after my debacle with Dells D820 6lb turd. Looks like I am hitting 2 for ...
I bought one of these after my debacle with Dells D820 6lb turd. Looks like I am hitting 2 for 2 for lousey machines and even worse customer service.
I purchased this machine with 4 year next day service and every accessory available.
1) Laptop fits into docking station. Docking station does not fix into stand. Warranty does not cover wrong stands being sent. NO service.
2) Integrated camera does not work. 4 service calls and they still refuse to come fix this. Mind youI have 4 years on next day service.
Turns out many of the add-ons do not work with Vista. Rather than warn customers as they add these extras that it won't work with VISTA, Lenovo just makes a dummy button ~ like those buttons in cars on the dash that don't do anyhting, but are added to look like more features.
Well this model of Lenovo and Vista has a lot of dummy buttons.
Not only does the integrated camera does not work, the mute, lock desktop, word processor, spreadsheet, calc, e-mail, internet, scroll, mute, etc etc all do not work.
I called again to night and my "express service" got me put on hold for 2.5 hours and transferred 6 times.
I finally landed with a real pair named Shawn or Sean and DAN at Atlanta remote support. They told me they would not fix the camera. For the rest of the buttons, I should buy third party software.
They told me that the lenovo may not work with third party items I am using I asked him then why was it not working with the LENOVO keyboard they sold me.
Dan put me on hold and never came back.
Shawn or Sean told me he would check with his manager and then came back and told me I would need to purchase additional software. I asked to speak to his manager.
HIs next response was that he had no manager. (This call was recorded so his lie was immediately caught)
I place a service request and stil have no answer for a fix for the additonal Lenovo extras I bought and why these Lenovo extras do not work on a Lenovo product.
The machine also took 6 weeks to get here. Mind you they didn't wait 6 weeks to get their money.
There are a lot of pros to this machine. Most notably is the ergonomic set up that rocks...this however was adesign from IBM, back when this line of pcs gave a damn about the business consumer and made sure that all the parts worked.
Lenovo- I knew Ibm - I worked with IBM ~ you're no IBM.
Do not spend money on this machine and on this company until they learn to provide the top flight service their target busines market expects.
I ranked this as low as I could because none of the extras work, wrong parts were sent, and customer service could care less.
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by ucgsb (see profile) -
August 11, 2007
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