Lenovo T61 or Dell XPS M1530? 17" lap ... ... I'd like to buy a laptop. I am hesitating between Lenovo Thinkpad T61 and Dell XPS M1530. Which one is better ...

jane2000 · 06-18-2008, 04:34 PM

I'd like to buy a laptop. I am hesitating between Lenovo Thinkpad T61 and Dell XPS M1530. Which one is better? Does Dell has the heating problem? Previously I proned to Lenovo due to its durability. But I checked cnet.com, I saw many reviewers did not give high grade to the Lenovo T61.

I need to get the Vista Business edition. Would an upgrade to the Vista Ultimate version be very useful? By the way, Will a 17" monitor laptop be too heavy or is it a good buy due to its larger screen?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

MrEvil · 06-18-2008, 05:04 PM

17" Laptops do weigh more than a 15.4" Laptop by virtue of the fact you've just added quite a bit more plate glass to the laptop in the LCD.

Between the two, I'd evalulate what types of multimedia features you'd want since the last time I saw a T Series thinkpad they were extremely lacking in that department.

To my knowledge, the M1530 has no issues with overheating and so far I've only replaced an optical drive and a keyboard on 2 M1530's.

As far as Vista Business vs Ultimate. Vista ultimate includes Windows Media Center and Bitlocker drive encryption (requires two partitions on your hard drive) plus all the features of Vista Business. There's a few other features and extras in there, but those are the two major selling points. I have Ultimate on my D820 and Business on my Desktop. In day to day usage there's really no difference (though Business does seem to run better).

jane2000 · 06-19-2008, 11:37 AM

Thank you very much for your detailed response, which is very helpful.

I won't use much multimedia feature on the laptop, so I think I'll go with Lenovo Thinkpad T61, 15.4" widescreen, Vista Ultimate, which is also cheaper than Dell XPS M1530.

My customization along with some questions are as follows:

Intel Core 2 duo processor 2.5 GHz 6MBL2, Vista Ultimate, 15.4 WSXGA +TFT, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M(128MB), 3GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2DIMM), UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) (Is it better to upgrade to Fingerpint Reader?), 160GB Hard disk Drive, 7200rpm, No intel turbo memory hard drive cache, DVD recordable 8X Max Dual Layer Ultra Slim, PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot (What is a Smart Card for? Is it better to upgrade from Express Card to Smart card?), Thinkpad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN mini-PCIe US?UMEA/LA/ANZ (Is it better to upgrade to Intel wireless WiFi link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)? Is it also better to upgrade to a Integrated Bluetooth PAN instead of without bluetooth?)

Really appreciate your help.

06-18-2008, 04:34 PM	#1
jane2000 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 7 Credits: 238	Lenovo T61 or Dell XPS M1530? 17" laptop a good consideration? I'd like to buy a laptop. I am hesitating between Lenovo Thinkpad T61 and Dell XPS M1530. Which one is better? Does Dell has the heating problem? Previously I proned to Lenovo due to its durability. But I checked cnet.com, I saw many reviewers did not give high grade to the Lenovo T61. I need to get the Vista Business edition. Would an upgrade to the Vista Ultimate version be very useful? By the way, Will a 17" monitor laptop be too heavy or is it a good buy due to its larger screen? Any input is greatly appreciated.

06-18-2008, 05:04 PM	#2
MrEvil The Dr House of PC repair Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Amarillo TX Posts: 4,451 Credits: 148	17" Laptops do weigh more than a 15.4" Laptop by virtue of the fact you've just added quite a bit more plate glass to the laptop in the LCD. Between the two, I'd evalulate what types of multimedia features you'd want since the last time I saw a T Series thinkpad they were extremely lacking in that department. To my knowledge, the M1530 has no issues with overheating and so far I've only replaced an optical drive and a keyboard on 2 M1530's. As far as Vista Business vs Ultimate. Vista ultimate includes Windows Media Center and Bitlocker drive encryption (requires two partitions on your hard drive) plus all the features of Vista Business. There's a few other features and extras in there, but those are the two major selling points. I have Ultimate on my D820 and Business on my Desktop. In day to day usage there's really no difference (though Business does seem to run better). __________________ Notebook Forums' resident Dell/IBM/Sony field service technician. My Notebook: Dell Latitude D820 \| Intel Core Duo T2500 \| 2GB DDR2 \| 15" WSXGA screen \| nVidia Quadro 120m \| 250GB Hard Drive \| Samsung DVD-RW drive My Netbook: ASUS Eee(vil)PC 1000HE upgraded to 2GB of RAM running Windows 7 My Desktop: Intel Core 2 Quad QX9300 @ 3.5Ghz Liquid cooled \| 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR 1066 \| ATi Radeon 4870 \| Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB \| ASUS Maximus Formula motherboard \| Vista Ultimate x64

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06-19-2008, 11:37 AM	#3
jane2000 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 7 Credits: 238	Thank you very much for your detailed response, which is very helpful. I won't use much multimedia feature on the laptop, so I think I'll go with Lenovo Thinkpad T61, 15.4" widescreen, Vista Ultimate, which is also cheaper than Dell XPS M1530. My customization along with some questions are as follows: Intel Core 2 duo processor 2.5 GHz 6MBL2, Vista Ultimate, 15.4 WSXGA +TFT, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M(128MB), 3GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2DIMM), UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) (Is it better to upgrade to Fingerpint Reader?), 160GB Hard disk Drive, 7200rpm, No intel turbo memory hard drive cache, DVD recordable 8X Max Dual Layer Ultra Slim, PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot (What is a Smart Card for? Is it better to upgrade from Express Card to Smart card?), Thinkpad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN mini-PCIe US?UMEA/LA/ANZ (Is it better to upgrade to Intel wireless WiFi link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro)? Is it also better to upgrade to a Integrated Bluetooth PAN instead of without bluetooth?) Really appreciate your help.