[sf-lug] seeking laptop recommendations to upgrade from thinkpad t61p

Ken Shaffer kenshaffer80 at gmail.com
Tue May 27 18:01:22 PDT 2014 

If you know someone with a Kindle which gets the Amazon offers, they are
offering a Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB for $49.  (They only have 7000, and the
sale started 5:30 PM Tue, so you might get one if that's big enough for
you.  I'd upgrade the cpu last, you might find you really don't need to.
Ken


On Mon, May 26, 2014 at 1:09 PM, Michael Shiloh <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com
> wrote:

> Thanks Ken this was super helpful. I spent a couple of hours yesterday
> educating myself.
>
> I'm using about 300GB of my 1TB drive, and lots of that is duplicate
> massive stuff I should clean up. I'm confident that I don't need (nor do I
> want) more than about 500GB; too much space and I leave it cluttered with
> junk.
>
> I'm leaning towards a 500GB SSD (e.g. Crucial M550) for about $300. It
> seems I need to update the BIOS on my T61P with a hacked BIOS to allow
> SATA2 speeds; the Lenovo BIOS disables SATA2 due to incompatibility with
> something UltraBay related.
>
> Faster SATA3 doesn't help me since the T61P can't do SATA3.
>
> Next, I'll purchase another 8GB RAM for about $100 bringing my total up to
> 16. That's double the maximum 8GB officially supported, but numerous sites
> document success this way.
>
> A suggestion was made regarding graphics card memory. My system has an
> nVidia  Quadro FX 570M using a G84GLM core and a "massive" 512MB of RAM. Of
> course this is soldered onto the motherboard and so can't be upgraded.
>
> Finally my current CPU is a Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.20GHz, 800 Mhz FSB, 4Mb
> cache). It looks like a T9500 (800MHz FSB) should work. The T9550 (1066MHz
> FSB) and above will not as the 1066MHz FSB is not supported on the T61
> models. The T9500 was the fastest available processor that could be ordered
> with the T61/T61p.
>
> I can get a T9500 (2.6 Ghz, 800Mhz, 6MB) for about $260, or a T9300 (2.5
> Ghz, 800Mhz, 6MB) for about $100. (I could get the T9500 for less on EBay
> but I'm afraid I'm too naive an EBay user and would get screwed.)
>
> I'm not sure whether the high price of the T9500 is worth it, but the $100
> for the T9300 sounds good.
>
> Thus for about $500 I:
>
> * move from spinning disk to SSD
> * double the amount of RAM
> * upgrade processor from 2.2Ghz to 2.5Ghz and from 4MB cache to 6MB cache.
>
> The trick of course is not to upgrade above some limiting factor that
> can't be changed.
>
> Do any of you think the upgrades detailed above would do that?
>
> Another way to ask this question: Having made these upgrades, what would
> be the limiting factor on performance?
>
>
> The alternative of course is to buy a new computer. I've read reviews and
> followed up on all the suggestions this list has provided. I'm not sure I
> like what I see.
>
> All the new T series seem to have done away with the mouse buttons, and
> I'm afraid that I spend way too much time using my laptop to have to deal
> with inferior clicks.
>
> The alternative to the T series is the Carbon X1, but only if I can get a
> gen 1, following Kenneth's review (http://wiki.ylayali.net/doku.
> php?id=hardware:carbonx1). I presume you can tell a gen 2 from a gen 1 by
> the lack of trackpad buttons. Cost: about $1600, and having to find one is
> a challenge as they are discontinued.
>
> If I need to hunt for a gen 1 X1, I could also hunt for whatever the last
> T series was that used real mouse buttons. Anyone know what that would be?
>
>
> In conclusion, I'm leaning towards the upgrades to my old T61P.
>
> Thoughts?
>
>
> On 05/23/2014 08:44 PM, Ken Shaffer wrote:
>
>> Newegg gives pretty good info on the SSDs they sell.  Check the Amazon
>> Reviews before buying.
>>
>> Selecting an SSD
>> There are many criteria for SSD selection, figure out which are most
>> important to you (weighted average?), but realize, you are working with
>> incomplete information.
>>
>> I.  Size -- Figure 10-20% to be left unallocated to a partition
>>
>> II. IO Speed
>>   A. Random Access -- Given in 4K IO operations per second.
>>      Varies from 7,000 to 90,000+  Be careful, SSDs can be
>>      much slower than you'd expect.
>>    1. Read
>>    2. Write
>>   B. Sequential -- Typically 400-500MB/sec claimed, but this is a
>>      totally artificial number from a benchmark, which includes
>>      compression to reach those numbers.  A copy from the device
>>      to null will be around 1/4 of the claimed read speed.
>>    1. Read
>>    2. Write
>>
>> III. Longevity -- Different manfacturing greatly influences this.
>>     Triple layer makes for more storage, but doesn't last as long
>>     as single layer.  The more writes, the faster the SSD wears out.
>>     Treat your SSD installation the same way as an installation to
>>     a flash stick, i.e. move as much into memory as possible, to
>>     extend the life of the hardware.
>>
>> IV. Power Consumption -- Any SSD will probably take less power
>>      than an existing hard disk, but SSDs will differ among themselves
>>      by a factor of 10.  Consider the effect of the heat, on components
>>      or on your lap!
>>
>> V.  User Reviews -- Specs are meaningless if the vendor switched
>>      parts after a unit was tested.  No one wants to deal with a
>>      device dead on arrival.  If lots of units fail within a month,
>>      that should influence your buying decision.
>>
>> Good Luck.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 4:09 PM, Michael Shiloh <
>> michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com
>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>
>>  Really, really good point. I'm certainly willing to throw some bucks at
>>> my
>>> T61P.
>>>
>>> Thanks too for the warning about SSD specs. I understand none of it yet.
>>> Any review sites or specific SSD reviews you particularly like or trust?
>>>
>>>
>>> On 05/23/2014 10:03 AM, Ken Shaffer wrote:
>>>
>>>  If you're just looking for a performance improvement, (assuming you're
>>>> maxed out on memory), a cheap SSD is hard to beat.  I put a $50, 60G SSD
>>>> into an 8 year old 32bit Compaq clunker, and was really surprised by the
>>>> improvements (like a 25 second boot time, power on to login screen).
>>>> Depending upon your storage needs, a second disk may be added through a
>>>> DVD/CDROM caddy (but you may have boot issues with that).  Read the
>>>> reviews, the specs of SSDs are all over the place, the numbers are
>>>> "fake"
>>>> anyway (using compression to up the MB/Sec ), and longevity is always a
>>>> question, but sounds like you like what you have, just want "more".
>>>> u
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, May 22, 2014 at 9:30 PM, maestro <maestro415 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>   T-...!
>>>>
>>>>> T-...!
>>>>> T-...!
>>>>>
>>>>> Why second guess excellence & something you love?...
>>>>> Get another THINKPAD & look no further.
>>>>> I'm on my second(T-61) & LOVE it...
>>>>>
>>>>> Looking @ next T-? I will befriend...
>>>>>
>>>>> Rock solid boxes that absolutely LOVE Linux and partition smoothly...
>>>>>
>>>>> If you no longer want your T-61 I know a great home that will love &
>>>>> take
>>>>> care of it ;-))
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Message ends
>>>>> _________________
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thursday, May 22, 2014, Michael Shiloh <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com
>>>>> >
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>  I love my trusty Thinkpad T61p, but it's getting quite old. Time to
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  upgrade, but to what?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> I've owned many Thinkpads and loved them all. What are the Lenovo
>>>>>> steps
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  up from the T series?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Or is it time to try something non-Lenovo?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I strongly support what ZA Reason is doing, and would be inclined to
>>>>>> go
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  with them if one of their selections fits my needs. I know at least
>>>>> one
>>>>> of
>>>>> you uses a ZA Reason laptop and would love to hear your experience.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Considerations:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - What's a reasonable amount to spend? I expect to pay more than $1000
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  but need to keep it below $2000.
>>>>>
>>>>>  - Some SSD for speed. Could be all SSD, or some SSD and some spinning
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  disk.
>>>>>
>>>>>  - I carry my laptop everywhere, so weight is a concern.
>>>>>> - I use the laptop constantly, so a really good screen is important.
>>>>>> - Nice keyboard. I'm spoiled by Thinkpads.
>>>>>> - I love the Thinkpad joystick thingy between the GHBN buttons. I
>>>>>> don't
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  think I could get used to a trackpad. I've tried often and I hate
>>>>> them.
>>>>>
>>>>>  - I travel quite often and long battery life is somewhat important,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  although on the one hand in-seat power is becoming more common and
>>>>> on the
>>>>> other hand some time away from the computer is a good thing too.
>>>>>
>>>>>  - I speak publicly very often so flawless external monitor hookup is
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  critical
>>>>>
>>>>>  - I don't do many CPU intensive things. Mostly lots of web pages (I
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  typically have 30 open tabs) and Thunderbird. Lots of Arduino
>>>>> compiles
>>>>> but
>>>>> that's pretty fast anyway. I mostly used git, Inkscape, OpenSCAD,
>>>>> Fritzing,
>>>>> vi, etc. I suspect lots of RAM and the SSD is more important that CPU
>>>>> speed, but I could be wrong.
>>>>>
>>>>>  - Style is not terribly important to me (thank goodness)
>>>>>> - Obviously something that works well with Linux (standard Ubuntu)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  without having to jump through too many hoops is important
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Thoughts? Suggestions for and against? General discussion?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  --
>>>>>
>>>>> *~the quieter you become, the more you are able to hear...*
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> sf-lug mailing list
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>>>>> http://linuxmafia.com/mailman/listinfo/sf-lug
>>>>> Information about SF-LUG is at http://www.sf-lug.org/
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>
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