Lenovo ThinkPad T61p review

Average user rating

4.3

mediocre

Average user rating from 9 users

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Lenovo ThinkPad T61p user reviews

November 3, 2008

Posted by: Aviator

"Avoid at all costs"

What I like:

NOT A THING!

What I don't like:

EVERYTHING!

Review:

This is the worst laptop I have ever used / bought! The horror starts at the opening of the box. I purchased the T61P Maxed out, every option, 4G plus the Intel turbo 1g card. Yes, that is a total of 5g’s of memory! I bought laptop to replace a 6 year old IBM T41p that has gone through 3 wars, and every type of field environment you can think of and carried in a field ruck across the world. In July, the video card finely started to go and I thought I would replace it with a new Lenovo. What a mistake!
The “FIRST” of the new T61P (yes, I said the first) open of the box did not work at all. I had to reload the operating software (good thing I had my own) right from the start. After getting the computer booted up, there is the continuo “dinging” of components installing, being uninstalled. This happens at EVERY START UP! The average boot time is about 10 minutes from a fresh start until the time you can use the system. When I open more than one application (IE outlook and word) you have to manually refresh the screen. Then, we have all heard of the “Blue Screen of death” but the T61P now gives you the “White Screen of death” OH this one is GREAT! There you are, using your computer and all of a sudden the screen goes white. They system locks up and you cannot do anything; to include, manually holding the on/off button to turn it off. You have to wait for the system to DIE! The last time it did it I lost EVERY E MAIL AND CONTACT in Outlook.
Processing time – My T41p is a 1.3, 1G mem system. The T61p is a dual 2.5, 4G plus 1G turbo men. Simple processing of a Word document the T41 has the T61 beat hands down on EVERY doc. There is not one process the T61 can even come close to side by side to the T41; reguardless of the application being used.
The video card is less than … well... Let’s say the only thing you could say about it is that on the T61, it will show an image on the screen. Again, the T41, out performs the T61 HANDS DOWN!
Wireless connection – The ultra high band and all the rest, the best I can connect to the T61 to the wireless router, in the same room is 30-47%; however, the T41, 100%. Yes, checking the transfer rate, again, the T61 is slower than the T41. The list of problems just continuo with Lenovo and the T61.
Lenovo Support – Worst support I have ever used! After spending countless hours of updating drives, software, etc (we all know how long that takes) none of the problems were corrected. When I finely contacted Support I was online for 6 hours trying to get the system to work correctly. When the tech told he had reached the max time he could support me I would have to call back the next day or he was switch me to sale. Remember this is a NEW LAPTOP! I was told, I could send it in for repairs; because it had not been sent in to me fixed yet! I would not accept that as a answer to my problem when I was transfer to the next guy. Four people down the line I get sent to the Complaint Department where they are willing to “LET ME SEND THE COMPUTER BACK FOR REPAIR AT A 15% RESTOCKING FEE” and send me a “REBUILT” computer. Two months of not agreeing to this solution the “complaint person” refused to talk to me. It wasn’t until I filed a complaint with the BBB and started calling every number on the HQ phone roster did I get someone to return my call. They did agree to send me a NEW laptop to replace the one that was defective.
Two days ago the NEW replacement laptop (T61P) arrived. Again, out of the box, trying to boot the system up, I encounter SIX… SIX “Blue Screens of death (BSOD)” This was RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX.. AGAIN! After spend some time with the NEW NEW T61P, I notice it was missing four of the upgrades I paid for. Finger print reader errors, BSOD, DVD not working, I had enough. Lenovo refuses to refund my money, yet, I don’t have a working computer (except the 6 yr old T41) after dealing with this issue for over five months!
What’s different between the T41 and