Arch Linux

unr3st

Member

Registered: 2011-05-31

Posts: 6

Lenovo ThinkPad X61 or other Convertable laptops compatablility

I am currently searching ebay for a laptop, and I have come across the Lenovo ThinkPad X61. For the price that it is going for, this thing is amazing. For about $200, it has Intel core 2 duo 1.6Ghz, 2gb of ram, and it can be converted into a tablet PC. Maybe I am looking incorrectly, but most lower end laptops on eBay cost closer to $150 and only have a single core and 1gb of ram or less. I am only considered about compatibility. Since these sort of "Convertible" laptops are not very common, it would seem likely that many features would not be supported. The only article that I could find on this matter is this one for Ubuntu 10.04 http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Installin … X61_Tablet
Will these solutions work on arch as well? Is it likely that there will be Arch-specific problems, or that these problems will be mostly fixed by now? A bit off topic, but if there are many problems concerning this laptop with Arch, what is your recommendation for a laptop? I am looking to use it as both an entertainment center to connect to my TV( for emulators and Boxee) and as a laptop that I can bring with me for general purpose. The touch screen is not a primary concern, as I have not artistic skills that would make great use of it, but it is a welcome addition nonetheless.

demian

Member

From: Frankfurt, Germany

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 709

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad X61 or other Convertable laptops compatablility

X61 comes in three different models: X61, X61s and X61t.

The first is the normal laptop, the second is a little lighter in weight and system resources (ergo more battery life) and the third is the tablet, which is usually heavier than the other two. They can't be converted to one another, at least not without buying some parts like display, the appropriate cables etc and exchanging them (which is harder than it sounds and voids the warranty if there still is some).

The X61 is a very good deal. But if you really want a great all-round laptop i'd suggest you invest $200 more and buy a X200. They've gotten pretty cheap and usually come with some warranty left. It has better battery life, more power and a much better display than all it's predecessors in the X-Series.
The x61 is still a good work horse but the display brightness is not suitable for outdoors and the WiFi Card is below the palmrest and can get very hot.

I own a X200s and am very very happy with it, therefore my recommendation.

Regards,
demian

Last edited by demian (2011-06-21 11:40:16)

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