Lenovo ThinkPad Z61m

‘In the year since Lenovo announced the first-ever wide-screen ThinkPad, the company has been keeping the Z series fresh by incorporating the latest components without drastically changing the laptops’ excellent design. With the midsize Z61m, for example, Lenovo has stocked the now-familiar wide case with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and the latest graphics card from ATI, all at a competitive price. So far, so good, but when it came to our performance benchmarks, the ThinkPad Z61m lagged behind the competition. For some, the ThinkPad Z61m’s excellent design and business-friendly feature set will offset its pokey performance; users looking for every last drop of speed, though, should consider the similarly priced (and identically configured) HP Compaq nc8430.’

Here are the specifications of the ThinkPad Z61m model under review:

• Model: Z61m 9450-39U
• CPU: Intel Core Duo 2.0GHz T2500
• Chipset: Intel 945PM Express
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 P5300 2 Slots, 0 Open
• Hard Drive: 100GB Fujitsu(MHV2100BH) SATA
• Screen: 15.4" WSXGA+ 1680x1050 Matte 200 Nits
• Modular Optical Drive: Matshita UJ-850 DVD+/-RW/-RAM
  o 8x DVD+/-R
  o 4x DVD+/-RW
  o 2.4x DVD+R DL
  o 5x DVD-RAM
  o 24x CD-R
  o 16x CD-RW
• Graphics Card: 128MB ATI x1400
• Networking: Intel Wireless 3945A/B/G, Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet, Modem and Verizion EV-DO Network Adapter
• Inputs: 86 Key Keyboard, Two Button Touchpad with Scroll Bar, PointStick with Separate UltraNav Buttons, Fingerprint Reader
• Buttons: Power, ThinkVantage, Power Up and Down, Mute, and WiFi/Bluetooth On/Off Switch.
• Other
  o Bluetooth
  o Webcam
  o ThinkLight
  o Security Lock
• Ports:
  o 3 USB 2.0 Ports - Two Left Side, One Rear
  o Four Pin Firewire Connector
  o Port Replicator/Dock
  o S-Video Out
  o VGA Out
  o 4-in-1 Card Reader
  o Line Out
  o Headphone
  o IR Port
• Slots:
  o 1 PC Card Slot Type II
  o 1 ExpressCard Slot 54
• Battery: Six Cell
• Dimensions:
  o Width - 14.1"
  o Depth - 10.3"
  o Height - 1.6"
• Weight: 6.7 Lbs.
• Operating System: Windows XP Pro
• Warranty: Three Year Warranty With One Year Battery