Thinkpads Forum

Trying to find a newer laptop for my wife. Prefer Type 8895-8900 to bypass any nVidia issues.

Can you tell us more about that T42 of yours?

I can offer you a 14" XGA T61 with Intel graphics, or a 14" WXGA Intel T61. But I don't really want to trade. I already have way too many ThinkPads as it is. Unless...well just post the type number of the T42 and we'll see.

I have 2374-3VU and 2378-FVU. The RAM and drives may not match original spec, but I'll make sure at least RAM is above spec if desired. I know they have at least 1 GB now. I don't care about the T61 specs, I can handle the RAM and drives if necessary. The end result is I want 64-bit Win 7 at 1024x768 for her to use. I replaced her T42 with a newer 14" 1280x800 but she already switched it to 1024x768, which may not bug her but it does me. Yes, she doesn't have very good eyesight. It seems the only PC with Core 2 Duo and 14" XGA are Thinkpad T61 (and a few T60).

The T61 on Ebay seem unusually high to me. I was able to get my T42p units with 1600x1200 for much less than some of those bare units are going. I might consider an even trade for one of those for a 14" XGA T61 with Penryn CPU.

topshot wrote: The T61 on Ebay seem unusually high to me.

They are the last 4:3 ThinkPad...nuff said.

I was able to get my T42p units with 1600x1200 for much less than some of those bare units are going.

What surprises you there? A 15" T42p, unless it's in absolute top nick is worth next to nothing in today's market.

I might consider an even trade for one of those for a 14" XGA T61 with Penryn CPU.

Good luck with that one...

ajkula66 wrote:What surprises you there? A 15" T42p, unless it's in absolute top nick is worth next to nothing in today's market.

The T6x isn't that much newer and I guess you could still find the 1600x1200 IPS screen in the T60/p. That in itself is worth the money to me, but maybe not many folks outside this forum.

topshot wrote:The T6x isn't that much newer and I guess you could still find the 1600x1200 IPS screen in the T60/p. That in itself is worth the money to me, but maybe not many folks outside this forum.

You're preaching to the choir when it comes to IPS screens...

The problem with T42p is that it's only borderline usable nowadays, even for fairly basic tasks. The Dothans didn't age well, and Flash is killing them with a vengeance...T43p fares a pinch better - make that three pinches if SATA-modded - and T60p with a T7*00 is clearly superior to any of them when it comes to performance.

On the other hand, a T61 with a Penryn, 4GB RAM or more and a SSD is perfectly capable of pretty much anything one wants to throw at it, short of hard-core gaming...

So topshot, why all this talk of IPS displays, when neither the T61 you seek, nor the T42 you're offering to trade have FlexView displays?

(2374-3VU)
P M 735, 512MB RAM, 80GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1 SXGA+(1400x1050) TFT LCD, 64MB ATI Radeon 9600, CD-RW/DVD-R Multi-Burner(slim), Intel 802.11b/g wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ether, UltraNav, Sec Chip, 6 cell Li-Ion Batt, WinXP Pro

(2378-FVU)
P M 735, 256MB RAM, 40GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1 SXGA+(1400x1050) TFT LCD, 64MB ATI Radeon 9600, 24x24x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD, Intel 802.11b/g wireless(MPCI), Modem(CDC), 1Gb Ethernet(LOM), UltraNav, Secure Chip, 6 cell Li-Ion battery, WinXP Pro

I'm not interested in trading. If you are interested in either of the T61, PM me.

She's pretty low-core but the Thinkpad T6x are about all that fits the bill outside the Dell D520 but it's a 15" body. I guess I should ask if she just wants to keep the 42. LOL. I could load 32-bit Win 7.

Speaking of screens, you wouldn't happen to have a B156HW01 V.4 to trade would you? I'll be moving to a T510 but it only has the 1600x900.

Neil wrote:So topshot, why all this talk of IPS displays, when neither the T61 you seek, nor the T42 you're offering to trade have FlexView displays?

Because of have 4 T42p with them. 3 spares in case my daily driver fails. Though I'll be moving to a T510 as a second daily driver soon.

topshot wrote: Speaking of screens, you wouldn't happen to have a B156HW01 V.4 to trade would you?

Those are out of production and worth their weight in gold, if not platinum right now.

No, I don't have one...wish I had a box...

Doesn't hurt to ask.

Aside from the nVidia issue, is there anything else I need to avoid in the T61?

Is there a "best" wireless card?

For my info, am I correct in thinking the battery is not compatible with the T4x but optical drives are?

Correct...batteries are not interchangeable...optical drives are, but the T4x have a slight curve to the bezel while the T6x have a flat bezel.

topshot wrote:Yes, she doesn't have very good eyesight.

She might like the 15.0" T60 with XGA even more then. It's still significantly faster than the T42, and it would also be cheaper than a 14.1" T61 with XGA.

I talked with her about her ideal PC this morning and decided she's going to stay put with the 1280x800.

Turns out she moved it back to 1280 last night after I talked to her about getting a different PC so she doesn't have to scroll horizontally on her spreadsheets. I asked why she had kept the T42 at 1024 all this time... "I didn't know I could have 1280." We even bumped the external monitor to 1280 but the desktop she connects to at work is still 1024 so I need to look into getting her a better monitor there I guess so she can bump that display to 1280.