Any date set on the new T43s?

[tttttada]

I've been looking into the T43s for quite a while and have only two gripes about them. The first being that there are only two USB ports. (I could get get a hub so this is no biggie) The second, is the graphics card. I've done some homework online and the vast majority agrees that the X300s suck.

According to the FAQ,
"FUTUREPROOF. The next version of Windows, Longhorn, is due mid-2006. It uses a new graphics standard called, "Aero Glass." Microsoft recommends a minimum of 64MB graphics RAM (128-256 recommended) and DirectX9 support in the GPU. The 2378FVU's ATI 9600 should cover this. Lesser GPUs (e.g. ATI 9000 and ATI 7500) will not."

This is a major setback. I've read somewhere that T43s with 128MB X600s (or a GPU with similar performance) are coming out sometime in early June.
Can anyone confirm this information?

[Steve007]

T43's are designed for XP - so I'm not sure what you are complaining about. It's certainly not a 'set back' that some T43's use the X300 chip as it's more than enough for most business users needs, heck, even the MR7500 does the job for most users - me included.

Those who need a bit more power have other options, the V3200 is a more than able option for professional users.

There will be a minor refresh in May/June so maybe you can wait until then before making a choice but there's plenty of good deals to be had on the T42 with the MR9600 (64MB) right now....

Another thing, those wanting to jump on to Longhorn right away are stupid. It's best to wait a while for all the compatability issues, problems, security problems etc to be rectified before making it your prime OS of choice......

[stgreek]

Another thing, those wanting to jump on to Longhorn right away are stupid. It's best to wait a while for all the compatability issues, problems, security problems etc to be rectified before making it your prime OS of choice......

And does any seriously believe it will be out by then?

[tttttada]

Steve007, thanks for your prompt response.
I'm aware that the X300 is more than enough for business users. But a lot of the competitors (Latitude 610D, Tecra M3) are offering the X600/Go 6600 chipsets w/128MB since going Sonoma. I plan to keep this laptop for well over 3 years and, who knows, Longhorn could end up being revolutionary. I remember buying XP the month it came out and it was night/day compared to 98. Sure, Longhorn may have reliability or security issues, but that should be sorted out by the end of 2006. It bothers me this $2000 investment would end up being barely compatible with Longhorn in a year and a half.

[tttttada]

And one more thing. I plan to buy a 15" with SXGA+
A T43p with UXGA is not an option as I have bad eyesight and is out of my bugdet.

[redsb3]

Well, hey, XP will be supported for quite a few years to come, so who says you need to update to Longhorne. As long as XP can do what you need, why bother to update? As far as revolutionary from M$, pleeease.

[tttttada]

As long as XP can do what you need, why bother to update?

I generally like to jump onto new things just like every other person. After 5 years of using the same OS I think its definitely time to update. Don't you think XP is boring compared to Mac OS X? It sure seems old and dated to me.

Anyway, back to the subject. Does anyone know if the graphics card is part of the minor refresh in May/June?

[Steve007]

Does anyone know if the graphics card is part of the minor refresh in May/June?

Yeah think so, not 100% sure 'til I get the info sent to me.

[jdhurst]

Last I read in Pro Business / IT rags is mid-2006 for Longhorn, so don't hold your breath. My T41 is fully adequate with XP for any task I throw at it, including running three completely separate independent computers running on it all at the same time with each computer running its own set of tasks.
... JD Hurst

[tttttada]

Yeah think so, not 100% sure 'til I get the info sent to me.

Good to hear that. I really have my heart set on a Thinkpad and that was only concern. Thank you.

[K. Eng]

The specs listed for Longhorn are only estimates, and will probably not reflect the final system requirements. Also, the Longhorn graphics engine (Aero Glass) can scale up or down to accomodate the graphics processor in your system. The conclusion that a machine purchased today will be "barely compatible" is probably a stretch.

Generally, it's not a good idea to buy hardware in anticipate of some software that is coming out. Take Half Life 2, for example. Many people bought Radeon 9600 and 9800 graphics cards because ATI and Valve said HL2 would run best on those cards. Suprise suprise, HL2 was delayed about a year and much faster graphics cards were out for the same price that people paid for their 9600 and 9800 cards. Buy a computer for what it can do for you today, not what it might be able to do tommorow!

Steve007, thanks for your prompt response.
...
It bothers me this $2000 investment would end up being barely compatible with Longhorn in a year and a half.

[jdhurst]

The specs listed for Longhorn are only estimates, and will probably not reflect the final system requirements. Also, the Longhorn graphics engine (Aero Glass) can scale up or down to accomodate the graphics processor in your system. The conclusion that a machine purchased today will be "barely compatible" is probably a stretch. <snip>

Yes, I agree. Further in the Pro Business / IT rags I read and referred to above, I should also have noted that people closer to Longhorn than I am see nothing in it that will give Business a reason to adopt. Properly secured and patched, XP Pro works, is reasonably free of bugs, is reliable and stable, and much more secure than anything prior (although Windows 2000 is not bad). So Business will need something else besides bells and whistles to push it. Microsoft has been said to grudgingly acknowledge this, so we shall see what happens.

... JD Hurst