Which one is the better buy for T42P: 2373GVU or 2373KUU?

[Kingwulf]

Hey all,

I am pretty close to buy my thinkpad T42P and I am down to 2 models:
2373GVU and 2373KUU?

Which one do you guys think better buy for the money.

The differences between the 2 are

2373GVU 2373KUU
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Price $2,111.20 $2399.20
Chip 745 1.8 GHz 755 2 GHz
Wireless Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Atheros AR5001X+ WLAN


I am primarily going to use it for coding and web development (and sometimes playing games if I am bored) in addition to web browsing and probably some spreadsheet work and photo editing.

Does the 2.0 performance is really different from 1.8? Can Ia dd more memory to compensate?

Also I heard from the forum that Atheros is better than Intel wireless card?

I am really looking forward to hearing some opinions about this.

[T42p]

I have the GVU and I am very satisfied. I'd say buy 512 MB of additional RAM for the price difference and go with the GVU......

[RonS]

If you plan on using the wireless a lot, you'll be much happier with the GVU, which has the IBM wireless. The KUU has the Intel wireless, which reportedly has a lot of dropouts. You probably won't notice the difference between 1.8GHz and 2.0GHz, so don't let that be a deciding factor. Except that 1.8GHz parts may be in short supply right now, so you may be able to get the 2GHz delivered faster.

I'd buy more RAM aftermarket. If you're using Visual Studio .NET, you'll definitely want at least 1GB. It's pretty cheap right now... look at http://www.amamax.com/51pcddr33200.html where 512MB SODIMM is just $50.

If you're a road warrior, the 14" model is a good choice. But if you're planning on using this as your primary system while working at your desk, strongly consider getting a 15" t42. You will appreciate the Flexview and the extra display size for writing code.

[Kingwulf]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I am thinking of getting GVU right now with extra memory (since I a running Visual Studio).

I guess 1.8 and 2.0 should not make much different.

[stgreek]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I am thinking of getting GVU right now with extra memory (since I a running Visual Studio).

I guess 1.8 and 2.0 should not make much different.

It really is a no-brainer. 200 Mhz will make absolutely no difference on such a machine, while an extra gig of RAM will be night and day (esp. for coding).

[asiafish]

I also have the GVU and with an additional 512MB ram (total 1GB) it is a delight. The IBM wireless card is terrific, just as reliable as my PowerBook, on an Apple base station no less.

[IR0NMAN]

Hey, I have the GVU with 1GB of ram and it's fricking fast! I use it for web development, software development and some gaming... it runs Visual Studio 2003 perfectly, and obviously Dreamweaver, and many games such as Battlefield Vietnam, Half-Life 2, Swat 4, etc... I never tried it with a 3D modeling application but i'm sure the 128MB FireGL is fast enough. And the 7200RPM Hard drive is really sweet and silent.

Just add 512MB (~70$) and a 200GB external hard drive (~140$) and you are set!