T43p Impressions

Message

dukajoe · #1 Post by **dukajoe** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 8:53 pm

So, I cranked up my T43p today...

The screen and resolution is great. I dont have any dead pixels, (or maybe I do and I just cant see them)
The build quality, blah blah blah...
Yes its badass, im not going to tell you anything you havent already heard.

Im thinking about doing a wipe, but I just havent yet. I recomend you sit around and play with all the ibm programs before you decide which ones you want to reinstall.

The thai keyboard feels like it is naturally how humans are supposed to communicate.

On the fan/heat issue, wtf people? Maybe im lucky, but I have not had any problems on this issue. The power manager CLEARLY indicates how loud the fan will be on a certain power setting. "Fan sound level:" wtf?

Perhaps mine works, and other peoples dont, i dont know. The default ibm setting seems to be the best thing, the fan comes up once and then never again. The only times I have gotten the "whhhr" effect is when i was downloading and it was sitting on my lap. I think if you have it on your lap, it allows a lot more heat to remain in the laptop. A tiny elevation of the cassing allows air to circulate underneath when placed on a flat surface.

I played doom 3 demo on high settings, and change the power settings to maximum peformance. That [censored] got hot. You could have fried an egg on the bottom. Other than that, I have not had any high heat levels. (I havent taken the temp of the processor, sorry)

My overall impression is that this is definately worth the buy if you have EPP. Im not sure whether you'd want to spend that much otherwise. As far as settings in regards to performance and heat, dont read too much into or fine details and get too tricky with the multiple program configurations. If you do things how ibm intended you will probably garner better results.

Basker · #2 Post by **Basker** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 9:11 pm

Haha! I am worried about the fan noise myself, but and so haven't bought. But your post made me think of this:

Nuclear WTF (http://albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end.php)

Please post any other thoughts you have. I am thinking of a T43p myself, or a high end T43.

jeffman12 · #3 Post by **jeffman12** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 9:18 pm

Seems that people who go the 15" screen dont have the heat/fan issue...

Basker · #4 Post by **Basker** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 9:28 pm

Hmmm....

Seems like a 2687D5U might be a good deal then...

T43p with 2.0 Ghz, 1Gig RAM, 15" UXGA, 80g HD. That should put it in the slightly larger form factor with less heat issues, save money on the not so bleeding edge Intel 760 vs 770, and also run a bit quieter with the slower (and thankfully larger) hard drive.

dukajoe · #5 Post by **dukajoe** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 9:34 pm

Oops, I have a dead pixel, just found it. Its so hard to see on UXGA

stalin · #6 Post by **stalin** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:57 am

dukajoe wrote: On the fan/heat issue, wtf people? Maybe im lucky, but I have not had any problems on this issue. The power manager CLEARLY indicates how loud the fan will be on a certain power setting. "Fan sound level:" wtf?

What can I say, see you in a week or so in this forum again...
The first impressions are the most positives ones, unfortunately it doesn't last long...

snife · #7 Post by **snife** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:27 am

i personally think everone is just over sensitive about the fan issue on the newer models - you have the utility as mentioned to stop the fan. In a normal office environment you cannot hear it at all, admittedly in a quiet room where you could hear a pin drop you can hear it but it is nothing when compared to a DELL or something.

Then again i sit next to a server rack these days so maybe i'm just becoming immune to fan noise.

Basker · #8 Post by **Basker** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:06 am

Yeah, I was wondering about other brands myself, like Dell. I have looked at the competitors such as Dell's 610 (same form factor similar features) the HP 6230 (same form factor similar features) etc. I saw one post on Dell's community forums indicating the fan is always on for the Dell D610. I haven't really seen any complaints so far on the 6320. I am beginning to think for that for the form factor and the new Sonoma chips, this fan noise is to be expected. I still don't have enough info to feel confident either way.

Chordate · #9 Post by **Chordate** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 8:12 am

How well did it play Doom 3? Was it pretty smooth?

I decided to go for the T43P with the 14.1 inch screen, because it is small. At the 15 inch size, there are similar laptops that I can get which are cheaper. But for the 14.1 inch size, you can't find anything one inch thick with a 128mb graphics card.

Which brings me to another questions... have you seen the 14.1 inch screen? If so, how does the quality compare with the 15 inch screen?

sugo · #10 Post by **sugo** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 8:24 am

snife wrote:you have the utility as mentioned to stop the fan.

Is there a utility that can STOP the fan?

Chordate · #11 Post by **Chordate** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 8:25 am

sugo wrote:
snife wrote:you have the utility as mentioned to stop the fan.
Is there a utility that can STOP the fan?

I don't know if that would be a good idea though...

Greg Gebhardt · #12 Post by **Greg Gebhardt** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 10:55 am

dukajoe wrote:So, I cranked up my T43p today...

The screen and resolution is great. I dont have any dead pixels, (or maybe I do and I just cant see them)
The build quality, blah blah blah...
Yes its badass, im not going to tell you anything you havent already heard.

Im thinking about doing a wipe, but I just havent yet. I recomend you sit around and play with all the ibm programs before you decide which ones you want to reinstall.

The thai keyboard feels like it is naturally how humans are supposed to communicate.

On the fan/heat issue, wtf people? Maybe im lucky, but I have not had any problems on this issue. The power manager CLEARLY indicates how loud the fan will be on a certain power setting. "Fan sound level:" wtf?

Perhaps mine works, and other peoples dont, i dont know. The default ibm setting seems to be the best thing, the fan comes up once and then never again. The only times I have gotten the "whhhr" effect is when i was downloading and it was sitting on my lap. I think if you have it on your lap, it allows a lot more heat to remain in the laptop. A tiny elevation of the cassing allows air to circulate underneath when placed on a flat surface.

I played doom 3 demo on high settings, and change the power settings to maximum peformance. That [censored] got hot. You could have fried an egg on the bottom. Other than that, I have not had any high heat levels. (I havent taken the temp of the processor, sorry)

My overall impression is that this is definately worth the buy if you have EPP. Im not sure whether you'd want to spend that much otherwise. As far as settings in regards to performance and heat, dont read too much into or fine details and get too tricky with the multiple program configurations. If you do things how ibm intended you will probably garner better results.

After owning my T43p for several weeks now, I have to agree with you. I do not understand all the complaints about screaming fans and laptops so hot you could cook on them. In a dead quiet room, I can barely hear my fan and my T43p get no warmer than my T42p did, notice I said only warmer as mine after hours of use is by no mean hot.

Maybe we were BOTH lucky as the T43p is the best I have had yet and I have puchased about every new TP for the last 8 years.

Chordate · #13 Post by **Chordate** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 10:56 am

Greg Gebhardt wrote:
dukajoe wrote:So, I cranked up my T43p today...

The screen and resolution is great. I dont have any dead pixels, (or maybe I do and I just cant see them)
The build quality, blah blah blah...
Yes its badass, im not going to tell you anything you havent already heard.

Im thinking about doing a wipe, but I just havent yet. I recomend you sit around and play with all the ibm programs before you decide which ones you want to reinstall.

The thai keyboard feels like it is naturally how humans are supposed to communicate.

On the fan/heat issue, wtf people? Maybe im lucky, but I have not had any problems on this issue. The power manager CLEARLY indicates how loud the fan will be on a certain power setting. "Fan sound level:" wtf?

Perhaps mine works, and other peoples dont, i dont know. The default ibm setting seems to be the best thing, the fan comes up once and then never again. The only times I have gotten the "whhhr" effect is when i was downloading and it was sitting on my lap. I think if you have it on your lap, it allows a lot more heat to remain in the laptop. A tiny elevation of the cassing allows air to circulate underneath when placed on a flat surface.

I played doom 3 demo on high settings, and change the power settings to maximum peformance. That [censored] got hot. You could have fried an egg on the bottom. Other than that, I have not had any high heat levels. (I havent taken the temp of the processor, sorry)

My overall impression is that this is definately worth the buy if you have EPP. Im not sure whether you'd want to spend that much otherwise. As far as settings in regards to performance and heat, dont read too much into or fine details and get too tricky with the multiple program configurations. If you do things how ibm intended you will probably garner better results.
After owning my T43p for several weeks now, I have to agree with you. I do not understand all the complaints about screaming fans and laptops so hot you could cook on them. In a dead quiet room, I can barely hear my fan and my T43p get no warmer than my T42p did, notice I said only warmer as mine after hours of use is by no mean hot.

Maybe we were BOTH lucky as the T43p is the best I have had yet and I have puchased about every new TP for the last 8 years.

Is your T43P a 14.1 or 15 inch screen?

jeffman12 · #14 Post by **jeffman12** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:43 am

Chordate wrote:
Greg Gebhardt wrote: After owning my T43p for several weeks now, I have to agree with you. I do not understand all the complaints about screaming fans and laptops so hot you could cook on them. In a dead quiet room, I can barely hear my fan and my T43p get no warmer than my T42p did, notice I said only warmer as mine after hours of use is by no mean hot.

Maybe we were BOTH lucky as the T43p is the best I have had yet and I have puchased about every new TP for the last 8 years.
Is your T43P a 14.1 or 15 inch screen?

It's a 15 in, the model number is in his sig.

Basker · #15 Post by **Basker** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:42 pm

Hi again,

Does anyone have similar experiences with the 14" - my preferred form factor would be a 14". However if I thought the larger 15" form factor would net me some benefits due to a bit larger case with better thermals, I would consider it.

Thanks in advance.

B

dukajoe · #16 Post by **dukajoe** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:54 pm

Stalin wrote: What can I say, see you in a week or so in this forum again...
The first impressions are the most positives ones, unfortunately it doesn't last long...

I doubt that. Like I said, I have gotten the whrr effect like once. If it started doing that all the time, it would be really f-ing random. When I put the laptop on batter power where the mysterious "fan sound level" meter is at two, I would feel like Howard Hughes if I complained about the noise level.

[quote="Chordate"} How well did it play Doom 3? Was it pretty smooth?
[/quote]

Yeah, was pretty good. I played in 800 x 600 on high quality and it looked smooth, and a little unsmooth when there were a lot of enemies. Im downloading half life right now.

I must say the fingerprint reader would me much cooler if a little blue laser ran across the entire finger and a brittish lady said "Finger Scan Complete"

My stickers (windows xp, intel inside) are on crooked, and its a bit tacky. I think I could use fingernail polish remover to get those off.

The balance with the fan can be precarious, when for instance i have it in my lap and i heat it up rather than let air circulate. The noise is a little more prevelant when downloading on wireless in combination when being on my lap, and thats understandable.

The only other time I have had the whrr is when I use CHC. I think the program is a little ghetto, and I was wondering what the hell would be going on when IBM power manager and that program were running at the same time. I have to say that IBMs programs are tight, and I have enjoyed using them. They are such a stark contrast from Dell jukebox type [censored]. I think that power manager is meant to manage the power of a think pad, and the fan noise meter doesnt lie, absent of external factors.

dukajoe · #17 Post by **dukajoe** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:04 pm

by the way, im running bios 1.05, i havent updated yet, and I dont think im going to, just in case.

dssjon · #18 Post by **dssjon** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:28 pm

I just got my new T43p in yesterday.. Its sweet!

I ordered it on june 21, and it arrived at 9:30 AM on the 29th! The predicted ship date was july 11th, so it arrived very early.

From what I hear in some circles is that the Thinkpad is ugly. Well.. my first impression is how sleek and nice it looks. I am very pleased with the design, color, etc.

I was worried about fan noise, and that my 14.1 SXGA screen was going to be too small. At first it seemed a little tight but after a few hours I got used to it. I wouldnt want it any bigger, the form factor of the laptop is perfect for me.

In regards to fan noise, I havent noticed anything that I would consider 'loud' or out of the ordinary. Its kinda like having a luxury car with a big engine, your going to hear it sometimes, but thats a good thing.

I am REALLY impressed by the IBM preloaded software. I am used to getting bloatware from the likes of compaq, hp and dell. The IBM preinstall is great..

The fingerprint reader is sweet. Speaking of fingerprints, I just ordered 'klear screen' to clean my LCD when it gets prints on it.

Another big fear I had was the dreaded DEAD PIXEL. At first I didnt have any - but after about an hour I noticed a bright white dot on my black desktop. I was disheartened, but then I read somewhere that you can firmly rub the screen with like a cotton cloth and it could fix the dead pixel. Sure enough, a minute later the dead pixel was gone! phew..

Now I am waiting for my kensington contour laptop backpack to arrive so I can take it to school..

All in all, I am extremely satisfied with my laptop.

Basker · #19 Post by **Basker** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:38 pm

Which model did you get?

Chordate · #20 Post by **Chordate** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:44 pm

dssjon wrote:I just got my new T43p in yesterday.. Its sweet!

I ordered it on june 21, and it arrived at 9:30 AM on the 29th! The predicted ship date was july 11th, so it arrived very early.

From what I hear in some circles is that the Thinkpad is ugly. Well.. my first impression is how sleek and nice it looks. I am very pleased with the design, color, etc.

I was worried about fan noise, and that my 14.1 SXGA screen was going to be too small. At first it seemed a little tight but after a few hours I got used to it. I wouldnt want it any bigger, the form factor of the laptop is perfect for me.

In regards to fan noise, I havent noticed anything that I would consider 'loud' or out of the ordinary. Its kinda like having a luxury car with a big engine, your going to hear it sometimes, but thats a good thing.

I am REALLY impressed by the IBM preloaded software. I am used to getting bloatware from the likes of compaq, hp and dell. The IBM preinstall is great..

The fingerprint reader is sweet. Speaking of fingerprints, I just ordered 'klear screen' to clean my LCD when it gets prints on it.

Another big fear I had was the dreaded DEAD PIXEL. At first I didnt have any - but after about an hour I noticed a bright white dot on my black desktop. I was disheartened, but then I read somewhere that you can firmly rub the screen with like a cotton cloth and it could fix the dead pixel. Sure enough, a minute later the dead pixel was gone! phew..

Now I am waiting for my kensington contour laptop backpack to arrive so I can take it to school..

All in all, I am extremely satisfied with my laptop.

How is the screen quality?

Basker · #21 Post by **Basker** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:19 pm

What is the air speed velocity of a fully laden swallow?

lilserenity · #22 Post by **lilserenity** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 6:21 am

Certain thoughts aside and bad jokes in...

0mph because I shot it down.

Sorry, not very on topic, just feeling freedom again after an unfortunate accident lead to me spending a whole month in hospital.

However, most interested by comments on the T43 as when I return to owning a ThinkPad (ie: when finances permit) I shall probably be going for a T43.

Vicky

Basker · #23 Post by **Basker** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:33 pm

So, dukajoe, has your laptop blown up yet or fanned itself off the desk?

dukajoe · #24 Post by **dukajoe** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 4:33 pm

Basker wrote:So, dukajoe, has your laptop blown up yet or fanned itself off the desk?

Not hardly. Ill post some more impressions in a week or so.

Jerry Garcia wrote:Every silver linning's got a touch of gray

Yes, I agree. Truly words we can all live by.

nikemen · #25 Post by **nikemen** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 9:14 am

Is the FAN utility, portable to other T42 series?

T43p Impressions

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