IBM: Return T43 for T42p YAY or NAY?

[melloyelloww]

Not 2 days after I get my T43, my rep leaves me a message offering the T42p I wanted. Contenders:

T43 2ghz 760, 512, 80g 5400RPM, 15.0 Flexview SXGA+, 64mb V300, CD/DVD, intel a/b/g, modem, fingerprint, 3 years + 9 cell batter + accidental protection for 3 years.

$1987.00

or


T42p 1.8ghz 745, 512, 60G 7200RPM, 14.1 SXGA+, 128mb FireGL, CD/DVD, Atheros A/B/G, Modem, Bluetooth, 9 CELL. 3 year + accidental protection for 3 years.

$1870.00

Basically comes down to the 760 or the 745, .9 inches of extra screen space (i'm not all that impressed with Flexview), the P has bluetooth and the supposedly better Atheros wireless card. Should I return and buy the T42?

[nrj45]

Personnally, i would go for the t42p.

[melloyelloww]

nrj, why do you say you would go for the T42? Form-factor? Do you think there would be a speed difference between the 2 machines?

Thanks,
Andrew

[Zeitgeist]

T42p 1.8ghz 745, 512, 60G 7200RPM, 14.1 SXGA+, 128mb FireGL, CD/DVD, Atheros A/B/G, Modem, Bluetooth, 9 CELL. 3 year + accidental protection for 3 years.

$1870.00

Please let me know where I can buy a T42P for 1870 USD???? You can pm me...

[Aroc]

I would still get the t42p even if it was $200 more than your T43 model. But that's just me.

[GomJabbar]

For myself, I would go with the T42p for the following reasons:

1. 14.1" display - I go for portability
2. Faster hard drive
3. More video memory and I believe a faster video adapter (not positive)
4. Bluetooth
5. No Fingerprint Reader - I wouldn't really want one.

The reason against would be the display LCD. I believe I would prefer Flexview over the standard SGXA+. However, I have not personally seen either, so this is just informed speculation.

[pae77]

Faced the same dilema recently. Went for the T42p. Very happy camper now.

[MobileGuru]

P series over a non-P any day of the week if performance and graphics are your thing. It's like choosing between a BMW and a BMW M series. No brainer really.

N.

[ddutta]

Other than the fireGL card, there is no difference between a P and a non P, especially if you choose a 9cell battery and a 7200rpm HDD ....

[MobileGuru]

Other than the fireGL card, there is no difference between a P and a non P, especially if you choose a 9cell battery and a 7200rpm HDD ....

Actually, in additional to the clearly superior video chipset, there is an additional 64MB of dedicated video memory and typically a much higher resolution screen (1600x1200 versus the typical 1400x1050 or 1024x768).

For those reasons, I stand by my statement that moving from a non-P to P given the opportunity at a reasonable cost is a no brainer. In this case, going from a regular T43 to a T42p is also a no brainer, even when the screen is a little smaller and not the full blown high res version.

N.

[ddutta]

Other than the fireGL card, there is no difference between a P and a non P, especially if you choose a 9cell battery and a 7200rpm HDD ....

Actually, in additional to the clearly superior video chipset, there is an additional 64MB of dedicated video memory and typically a much higher resolution screen (1600x1200 versus the typical 1400x1050 or 1024x768).

For those reasons, I stand by my statement that moving from a non-P to P given the opportunity at a reasonable cost is a no brainer. In this case, going from a regular T43 to a T42p is also a no brainer, even when the screen is a little smaller and not the full blown high res version.

N.

* I said other than the video card

* 64MB is more than enough for resolutions upto 1600x1200 if you are doing 2D. 128MB is essential for some openGL apps or games.

* I would also choose a 14" over 15" but I am not sure about the $400 extra for the extra 64MB of VRAM because I dont use it. However I would definitely buy a 9cell and a 7200rpm HDD with any T series.

[pae77]

Well the fact is that except for the 128 meg fire gl graphics adapter, you can configure a 14 inch display non "p" model to be the same as a 14 inch "p" in all other respects including those you specifically mentioned. Also, my understanding is that there is no difference in the graphics chipset between the p's 128 meg. firegl and the 64 meg. version that comes on the high end non "p's" other than the increased memory.

[daeojkim]

T42p,

All other components can be upgraded, but not the graphics card. If you have not been impressed with flexview then there is no point of getting it. Also T42p is $100 cheaper, more portable, longer battery life.

And yes, I would rather drive an BMW e36 M3, than newer e46 regular 3-series. There is the "M" factor. Similarily there is the "p" factor in T42p.

JK

[melloyelloww]

Wow. So many pulls for the T42p. I understand that the graphics card is superior. I won't be doing much heavy graphics, mostly writing reports, internet, music. I will be using the machine to DJ occasionally so reliability will be necessary.

When I said I wasn't impressed with the screen, I have nothing to compare the Flexview against. My comparison was against a Dell 19" desktop monitor. I understand however that the desktops will be brighter and I think that was my main gripe. The IBM also seems to be a tish bit lighter at the bottom versus the top of the screen, but the viewing angle is almost 180 degrees side to side. I've yet to see a 14.1" SXGA+ screen, so I don't know how they would compare. However, if they were darker then the Flexview, I might not be so happy.

Performancewise, is the chipset in the T42p that much better? What about the resale value of these things? Since the T42 is on the way out, would it be better just to hamper along with a T43 for a year or so then sell it with a small depreciation and get something else? This is the most I've ever spent on a laptop ever.

I'd love to keep this thing for 3 years like I ended up doing with my Gateway years ago, but the fact that the specs of the impending new release of Windows requires SUCH a fast machine I don't know if I'll be able to....

Thanks guys,
Andrew

P.S. I think the price on the T43 was decent, the machines are only about $20 in price difference. The main savings was that the T42p included the 9cell battery and on the T43 I had to buy it extra.

[shuvit]

I own the exact T42p but with a DVD writer. Take My word, it is magical.

[ghanwani]

I'd love to keep this thing for 3 years like I ended up doing with my Gateway years ago, but the fact that the specs of the impending new release of Windows requires SUCH a fast machine I don't know if I'll be able to....

Windows XP will be around for a looooong time. I still run Win 2K at
home and have not felt any compelling need to upgrade. I think the
same will be true for Win XP. Because of it's market penetration, it
will be a while before apps are written that won't run on XP.

Anoop

[ghanwani]

I own the exact T42p but with a DVD writer. Take My word, it is magical.

What's the model number?

Anoop

[shuvit]

2373- GTG danish version.

you might find this interesting, I went the other day to the IT Department at my univ to configure my wireless connection (they install a VPN Client, assign IP, password, etc), and you see that needs an average of 20 minutes of you know restarting the computer 3 times, initiating connection with the test network, installation of certificates, etc etc..

So the support engineer was like: WOW, ive been working here for a year now and I configured a thousand computers maybe and by far this is the FASTEST AND MOST POWERFUL thing I've ever laid my hands upon.

the whole configuration process took 5 minutes.

[daeojkim]

I own a T41p and T42. Have not used T43/p yet but so far I have been extremely happy with both of my machines. Fan noise issue is not there like many T43 owners have said so.

As far as resale values go it seems true that "p" models hold their values better than non-p models. I believe this is due to "p" factor and the fact that graphic card cannot upgraded w/o replacing the entire motherboard.

If you plan to use it for 3 year I do not see any problem with T42p. It will be able to handle all the applications that will be coming out in the next 3 years for sure. My X24 (PIII 1.13GHz) can handle smmothly all necessary applications that I need to use except for 3D games.

[dr_st]

Strange. I would have thought that when choosing between the above models, the choice is clear in favor of the T43, but most people actually think the opposite.

Advantages of the T43 model:

* Faster CPU
* Faster FSB
* Faster RAM
* Bigger HD
* Bigger screen (can also be a disadvantage)
* Flexview screen (blows the non-Flexview out of the water)

Advantages of the T42p model:

* Faster HD
* Better video card
* Smaller screen (more portable)
* Better battery life (older Dothan cores and chipsets consume less energy)

Now, consider the following. Do you plan to game a lot on the laptop? If not, then the X300 on the T43 isn't that bad, compared to the FireGL (9600) on the T42p. Now, the faster HD is an advantage, but it's not crucial for most applications. You are likely not to notice most of the time and in applications that aren't disk-intensive the faster CPU and RAM on the T43 will make a bigger impact. What you are going to notice is the extra heat the 7200RPM hard disk generates.

Screenwise... The difference in portability between 14" and 15" is marginal, especially since both models are truly "thin-n-lights". But running SXGA+ and especially UXGA on a 14" isn't pleasant, I can tell you that.

Not impressed with Flexview? Well, I don't know. As far as matte LCDs go, there aren't many better than Flexview (if at all) available in laptops. Maybe you would like a glossy LCD better, but then you should look away from Thinkpads altogether. What I can tell you is that all other IBM screens are going to be less bright and won't come close to the Flexview viewing angles, that's for sure.

Battery life? Since you are getting the 9-cell anyway, it's not as important - both models will give you sufficient time on battery.

For just a $100 more? I wouldn't hesitate and take the T43.