T42 2378RDU or T43 2686DGU?

[LDNA]

IBM canada has both on the express program for the same price and i can't decide which one to get. i try searching the site for t42 vs t43 threads and i just want to do a little more research before i make the purchase since some of the threads i search are ratehr old

T42 2378RDU pros:
- 30min longer battery life
- more quiet
- runs cooler

T43 2686DGU pros:
- faster at the expense of louder fan and more heat and shorter battery life
- DVD-RW drive

am i missing anything? i can't decide to get the T43 2686DGU or the T42 2378RDU please help.

[christopher_wolf]

It really depends on what you are going to use it for and what you prefer.

As far as I can see, an Extra 30 minutes of Battery life isn't going to do much if you have been working on it Mobile for the Majority of its Battery Span . Also, it is nice to have a DVD-RW for Backup purposes. It is always nice to have a Quiet and Cool Thinkpad; but then again, I have compared my T43 to my Friend's T42 and couldn't find much of a difference in those two areas. Right now, the loudest sound coming from my T43 is the HDD... I actually have to get close to the Fan's Exhaust Port on the side to hear it (this is also with no disk activity lighting up as well and running on Battery). Turning the HDD off right now renders the T43 near completely Silent. The HDD creates more audbile noise than the Fan from what I can determine on Battery. Since you can control both of them, this never makes much of a difference for me.
It is nice to have a little extra power, but then again...It depends on what you are going to use it for.