Due diligence - 2686DGU or something else?

Message

ghanwani · #1 Post by **ghanwani** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 8:03 am

I'm in the process of trying to decide on what to buy to
upgrade my T20. I like my T20 enough that the T43 seems
like a natural choice. I don't think I've found a laptop with
a keyboard comparable to my T20!

Anyway, I've looked through the models and have finally
settled on the 2686DGU. I chose this because
- 14.1" screen (lower weight)
- DVD recordable
- Faster (7200 rpm) hard disk

The only negative I see is no bluetooth, but I haven't
used that on my work laptop (which has it) to date.

So - Is there any other model that I should be looking at?
Is the 2686DGU notorious for any problems that other T43's
don't suffer from? Should I be looking at anything else?
I looked at the Z series machines and I didn't think their
specs were quite as good at the T43's.

The warranty that comes with the machine is 1 year.
Does it make sense to upgrade it to 3/4/5 years? I was
thinking of doing 3 years depot repair - that's what I had
with my T20.

Anoop

hoya · #2 Post by **hoya** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:28 pm

check out the middle T43 on this page - the price is incredible:

http://www-131.ibm.com/content/home/TP_ ... y_t43.html

ghanwani · #3 Post by **ghanwani** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:18 am

Thanks for the link.

This looks very similar to the specs on the 2686DGU. The price
is lower but this doesn't show up when I view all models, so I guess
it wouldn't qualify for EPP. I can get EPP because I have a friend
who is an IBM retiree. With that, the 2686DGU works out to about
the same price when I add a 3 year depot warranty.

Anoop

#4 Post by **daeojkim** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:19 am

Have you considered T41p or T42p? They come with bluetooth and 7200 rpm HD, and 128MB FireGL T2 graphics card.

Thinker · #5 Post by **Thinker** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 11:44 am

Might I suggest a T23? I have a T23 and a T42, and the T23 still holds its own. People seem to think that just because the T23 is an older machine it is obsolete and incapable of running anything more than office apps and web browsers.

If you put a 7200 RPM HD and 1Gb RAM in a T23 I can almost guarantee that it will be a much higher step up from your T20 than if you move from a T23 to a T43.

Some things that a T43 will offer you that a T23 can't are: Lower weight, more RAM capability (2 Gb vs 1Gb), more warranty (If you buy a refurbished T23 from IBM you are stuck with a 90 day warranty), and better graphics performance.

Some things that a T23 will offer you that a T43 can't are: Sturdier construction, lower price, and better options to record DVDs (You can install a NEC DVD recorder on a T23 which performs much better than anything you can put on a T43 at the moment). Also, you have more freedom to upgrade your HD in a T23 than in a T43, at least for the moment (read the sticky about BIOS warnings when replacing the HD on a T43). I can't comment on the fan noise, since I haven't used a T43, but the fan noise on the T23 is not much worse than on my T42, so it might be better than on the T43.

Don't dismiss the T23 as a viable option, unless you want to run 3D apps. If so, by all means, go with a T41p, T42p, or T43p.

ghanwani · #6 Post by **ghanwani** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:04 pm

My current T20 is 5 years old. I paid $3300(!) new through the
shareholder purchase plan back then. It still works great except
I would like a CD/DVD writer and newer ports. I think I would
plan on keeping the new machine for at least 5 years if I could.
Based on that I prefer to get something that's more cutting edge.
Hence my preference for the T43.

Also, I want something that's available directly through Lenovo
and the stuff they show for the T42s on their webpage isn't that
great. It seems like the T43 is a better value, although as many
people point out there may be quality issues. I'm hoping they
are mostly addressed by now.

Anoop

MadeInJapan · #7 Post by **MadeInJapan** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:15 am

If you go with the T4x series, my suggestion is to NOT get the DVD burner that sells with it. Save yourself some money and the headache and just get a CD or even a CDRW/DVD....avoid the Matshita burner that comes in these...they are crap (and no other company makes the multi-burner in the 9.5mm size so you're stuck with only this burner). Instead, may I suggest an external USB2 case and a NEC ND-6500 or one of it's variants sold on NewEgg.com for under $130. I think you'll be much happier with this setup, but others I'm sure will chime in about this issue.

#8 Post by **carbon_unit** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 5:49 pm

MadeInJapan wrote:If you go with the T4x series, my suggestion is to NOT get the DVD burner that sells with it. Save yourself some money and the headache and just get a CD or even a CDRW/DVD....avoid the Matshita burner that comes in these...they are crap (and no other company makes the multi-burner in the 9.5mm size so you're stuck with only this burner). Instead, may I suggest an external USB2 case and a NEC ND-6500 or one of it's variants sold on NewEgg.com for under $130. I think you'll be much happier with this setup, but others I'm sure will chime in about this issue.

I've been using a Plextor PX-716UF today and it is an awesome DVD burner.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827131345
A little pricey but you get what you pay for.

Hook it up with some TY blanks from the supermediastore and you have a winning combination.
http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yu ... inish.html

Due diligence - 2686DGU or something else?

Due diligence - 2686DGU or something else?

Who is online