T42 2379RHU, T43 26686FU, or T43 2686DFU ?

[eric69]

Hi guys,
I'm trying to decide between these two models

T42 2379RHU 14' XGA P745 (1.8 Ghz) $1499 3yrs parts and labor
T43 26686FU 14' SXGA P760 (2 GHz) $1499 sale 3yrs parts and labor
T43 2686DFU 14' XGA P740 (1.73Ghz) $1499 1yr parts and labor

obviously the secondT43 is a better deal, but I'm very concerned about heat and noise.
Not sure that SXGA will make a huge difference for me, or the extra Ghz
(I have a fast Dual Core AMD desktop for computing intensive things).
Still, they'd be nice to have if noise and heat are OK.
What do you think?

thanks for your input.

[christopher_wolf]

The heat and noise problems vary from one system to another; I have had none, most of the Thinkpads I know of have none, other people have reported issues with the fan noise and heat. Fan noise is less of an issue now since the Fan Control Utility came out, the heat is even less noticible as I have used my T43 on my lap for hours on end without even breaking a sweat on my lap; a 3 year warranty is recommended. Also, the SXGA screen is a significant leap up from the XGA in terms of resolution and the 14.1" is just the right size to carry around.

[eric69]

Thanks for your reply. I've read the thread about the fan control utility. Is there a similar
too for Linux? I need to make my thinkpad a double boot machine.

[christopher_wolf]

Yup; check ThinkWiki for the Fan Control Script and ACPI

See; http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ACPI_fan_control_script

I tried it out on mine, works fine.

ThinkWiki is also an excellent site to look at if you are putting Linux on your Thinkpad.

[naro]

Hi guys,
I'm trying to decide between these two models

T42 2379RHU 14' XGA P745 (1.8 Ghz) $1499 3yrs parts and labor
T43 26686FU 14' SXGA P760 (2 GHz) $1499 sale 3yrs parts and labor
T43 2686DFU 14' XGA P740 (1.73Ghz) $1499 1yr parts and labor

obviously the secondT43 is a better deal, but I'm very concerned about heat and noise.
Not sure that SXGA will make a huge difference for me, or the extra Ghz
(I have a fast Dual Core AMD desktop for computing intensive things).
Still, they'd be nice to have if noise and heat are OK.
What do you think?

thanks for your input.

i'll definitely get the 2nd one with SXGA screen and its nicely priced too!!

[asiafish]

The SXGA screen is nice to have when working with text or multiple documents, and when you want big letters, you can zoom in whatever app you are using and they will be less jaggy than on an XGA panel. ClearType works very well at high resolutions.

[dr_st]

2nd is a clear winner, unless you _want_ XGA. Then go for the 1st.

[eric69]

Thanks folks. I ordered machine #2. can't wait to try it out!