Difference between T40/41/42 and what's the "p"?

[MadeInJapan]

Been looking around...may put in some more money than my wife gave me ($1000 for a "computer upgrade") for our anniversary and for the life of me, I know I want a T40 series, but don't know the difference between the 40, 41, and 42 and the "p" confuses me....Can someone help?

Funny thing...on eBay, I put all the thinkpads I liked in the "Items I'm Watching" category of "My eBay" and when I went back to look at them, they were all of the T40 series...some are 40's, while others are 41's, and 42's...a few have "p's" at the end of the numbers, but some don't.....so, you can see already from searching through eBay that I'm partial to the T40 series and hope I'll be sucessful in getting one in the next day or two.
I think that what sold me on this series is the better graphics card...only thing that stands out on hind sight.

[Flightvector]

Ok, I will start with the p models, which most likely stand for performance, and I would like to give all due credit to Conmee for hitting this on the nail. Basically a p is the cream of the crop, but its signification is starting to change a bit. I decided to quote since it is quite long, but this is where I got it, read these anyway because they are the best reviews on this forum for the T42 14" and 15" models:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... raditional

Quick note on 'p' models. My T42p 2373GRU is what I'll call a TRADITIONAL 'p' model. Before IBM introduced the various Express, Education, Workhorse, Entry variety 'p' ThinkPads, the 'p' denoted the best/fastest/most powerful combination of components in a given model. Now, there are many more choices/options, and not all 'p' models are created equal. As a result, I've noticed common elements that distinguish a TRADITIONAL 'p' model, as I call it, from the other 'p' models available. These elements are common to both 15" and 14" ThinkPad T Series, and are easily identified in the TABOOK.pdf file as the TRADITIONAL 'p' models are on their own page, just as the Entry, Express, and Education models are.

TRADITIONAL 'p' models MUST include: FireGL T2, 60GB 7200RPM HDD, Bluetooth, 9 Cell Hi-Cap Battery, 3 Year Warranty.

If a 'p' model is missing any of these components, it isn't a TRADITIONAL 'p' model. So Mofongo's T42p 2379DYU, for instance, has the 80GB 5400RPM HDD, making his an EXPRESS model. If he were to have bought the 2378DYU, in addition to being an EXPRESS model, he would have only a 1 Year warranty as well.

My point in all this is that there are differing levels of 'p' models now from IBM. Think of TRADITIONAL 'p' models as fully loaded, so to speak. Anyhow, I just thought this was interesting that IBM is branding a wider range of ThinkPads as 'p' than they have in the past.

Most T42p models in the tabook (the only model reference you should look at, IBMs website has typos) have UXGA 1600x1200 screens, IBM mini-PCI a/b/g, and 128Mb ATI FireGL T2 GPUs.

Others may have much more succinct information, but basically the T40, T41, and T42 are successively newer models (kind of like new car models every couple of years). T40s are no longer sold in the main IBM T section showcase.

T42 vs. T41 - I think this should be adequate information about these differences:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ht=t41+t40

The T40 and T41 differ in a couple ways though both are identical in appearance in most ways. The T40 has a slower memory bandwidth, using PC2100 whereas the T41 uses PC2700 memory modules. Also, from T41 onward you get the IBM APS-Active Protection System, where the Hard Drive's reading array retracts when the built-in acceleration telemetry senses an unstable situation where one may drop the laptop, to prevent platter damage.

This is basic overview, I know others can fill you into more specifics if needed.

[BillMorrow]

so far, ALL "p" models have 128meg video memory and the top fire GL vid chip..

[MadeInJapan]

Thank you everyone...I think you answered my questions very well.
There's a guy on eBay selling a T41 that I like a lot (auction ends today) but he has "0" rating...he's a new member and has never sold or bought anything on eBay. I've emailed him asking him to "prove" that he's honest and trustable...ie: a rating from another site, etc. Let's see what happens. If all checks out...might be buying this laptop. My other prefered thinkpad is a T42 (without the p) and the auction ends tomorrow. No reserve and the bids are only up to about $650 now...his rating is at 100% with decent numbers...seems very trustable. Anyway...thanks for all the replies.

[Conmee]

Thanks for giving me credit and quoting me... lol...but after that 'insightful' analysis of mine, another astute user of our forums came along and 'netted it out' quite succinctly: "p models are ISV/OpenGL certified" meaning that they by default must all carry a video card that is ISV/OpenGL certified.

Hence, the T40p has a FireGL 9000 w/64MB, while the T41p/T42p/R50p series all have FireGL T2 w/128MB, making them all p models, as Bill has just mentioned.

Daniel.

[Conmee]

By the way, I've sold three T40p models on Ebay and I've noticed that alot of people online mislabel ThinkPads, some labeled as p models when they aren't, and some that are p models only labeled as a standard model. Always check the video card info first... if it doesn't have FireGL it isn't a p model, no matter what the seller says.

Daniel.

[spotter]

I thought p stood for "pimp"?

[hmphargh]

I thought p stood for "pimp"?

those of us lucky enough to have a p know what it really stands for (unfortunately my computer isnt badged as one 2378EZU)

[xtypestereotype]

You all can't deny it also stands for "pricey"...

[awolfe63]

It actually stands for 'professional' and it is used for any model that has OpenGL drivers that have been certified with a large number of professional applications - mostly CAD.

FireGL is ATI's workstation brand - i.e. it is the brand that carries the certifications. Trust me on this one - I sold them the brand