New T42 Owner

[covertash]

Hey guys! Let me start off by saying you're all really bad influences! I caved in and bought myself a T42 off Ebay for an amaing price of $713 after shipping and handling. The specs (in my sig) were just too good to pass up and I was itching for something faster than my T23.

I have to say that this was a fantastic upgrade as the speed difference is like night and day. It's also MUCH quieter! The 7200RPM Hitachi hard drive that came in the T42 is inaudible to me unlike my T23's 4200RPM drive which makes loud grinding-like noises when seeking. Having an SXGA screen is also a very nice feature as well too. I finally have some room on my screen! And what's better than having more screen real estate? Filling it with Counter-Strike Source! This part totally blew me away as the video card is very capable of playing some pretty recent games! Oh, and not to mention that the T42 is lighter and slimmer than the T23.

So yes, I'm very happy with my purchase.

I wanted to ask though, what are some of the extra goodies that you other fine T42 owners bought for your laptop? I know I shouldn't be asking for more ideas to spend money, but I just have that side of me that loves to trick out my machines. I have plans to put in an extra 1GB of RAM and either a 9-cell battery and/or a bay battery. If anyone else has any other suggestions (as well as where to buy my accessories), I'd love to hear it!

Whew! Well, thanks for reading my rambling and let me know what y'all think!

[marcos]

Considering that on the T43 with 512 MB that I'm using at the moment, only 180MB are free, the next thing you may want is a RAM upgrade.

But, you've got already the most import thing that is the 7200 rpm disk.

All the rest really depends on you. I consider the 2nd HDD tray to be very nice to have, then bluetooth... everything has a reason to be after all.

[christopher_wolf]

Enjoy your new T42

I would, first off, recommend a RAM upgrade, like Marcos says, and then possibly some extra features depending on what you want to do with it. I would strongly recommend a 9-cell battery as it really does make a big positive difference.

Other accessories I have found useful

1.) 7200 RPM HDD (I prefer Hitachi)
2.) 2nd HDD Adapter for Ultrabay Slim
3.) Ultrabay Slim battery

Those are most of the additions I made that I use frequently.

HTH

[underclocker]

Congrats.

Maybe you could sell your old T23 on this board, some are looking for one.

9 cell on T-series makes unit heavy and unbalanced - tippy toward back. I went from 9 to 6 cell. The new 6 cells last a long time.

[covertash]

Thanks for everyone's replies!

A RAM upgrade is definitely one of my first priorities. I'm currently shopping around for a 1GB stick at the moment.

I'm curious about the 9-cell batteries, though. Currently, on my 6-cell, I get anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on power settings. How much longer usage do you get out of a 9-cell versus a 6-cell? My typical usage is mostly surfing the internet on the internal wifi with Office open while listening to music, or watching movie. If I play games, I have my laptop plugged into the AC. Would it be reasonable to say that it's possible to stretch another hour to an hour and a half of battery time?

And about my T23, I still have not decided if I want to sell it yet. It remains to be an excellent machine (even in the wake of the T42); and being my first laptop, it holds some sentimental value. Perhaps one day if I can find a suitable home for it.

This is getting to be exciting all over again! Haha!

[skitty4gzus]

for starters, great choice! I just bought the t42p in my sig and what a step up from a T30!!!! Anyways, I have 2 9-cells and 2 6-cells. The new 9-cell holds a charge from a lil over 4 hours according to its timer, and the 6-cell holds about a 3 hour charge according to its timer. Mine came with 6-cells and 9-cells so I had no decisions to make there, but definitely a RAM upgrade for sure. That is a pretty inexpensive upgrade for what you get. But, one thing that is a pretty awesome upgrade is an ultrabay battery. You can pick them almost new or new for around 40 dollars shipped. Just keep your eyes open or post a new topic. You can get RAM on here all day from brentpresley for 87.50 or something like that. And, like me and some other folks, you just missed out on a pretty good deal from IBM on some refurb'd RAM. So sticking with 6-cell and ultrabay battery is a good decision. With both batteries in right now and full charge on a 6-cell with over 170 cycles its showing over 3 hours charge on the timer. But, with a newer 6-cell and ultrabay batt that number should be pretty close to 4 hours if not higher. You got some choices, but everything you would want you can find on here cheaper than ebay so thats good news to you, bad news for your bank account!

[christopher_wolf]

I have never had any problem with balance with my T43 and its 9-cell battery in comparison to the 6-cell battery. I can balance it on my knee, in a stork-like position (*do not* try this with something to grab onto in case of trouble), just as well. Perhaps if one removes the Ultrabay device, it becomes so...but I haven't done that much and carried it around for an extended period.

The 9-Cell that I got for my T43 could get it past 5 hours originally, with more of a workload, it came to about 4:30 after around 50 cycles and a year from the battery's first use. The T42 will have longer battery life given the same type of battery as well, so keep that in mind. With a fresh 9-cell, I have seen T42s last for a long time.

[underclocker]

The balance issue isn't huge, but to me, it's noticeable. Since batteries were moved to the back of latops (vs. T23's or R40's), they feel heavy in the back when the LCD is open. In fact, with the LCD open, the heaviest components are situated in the last 2-3 inches of the footprint, so this makes sense.

I noticed this immediately when I switched from an R40, which was heavier overall, but had the weight distributed evenly, to a T40 with a 9-cell. When open, it felt like it would flip out of my hands backwards.

I eventually picked up a T43 6-cell (with the capacity improvement over prior 6-cells) and was quite happy. My T40 now feels right. I get 3-4 hours of use per charge.

Some people call me sensitive

[covertash]

This is good news to hear!

As luck would have it, I won another auction on Ebay for a 9-cell battery for $43 after shipping!

However, I'm curious about the 6-cells that have improved capacity. Are there any FRU's or anything for reference to them?

Thanks everyone! Next up is the memory upgrade!