t43 -so maNY VARIATIONS!!

[shednz]

Hi - i was wondering if I could get some advice/help from u knoweldgeable folk. Am juggling which thinkpad to buy and there are so many options i am getting confused. Don't have a huge budget and have been looking at a t43 2668 CT-7 whcih seems cheaper than other 2668 variations - should i be wary of it being cheaper - what's the differences! I tried google ut can find little if anything about the CT7 variation. Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated. Cheers, Scott

[pianowizard]

been looking at a t43 2668 CT-7 whcih seems cheaper than other 2668 variations

2668-CT7: Based on 2668-R1M: P M 750(1.86GHz), 1GB RAM, 80GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1024x768 LCD, 64MB ATI Radeon X300, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Bluetooth/Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Fingerprint reader, 6c Li-Ion batt, WinXP Pro

Part of it is the 14.1" display only has XGA (1024x768) resolution. SXGA+ (1400x1050) is worth around $50 more. Another thing is some models have the 9-cell battery, which costs $30 more. Most people here prefer to have 14.1" SXGA+, and I prefer 6-cell to 9-cell because it's lighter.

[Johan]

Hello shednz, ”down under”!

Check this thread: "T4X specs" --> http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=36822. Next, go to http://www.ibm.com/us/ enter "2668CT7" in the Search field, which will take you to http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... yle=lenovo and see the first hit where you'll find all information. Use the "Quick path" on the same page to find specs for other models.

My advice: Absolutely go for the 14" or 15" SXGA+ display (1400x1050 pixels), rather than an XGA display (1024x786); check thread http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=247206.

Actually some ThinkPad-owners (incl. me!) might consider purchasing a T42 over a T43, since the T42 does far less than the T43 exhibit the "fan noise" problem (much more about that in http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=17715). I guess T42’s are hard to find, as new, today, and the three-year warranty that comes with a new ThinkPad (of the T-series) is well worth getting.

Regards,

Johan

[shednz]

Cheers guys for the worldly advice. Checked out threads, Johan thank you , seems some debate over the xga-sxga preference depending on the quality of ones eyes. The t43 I am looking at has only the xga screen. The fan noise drama is a little concerning in the T43 - which I have been leaning towards buying simply because on our local auction site there is a sealed model with 3 years warranty for about $1300 NZD (about $900 US). Our market is a little small for many real bargains a la e-bay US - we only have 4 million people here and most of them use compaqs! The computer will be used mostly for writing my masters thesis, obviously some websurfing and very infrequent age of empiring ; ) Occasionally if i ever get ahead of masters schedule I might record a bit of music on it. I guess that leaves me with the questions will the xga screen be okay for intended use; will the warranty help me out if the fan is a pain ( i am not much on checking computers 'under the hood' so a little reluctant to start messing with potential solutions myself); or should i wait and try and find another deal? All your advice is welcome and thanks again! Scott

[pianowizard]

most of them use compaqs!

What a shame. Compaq makes some of the crappiest laptops.

Occasionally if i ever get ahead of masters schedule I might record a bit of music on it. I guess that leaves me with the questions will the xga screen be okay for intended use

If you ever do sound editing, SXGA+ would definitely be better than XGA. I have edited my own recordings using Audacity and XGA just doesn't provide enough working area.

will the warranty help me out if the fan is a pain

Nope. Not all T43 have fan noise problems though, perhaps about 40%.

[tomh009]

You might want to take a look at this one as well, as it has very similar specs but with SXGA (1400x1050):
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Lapt ... 579445.htm

That said, my dad bought a new T60 and chose an XGA screen for readability -- it really depends on your eyes, I think.

[tomh009]

Not all T43 have fan noise problems though, perhaps about 40%.

I think the 1.86 GHz CPU and the X300 graphics on these particular systems should be fairly moderate in terms of heat, thus further improving the odds on the fan noise issue.

[Johan]

G'day, Scott!

Pleased of being at help... there are lots of friendly and very knowledgable folks here at forum.thinkpads – so I'm only trying to "pay back" a small bit of all the much benefit that I have gained through this forum.

Well, I repeat what I've already said: Go for the SXGA+ FlexView display, if you are interested in getting a laptop that you will simply enjoy, enjoy and enjoy again as the years goes by. Surely, the XGA will work (otherwise IBM/Lenovo of course wouldn't be able to sell them in their mainstream-products!), but people like you (I guess!) - people who find this forum - tend to possess an interest in getting the best quality... which the SXGA+ models simply are! Period!

If I were you, I would check NZ and Australian sites for either new or not-too-much-used T42's w/SXGA+, or perhaps even eBay (in USA), and also the "Marketplace" here at http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewforum.php?f=11 I’m sure that there are many very good deals at e.g. eBay if you find an honest seller – and I’m sure that many e.g. USA-based sellers will be willing to ship to NZ. I just did a small Google'ing, and found this T42 w/SXGA+ for sale in NZ: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Lapt ... 600230.htm Check its HW status; any scratches, how much warranty left, any dead pixels, how well is battery (worn out?) etc. etc.

It "only" has a CD-RW/DVD-ROM, i.e. no DVD-writer (which you can surely live without), but it has a 1.5 GB of RAM and a fast 7200 rpm HDD! If you feel for it, enquire about its status (age? scratches? any dead pixels? any warranty left? battery worn out? etc.), and if all sounds OK, then buy it! To me the "buy now" price of 1.500 NZ dollars (translating to USD 1.000) appears absolutely interesting.

Scott: SXGA+, SXGA+ and three times more SXGA+! I’m going to keep saying it - until you finally listen!

Best regards,

Johan