New to Thinkpads and appreciate your help

[Capt]

Hi folks, my friend led me towards this forum & I'm certainly glad he did! My Dell Inspiron 4000 is long in the tooth and I'm ready for a new laptop. I've always admired the Thinkpads I've seen people using at Borders & Barnes & Noble but since I can't seem to find any retailers where I can walk in and actually touch and see a Thinkpad first hand I hope you can answer a few questions. There seems to be many T42 configurations and it's hard to decide which one to get.
I'm definitely interested in one of the 14" models, my questions are about which processor to get and the overall quality of the Thinkpad. First, can you tell me if there is an appreciable difference in performance between the 2.0 GHz and 1.8 GHz processor? I want this laptop to last me at least the length of the warranty (3 years) and probably longer and I don't want to feel that it's terribly behind the times when that time rolls around.
Second question is about the SXGA+ resolution display, is it bright and sharp? The last question is about how durable the T42 is, I travel alot and it will be going through alot of airports, with the security the way it is I'd like to know if the Thinkpad can take a few bumps when going through the scanner and still look good. I appreciate all your replies and adice and look forward to purchasing a T42.

[muffd]

Welcome:) http://www.aaltonen.us/

Check out that site for some reviews and pictures of a T42 and I think even a T41. I have a T40 myself and would not purchase any other brand. A thinkpad will definitely last you for the duration of your warranty period. The quality is much better than any of the manufacturers out there. They are expensive but way worth it. I bought my wife a Dell 600M but am now returning it to get her a Thinkpad. Actually, I think I'll give her mine get the new one for me:)

[MichaelMeier]

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[JHEM]

Capt,

Only you can decide which processor to get, primarily based on what you use the unit for. Personally, my 1.5GHz T40 with 1.5GB RAM and a 7K60 HD is more than fast enough for my needs running everything from MS Office apps. to Photoshop to AutoCAD 14.

So a bit of consideration as to what you're going to be actually using the unit for will go a long way towards deciding whether you need a T42 or could possibly pick up a T41 or even a T40 that will more than meet your needs for much less money.

Yes, the SXGA+ 14" display is bright and sharp, but so is the XGA display. Do you need an SXGA+ display? Is your vision excellent? Do you normally work in this resolution? If you can't answer yes to these questions, I would suggest only getting the SXGA+ display if you're considering a model with the 15" display.

Durability. What can I say? My collection of Thinkpads have travelled the world with me for years; aboard ship, in commercial aircraft and airports, on my own vessels and GA aircraft, as well as innumerable miles in the trunk of the car. My son's venerable 600X slumbers peacefully in standby in his Jeppeson case as he hops in and out of cockpits all day. My younger daughter's 600E and 600X have travelled the world with her as she competed on the IOF circuit. My elder daughter's 570E, T22 and now T30 accompany her on her monthly visits to Belgium or the UK for work. My wife's 600, 600E, 600X, T21, T23 and now T40 is her constant companion as she flies to interesting points around the globe monthly. (She's only in Boston this week!)

None of our machines have ever suffered a failure that could be reasonably attributed to "travel rash", even after suffering under the ham-handed attention of the average security person. I've never worried about my Thinkpads continuing to work and be useful for the duration of their warranties, and in fact I've upgraded the warranties to five years on almost all of my systems.

For the best prices on new T42s and leftover T41s contact Bill Morrow, our host, at http://www.thinkpads.com

Regards,

James

[jsmit86]

Until a few months ago, I was running a TP600 that was still running in great shape.

My main motivation for replacing it was the outdated Win95 that my company installed wiping out the Win98 it came with.

I expect that the T42 will serve me well for some time to come.