Advice needed on buying a T42.

[sagara]

Hi, I've been looking for a T42 on ebay (UK), but not sure what some of the different specs listed mean in practice.

Some CPUs are listed (and badged) as Centrino, others as Pentium Mobile - apart from the different speeds (1.6, 1.7 or 1., are they really the same CPUs?

The WiFis come in Intel 802.11b, or b/g, or a/b/g mini PCIs - is one better than than others?

Is there a big difference between the ATI Radeon 32Mb 7500 and Radeon 64Mb 9600 (I'm not a gamer, don't want 15" screen, and the latter are harder to come by).

The T42 will not be my main workhorse - I've a Dell PC - so will be used mainly for wordprocessing, surfing/email/ and watching the occasional DVD when I'm mobile.

Thanks,

Robert
,

[WarMachine]

Hello,

Centrino is a name used to describe a technology, and not only a CPU.

If you buy a Centrino labeled machine, you'll have :

- A Pentium-M ("M" means "Mobile") CPU,
- An i855 Chipset,
- An Intel WLAN card.

If one or more of these elements aren't present, then you don't have a Centrino machine.

Concerning the Radeon 7500 and the 9600, you'll see a difference if you play games, for sure, but if you only do basic tasks, then, it's not really important.

Just a word concerning WiFi a/b/g :

"a" is slower than "b", which is slower than "g".

You'll have a connection @ 11 MBps/s with WiFi a, 22 MBps/s with WiFi "b", and 54 MBps/s with WiFi "g".



W.

[Paul Unger]

Centrino is an Intel brand name that combines the Pentium M(obile) with and Intel wireless card. Those that are listed as Pentium M(obile) probably have a non-Intel wireless card (although with the confusion that is out there re. 'centrino' / 'celeron' / 'mobile' badges you just have to look at all the components to be sure what you're getting . . . ). When it comes down to it, they are the same Dothan CPU (although I understand there were some early T42s that used the Banias [marginally slower front-side bus?]). If you can find the 'machine number' of the units you're interested in (e.g., 2373-3uu), you can see the full specs at the lenovo website.

I can't say anything about the other wireless cards, but I have an Intel 2200 b/g in one of my T42s and it works well. It took some fussing with the drivers to get it to cooperate with Access Connections (the IBM connection manager), but it's happy now! The IBM (Atheros) a/b/g in my other machine has been flawless. Get one of those, if you can.

Max resolution with the 7500 is 1024 x 768 (XGA) while the 9600 is 1400 x 1050 (SXGA+). I have one of each in 14" and must say I really appreciate the SXGA+. It makes good use of available screen space, and the 14" 'footprint' is much more portable than the 15". That said, some users have complained that text is too small on the SXGA+ screen.

Happy hunting! I think you'll be pleased with whatever you decide on (and don't be surprised if it displaces your Dell! ).

[sugo]

Avoid Intel 2100 802.11b card at all costs. Its driver is far from stable, not to mention that's no point not to get 802.11g these days.

[MartinB]

Max resolution with the 7500 is 1024 x 768 (XGA) while the 9600 is 1400 x 1050 (SXGA+).

False, I have the ATI 7500 running 1400x1050 and actually also 1680x1050 through DVI (Dockstation..), the upperlimit is restricted by the LCD-panel...

[cmarti]

Or get the cheap machine with the 802.11b card and upgrade it with a Atheros.

[okkyn]

Sorry, silly question:

If you replace intel card with atheros one, will the centrino logo at startup also disappear (change to pentium logo)?

[WarMachine]

Hello,

I don't think the logo will change, as it's in theory saved in the CMOS.

Change BIOS logo is possible, but not really useful, and somewhat risky...



W.

[underclocker]

Sorry, silly question:

If you replace intel card with atheros one, will the centrino logo at startup also disappear (change to pentium logo)?

YES, it changes. I've done it. Same on the R-series, too.

[okkyn]

Sorry, silly question:

If you replace intel card with atheros one, will the centrino logo at startup also disappear (change to pentium logo)?

YES, it changes. I've done it. Same on the R-series, too.

Wow... that's means there are 2 logos stored in the BIOS/CMOS. The only thing you have to do is changing the sticker in your left palmrest

[FTC]

"a" is slower than "b", which is slower than "g".

Hi, just for the record. This is not true. "a" and "g" have the same speed (up to 54Mbps). "b" is significatly slower (up to 11Mbps).

The disadvantage of "a" is that it normally has shorter range which can more easily be obstructed by walls, ... , but otherwise it's as good as "g" and since it runs in a *normally* less populated frequency, it usually has less interference in the real life.

[underclocker]

The only thing you have to do is changing the sticker in your left palmrest

Indeed! Wouldn't it be nice if the BIOS could change that, too! $3 on eBay wlll take care of it.

[sagara]

Thanks for all that: although I had a T41 before, moving to a T42 is no simple matter when one sees all the variations, and no shop to visit to test them out visually and tactilely! But this discussion is filling in some gaps . And there are so many on ebay!

Cheers,

Robert

[agarza]

Sorry, silly question:

If you replace intel card with atheros one, will the centrino logo at startup also disappear (change to pentium logo)?

YES, it changes. I've done it. Same on the R-series, too.

I've tried booting my T42p without my crappy 2200bg mini-pci plugged in the socket and instead of the centrino badge showing in BIOS splash screen, the Pentium M logo appeared!!

Anyone knows how to change the BIOS splash image on a T42p with, let's say the BIOS image of a T60 with the Lenovo branding and Core 2 Duo Branding and make it work on a T42p ?

[okkyn]

I've tried booting my T42p without my crappy 2200bg mini-pci plugged in the socket and instead of the centrino badge showing in BIOS splash screen, the Pentium M logo appeared!!

Probably nobody ever "upgrade" from Atheros to Intel, so it is irreversible...