This is why Thinkpad is the BEST

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T23_Owner · #1 Post by **T23_Owner** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:49 pm

So here is my story of why I love my thinkpad.

I have had several thinkpads dating back to my old Thinkpad 770. About 3.5yrs ago I decided I wanted to pickup a T series as I had 2 A series and wanted something smaller. I went to ebay and got me a T23 for like $600. When I got it I noticed it had some blemishes on the case and a few white spots on the LCD so I sent it in for repair as it had 2 months left on it. Well they didn't replace the screen on first attempt, neither on second attempt and on third attempt replaced it with another bad screen. So I escalated the problem up on the chain and they sent me a brand new T42p with 3yr warranty and upped the ram to 2gb. WOW.

I still have this laptop. Its terrific. So my warranty is up next week and I decided to call IBM to get the cracked palmrest replaced. They said no problem we will send it right out. I asked them if I could get a new keyboard and they said sure, sending that too. I was like wow. How about a new screen and top casing since mine is a little dim and the top casing has some scratches. They said sure no problem. Got all the parts now. I can't believe how easy it was. I was so happy I decided to extend my warranty to 5yrs for $199.

Very happy with this thinkpad. Its a 2373-KTU and is pretty fast for being so old.

What do I love about this thinkpad besides the great warranty?

- 21W Dothan 2ghz Pentium M cpu. Fast and low voltage. New cpus are 35w.

- Slim and great looking

- Has wifi and bluetooth

- Great resolution screen

- Awesome keyboard

- Long battery life. With power saving on I get like 9hrs with ultrabay slim battery and 9 cell.

So basically the T42p is the best thinkpad ever. I await its successor.

AdaSch · #2 Post by **AdaSch** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:52 pm

YES!

i have many laptop before t4x

all suck (toshiba - broken cover, compaq -broken cover, dell broken hinge, hp 3 MB replaced, Acer - TRAGEDY no comments all component broken..., ASUS LCD broken, fuitsu siemens MB broken afetr warranty grrr)...

ONLY IBM

TimWang · #3 Post by **TimWang** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:12 pm

Agreed.

When I accidentally dropped my T43 in class, everyone around me was shocked to see that my laptop had fallen a good 4 feet. The first things out of my mouth was "don't worry, it's a thinkpad". Sure enough, when I picked it up it returned from sleep mode without issue.

fkelly · #4 Post by **fkelly** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:55 pm

Yes I agree. I had an HP and a work Dell Latitude D620, but the 3 Thinkpads I have smoke both of these.
A long time ago an old IT guy told me Thinkpads were the class of the field with their build quality and quality internal parts so I tried an A22m. I never looked back and now have 2 T40's and an outstanding A31. The keyboards alone make these lappies standout against the rest.
I have not tried any of the other companies warranty programs but to watch and experience the skills of an IBM tech at your home bringing your laptop back to life is a sight to behold.
Maybe I am biased but so far no one has shown me a better choice and it better be a way better choice then what I currently own.

pianowizard · #5 Post by **pianowizard** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:12 pm

fkelly wrote:I had an HP and a work Dell Latitude D620, but the 3 Thinkpads I have smoke both of these.

What's wrong with the D620? I don't own one but have played with several of them briefly and found it really good.

agarza · #6 Post by **agarza** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 11:02 pm

Yes. Indeed the T42p is a very nice machine. I wish mine had the extended warranty but nevertheless all the thinkpads I've owned had never failed on me.

ulrich.von.lich · #7 Post by **ulrich.von.lich** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:38 am

pianowizard wrote:What's wrong with the D620? I don't own one but have played with several of them briefly and found it really good.

Dell Latidude series are good machines, espacially they offer higher resolution screens with lower prices. A D820 can be customized with a 15" WUXGA panel and be much cheaper than a UXGA T60p, they are not so sexy looking as Thinkpads though.

fkelly · #8 Post by **fkelly** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:28 am

This was more shiningthe light on thinkpads then trashing the Dell 620. It served me well, but had a cheaper plastic feel to it. Typing on the keyboard always made me miss typing on my tp keyboard.
Overall the Dell was fine.

AdaSch · #9 Post by **AdaSch** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:44 am

ulrich.von.lich wrote:
pianowizard wrote:What's wrong with the D620? I don't own one but have played with several of them briefly and found it really good.
Dell Latidude series are good machines, espacially they offer higher resolution screens with lower prices. A D820 can be customized with a 15" WUXGA panel and be much cheaper than a UXGA T60p, they are not so sexy looking as Thinkpads though.

3D Mark05
536 points

T60p
3D Mark05
2400 points

t43p
3D Mark05
1250 points

Paul Unger · #10 Post by **Paul Unger** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:23 am

fkelly wrote:I have not tried any of the other companies warranty programs but to watch and experience the skills of an IBM tech at your home bringing your laptop back to life is a sight to behold.

Sorry, this is kind of off topic but: does this mean you got your recent wireless card problem sorted out?

synchromesh · #11 Post by **synchromesh** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:57 pm

Thinkpads rule. Very tough and rugged.

Made me sell my Dell C640 real quick after I got my hands on coworker's T20 and realized how much better it is.

fkelly · #12 Post by **fkelly** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:45 pm

Topic busting, NOT AT ALL. Thanks for you follow-up. I have ordered a 2915abg off of ebay and the member I purchased this first one from is sending me a few others to try out.
Much thanks for at least giving me some pointers to fix this deal, I really appreciate you taking the time to send me pm's with suggestions.
I am in Dallas this week but plan to install the new pci mini this weekend.

Oh and my daughter in college in DC has just reported that her T40 is shutting off while she's typing papers in Word and while on the internet certain websites appear with dots thruout the screen.

Maybe I shouldn't have bragged about TP's so quickly.

Nahhhhh, I still love em and that is what warranties are for.

sugo · #13 Post by **sugo** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:25 pm

I am typing on my 3 years and 2 months old T42. It's very quiet, runs cool on battery and never breaks down. I love my thinkpad.

Brad · #14 Post by **Brad** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:03 pm

Not suprising that everyone here at ThinkPads.com loves their ThinkPad.

I am a ThinkPad enthusiast.

I haven't yet met a ThinkPad I didn't like. I am disappointed in how all other laptops I have come across fail in what ThinkPads so gracefully accomplish.

Like that Sony A690 that was nearly impossible to repair or find any information from anywhere on how to take it apart. In contrast my 7 year old A22p can be taken apart with the help of IBM's HMM still on their website. And put back together too with hopefully no extra parts.

Brad

kyrotech · #15 Post by **kyrotech** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:59 am

Indeed Thinkpads are great. You can take them apart and put them back together easily. IBM/Lenovo support site is very clear and has all the info you need. They can endure and last long.

My T42 is doing good, only had to replace then fan assembly and main battery (sanyo) has only 1.6hr of life but I use it mostly with AC on...

Am still waiting for a true successor of T42 series too

ulrich.von.lich · #16 Post by **ulrich.von.lich** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:02 pm

kyrotech wrote:Am still waiting for a true successor of T42 series too

That would be a T62 hopefully.. At least it will look familiar, with the return of the stripes, yeah!

#17 Post by **GomJabbar** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:30 pm

Another T42 fanboy!

We have (3) T42's in my family. The T42 still holds the sweetspot in my heart. The lack of S-Video or any TV-Out option turned me off on the T6x series. Even my ThinkPad 600E had TV-Out - geez!

I am looking for a future model ThinkPad with the form factor of my T42 -14.1" non-widescreen SXGA+ display, TrackPoint, quality keyboard, TV-Out, etc. I like the PC Card slot, but ExpressCard would be a fine replacement. I really don't need the parallel port anymore, but I do want to keep the VGA port. Adding a Firewire port would also be good.

ajkula66 · #18 Post by **ajkula66** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:42 pm

I've never owned a laptop apart from a ThinkPad...tried many others and liked none.

I just wish they'd bring back the FlexViews, regardless of cost, they're worth every penny...in my opinion, that is.

Missing a true-blue desktop replacement along the lines of A31p...currently have an R50p in that function, but not THAT pleased with it although it's altogether a great machine. Three-spindles were the way to go...and 4 USBs from G4 series...

T42s were the best combination of reliability and performance, especially now that they've hit bargain basement prices. Being a nut that I am, I'd still go with mid-range T43...

The only T6 that I'm interested in is T60p with 1600x1200 FlexView, and that shall be looked for sometime soon...

I still have a T20 that has been assigned to me 7 years ago, and apart from one dead pixel, that machine still runs flawlessly. Company doesn't even have it in the records anymore...runs W2K like a champ, and has survived more abuse in the field than anything I can think of...falling from the desks, being sat on (in the bag, though) while in a truck, flooded basements...what can survive in the hands of Verizon field techs more than a year is worth its weight in gold, and this one sure is...still dead stock apart from upgraded RAM and mini-PCI (originally came with a modem only)...that's how I got hooked...

And then I bought an A22p by mistake, thinking I was buying an A22m...oh well...UXGA dependence, here we come...

That, in turn, brought ordering the only brand new ThinkPad I've ever owned: A31p (2653-H6U)....and the world has never been the same since...looking at it through the FlexView screen brings a whole another perspective...

I could go on and on and on, like most of us, I guess, but I need to stop NOW or this will turn into "memoirs of a thinkpad addict"...

whizkid · #19 Post by **whizkid** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:43 am

GomJabbar wrote:The lack of S-Video or any TV-Out option turned me off on the T6x series. Even my ThinkPad 600E had TV-Out - geez!

Get with the times already! :)

Every display in my home (save an old 20" Zenith in the basement) has at least a VGA input. One has DVI and one has component. NTSC composite or S-video is so 20th century. (low res, inaccurate colors, flickering, crappy... bah!)

rhema83 · #20 Post by **rhema83** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:15 am

AdaSch wrote:

T60p
3D Mark05
2400 points

t43p
3D Mark05
1250 points

T42
3D Mark 05 (Vista 32-bit)
762 points

Didn't know the Radeon 9600 64MB is so underpowered.

Or maybe I should run the test in XP Pro instead?

sugo · #21 Post by **sugo** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:18 am

My T42 (mobility radeon 9600) gets 1059 in 3DMark05 in Windows XP. I almost never really use the 3D functionality though.

Murcielago · #22 Post by **Murcielago** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:34 am

yeap...gonna add another post to fan the love for this workhorse.

previously i served in the armed forces ( not the us army FYI) and i've seen those thinkpads they had out in the fields. [censored] solid build. the other laptops looked they were dying soon and 1 of them had to be shutdown because it was close to overheating in the midday sun!

to be honest, i first felt a thinkpad was bland, a flat black colour, no brushed metal finish and the same old design from the past.

Until I was at this auction for liquidated computers. I looked at the t43(quite low in specs compared to the core duos of LG and asus). then i tested the hinges for all 3 and looked at the design. i tested by adjusting the screen to 45deg then springing it (pressing it and letting go)

despite the LG model being more beautiful and asus being more powerful, I eventually chose this t43.

reason being, I personally feel a hinge is an indication of how much thought the engineers put into designing and building 1 and underlines the build quality. ASUS and LG's lcd both rocked back and forth like a pendulum AND creaked.

this machine didnt even squeak and made minute rocking. PLUS, for this model only, i can move the lcd screen without pressing down the body.

gradually fell in love with the simple, sleek and elegant t43.

#23 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:07 pm

whizkid wrote:Get with the times already!

Every display in my home (save an old 20" Zenith in the basement) has at least a VGA input. One has DVI and one has component. NTSC composite or S-video is so 20th century. (low res, inaccurate colors, flickering, crappy... bah!)

I want S-Video or other TV-Out options that I can use with Composite Video for when I am not at home. I doubt if you will find very many motel or hotel TV's with VGA input ports. When I am home I use my component box DVD player to watch a movie on my big-screen TV - that is unless I actually want to watch it on my laptop in bed.

FYI, I did buy a cheap 15" XGA LCD TV/Monitor for use at work. It has a VGA input and I agree that VGA is superior to S-Video or Composite Video (single, yellow, RCA jack).

EDIT: Fixed typo where I typed Component instead of Composite in the last sentence above.

rhema83 · #24 Post by **rhema83** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:47 pm

sugo wrote:My T42 (mobility radeon 9600) gets 1059 in 3DMark05 in Windows XP. I almost never really use the 3D functionality though.

That's very encouraging to know! I was feeling so dismayed that the Radeon 9600 in my T42 performs worse than Intel GMA X3100!

Back in 2004, the T42(p) was the best laptop in the world, period. It was one of the first to have a Dothan processor and the Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG. Infra-red was standard and Bluetooth was available for many models. You could also get the DVD Multi-burner and fingerprint reader as options. And the graphics were awesome. Mobility Radeon 9600 64MB was the best you can get in a 5-lb 14.1" laptop. Even desktop-replacement monsters didn't have something very much better. The FireGL T2 128MB was... jaw-dropping (for the lack of words). If I had the cash I would (and should) have bought a T42p, but they were all upwards of $2500 back then. The SXGA+ resolution was absolutely beautiful. Not to forget the nice ThinkPad keyboard and pointing stick (which I prefer over the touchpad).

PERFECT.

Now... where is the successor?

EDIT: More rant...

I have friends who entered college at the same time as me and bought laptops for school. It's interesting to see how they held up.

Friend #1: Dell Inspiron 8xxx.
Keys fell off 2 weeks after purchase. Warranty service took forever. The laptop was also as heavy as a brick and the LCD display was lackluster. He goes to computer labs in grad school now. The laptop just cannot handle it.

Friend #2: Fujitsu Lifebook S6xxx
The laptop is dying a slow death. Random errors, random blue screens, random shutdowns, etc. He recently bought a T61 (T7300, NVS 140m, 14.1" WXGA+) for grad school and was very happy.

Friend #3: Fujitsu Lifebook S6xxx
The laptop overheats and the USB ports work intermittenly. The dock connector is also having problems. He built a desktop over a year ago and uses the laptop for only light duties.

My girlfriend: Sony VGN S360
The extremely loud fan annoys the heck out of us. The laptop runs hot and has had thermal shutdowns. It has Radeon 9600 and a good screen, but the keyboard is rather bad. Feedback is a far cry from the ThinkPads, and certain important keys (like Home and End) are mapped under the FN key. Earlier this year, I helped her upgrade the RAM and HDD, and found that the max RAM capacity is 1GB since it uses micro-DIMMs. The HDD was also very hard to access.

Me: T42
What more can I ask from a laptop? It works like new after 3 years of heavy use - only better. Upgraded to a 7k60 HDD and 2GB RAM and never looked back. (Okay, I might regret not buying the T42p.)

rbena · #25 Post by **rbena** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:27 am

Thanks for that review. Nothing like a real-life college test to sort out the winners from the also-rans. I actually had my eye on the Fujitsu S-series, as a nice compact unit with an internal optical drive.

But hadn't seen enough feedback, user numbers or spare parts to make me feel comfortable with it as my main notebook. Perhaps it would have performed well under less trying conditions, but still not comfortable going with it... as nice as it does look.

gunston · #26 Post by **gunston** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 3:56 am

yup,
loving it T42 and T43...

rhema83 · #27 Post by **rhema83** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:26 am

rbena wrote:Thanks for that review. Nothing like a real-life college test to sort out the winners from the also-rans. I actually had my eye on the Fujitsu S-series, as a nice compact unit with an internal optical drive.

But hadn't seen enough feedback, user numbers or spare parts to make me feel comfortable with it as my main notebook. Perhaps it would have performed well under less trying conditions, but still not comfortable going with it... as nice as it does look.

I had the chance to use a Fujitsu S7xxx two years ago during an internship. The laptop is not too bad. The screen wasn't as sturdy as a ThinkPad and the keyboard had much more flex. Otherwise performance was great, considering that it had GMA950.

#28 Post by **KristianJ** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:46 am

To cut a long story as short as possible in a thread where we're all boasting about the supremacy of our TPs, I can't say that any of the non-IBM laptops I've ever owned/used are as secure feeling and oozing quality as my Thinkpads I've had over the past couple of years.

The A31p I received today from an eBay deal makes it 2 Flexview equipped TPs in my small stable, and the UXGA resolution is so wonderful to use and view. When it's all set up and running with my software of choice, I'll be hard pressed to figure out which one I'll use more.

But my current T42 is quite simply the best computer of any type I've used regularly as of yet. I know that it will take a mountainous movement of some sort to have it parted from me. It is quite simply IMO the perfect marriage of performance, understated elegance and mobility.

Forza Thinkpad!

ulrich.von.lich · #29 Post by **ulrich.von.lich** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:49 am

I also bought a used A31p about two weeks ago, and I'm glad I did! Now I have two ThinkPads

On the original invoice attached by the seller, I found out the machine was purchased in May 2002. I'm really impressed to see a laptop that has survived 5 long years and can still be solid as a rock and perform many of today's tasks.

#30 Post by **KristianJ** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:26 am

ulrich.von.lich wrote:I also bought a used A31p about two weeks ago, and I'm glad I did! Now I have two ThinkPads

On the original invoice attached by the seller, I found out the machine was purchased in May 2002. I'm really impressed to see a laptop that has survived 5 long years and can still be solid as a rock and perform many of today's tasks.

I'm not sure when mine was purchased, but was probably close to when yours was. After just a day with it setting it up, I am also impressed at its ability to handle most tasks I've put it through so far as well as my T42.

This is why Thinkpad is the BEST

This is why Thinkpad is the BEST

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