T40 VS. T30

[lynnja]

I am getting ready to buy my husband a new laptop since his T30 just died. I was looking at a used T40 1.3ghz/512mg/30gb/xp but am wondering how this unit compares to the T30? I have a T42 and love it, but not sure about the T40.

[sjthinkpader]

Go for a T42 or T43.

[schmaud]

I like the t4x 14 inch form factor a lot.

However ther are some problems to be aware of:
- the gpu can fail, see all the reflux threads, so buy if it is cheap, or you have a good idea about the previouse treatment of the unit (failure might be flex related)
- USB port are occationaly fried down to usb 1.1. check directely after buying
- the t43 has all sorts of strange compatibility issues, mainly with harddisks.
The t40 has a slower memory conection, which shows for image editing etc.

advantages over the t30: pentium M it makes a difference if you work on battery. seriously.

In my view the t42 is a bit the sweet spot, but I downgraded my t42 to a t41 with sxga+ panel.

In my view worth looking for:better viewing angle and collors on top og the higher resolution

[sktn77a]

Night and day difference between the T4x and the T30. They both have their problems but if you treat the T4x with care, they are tough to beat. The Pentium M was such and advance over the P4, it's not even funny!

[ttan98]

mobile P IV centrino used in T4X, is in fact modified P III with higher clock rate and it is much better than std. P IV.

[schmaud]

The PentiumM has nothing to do with the Pentium IV (M). It is a newer generation with different architecture
it runs way cooler and has 1.5-2x more performance per Mhz.

[dorronto]

Night and day difference between the T4x and the T30. They both have their problems but if you treat the T4x with care, they are tough to beat. The Pentium M was such and advance over the P4, it's not even funny!

I agree. Both are useable but the T40, with care, will be the newer and faster laptop.

Ron

[underclocker]

There is simply no reason to go back a generation in technology to a T30 (hot processor, USB 1.1, slow wifi, etc.) What you should be looking into is the next generation. T60's, R60's, Z61t's, Z61m's all can be had in the sub-$400 range and sometimes in the sub-$300 range.

R61e's sometimes sell in the sub-$300 range. That's a two generation leap.

All that being said, if your budget is $200-$250, the T4x, R5x or Z60t/Z60m's are all fine machines. With the ATI GPU units, test them well after a purchase to ensure they are not defective, then treat them well.

[hhmcsv]

I have just put my beloved T40 to sleep, sweet machine

So sweet that the replacement is a T41 which so far (after 24hrs. of operation!) has no defects and is in fact running perfectly.
5hrs battery time on the 9-cell battery, perfect keyboard and a nice screen - man what do you want more.
A bit of panic maybe, as I was not sure that the T40 would last until Win7 is released, and a heard of wild horses could not drive me to buy a Vista machine. So the safe bet was what I was already in love with (inasmuch at you can be in love with a laptop) - a newer t40, which I could get at a very reasonable price in a T41.

[ZaZ]

I think I saw a R60e go for around $225 on eBay a few months back. A newer R6o/T60/Z61 will get you better performance and access to faster/bigger SATA drives.

[lifrancis]

I fully agree that the T4x series has nice form factor, cooler, more efficient CPU, nominally USB 2.0 connection speed (just search to see how much have been said about T4X's bad USB 2.0 on this forum and others). But it is just too delicate for my taste. Someone even suggested that once turned on, it should never be turned off. It is supposed to be a portable computer, for crying out loud!

On the other hand, T30 is bulky, heavy, runs hot on your lap. But, except for the infamous (but non fatal) memory slot problem, it is really built like a tank. When you take it out on a trip, you don't have to worry about it dying just when you need it.

T40 vs. T30 = Form vs. Function!

[ajkula66]

T4x units were likely the prettiest ThinkPads ever, at least IMO. They were also the most fragile ones, especially in 14" form.

T30, with all its imperfections-oh so visible today-is still the most abuse-resistant ThinkPad in my experience along with 600 series, and closely followed by T23.

If I were choosing a machine for the comfort of my home, the answer is in my signature...T43p.

If I had to bring my own laptop in the field, I'd be looking for a nice and loaded T30...

My $0.02 only...