Last Second Tips Before I Buy

[Joseph-N]

Hi Guys, I was just about to buy a T43p, after looking at the T42p, T43p and T60. All are IPS screens, but the T60 is not UXGA.

Before I buy the T43p, I thought I'd post a note here. If anyone thinks one of the other 2 is a better machine, let me know. I just thought the T43p, with UXGA, seemed like the best bang for the buck.

[ZaZ]

If you're taking votes I'd probably opt for the T60 without knowing much else. The T60s are more durable. It gets your a dual core CPU and you access to faster/bigger SATA drives, but if you like UXGA and aren't going to be doing anything too intensive, the T43 isn't a bad choice. Have you used a UXGA notebook before? I only ask because some of the text will be very small, but some do like them. Good Luck.

[sjthinkpader]

I am using these machines:

T60, T5500 1.66Ghz, ATI X1400, 14 inch SXGA+, 200GB 7200RPM Hitachi
My work machine.

T43p, Dothan 770 2.13Ghz, ATI V3200, 15 inch UXGA, 160GB 5400RPM WD
Windows 7 test machine

T42p, Dothan 745 1.8Ghz, ATI Fire GL T2, 15 inch UXGA, 160GB 5400RPM WD
My personal PC

The T60 belongs to the company. I haven't upgraded from T42p to T43p due to these reasons:

1. T42p is lower in thermal power. CPU temperature is mostly hovering below 50 deg C.
2. T43p is not image compatible with T42 and earlier. That means I have to do a complete reinstall of all the software. So far rolling forward from A30, A31 to T42, T42p have all been without a new OS install.
3. T43p cannot accept 11n cards due to 1802 error. That means I have to give up the 11n card in my T42p.

So even with both T42p and T43p on my desk, the main machine is still T42p.

[ajkula66]

T60 is the most modern and reliable model out of the three aforementioned.

If you must have an UXGA LCD (like myself), I'd take T43p over T42p for reliability issues.

[t20user]

I just upgraded from a T41 to a T60. I was able to get an inexpensive 500GB SATA Hdd for it, something that I don't think exists for the PATA T4x machines, certainly not at the price I paid. I got the T60 for less than $400 on ebay and it is loaded, plus it still has 9 months of warranty left. The seller I got it from regularly posts machines, PM me if you want his ID.

[Joseph-N]

Thanks guys, I've seen some threads here that seem to cover roughly what I'm asking. I see two opposite groups. Some say the T4x/R5x range is just about at the end of the road. Others say they expect to keep using their T4x for many more years. So I thought I'd ask before buying.

George said the T60 is noticeably more reliable than the T43p, and the T43p is noticeably more reliable than the T42p. I'm happy to save a buck when I can, but my thinking is: If the T42p/43p is $75 cheaper then the T60, but reliability is so much worse (the "P"s do get hot, esp. the T43p) that I have to spend $100 on an extended warranty, then it isn't worth it.

Re: UXGA, maybe SXGA+ would be fine, but I really like the UXGA's ability to switch to 800x600 when the text is too small, then switch back when I need more real estate.

[sjthinkpader]

My T60 had the MB replaced too. So I can't say that T60 are much more reliable than T4x. Improved GPU detachment issue is for sure.

You don't want to set a UXGA LCD to other non-native resolution. If you want larger features, change the normal 96 DPI setting to something larger. This way, you get larger features but retain sharpness.

[Joseph-N]

Thanks everyone, the T60p with UXGA came back into stock at IBM certified used, so I bought that.

I did not buy the 1yr extended warranty. Is that 1 additional year, beyond the 3 month warranty I already get, or one year total? It seems like a logical question, but I couldn't find the answer anywhere on the website.