14.1" vs. 15", which do you prefer?

Message

jmagbita · #1 Post by **jmagbita** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:07 pm

is the extra inch worth the extra pound? considering travel weight, how long the battery lasts, and of course image quality.. which size do you guys have? anyone go from 14.1" to 15", or vice versa? and what did you guys think of the difference?

thanks!

Kenn · #2 Post by **Kenn** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:19 pm

IMO, if you're going to be lugging the laptop around a lot, the 14" is much better. The extra size/weight/battery effect is VERY noticeable if you use both.

However, the 15" is featherweight compared to just about any other 15" notebooks out there, and if you want the option of UXGA, it's the only way to go.

#3 Post by **jdhurst** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:34 pm

Most of the people who post here seem to prefer the higher resolution of the bigger screen (or more expensive models). My machine is 14 inches, less than five pounds and runs 1024x768. I really like the lighter weight and would find no value for me in carrying around more. ... JD Hurst

jmagbita · #4 Post by **jmagbita** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:40 pm

i'm new to this forum posting thingy.. just so i understand, what does "IMO" mean? thanks!

Leon · #5 Post by **Leon** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:51 pm

jdhurst wrote:Most of the people who post here seem to prefer the higher resolution of the bigger screen (or more expensive models). My machine is 14 inches, less than five pounds and runs 1024x768. I really like the lighter weight and would find no value for me in carrying around more. ... JD Hurst

I'm with jdhurst... love the lightness and portability of the 14".....

IMO=In My Opinion, a variant of IMHO (Humble)

Welcome to our Forum and the "posting thingy"

#6 Post by **daeojkim** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:56 am

I like the 14" . lighter, better battery life. Unless there is need for UXGA, I would prefer 14".
It is noticebly thinner and smaller.

P.S. few acronyms that are often used in forums / chat

BTW (by the way)
LOL / ROFL (Laugh Out Loud, Rolling on the Floor Laughing)
AFAIK (As far as I know)
etc...

jmagbita · #7 Post by **jmagbita** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:03 am

first off, thanks so much for your help all!!

second.. with regard to graphics card, is it an absolute must that i stick to at least radeon 9600? is the quality of the 7500 that bad? and difference between 64MB and 32MB? thanks again!

anonymouse · #8 Post by **anonymouse** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:07 am

I prefer the 15", since I use it for SW DEV at work and at home use the dock. My BIL is a professor, likes mobility, hence loves the 14". If you will be mobile most of the time and/or have the option of docking at home and work, I would say get the 14" HW. If not, go for the 15, the weight difference is not that significant IMHO

jmagbita PTMY, HAND, BOL!

LOL, ROTFL !!!

P.S. As an exercise, use the following sites to decipher the abbreviations. Welcome to this wonderful forum!
http://forums.ocfaq.com/archive/index.php/t-154.html
http://www.stormy.ca/technology/e-mail/ ... tions.html
http://members.aol.com/nigthomas/alphabet.html

jmagbita · #9 Post by **jmagbita** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:35 am

was that english!?

someone want to make my day and translate! LOL! there you go, i'm using one too now! LOL! there it is again!

Plinkerton · #10 Post by **Plinkerton** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:50 am

I'd translate, but I don't even know what he was saying.

I much prefer the 14.1 inch. I have SXGA+ and I love mine. Any bigger would be a pain in the [censored] for me.

mdarnton · #11 Post by **mdarnton** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:55 am

I bought the small screen because I was buying for size--I would have bought an X40 if it had a CD burner built in. There seem to be a lot of software developers on this forum and they like to keep multiple windows open, which I don't need to do, and they usually speak up for the large screen on that basis. It's your choice, not ours. :-)

James314 · #12 Post by **James314** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:13 am

jmagbita wrote:first off, thanks so much for your help all!!

second.. with regard to graphics card, is it an absolute must that i stick to at least radeon 9600? is the quality of the 7500 that bad? and difference between 64MB and 32MB? thanks again!

I have the 7500 and I love it. However I never play games etc, and so the only thing i care about is good deffinition for general use and playing back the odd dvd; the colours are good - bright and rich. If you do intend on playing games etc, the 9600 is a MUST! If you intend to use opengl , get the 128mb firegl card - note that it is not as good as the 9600 for gaming though.

hope that helped...

James.

Steve007 · #13 Post by **Steve007** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:18 am

A 14.1" unit @ 1400x1050 is perfection in my eyes

the.vert · #14 Post by **the.vert** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:51 am

another vote for 14.1 just a preference thing for me.

slagmi · #15 Post by **slagmi** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:24 am

jmagbita

while the weight/screen is a preference there's no reason to buy the 7500 over the 9600 except maybe budget $$ issues, and that may not be the place to cut.

RAM, Hard Drive you can upgrade later, not the video.

on the other hand- if all you'll ever do with the computer is web/email it's a non-issue, you won't notice the difference...

So, those are some things to consider..

robscomputer · #16 Post by **robscomputer** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:55 am

I like the 15" of my T42 in 1400 x 1050. I thought about the 14" when I bought the notebook but I like to have different windows open and wanted the extra space. Also while I bring my notebook to school and back about 3~4 times a week the weight wasn't a huge consideration to me.

If your in between sizes I would think about where you would use the notebook the most. If I was traveling the 14" would fit much better on a airline tray and take up less room in a bag.

Rob

Sasha · #17 Post by **Sasha** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:19 pm

I looked at both and decided that the 15" was really NOT that heavy as compared to the 14". Higher resolution and greater real estate, my work and the dSLR I am planning to buy meant that I bought the 15"...

To each his/her own......

kev009 · #18 Post by **kev009** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:03 pm

To me it only makes sense to go 15" if you get a 'p' with a flexview. I love the portability of my SXGA+ 14.1" screen yet I still have more desktop space than most desktops. That said we all make sacrafices when buying our computers. Be it money, battery life or size I think the only way to have the perfect desk would be to have an X40, T42 and T43p as I've said in other posts

.

TimWang · #19 Post by **TimWang** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:13 pm

What do you recommend for a university student? I really like the idea of having more real estate but I will also be carrying my notebook back and forth to some of my classes so I really don't know what I want.

Leon · #20 Post by **Leon** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:20 pm

unless you can buy both, there is no answer....you need to find someone/someplace that has both and touch/look at them...

James314 · #21 Post by **James314** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:31 pm

TimWang wrote:What do you recommend for a university student? I really like the idea of having more real estate but I will also be carrying my notebook back and forth to some of my classes so I really don't know what I want.

I do not understand what you mean here, why do you want more 'real estate'? You are a student, as am i, and you need portability, the larger screen is for people who need that extra space so tell us what you intend to do with it more specifically, for instance you may have many windows open at any one time and so need the extra space and resolution - for e.g in photoshop. If i am totally honest, when i walk around campus with all my books and my tp, i thank god i got the 14inch! Plus, i think that the 14 inch looks and feels nicer, the 15 inch looks clumsy; more like a desktop replacement than a mobile unit.

James.

TimWang · #22 Post by **TimWang** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:40 pm

Sorry for any confusion. What I mean by real estate is screen real estate, or in other words, screen size.

kanate · #23 Post by **kanate** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:33 pm

For me, I prefer Flexview display. I do lots of photoshop works and some web design.

14.1" SXGA+ is nice size but white color on this screen is not pure white, it's more to the yellow side.

15" Flexview, much better color

kev009 · #24 Post by **kev009** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:53 pm

Technically the 15" 'p' isn't a thin and light. Desktop replacement is a poor term for it too. Consider it a mobile workstation

. It is a pretty small machine considering what it has.

TimWang · #25 Post by **TimWang** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:12 am

yea, i looked around on the canadian site but they dont seem to have any 14.1 inch express models with a 9600

zver17 · #26 Post by **zver17** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 2:12 am

the only time i felt a bit space-constrained with a 15' t42 was on a plane tray, but even then it wasnt that serious. comparing to a 14' t22 that i have, the 15' doesnt seem that much bigger, but the screen quality seems noticeably higher. ASFAIK the same applies to the 14' t42's.

but of course if you're _always_ on the road then the smaller 14 would be preferable. If you mainly take it between home and work and on an ocasional trip (my case) then the 15 would be my pref. Yet I also hookup an external 20' screen to it, so I guess I am not fully consistent

hth

beeblebrox · #27 Post by **beeblebrox** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 8:11 am

zver17 wrote:the only time i felt a bit space-constrained with a 15' t42 was on a plane tray, but even then it wasnt that serious. comparing to a 14' t22 that i have, the 15' doesnt seem that much bigger, but the screen quality seems noticeably higher. ASFAIK the same applies to the 14' t42's.

but of course if you're _always_ on the road then the smaller 14 would be preferable. If you mainly take it between home and work and on an ocasional trip (my case) then the 15 would be my pref. Yet I also hookup an external 20' screen to it, so I guess I am not fully consistent

hth

Agreed, the first screens on the T2x series were very poor. I got one replaced last year on a T20. MUCH better, very white and doesn't fade. However same problems with angle viewing.

My T4x SXGA display has a definite blue teint. So, I think that IBM is using always the newest technology during a series.
I saw yesterday two flexviews and they were different !
So I guess, even here, IBM is using always the latest technology. Maybe by end of the year, the flexviews will fit into a slimmer display frame. Who knows. Right now the 15" model has the height of the T2x series.

asiafish · #28 Post by **asiafish** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 7:37 pm

Can't stand those big "desktop replacement" type laptops, and thats what a 15" screen turns the T-series into. If I want a desktop, I'll get a desktop, for me 14" is about the absolute maximum I'll tollerate.

A 13.3" option with a correspondingly smaller T-series case would be my ideal.

JHEM · #29 Post by **JHEM** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 9:42 pm

asiafish wrote:A 13.3" option with a correspondingly smaller T-series case would be my ideal.

We call those a 600X!

Regards,

James

asiafish · #30 Post by **asiafish** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 10:00 pm

The 600X is thicker and heavier than the T4x, not to mention wider and deeper.

What I want is a T42 with a 600X screen, suitably smaller in every dimension than the T42 and lighter, like around 4.0 lbs.