Thinkpads Forum

Hi,
I'm working with UXGA 15" Displays since my first A22p followed by a A31p, T42p and now a T43p. I really would like to stay with this resolution and factor (4:3) but I need an upgrade in processor power. I first thought (as I always did) to get the best "achievable" processor, but that excludes the UXGA display. On the other hand, the last UXGA was the T60p with CoreDuo, which is at least an upgrade.
So, lenovo also seems to go with the mainstream (15.4" display), thus there is no hope they will be back in the market with an 4:3 screen in the near future.
This ends up with the question: "Shall I try to get an T60p with CoreDuo or is in this case the T43p the better unit to stay with"?
Thanks, CS

P.S.: Any hint where to get new 3year warranty T60p units?

If the T43p is CPU-upgradable, I would look into that first. The T4x Thinkpads are fantastic mobile workstations. Coupled with the Dock II, it has capabilities (that I won't go into here) that are not possible with the T6x line.

I have a T60p that I upgraded with a 2.33GHz Core2Duo chip that I bought at NewEgg.com. It's very fast, and the upgrade wasn't hard at all.

If you can find a T60p with v5200, it is better than a T61p in several ways:

1. Flexview (with the 15", anyway). If you have the UXGA on your T43p, you know the benefit. Word has it that the T61/p can now be ordered with a 4:3 display, but it still isn't Flexview.

2. The v5200 (but not the v5250) can drive a dual-link DVI (30") screen in full resolution out the Advanced Dock's DVI port. No other Thinkpads can do this, as far as I know.

3. My upgraded T60p (v5200) is running Vista 64-bit. I also have a v5200 card in the dock, so I can run quad 24" displays (or three 30" displays) in native resolution, with Vista Aero enabled. This is not currently possible with the T61/p because there are no video boards that can go in the Advanced Dock that use the same video driver as the T61 or T61p's internal display adapter. This is a requirement for Vista Aero.

there were never any C2D 15" UXGA models produced.   the only way to build one is to buy a used 15" T60p (SXGA+ or UXGA) and change the processor yourself.   expect to pay as much or more than a new T61 to accomplish this as well as voiding your warranty in the process.   for a short while, lenovo offered a C2D T60p with 15" SXGA+ displays as a CTO option but they are long gone.

like you i've had 15" UXGA displays since 2001 (A22p, R50p, T42p) and felt your pain until i bought a T61p.   while the new WUXGA panel isn't flexview, it's nowhere near as bad as some have said.   after hardware calibration i am fully confident in doing color-critical work on this machine while not at home.   if color-critical work is that important then an 8-bit external display should be used, not a 6-bit laptop display -- flexview or not.   i'm a graphic designer and photographer by trade and never do final press work on a laptop display regardless of how "accurate" the 15" IPS UXGA panels appear to be.   6-bit just doesn't cut it.

Notebook planet rebuilds T60ps with UXGA screens. Don't ask me what manufacturer they use.
http://www.planet-notebook.com/thinkpad ... 3_225.html
Also, there's NathanA's thread in this forum here too, but i don't know if they ship abroad.

Surely the T43p is CPU upgradeable, but it has reached a end of the T4x line whereafter the transition to CD and C2D, faster bus speeds and a proper SATA interface has been used.
There's no way to get a dual core processor running in a T43, and hence there is no upgrade path from the T43 by just interchanging parts.
You can't even swap in a motherboard from a T6x.

If it was me, i'd still hold onto that T43p, unless you're unhappy with it of course.


Erik, Indeed, but the vast amount of 22" and 19" WS LCDs which i consider to be reaonably high priced desktop LCDs don't even hold a candle to the flexview, even if both are 6 bit, which they are. If i had to choose something for the desktop and didn't have a huge amount of money for a more professional LCD, i'd just buy a used Sony Triniton based CRT for $50.
Also i promised to return with Samsung's datasheet for the L05 screen used in some WUXGA T61ps - but Samsung haven't responded yet. They probably won't unless i buy 100k WUXGA screens from them.
Luckily, someone a NBR have recieved WUXGAs from LG-Philips which did seem vastly surperior to the Samsungs for some reason.

erik wrote:while the new WUXGA panel isn't flexview, it's nowhere near as bad as some have said.

I'm glad to hear this. Actually, I've been on the lookout for comments on the 15.4" screen quality. I've had time on two 14" WS Thinkpads and the displays were absolutely terrible.

With your WUXGA display, do you have any viewing angle problems? Is there a usable "sweet spot" where the entire display appears evenly bright?

RonS wrote:I'm glad to hear this. Actually, I've been on the lookout for comments on the 15.4" screen quality. I've had time on two 14" WS Thinkpads and the displays were absolutely terrible.

With your WUXGA display, do you have any viewing angle problems? Is there a usable "sweet spot" where the entire display appears evenly bright?

vertical viewing angle is much more sensitive than horizontal.   your eyes need to be perpendicular with the top of the bezel or lower to get optimal results.   horizontal viewing is best at the center and doesn't degrade until at least 45° left or right (90° total).   coming from years of flexview use, this actually impressed me.

color accuracy is excellent once calibrated.   photos viewed on both my T61p and T42p look exactly the same if not slightly better on the T61p because of the increased brightness.   contrast is slightly better on the T42p but only by a slight margin and one that is only noticeable when comparing displays side-by-side.

real estate is where the WUXGA panel really stands out.   after having spent the last two days in illustrator, photoshop, and lightroom, i'm finding the extra 320 pixels to be indispensable.   i liked UXGA.   i really like WUXGA.

this display isn't perfect (although, ironically, mine has zero dead pixels) but it's good enough that i don't care about the slight loss of viewing angles.   since i have a dell WFP3007-HC to use at home for color-critical work, i don't mind making a slight compromise when on the road.   besides, the 16:10 ratio is a much better match to the 30", the speed is easily twice that of my T42p, and the added features like firewire 400, SD card reader, WUSB (eventually), and stronger chassis make this a no-brainer for me.   it's actually difficult for me to find fault in this machine.

we'll eventually have LED backlit displays so i look at it as an interim solution -- and not a bad one at that.

as a side note, my display is a samsung LTN154U2-L05.   supposedly the LG LP154WU1-TLB1 is better but i'd have to see them side-by-side to believe it.   i'm quite happy with what i've got.

Hi,
thank for the lot of response. My problem is, that I do Programming (FPGA), thus my single core T43p is fully occupied by the compilation process, no work in pararallel on e.g. WORD possible. I personally also think of the t43p to be the more stylish Thinkpad and in fact, if there would be an upgrade path for this machine or if there would be any hope the UXGA would return in e.g. T62 next year, I'd rather stay with my T43 than go and buy a T60p.
But... Rumors and lenovo customer support inidcate, that the 15" 4:3 UXGA are gone and will not return in near future, thus, if there is any way to get hand on a T60p being the last one, I have to act now, I'm afraid.
So I have to keep eyes open and will ask Notebook planet about details.
CU Carlhermann