Thinkpads Forum

sorry about being off topic in the 600X forum, I have
an enormous amount of respect for 600X members here
and I was wondering if any of you would care to share your
thoughts on Thinkpad T42 vs. 600X.

Obviously the 600X is the ultimate battleship, last of a breed,
was just wondering if T42 can be expected to perform with
the reliability that the dedicated 600X users have come to
know and rely on.

thanks for your thoughts and comments

The most serious hardware issue often reported with the T4x series is that the video chip (ATI 7500 or 9x00 series) can may get loose, resulting in a garbled screen, see this. There is probably too much flex in the chassis resulting in stress on the main board such that the GPU can become unsoldered over time. Many Apple iBooks also have similar problems, with similar workarounds. However, we have no way to determine what percentage of these ThinkPads or iBooks are affected, as the manufacturers are not too keen on airing their dirty laundry in public.

> too much flex in the chassis

the "touchpad" is part of the problem: whacking big
hole--also, personally, as a typist rather than a
clickist, I find touchpads annoying: everytime I drag
my thumb just the least bit, words go off...who knows
where...

the T2*s and XGA T30s lack touchpads.

But why not stick w/ yr 600x?

The motherboard issues are a bit of a sticking point with the T4x series, but as long as you are careful and don't pick up the laptop by the front corner with one hand you can greatly minimize that risk. The 600 series has much less flex and can seem to take this type of 'abuse' better.

I have a 600X and a T40, and I have praised the 600 units greatly on a post in the 770/600 forum. But the T4x series is probably my overall favorite Thinkpad and obviously performs much better overall than a 600X.

If I had to pick one of them to use everyday, I would have to go with a T4x.

There is probably too much flex in the chassis resulting in stress on the main board such that the GPU can become unsoldered over time.

This is a good point, and one that apparently also applies to the T2xx series (bad connections over time due to flexing of the mainboard). I often wonder whether there have ever been any attempt to stiffen the mainboards with ribs or by other means to prevent this kind of damage. Are you, or is anyone else aware of any such attempts?

One further question: I'm an old-timer and grew up with the term "CPU" (central processing unit) for the logic chip. Is "GPU" (general processing unit) now the correct term?

GPU is the graphics processor or video chip. CPU is still the same CPU you know.

I've got two 600X's in my house, and more recently a T42. They weight about the same, but the 600X now seems heavier. The 600X is built much better, but the screen is smaller.

My wife is using the T42 and here are the good points: larger screen, doesn't weigh (much) more, WiFi is built in, ThinkLight, much faster (faster CPU and more RAM both help this; hard drive is the same).

Cons: The T42 has a larger screen :) (13.3" seemed perfect for XGA), not as sturdy, currently won't reliably suspend, but her IT guy is working on that.

I owned a 600E and a T43 and now a T42 and T41. The 600E felt more durable. But I would never use a 600X as my main machine, not because it's slow -- in fact it would be plenty fast for most of what I do -- but because it only has XGA and one USB port.

I have a 570, and there is much less flex than my T40. That said, my T40 is my main machine because on top of the typical OpenOffice applications I can run my Nintendo 64 emulator....

The T4x is an awesome series, amongst the best designed thinkpads. Compared to the 600X, it is quite faster and can take in more RAM too. The T4x had very good keyboards too, though nothing compares to a 600 series keyboard. Buildwise, designwise and feature wise, the T4x will be a great upgrade to make. If you get a good machine, it will serve you for years to come. The 14" SXGA+ machines are really awesome to carry around and work on.

That said, I love my 600X, it is pretty awesome both to look at and work on. I am very happy with the screen it has (I find its viewing angles are better than the X3x and the non flexview T4x) and the keyboard, as I said, is pure heaven. I am not going to sell it, I plan to keep it as long as I can.

Thanks for All the Great Comments, thoughts,
RE: T42.
my trusty 600X, 500Mhz recently hit the proverbial technology Brick Wall, media website that I visit in Canada recently
upgraded there broadstream systems and somehow autosense
that my system is only P3 500 mhz, their New Minimum
System Requirements are P3 650 Mhz or higher, bummer.


Anyone know of a Good 600X 850 Mhz system available for
sale ?

All of your suggestions, observations, comments were really appreciated, thanks.