Help me pull the trigger on a T43

[Bandit33]

Hi,

I'm headed to law school in the fall, and so I'm switching to a laptop for the first time. It'll be my only computer up there, but I plan to set up a dock with my current monitor, full-size keyboard, etc. in my dorm room.

The laptop will need to go to and from classes, the library, and the dorm room every day. Will mostly use it for school stuff, internet/downloading, watching movies, and casual gaming.

I'm pretty set on a high-end T43 with the FireGL v3200 card. I like the features, the quality, battery life, high-speed HD, etc. The only concern I have left is gaming. I'm not too serious a gamer, but I'd like this laptop to be able to handle new games on OK settings for the next 3 years or so.

From what I see, the T43s get blown away by machines like the Acer 8100 series when it comes to gaming.

So I guess I have a few questions:

1) I saw the T43 reviewed with the x300 card. How much better is the v3200 for games?

2) Can I upgrade the mobile PCI-e card later? How easy/expensive is this?

3) If gaming is really a concern, should I consider the Acer 8100 or any other models that are still portable enough for school use?

Thanks so much if you can help me.

[rideDPU]

With the ever-expanding requirements for gaming, I doubt you will find any laptop that will continue to provide the power for mid-level gaming for 3 more years...I suppose an Alienware that you can replace the video card on may work, but that is a serious compromise of portability.

Mark

[wn0x]

For a comparison of the T42P, T43P and T43 video check this item on the forum.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... e+thinkpad