T41, T42P, OR T43, WHICH ONE SHOULD i PURCHASE

[milesrbruce]

I am looking for a THINKPAD, and need some quesitons answered.

I will be using the machine I buy, to run a CAD program (Solidworks) as well as general computing programs.

I am looking at a T41P (T41p 2374-GGU) at the cost of $1,450.00 from IBM, with a three year warranty. Or a ThinkPad T43 2687-D8U from IBM at the cost of $1,665.00 form IBM with a 3 year warranty, or a T42P )(2373GVU ) FROM iBM at the cost of $2,111.00 with a 3 year warranty.

Can anyone give me some insight on these three different modules, and give me you opionion of which one is the best machine.

Thanks for your help.

[anthony]

You can never get an answer to that question of what is best. We all agonize over these fine points, but the truth is that these machines are all very competent and the differences amount to whether you spread your jelly on the peanut butter or on the bread.

From where I sit, the T41 GGU seems to be a good choice. I personally am a performance hog and I'd think screen refresh speeds are a big factor with CAD. What you're paying extra for with the T42 GVU is that 128MB graphics card and 7200 hard drive, which is probably worth every penny, but the T41 has them both as well. The T43 D8U has slower graphics, but a faster processor, dual channel memory, and improved chipset. But the slower graphics card concerns me with rendering speeds. The T42 everything the T41 has, plus the larger L2 cache and a minimally faster processor. You have to decide if that's worth $700. I'm pretty sure you know all of this and ended up at the same place. So if you're looking for permission to drop another $700 on this unit that you probably don't really need anyway, I say, Go Ahead! You're Worth it!

An aside, it does surprise me that a CAD person would be looking at a 14" rather than a 15" or even a 17." You must have really good eyesight....
I am not a CAD person, so I have no basis for that thought, just wondering.

[milesrbruce]

Anthony thanks fortaking the time to answer my questions. I really appreciate it.

Of the three machines, the T41p has the older processor. Would that be a concern? I agree with you that the T-41p seems to be the best deal and this is bought direct from IBM'S website. Yet I am concerned that maybe the T-42P processor is that much better.

Any thoughts guys? Also the 14.1 screen is enough. I am not choosing the 15" screen because of weight and bulkyness. Besides the 14.1 1400 x 1050 is really nice. I have never seen a better screen.

Thanks again.

[tselling]

I "downgraded" from a 15" T42p to a 14" T41p. I don't notice the difference in the CPU (1.7Ghz banias vs 1.8Ghz dothan). I just do regular computing and some 3-d game playing. I prefer the smaller footprint. Also some time in the future you could put a faster Dothan CPU in it if you wanted to.

[JHEM]

Of the three machines, the T41p has the older processor. Would that be a concern?

I've retired my T42p (GVU) in favor of one of my T41p's (GGU and GEU) and haven't noted any "decrease" in performance when running AutoCAD or PhotoShop.

Regards,

James