T43 knock off or knocked out?

[chipsicle]

Still do my research for a laptop. I have narrow it down to the T43P pretty much. Wanted to wait for the Z series to come out and see if the fan and heat issue is there or not.

In my research I ran across the HP NW8240. I looks exactly like a thinkpad. There is not alot out there in terms of literature. It is priced similar to T43P but with some better components.

http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?p=907888


Now I can't decide. It looks like HP took cues from IbM and built a better mouse trap.

Did any of you consider the HP in your laptop search? What made you go one way or the other.


Jack
Even more confused then ever..

[hoya]

Jack - I spent several weeks with the nw8240 and was generally NOT impressed. here are the Pros and Cons in my view:

HP NW8240 Pros:
Three USB 2.0 and one Firewire port
ATI Mobility Fire GL 5000
Integrated SD card reader
Thin 1.1-1.34” chassis

HP NW8240 Cons:
HP Panel Protection System causes display to appear ‘dirty’ and dim
Mouse buttons are uncomfortable and difficult to accurately depress (see complaints on other forums)
Keyboard feels lifeless and lacks feedback
Surface of touchpad is non-responsive
Bottom of notebook becomes EXTREMELY hot
Fan noise is constant and moderately loud
6.25 lbs is heavier than 15" T4x

overall, I would recommend a T43p or a T42p. the LCD's on the T series are incredible, and the NMB keyboard is exceptional.

[Inky]

Did any of you consider the HP in your laptop search? What made you go one way or the other.

The keyboard. I do a lot of writing on the ThinkPad so the feel of the keyboard is extremely important to me.

I've tried the keyboards on other brands (HP, Compaq, Sony, Toshiba, etc) and I try them AGAIN whenever I see a laptop on display in a store, and I still have not found any other laptop with a keyboard as good as the ThinkPad's. For me that's my #1 priority (screen quality is the next biggest priority), your priorities might be different.

-Inky

[chipsicle]

Hoya,

Thanks for the feedback. That was exactly what i was looking for.

Just have to wait til the end of the month for the Z series to come out. If it is nothing like I expect than back to getting a t43p.

The t43P is perfect for my application if only they had fixed the fan and heat noise...

Jack

[rocketman]

Does anyone know which video cards the "Z" series Thinkpads wil use?

[hoya]

Does anyone know which video cards the "Z" series Thinkpads wil use?

ATI X600 w/ 128MB:

ThinkPad Z60T
- Pentium M 740 1.73Ghz
- 2MB L2 Cache, Intel 915GM
- Win XP Pro (Eng or Trad Chin)
- 256MB DDR2 RAM
- 40GB Harddisk (5400rpm)
- 24x/24x/24x/8x CDRW/DVD Combo
- 14" TFT WXGA (1280x768)
- Graphics : Intel GMA 900
- Model, LAN, 802.11a/b/g
- 3xUSB 2.0, SD slot, IEEE 1394, IR, VGA
- 4lbs
- 13.1" x 9.2" x 1"
- Battery 3 hrs
- 3 year international warranty

ThinkPad Z60M
- Pentium M 760 2.0Ghz
- 2MB L2 Cache, Intel 915GM
- Win XP Pro (Eng or Trad Chin)
- 512MB DDR2 RAM
- 80GB Harddisk (5400rpm)
- DL DVD+-RW Multi-burner (2x max)
- 15.4" TFT WSXGA+ (1600x1050)
- Graphics : ATI Radeon X600 (128MB)
- Model, LAN, 802.11a/b/g
- 3xUSB 2.0, S-video out, SD slot, 3-in-1 card reader, IEEE 1394, IR, VGA
- 6lbs
- 14.1" x 10.3" x 1.6"
- Battery 4 hrs
- 3 year international warranty

[hoya]

Just have to wait til the end of the month for the Z series to come out. If it is nothing like I expect than back to getting a t43p.

The t43P is perfect for my application if only they had fixed the fan and heat noise...

Jack

The biggest drawback I can see on the Z series is the 1.6" thickness. The 15" T43p is only 1.2" thick in the front and 1.4" thick in the back, and I'm assuming the Z series will weigh more than the T43p.

as for heat & fan issues on the T43p, would you consider the T42p? that's probably your best bet, and the EPP site has two 15" UXGA models - one for $1699 and another for $2209.

[usadan]

I bought a nw8240 at the same time I bought my T42 to compare them side by side.

I choose the T42. The buttons were much nicer and the size better for me.


Some nicer things on the HP compared to the T-42:

1. Better sound on the HP
2. Nicer screen on the HP (had the low-res version and the blacks were deeper and richer, but had one bad pixel (presumably not typical).
3. Mute button had indicator light to show status.


Some major annoyances on the HP:

1. The drive, etc. indicator lights on the lower left were just under your palm which blocked their view AND, due to the way they were set into the case, it scraped up your wrist if you relaxed your wrist on the wrist pad. Drove me crazy.

2. The mouse buttons were hard to press. Very irksome (go IBM).

3. The wide-screen requires extra mouse-travel to get to the upper-right corner (True on any wide screen)

[chipsicle]

Yeah,

I have consider getting the T42P. I can get a laptop with either EPP or a education discount. I can get a fully loaded T43P for under 2k. Which is why i was thinking of doing that versus getting the t42P. It seems on some of the newer model they fixed the problem. I guess I could always row the dice and see...

Other model I been thinking about is the asus z70va. Which actually ends up being 600 bucks cheaper. Go figure.

It is good to see all these tough decision. It means that laptops are getting better and better...

I also think that the Z series will be around the same weight....It would also be a mistake for IBM to have the z series with x600 card. Where most of their competitiors are using x700 or better... Maybe by the time it comes to the US market things will be different. All speculation til things come out...

[usadan]

Brands which can only be purchased on-line typically have a full satisfaction guarantees. Thus, in theory, you could buy one of each, get them home, see how they look, feel, and run in person, then return the one you are less satisfied with and keep the one you are fully satisfied with. This doesn't help with products not yet available (like the Z), but can be helpful for deciding between similar yet different PCs.