Convince me to get the T43...please!

[K. Eng]

There are always some people who must have the latest and greatest, but I am not one of them. From my perspective, I think it is inaccurate to say that T42 owners "can't take it." Some of them can't, but I think that there are valid arguments to be made in favor of the T42. The Dothans with 400 MHz FSBs run cooler than the 533 MHz Dothans, and the 855 chipset has a TDP of 2-3 watts while the 915 chipset has a TDP of greater than 5 watts. Consequently, T42s run a bit cooler and longer than the T43s, albeit at the expense of performance.

Criticism against the T43 cannot simply be blamed on technological envy. It may be an explaination with appeal because it is simple, but the issue is not a simple one.

I think my point was pretty obvious. Too many users can handle the rapid progress in the technolgy market. You spend $2,000 on a T42 and 6 months later IBM introduces the T43. T42 owners can't take it. T43 owners will soon have to deal with the X60 which was just introduced. It's got wide screen displays. I'm scared!

[JaneL]

cheers to another mind-numbingly insubstantial post. it's not that there's anything wrong with your opinion, but there are serious problems with the way you expressed it.

Dial it back.

And while you're at it, trim your quotes. (That last goes for all of you.)

[snabjab]

Dial it back.

And while you're at it, trim your quotes. (That last goes for all of you.)

fair enough, but you better believe that when someone's getting passive aggressive on me in an incoherent kind of way I'm going to point this out to them.

Before Gruber derailed this topic I did ask a question about remapping keys. Is there an obvious answer?

Edit: Here's what I want to do so you don't have to scroll up: the keys on the left which are currently Fn / Ctrl / Alt, I want to make Ctrl / Win / Alt.

I saw the download in the FAQ to remap the keys - is this any different from the keyboard customizer utility in Access IBM? I don't see a way to get it done through that utility.

[Hans Gruber]

Ok,
Here's a quote from PCwold.com


"The other big improvement: even better battery life than the T42 we reviewed last September, which endured for 4 hours, 9 minutes on one charge; the T43's standard 6-cell battery lasted a little over 5 hours."
PCworld.com (May 24, 2005)
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/ ... 923,00.asp

I have a T43, my brother has a T42. The T43 is slightly more powerful with newer and improved technology. It's like comparing the 2005 BMW 3.30 to a 2004 BMW 3.30 The newly redesigned model is slightly different, a little better but the old BMW was a Car & Driver 10 best for 16 straight years.

A better arguement would be if the T43 had widescreen and the T42 didn't, neither does. That would make for a significant argument.

The original poster has neither. If somebody bought a T42 with a fingerprint reader, it's pretty much the same thing as a T43. That's how close the two are. New mother board Sonoma processor and DDR2 are the only differences between the T42/3

[snabjab]

Totally. I think you are right 100%, if not 110%. No truer words have ever been spoken.

So does anyone have an answer to my question about remapping the keys?? Thanks!

[Hans Gruber]

No!

One more comment though about battery life between the T42/3. The T43 uses DDR2 memory which runs at 1.8v vs. 2.5v for the DDR on the T42. This difference should more than makeup for the slightly hotter operation of a T43. That's practically a full volt of power difference between the two respective rams.

[snabjab]

Thanks buddy, but we've since moved on.

Remapping those keys...

The keys on the left which are currently Fn / Ctrl / Alt, I want to make Ctrl / Win / Alt. Is this possible?

[GomJabbar]

If this thread keeps going, someone will have to make a Sticky out of it.

Following are some tips I pulled up on the first page of a Google search with this text: "Windows XP keyboard remapping".

Tip 1
Tip 2
Tip 3

[snabjab]

Thanks Jabbar. I guess that means there's no easy way to do what I'm trying to do and that it's probably impossible to remap the function key. That's a bummer since the CTL key would be much better in the corner of the keyboard where it's more easily pressed, rather than the function key which isn't used nearly as much. Unless it's possible to map out new "Fn + key" combos...

[trikster2]

"People who don't use the windows key are just silly. I use the win key constantly to switch to the desktop, open explorer, open the run command, open the browser, find files, go to device manager, etc."

I laughed when I read this (sorry) because the first thing I asked my wife when I was trying to find a laptop for her was: "Do you use the window or ctrl key. ", she said no so I considered and eventually got a T43.

As far as I know snabjab there is no way to do what you want to do. Well there is one way.... Hook up an external keyboard.

Rumour has it that the new widescreen Z series has a windows key? Too bad that keyboard could not be swapped into the T43.....

[snabjab]

the windows key is really useful if one takes the time to figure out how to use it. it lets you get where you're trying to go with less pointing and clicking, which makes it even more useful on a laptop. right now i've got it set to the right Ctrl on my T42 and i'm pretty satisfied with that. What's worse is the placement of the left Ctrl key, which definitely should be at the end of the line on the left instead of Fn. I use it a lot to switch between tabs in Firefox and also to delete entire words (not to mention copying and pasting). These are not deal breakers, tho, and I'm perfectly willing to live with this in order to have a thinkpad.

[pae77]

I think it's just a matter of being patient and giving yourself time to get used to the IBM keyboard layout. Within a couple of weeks or months you will most likely adjust to it and I'll bet you will eventually be quite happy with it.

[snabjab]

yep I'm pretty happy as-is. switching tabs in firefox is the only tough maneuver. Anyone have an easier way of doing this?

[trikster2]

"getting used to it" is fine if you only use one computer. When you switch between work desktop/home desktop/my laptop/work laptop/various servers/wifes laptop having one computer that is different is a pain in the neck.

Not questioning the usefulness of the windows key, use it all the time, that's why I am typing this on the dell, and my wife does not use it so she has the thinkpad

How do you normaly switch tabs in firefox?

[snabjab]

I switch firefox tabs with ctrl + tab.

So do all T42/T43's have noisy hard drives like this one? Where in a quiet room you can constantly hear it on - basically sounds like a fan.

[Michael1980]

Can't say about all T42/T43's out there but my has a Toshiba 40gb hard drive in there and it is pretty loud. I have now put into the ultrabay and difference in sound between it and the new Samsung hdd I have bought is big.

[darrenf]

Unless I put my ear up to the drive (or I'm in a very quiet room) the drive is silent. I use a 5400RPM. The 4200RPMs are VERY quiet and the 7200RPM models are audible and vibrate. The 5400RPM is a compromise between the two. I can hear the head movement sometimes but rarely the platter rotation.

I think you have a dud drive. That's a CRUable item, so IBM will send you a replacement and a return slip. You won't have to send your laptop in for repair. Be sure to ask for a set of CDs to rebuild the OS from -- they will be free also.

-darren

[Michael1980]

It is not a "dud". You just need to compare it to the Samsung to see how silent hard drives can be.

[darrenf]

Sorry for the confusion -- I was responding to snabjab.

-darren

[STLEric]

Hey, here's a question that's neither here nor there:
Any suggestions between a (those are actually quite well-priced, thank you) T42 and an iBook?

Here's the configuration I'd be looking at (plus 3-yr warranty):
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/W ... gCs/1.?p=0

The ThinkPad seems like the obvious choice in terms of being able to use the couple of so pieces of PC software I've bought (I'd specifically like to hold onto my PC-only music sequencer), but thinking it over, it does seem like a tough decision between the two...

IBM/Lenovo service is obviously amazing, but being able to drive a computer 5 minutes over to the Apple Store at the mall to get it fixed then and there's hard to argue with, the slow performance of the DVD+/-RW drive between CDs and DVDs alike doesn't look stellar compared to the 8x drive, and from what I've been reading, battery life is as good or better (I think I read about someone getting 4 hours or more while using wireless?), and to boot, it's got a Firewire port, which would be handy. I'd also be slightly more used to using the Apple key than an out-of-place left Ctrl (I was using my friend's X series the other night, and found the Fn/Ctrl placement really awkward - if anyone does find a way to fix that one, I'm listening!).

...But of course, Mac software is more expensive, there isn't as much freeware available, etc.

In any case, I've got a few questions about configurations on the T42 - it's pretty cheap either way, but does it make sense to pay for the 9-cell battery over the 6-cell? I think I've heard that that would add heat, and possibly place the laptop at an odd angle. Should I buy the 9-cell and just take the free extra 6-cell offer? I know that XP Pro's supposed to be better with networking, but I've used both multiple times over the last few years, and I'm not immediately seeing too much justification for paying the extra money. Does the IBM wi-fi adapter really fare that much better than Intel's? And as an average home consumer/student, is there any reason to buy a warranty above the standard 3-year?

Sorry for blathering on for so long (and for running off with your topic, snabjab), and thanks!

[STLEric]

Oh, one final question - for the T42, the line-in plug is mono/mic-only, right? Thanks!

[darrenf]

Line-in is stereo. Built-in mic is mono.

Do they really fix machines at those Apple stores? If so, that's uber cool. As an alternative, consider the on-site warranty with IBM. I've only used mine once but here's how it went: I called at 4pm to report a problem requiring replacement of the laptop base and battery. The next morning at 8:30am the tech showed up at my door with the parts in-hand and fixed the machine at my kitchen table. WOW!

Battery life on my T42 w/ SXGA and 1.7G Dothan is 7+ hours (9-cell battery). The 9-cell doesn't add any heat and doesn't change the angle of the laptop. It changes the shape of the case right where you hold it. Some people like it better, others don't.

XP Pro supports a more robust security model that's important on a corporate PC network, but should not affect you at home. It also allows remote control using remote desktop. The most important reason for a home user to consider it (IMHO) is that it costs $50 more at the time of purchase and will allow you to sell your laptop later to a user on a corporate netowrk who will otherwise *have* to pay $200 to upgrade to Pro.

I like Intel's wireless better than IBM's but the last IBM one I tried did seem to have range similar to my Intel card (previous models did not).

Good luck!

-darren

[STLEric]

Bought the T42. Thanks for the info!

[darrenf]

Report back after you've played with it for a while and let us know if you think you made the right choice!

Enjoy!

-darren

[snabjab]

I was just curious to hear some more opinions on the hard drive noise. I've been using the T42 all day and while the noise is something I'm aware of quite a bit it doesn't bother me unless I'm in a perfectly quiet environment, like I am now. I just don't understand why this thing is so loud - it's like fan spinning at a pretty good clip. Why so loud????

Will give IBM a call tomorrow about a NMB keyboard - if for some reason they refuse I'll consider sending this thing back. I wasn't kidding when I said the Dell keyboard was better than this one. Significantly better.

[daeojkim]

Which hard drive did you get? the 5400 rpm or the 7200 rpm?
from my experience the 7200 rpm was definitely noisier than 5400 rpm drive.

I am thinking of asking for NMB keybord as well this keyboard is noisiest TP keyboard I have come across so far.

[snabjab]

2 questions (this thread will never die):

1) the very bottom 1/2" of my LCD is brighter than the rest. I notice this when I start windows and have a black screen. I do not notice it when I'm in windows since my taskbar is grey. I'm guessing I would notice it when watching a DVD fullscreen. Is this typical?

2) What's the thinkpad-approved method of cleaning the screen?

many thanks in advance!

[snabjab]

Ever use something like PC Phone Home?

www.pcphonehome.com

It seems like a good idea but would the police really be able to do anything about it? I have my doubts.

[Aroc]

2 questions (this thread will never die):

1) the very bottom 1/2" of my LCD is brighter than the rest. I notice this when I start windows and have a black screen. I do not notice it when I'm in windows since my taskbar is grey. ... Is this typical?

for many laptops with a single blacklight element, Yes, this is typical. For a lot of notebooks, there is a single backlight source at the bottom of the panel. This is what you are noticing. The fix would be to buy a laptop with more than one backlight (do they even make these anymore).

[snabjab]

Whoa...I'm listening to music w headphones on my T42 and all of a sudden I hear all kinds of blips in the music. I'm listening to MP3s which I know for a fact are not the problem. The first half of the album was fine and now I hear all this blips in the music - popping sounds. I went back to the first couple songs and they have the blips too. What's the deal? I tried playing in winamp and itunes and it makes no difference. I pulled out the headphone plug and the blips come through the laptop speakers as well! What's the deal?