T43p 2668-Q2U *review update*

[Rhino]

Ok, I have had the 2668Q2U for a couple weeks now and have had enough time with it to post some more information..

To start off with, this laptop sure seems to generate less heat. I can use it on my lap for longer durations and it seems to stay cooler than the last T43p.

This is the first thinkpad I have owned that has ever crashed. It crashed 3 times on me now, which is not fun. This could be a result of some software, but I don't think I am running anything different than my other T43p.

The WiFi LED blinking problem has been solved. Thanks to another member on the board ) I was given some black stickers that cover the screw holes and they worked like a charm on the LED screen.

The 15" is definately less portable than the 14". It doesn't look like much side by side, but the differences are pretty big (once you've used both). I am considering sending this back (again), for a 14" like my other thinkpad. They are so portable and nice. *sigh*...

Next, the FAN noise is definately quieter!!! I have power management set to the following:

AC: cpu=lowest, optimizeFan=balance, display=4.
BATT: cpu=lowest, optimizeFan=balance, display=2.

HOWEVER, I have a problem. Please chime in if you have the solution. When the laptop is plugged in (AC) it runs super silent quiet.. The moment I remove the power cord-the fan kick on and becomes louder. The moment I plug the AC cord back in, the fan goes completely silent again. Does anyone know what this is or how to fix?

[Greg Gebhardt]

Most interested in why your Q2U has crashed 3 times. Have you resolved this matter. What, if any, error messages are you getting?

My Q2U arrived today but from what I have seen in the past with my other TP43p, I expect an uneventful install of my software.

I am glad to hear about your being cooler and the fan noise never bothered me on my previous t43P so I don't expect the Q2U to either.

[Rhino]

No errors, the entire system just completely stops responding. ctrl+alt+del, tapping power button, anything = no results. The thing just locks up cold.

Hope your Q2U works well!

[Rhino]

New problem.....

Why is it that when I scroll through web pages or pdf's or documents with images by using the ULTRANAV/TRACKPOINT scrolling method the system goes into sssslllloooowwww motion? -Especially when scrolling past large images. It gets very choppy and looks like it is having problems rendering the images I want to scroll past...

I just hate how when I am using the trackpoint + thumb-on-the-blue-button to scroll and the system gets choppy/slow!

Anyone have a fix for this?

[rocketman]

Could the crashing problem be a driver issue? Did you change any drivers since you received the Q2U T43p?

[Jmmmmm]

Are you undervolting? This processor might not take as well to the same undervolting as your others did.

[Greg Gebhardt]

Image stuttering is bad. You have got to have something going wrong as even my T43pH2U would scroll even complicated images and PDFs smoothly.

Sounds like there is some type of conflict going on. As your unit is pretty fresh, I would consider a "restore to original" with the Blue button and see if you are still having these problems. IF not you will know that something went wrong in your software install.

I have seen one of my laptops go very bad from simply a bad install of a program where the registry got messed up. If you installed additional memory, I would also remove it to see if that helps, you never know.

Let us know how you are doing. I will be installing all of my software today and this evening and will post my progress in a separate thread. I dread when things like this happen as it can be something so simple it is in front of your nose and also can be a complicated bugger.

Restoring your system is a pain in the butt but would tell you quickly if it a problem with the laptop or a software gone crazy thing.

[mzd]

Hi, Rhino, I think you can try 2668p2u, a member on the board had a good impression on it.
Can you tell me how you solve the WiFi LED blinking problem?
Thanks.

[dc81]

I really hope this is an isolated incident, I plan on purchasing a ThinkPad T43p 2668G3U really soon and hope I don't have any of these problems.

[Rhino]

I still have a couple issues, and I am bumping the thread for help (I really need it)


Problem #1:
I have a problem. Please chime in if you have the solution. When the laptop is plugged in (AC) it runs super silent quiet.. The moment I remove the power cord-the fan kick on and becomes louder. The moment I plug the AC cord back in, the fan goes completely silent again. Does anyone know what this is or how to fix?

Problem #2:
When I scroll through web pages or pdf's or documents with images by using the ULTRANAV/TRACKPOINT scrolling method the system goes into sssslllloooowwww motion? -Especially when scrolling past large images. It gets very choppy and looks like it is having problems rendering the images I want to scroll past... I just hate how when I am using the trackpoint + thumb-on-the-blue-button to scroll and the system gets choppy/slow!

Thanks Everyone

[Greg Gebhardt]

My Q2U have operated without flaw. Scrolling is smooth, even on complicated pages. If yours does not, something is wrong and I would return it.

[ian]

No errors, the entire system just completely stops responding. ctrl+alt+del, tapping power button, anything = no results. The thing just locks up cold.

I've seen this with a bad memory board - do you have enough to take one out, change it, try another?

Just a thought...

[jjfcpa]

I still have a couple issues, and I am bumping the thread for help (I really need it)


Problem #1:
I have a problem. Please chime in if you have the solution. When the laptop is plugged in (AC) it runs super silent quiet.. The moment I remove the power cord-the fan kick on and becomes louder. The moment I plug the AC cord back in, the fan goes completely silent again. Does anyone know what this is or how to fix?

Problem #2:
When I scroll through web pages or pdf's or documents with images by using the ULTRANAV/TRACKPOINT scrolling method the system goes into sssslllloooowwww motion? -Especially when scrolling past large images. It gets very choppy and looks like it is having problems rendering the images I want to scroll past... I just hate how when I am using the trackpoint + thumb-on-the-blue-button to scroll and the system gets choppy/slow!

Thanks Everyone

With regards to problem #2... this is kind of a long shot, but I've got a T42 2373 and I've had a problem with bootup for months and months and months. The error originated from the installation of some Brother printer drivers. I've done a restore, driver updates, and completely removed the Brother drivers, but when I would cold boot, I'd get a Windows error that the driver was causing an error.

I was preparing the unit for sale and I created a new user and completely deleted the old user and all files associated with it. Fixed the problem.

You might try this and see if the scrolling is fixed when you log in as the other user. Long shot, I know, but with computers, you never know what will work sometimes.

Might also want to check Adobe's website for a fix.

[pipspeak]

I had a similar problem with my new T43 crashing regularly (freezing or BSOD on shutdown) which I eventually fixed by simply doing a complete factory reinstall of the OS and related software. It has worked flawlessly since.

[frogla]

I still have a couple issues, and I am bumping the thread for help (I really need it)


Problem #1:
I have a problem. Please chime in if you have the solution. When the laptop is plugged in (AC) it runs super silent quiet.. The moment I remove the power cord-the fan kick on and becomes louder. The moment I plug the AC cord back in, the fan goes completely silent again. Does anyone know what this is or how to fix?

Problem #2:
hen I scroll through web pages or pdf's or documents with images by using the ULTRANAV/TRACKPOINT scrolling method the system goes into sssslllloooowwww motion? -Especially when scrolling past large images. It gets very choppy and looks like it is having problems rendering the images I want to scroll past... I just hate how when I am using the trackpoint + thumb-on-the-blue-button to scroll and the system gets choppy/slow!

Thanks Everyone

Perhaps I can help with Problem #1:

( I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for all your constructive work with the fan issue !!)

For 5 months I have been manipulating with 1) Ibm Power utility, 2) CHC and 3) Windows power utility and found that the combination of 1) and 2) might help lowering the fan /noise level in both AC and DC :

You might try this..

1) Make your own profile with the IBM utility..:

Battery = AC power (same settings for both)
CPU Speed - Adaptive / automatic
Fan control - Max performance (!!)
Brightness - 5

2) CHC on "dynamic switching " for both AC and Battery settings

(CPU voltage lowering or changing bios setting did not alter fan for me )

Diagrammatically this should give/look like this..:


Performance : 6 out of 7
System temperature : 4 out of 7
Fan noise level : 5 out of 7
Battery time : 4 out of 7 ("Battery setting" only )

My experience with these settings for 5 months on my first T43 and current T43p is that I can be able to reduce the fan /noise level by 1-2 as compared to the "Thinkpad standard " settings.

These are emperically findings, using " rationally " settings to lower the fan noise only gives the opposite effect : Setting the IBM power utility to "Max. battery" seem to make the fan go to max level ( although the diagram "says" fan noise level only 2 out of 7- ) possibly to try to lower the temp more than needed- as to save battery capasity as a priority.Why setting the fan noise level to high levels (5/7) gives less noise is not rational..
Could it be that the reason the fan stops/ goes to a lower level when changing to Max /adaptive performance is because a higher working CPU temperature is tolerated before the fan kicks in when using this setting?

Unfortunally these settings will not be able to prevent the fan from going up to a higher level later on , it just seems to postbone / reduce it for a while..

In my experience the T43 ran at a little lower temp (typically 44 vs 49 when just surfing ) than the T43p , given the same workload.The starting /changing point for the fans seemed to be about the same for these two different models and did not seem to exclusively follow the temp.level and not linearly :

Therefore I have tried to register the temp and fan level in different circumstances out of doors, in doors, with external fans/cooling devices, in different battery charging levels, with the battery taken out in AC-mode , wireless off/on, USB connections of differtent sorts (hard discs, Itunes-wireless,etc )to try to find a pattern, but ....
Perhaps the fan ran a little slower/cicked in a little later than it used to when I uppgraded the memory on the T43 from 512 to 1G (IBM original-, "Dual channel", to see if this could "reduce the workload ". )- but I am not sure if it iwas just wishful thinking.
(Anyone having experienced the same thing when upgrading memory? And will upgrading from 1GB to 2GB matter at all on the fan speed given the same workload, although 512 to 1GB might help ?)

For some odd reason(s) these settings mentioned above seems to help a little bit, but when the fan really cicks in- it the only thing that really helps is to turn the lap top off for a periode of time ..

Hope this could be of help..


Current laptop (since the 5th of august ):

T43p 2668-F8G
2.0GHz
1GB RAM
ATI V3200 128MB
60GB 7200 RPM
15" UXGA

Sold Laptop ( Mine from april to august):

T43 2668-F5G
1.86 GHz
1GB RAM (" Dual channel", 2X 512 IBM original )
ATI X 300
60GB 5400 RPM
15" XGA

[jlingo]

Yes I also experience problem number one. Dunno what I should do about it. I wonder if every T43p owner experiencing this problem with the fan.

[Rhino]

Scrolling problem fixed!

Scrolling problem fixed by changing my CHC settings from severely undervolted (for fan reasons) to performance oriented. The system is running 7C hotter than before. I will have to see over the next few days what it does in terms of heat and fan noise.

[Rhino]

CHC volt settings for 2668-Q2U:

Does anyone have rock solid under-voltage settings for CHC on a 2668Q2U? I want to undervolt as much as possible.

*Thanks everyone - for all of your help*

[nrj45]

It may vary a bit from a cpu to another... I think the best solution is decreasing progressively the vcore with prime95 running. And as soon as the cpu makes errors, increase the vcore by 2 steps (to keep a margin).

I prefer keeping a bigger margin when frequency is high (i mean 3 or 4 steps for 14x multiplicator).

My sonoma 1.86GHz is rock solid at 800MHz@0.7Vcore (instead of 0.988Vcore), and 1866MHz@1.164Vcore (instead of 1.308Vcore) (the evolution is quite linear, so i don't put all intermediate settings).

I use my laptop about 10 houres per day...

[loonix]

( I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for all your constructive work with the fan issue !!)

For 5 months I have been manipulating with 1) Ibm Power utility, 2) CHC and 3) Windows power utility and found that the combination of 1) and 2) might help lowering the fan /noise level in both AC and DC :

You might try this..

1) Make your own profile with the IBM utility..:

Battery = AC power (same settings for both)
CPU Speed - Adaptive / automatic
Fan control - Max performance (!!)
Brightness - 5

2) CHC on "dynamic switching " for both AC and Battery settings

(CPU voltage lowering or changing bios setting did not alter fan for me )

Diagrammatically this should give/look like this..:


Performance : 6 out of 7
System temperature : 4 out of 7
Fan noise level : 5 out of 7
Battery time : 4 out of 7 ("Battery setting" only )

My experience with these settings for 5 months on my first T43 and current T43p is that I can be able to reduce the fan /noise level by 1-2 as compared to the "Thinkpad standard " settings.

These are emperically findings, using " rationally " settings to lower the fan noise only gives the opposite effect : Setting the IBM power utility to "Max. battery" seem to make the fan go to max level ( although the diagram "says" fan noise level only 2 out of 7- ) possibly to try to lower the temp more than needed- as to save battery capasity as a priority.Why setting the fan noise level to high levels (5/7) gives less noise is not rational..
Could it be that the reason the fan stops/ goes to a lower level when changing to Max /adaptive performance is because a higher working CPU temperature is tolerated before the fan kicks in when using this setting?

Unfortunally these settings will not be able to prevent the fan from going up to a higher level later on , it just seems to postbone / reduce it for a while..

In my experience the T43 ran at a little lower temp (typically 44 vs 49 when just surfing ) than the T43p , given the same workload.The starting /changing point for the fans seemed to be about the same for these two different models and did not seem to exclusively follow the temp.level and not linearly :

Therefore I have tried to register the temp and fan level in different circumstances out of doors, in doors, with external fans/cooling devices, in different battery charging levels, with the battery taken out in AC-mode , wireless off/on, USB connections of differtent sorts (hard discs, Itunes-wireless,etc )to try to find a pattern, but ....
Perhaps the fan ran a little slower/cicked in a little later than it used to when I uppgraded the memory on the T43 from 512 to 1G (IBM original-, "Dual channel", to see if this could "reduce the workload ". )- but I am not sure if it iwas just wishful thinking.
(Anyone having experienced the same thing when upgrading memory? And will upgrading from 1GB to 2GB matter at all on the fan speed given the same workload, although 512 to 1GB might help ?)

For some odd reason(s) these settings mentioned above seems to help a little bit, but when the fan really cicks in- it the only thing that really helps is to turn the lap top off for a periode of time ..

Hope this could be of help..

Well I just got my T43p 266897U and i have been reading the forums for the last 2-3 days (found by googling). I was aware that i would have fan noise problems before i even got it (albeit only after ordering and reading these forums). i have the "always on" T43 fan syndrome. i havent installed the extra 512 stick yet.

Your suggestion definitely seems to work. I created the new profile and the fan noise is negligible now with the help of CHC and the settings level, at the cost 30% or so less brightness. I havent tried any undervolting yet, just straight followed your suggestion.

The fan noise increases even with a 1 degree change in temperature with this setting. But after a while when the noise is back up with these settings, i switched to the IBM default and noise went down 2-3 levels again. So at this time i am manually switching between the two profiles and keeping the noise at a minimum. LOL. When one gets louder i switch to the other one. It is working everytime.

Just finished upgrading drivers/wind0ws stuff etc etc. Later on i am going to install slackware 10.2 and try the linux methods. Hopefully the fan is much quiter in linux so i dont have to worry about returning.

[frogla]

Loonix, thank you for your replay ! I forgot to mention in my last replay that I also have to CHANGE between the different settings when the fan cicks in to get the fan more silent. There seems to be no plausible explanation to why the change itself makes this reduction in fan speed. I have even made exactly the same settings as mentioned earlier on , but given the same setting different names/"profiles". When changing from one "profile" to another I can make the fan speed go down too , both in DC and AC !!

As mentioned before, in my experiance other factors like external temp. does not seem to matter much . I is quite cold out of doors in Norway these days (snowing today) and I have been using my T43p in a cold bedroom . I have noticed that the machine is quite sensitive to external temp. , making the the working temp. of the T43p some 5-9 degrees celcius lower (CHC) in the sleeping room than in the livingroom. But this does not seem to alter the fan speed ; It just blows with the same speed at 45 in the cold bedroom as in 50 degrees in the livingroom. So the fan can not be strictly- nor linearly temperature dependent ..

Changing /upgrading RAM to 2G on the other hand seems to have made the fan a little bit more silent , even when not doing much workload (like surfing etc)

Hopefully these findings can be of help for some of you T43/T43 p owners..


Current laptop (since the 5th of august ):

T43p 2668-F8G
2.0GHz
2 GB RAM
ATI V3200 128MB
60GB 7200 RPM
15" UXGA

Sold Laptop ( Mine from april to august):

T43 2668-F5G
1.86 GHz
1GB RAM (" Dual channel", 2X 512 IBM original )
ATI X 300
60GB 5400 RPM
15" XGA

( I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for all your constructive work with the fan issue !!)

For 5 months I have been manipulating with 1) Ibm Power utility, 2) CHC and 3) Windows power utility and found that the combination of 1) and 2) might help lowering the fan /noise level in both AC and DC :

You might try this..

1) Make your own profile with the IBM utility..:

Battery = AC power (same settings for both)
CPU Speed - Adaptive / automatic
Fan control - Max performance (!!)
Brightness - 5

2) CHC on "dynamic switching " for both AC and Battery settings

(CPU voltage lowering or changing bios setting did not alter fan for me )

Diagrammatically this should give/look like this..:


Performance : 6 out of 7
System temperature : 4 out of 7
Fan noise level : 5 out of 7
Battery time : 4 out of 7 ("Battery setting" only )

My experience with these settings for 5 months on my first T43 and current T43p is that I can be able to reduce the fan /noise level by 1-2 as compared to the "Thinkpad standard " settings.

These are emperically findings, using " rationally " settings to lower the fan noise only gives the opposite effect : Setting the IBM power utility to "Max. battery" seem to make the fan go to max level ( although the diagram "says" fan noise level only 2 out of 7- ) possibly to try to lower the temp more than needed- as to save battery capasity as a priority.Why setting the fan noise level to high levels (5/7) gives less noise is not rational..
Could it be that the reason the fan stops/ goes to a lower level when changing to Max /adaptive performance is because a higher working CPU temperature is tolerated before the fan kicks in when using this setting?

Unfortunally these settings will not be able to prevent the fan from going up to a higher level later on , it just seems to postbone / reduce it for a while..

In my experience the T43 ran at a little lower temp (typically 44 vs 49 when just surfing ) than the T43p , given the same workload.The starting /changing point for the fans seemed to be about the same for these two different models and did not seem to exclusively follow the temp.level and not linearly :

Therefore I have tried to register the temp and fan level in different circumstances out of doors, in doors, with external fans/cooling devices, in different battery charging levels, with the battery taken out in AC-mode , wireless off/on, USB connections of differtent sorts (hard discs, Itunes-wireless,etc )to try to find a pattern, but ....
Perhaps the fan ran a little slower/cicked in a little later than it used to when I uppgraded the memory on the T43 from 512 to 1G (IBM original-, "Dual channel", to see if this could "reduce the workload ". )- but I am not sure if it iwas just wishful thinking.
(Anyone having experienced the same thing when upgrading memory? And will upgrading from 1GB to 2GB matter at all on the fan speed given the same workload, although 512 to 1GB might help ?)

For some odd reason(s) these settings mentioned above seems to help a little bit, but when the fan really cicks in- it the only thing that really helps is to turn the lap top off for a periode of time ..

Hope this could be of help..

Well I just got my T43p 266897U and i have been reading the forums for the last 2-3 days (found by googling). I was aware that i would have fan noise problems before i even got it (albeit only after ordering and reading these forums). i have the "always on" T43 fan syndrome. i havent installed the extra 512 stick yet.

Your suggestion definitely seems to work. I created the new profile and the fan noise is negligible now with the help of CHC and the settings level, at the cost 30% or so less brightness. I havent tried any undervolting yet, just straight followed your suggestion.

The fan noise increases even with a 1 degree change in temperature with this setting. But after a while when the noise is back up with these settings, i switched to the IBM default and noise went down 2-3 levels again. So at this time i am manually switching between the two profiles and keeping the noise at a minimum. LOL. When one gets louder i switch to the other one. It is working everytime.

Just finished upgrading drivers/wind0ws stuff etc etc. Later on i am going to install slackware 10.2 and try the linux methods. Hopefully the fan is much quiter in linux so i dont have to worry about returning.

[loonix]

Loonix, thank you for your replay ! I forgot to mention in my last replay that I also have to CHANGE between the different settings when the fan cicks in to get the fan more silent. There seems to be no plausible explanation to why the change itself makes this reduction in fan speed. I have even made exactly the same settings as mentioned earlier on , but given the same setting different names/"profiles". When changing from one "profile" to another I can make the fan speed go down too , both in DC and AC !!

As mentioned before, in my experiance other factors like external temp. does not seem to matter much . I is quite cold out of doors in Norway these days (snowing today) and I have been using my T43p in a cold bedroom . I have noticed that the machine is quite sensitive to external temp. , making the the working temp. of the T43p some 5-9 degrees celcius lower (CHC) in the sleeping room than in the livingroom. But this does not seem to alter the fan speed ; It just blows with the same speed at 45 in the cold bedroom as in 50 degrees in the livingroom. So the fan can not be strictly- nor linearly temperature dependent ..

Changing /upgrading RAM to 2G on the other hand seems to have made the fan a little bit more silent , even when not doing much workload (like surfing etc)

Hopefully these findings can be of help for some of you T43/T43 p owners..

frogla

thanks goes to you for finding this out my friend!

Also in windows today, i have seen this. Turn the radio for the WiFi off ( i have the IBM a/b/g one) and even the IBM default settings is running very quiet (no difference between T42 and T43p with Wifi radio off)

Overall i am not that disappointed with my T43p so far but its early to conclude on anything yet. I paid a very decent price for it as well. But found out later on that i could have paid even less had i gone the CTO route.

by the way ....how are those girls in Norway LOL

have fun

[Rhino]

There seems to be no plausible explanation to why the change itself makes this reduction in fan speed. I have even made exactly the same settings as mentioned earlier on , but given the same setting different names/"profiles". When changing from one "profile" to another I can make the fan speed go down too , both in DC and AC !!

I do the same thing on both AC and DC. When the fan gets really loud I just go and change profiles or pretend to make a change then save and the stupid fan quiets down... This is such an annoying repetative problem to have.

[Rhino]

FWIW: I updated to the latest bios the other day (as recommended somewhere in this forum section) with the new IBM release that came out this month. That seemed to help, however only VERY little. Maybe ~10% reduction in fan noise.

When will we get resolve?!

[a.campanella]

Ok, I have had the 2668Q2U for a couple weeks now and have had enough time with it to post some more information..


javascript:emoticon(':shock:')To start off with, this laptop sure seems to generate less heat. I can use it on my lap for longer durations and it seems to stay cooler than the last T43p.


javascript:emoticon(':shock:')The reason is that the control algorithm for the fan has been changed to be a variable speed drive (VSD) where the fan speed is reduced to just handle the heat load, running always at a slower but constant speed, according to that load. I can warm my left fingers nicely in the exhaust on the left side, and I can't hear a thing.

This is the first thinkpad I have owned that has ever crashed. It crashed 3 times on me now, which is not fun. This could be a result of some software, but I don't think I am running anything different than my other T43p.


javascript:emoticon(':shock:')I had sort of a cash where I changed too may things too quickly, and the full DOS window failed to fill the basic screen. Then I tried a restore, which put it back to out-of-the-carton shape. I did not want to loose and disk space, so I did a full format and retart... Took a while but it's OK now, having placed my apps where I want them. The restore was not the change the parameter of "Screen Expansion" to be "ON". Continue boot and now again full screen for DOS is there.

The WiFi LED blinking problem has been solved. Thanks to another member on the board ) I was given some black stickers that cover the screw holes and they worked like a charm on the LED screen.


javascript:emoticon(':shock:')My wireless LED blinks once very few seconds if no signal is around. what's the deal?

The 15" is definately less portable than the 14". It doesn't look like much side by side, but the differences are pretty big (once you've used both). I am considering sending this back (again), for a 14" like my other thinkpad. They are so portable and nice. *sigh*...

javascript:emoticon(':shock:')Lucky me.. I ordered the 14" and I am happy with it.

Next, the FAN noise is definately quieter!!! I have power management set to the following:


javascript:emoticon(':shock:')The quiet is not due to any setting under your control, just that VSD, described above, is now employed.

AC: cpu=lowest, optimizeFan=balance, display=4.
BATT: cpu=lowest, optimizeFan=balance, display=2.

HOWEVER, I have a problem. Please chime in if you have the solution. When the laptop is plugged in (AC) it runs super silent quiet.. The moment I remove the power cord-the fan kick on and becomes louder. The moment I plug the AC cord back in, the fan goes completely silent again. Does anyone know what this is or how to fix?

javascript:emoticon(':shock:')
OK. I find that when new power is first applied to the T43, the dumb VSD rushes to full speed until it finds out that there is nothing to cool. A better paradigm would be to rush to only 1/2 speed (where fan noise will be 20 dB less), then control to suit the heat load, if any (Lenovo please note).

Angelo Campanella

[pae77]

If the machine was just turned off and then powered on again without giving it time to completely cool down, there would likely be a heat buildup from the period the still hot machine was completely off with no fan at all running. It makes sense to me to have the fan just come on for a few seconds to blow this possible heat build up out before the machine even boots up. Mine (T42p) just blows for a few seconds at most when it is powered on and it is still pretty quiet while doing so.

[jjfcpa]

Rhino, I have a T43p, model 2668-P2U, which has very similar specs to the Q2U except it is a 14.1" LCD. I like the smaller form factor much better.

I use my TP pretty much from morning till night... I'm guessing between 12-14 hours a day. Generally, it's on all day because I use a port replicator at work with an external LCD, keyboard, and mouse.

Although I can hear the fan running (I don't have a radio other anything on right now), it's just a soft humming sound. I did update to the latest bios and drivers the other day, so it is completely up to date. Not sure if they have a different fan in the 15" model or not.

I previously was using a T43 and I noticed that this model is considerably cooler running that the T43. Although this was quite a bit more expensive than the T43, it is definitely worth it to me beause of the cooler running, speed difference, and flawless running.