Decisions: T42 vs T42p

[aquina]

Trying to decide between these two setups:

2373CWU

Product Description IBM ThinkPad T42 2373 - Pentium M 745 1.8 MHz - 15" TFT
Dimensions (WxDxH) 3 13 in x 10.6 in x 1.4 in
Weight 2 6 lbs
Localization English / United States
System Type Notebook
Built-in Devices Stereo speakers, wireless LAN antenna, ThinkLight
Processor 1 Intel Pentium M 745 1.8 MHz
Cache Memory 2 MB - L2 cache
RAM 512 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - PC2700 - 333 MHz
Hard Drive 1 x 80 GB - 5400 rpm
Optical Storage CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo - plug-in module
Display 15" TFT active matrix
Graphics Controller ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600 - 64 MB
Audio Output Sound card
Telecom 4 Network / modem combo - CDC - 56 Kbps
Networking Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Wireless NIC Atheros AR5001X+ WLAN
Input Device Keyboard, UltraNav
Power AC 110/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Battery Lithium ion
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Manufacturer Warranty 3 years warranty


and

2373H14

Product Description IBM ThinkPad T42p 2373 - Pentium M 1.8 GHz - 14.1" TFT
Weight2 5.35 lbs
Processor1 Intel Pentium M 1.8 GHz with Front Side Bus (FSB) 400MHz
Graphics Controller M10GL-128
RAM 512 MB (installed)
Hard Drive 1 x 60 GB
Optical Device Combo
Display 14.1" SXGA+
Networking Gigabit Ethernet- Integrated,Wireless LAN
802.11 B/G - Intel, Bluetooth
Input Device Keyboard, TrackPoint, UltraNav
Battery Li-Ion 9 cell battery
Average Run Time 6.1 hours
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Manufacturer Warranty Three years


The CWU has the bigger drive and the flexview 15 incher screen which I prefer and is about $100 more expensive.

The H14 has the advantage of being the T42p version and is $100 less.

I am looking for an all around future proof (relatively speaking of course) system. Not into heavy gaming.

Which would you pick?

Thanks

[ryan]

for $100 (like 5% more?) you get 20 more gig and a better screen, seems worth it to me (even moreso considering that you may be keeping this computer for years to come). so i recommend the t42.

[ian]

It could be said that I'm a little biased...but I really like my CWU ! Ok, so it doesn't have a 9 cell battery - I can live with this as I'm rarely three hours away from a power point, and I shelled out a bit more for Bill to add 512M of RAM to upgrade to 1Gb. The screen is perfect, and I personally can't see what all the fuss is about in terms of the 'enormous' size of the 15" over the 14" - the difference isn't that important to me (or in fact, is there much difference in size - check the forum for links to comparison pictures) and I do carry it around each and every day.

This laptop is something I paid for, that I'm not likely to replace for at least a couple of years, and quite frankly I think I made a good choice - for me...based on the opinions expressed here, of course. Thank God this forum exists - otherwise the choice would have been VERY much more difficult to make.