Need opinion on my new T42 (2373-8ZU)

[kanate]

I will be receiving my new T42 (2373-8ZU) tomorrow. I checked the parts that come with my machine using the serial number on IBM website and found out that it will come with:

- FRU 08K4986: Made in China Keyboard
- FRU 08K8193: Sanyo battery

I read a lot of the complains on this forum about these China Keyboard and the rattle Sanyo battery.

link to Part Look Up (in case anyone wants it).

1. Should I call IBM and request a new keyboard (Thai) and Sony battery?

2. What would be the FRUs for the keyboard and battery I need to request? just want to make sure that i request the correct one.

3. Will it come with Recovery Disks? If not, is it possible to ask them to ship me one? I think I used to read from somewhere that I can request the disks within 30 days.

4. What is the phone number to call to request these new parts?

Thank you
- Kanate

[jsmit86]

1 and 2. Only if the keyboard is a problem, and if the battery is loose.
The Thai Keyboard (08K5044) is the only current FRU, and the Sony Battery is 92P1011 (6-cell Sony)
IBM may be making some running changes, and you may not have the issues that some have reported. Not all users have these issues.

3 &4 . Your T42 will not ship with the CD's. They are free if you call in the first 30 days - Just press your Access IBM button for the 800#. (1-800-426-7378)

[benz]

I know you have read that a lot of people on here have problems with the "China" keyboard and "Sanyo" battery, but you have to keep in mind that for every person that complains there are many more people that dont have a problem and thus don't complain. Above all, just wait until you get the new system, and USE it before making your decision....decide what's best for YOU, not solely from what others may be saying. Hell, I have the "China" keyboard and "Sanyo" battery, and I have not noticed any problems with these parts before or after I read those threads.

That said, welcome to the forum and enjoy your new Thinkpad!

[kanate]

Thanks for your opinions.

benz, I thought like that at first , but on my second thought...

I paid premium for the IBM notebook, I expected to get the best out of it. Otherwise, I would get one from other manufacturer for half the price with the same config and warranty.

Yes, it might work fine, no problem with it, but I already know that there're better parts out there and I can get them with no charge, and I really think I deserve to get them for what I paid for.

If I don't request to get that new parts, how could I decide what's best for me; Nothing to compare to.

I think I'll call IBM to request those new parts after I play with my new notebook for a couple days.

[JaneL]

You know, I've spent my time burning the ears of IBM brand managers over keyboard issues (mostly desktop when they changed the layout), but this is just silly. Barring some major flaw, why on earth would you not determine if a keyboard works and is right for you by simply using it and not by reading messages of other people who don't like theirs and think another part number would be "better"?

What constitutes best? Keyboard touch and feel is a very personal thing. Just because a "China" keyboard didn't suit one person doesn't mean it won't be exactly right for you.

I said several weeks ago that in the years I've been involved with the ThinkPad community I've never seen so many people determined to find flaws instead of enjoying their new notebooks. I'm just amazed by the lemming effect of all this.

[Skywing]

i agree, i have the "china" keyboard and i couldnt be happier with it, the keys are perfectly responsive and have a very satisfying bounce to them. of course the have the infamous slight flex on the right side but i havent had the paitence nor had the need to throw some more foam under it. I even have the Sanyo battery and it has little to no movement in it. I guess it all depends on each model.

[cjsuh]

Your T42 will not ship with the CD's. They are free if you call in the first 30 days - Just press your Access IBM button for the 800#. (1-800-426-7378)

In what scenario would you need the recovery CD's, other than if you delete the Rapid Restore function that comes with new ThinkPads?

[Skywing]

you said it yourself

[cjsuh]

Interesting. So, as I understand it, the benefit of deleting the Rapid Restore function is that it frees up alot of memory (~8GB, am I right?). And, if you even want to bring your computer back to original factory settings you can just pop in the Recovery CD's.

Is there anything Rapid Restore can do that the Recovery CD's can't? That is, are there specific model settings on Rapid Restore that won't be available on the CD's, or certain drivers or software (e.g. Norton Antivirus)?

I only have a 40GB harddrive, so if the two are identical, it might behoove me to go the Recovery CD route, if it will free up 20% of my memory.

Thoughts?

[kanate]

Like I said, If you've never tried the new part, how could you decide what's best?

I know, the china/sanyo things might work fine for me also but I want to try so-called "better parts" so that I could decide for myself which one works better.

I used to have Sony notebook, and that's the only notebook I've used. I used to think that it's the best notebook until I tried my friend's Thinkpad. Now that changed my thought totally, Thinkpad is the best.

What if I didn't have a chance to play with Thinkpad? (even I heard lots of good things about Thinkpad) I would never think about getting Thinkpad for my new notebook, of course, it will be Sony.

[cjsuh]

Don't sweat it, Kanate. You are absolutely entitled to exercising the service options on your IBM ThinkPad. After all, their service is one of their main selling points. Why else would people pay a 25% premium over lower-budget counterparts like Dell, HP, and Fujitsu? Yes, the actual product is made of better parts, but that hardly makes up the entire difference. Consumers prefer IBM ThinkPads because of their reliability, not only in terms of the actual performance of the machines, but also in terms of the support provided for those machines. Besides, what IBM loses in the $25 it takes to build and ship a new keyboard to you, it more than makes up for when you tell all your friends about their unbeatable products and services.

And, for what it's worth, the "Thai" keyboard is 100% better than the "China" keyboard. I honestly would have paid extra for it if it were listed as an upgradeable accessory.

[Guest]

Compared to many computer companies or configurations the premiums is way over 25%.

[andyk]

My 2378-FVU came with the same Sanyo battery. It's not a perfect fit, but I have decided to keep it. Why? I have read people saying Sony batteries fit the same.

Also, I am more concerned about the actual battery quality, and I haven't found evidence of one being better than the other. On the other hand, the battery in my sister's old Vaio (from three years ago though) was terrible.


By the way, according to these two:

http://www.huret.com/EBN-Batteries-2000.htm

http://itmatters.com.ph/news/news_02252004d.html

From 1999 to 2003, Sanyo's market share went from 23% to 40%. Sony went from 33% to 20%. Sanyo cannot have a bad technology to gain that much market share so quickly.


As for the keyboard, my China one is more clicky than the Thailand one. It's really a personal choice. If you like the old IBM clicky keyboards with more of a mechanical feel, you may want to keep the China one.

Not long ago, those heavy clicky IBM keyboards were generally prefered over the cheap quieter ones.

[kanate]

I've been playing with my new TP for a day now.

The problem with China keyboard is obvious, especially in the arrow keys area. Sanyo battery is a little bit loose but not bad compare to the one in my old sony notebook.

However, I just requested those new parts for me to try. They will be here within 5 business days (the keyboard is backordered, though)