Wait for Sonoma/Alviso chipset or buy now?

[dash7540]

I'm considering whether to buy a T42 now with Centrino or wait for Sonoma to come out. I've heard that it's supposed to arrive in Q1 2005, but how long would it take for IBM to incorporate it into their Thinkpads? Also, a major architectural overhaul would be provided with the Alviso chipset (DDR2, PCI Express, Hi-Def Audio all sound very appealing!) However, considering this is Intel, they might have production problems that will affect ship dates (think Dothan) or the hardware itself (think Grantsdale) since it is new technology. So would it be better to buy a Centrino now since the technology has been tested proven and true?

Just so you know, I'm upgrading from a 600E (366 P2, 128 MB, 10 GB, DVD). It's still usable but a bit slow. I would really like a new notebook now but I just don't want to buy one that will be outdated because of a major architectural overhaul looming on the horizon. (Yes I realize that all hardware become outdated quickly but in my case I'm concerned about hardware that is difficult to upgrade in notebooks [such as motherboards, video cards] rather than the amount of RAM or hard disk space.)

[Skywing]

when it comes it laptops, theres always something new and great just around the corner, if you keep waiting, youll never get one, just buy the best thing you can get at the time u need one

[mouse@cheese.storage]

HAve a look at the post from sharpie posted today 23/09/2004, and see what is comming, depends on how long you can wait, if you are keen on the newest stuff !! Skywing does have a point, though

[ryan]

Skywing has a point that I'm sure most people buying IBMs share. If you want the top-of-the-line stuff, then thinkpads may not be your best bet just because you're paying a ton of money for the solidness of a machine that will be far from top-of-the-line before it dies out. So if you're worried about hardware obsoletion to the point that you may wait to buy Sonoma, I'd say just go with somebody cheaper like Dell, get the same specs, and have an excuse to get the newest and greatest when it dies out.