T42, Ultrabay Slim and Hitachi Travelstar 7K200-200

[Likvid]

I bought my T41p with extended warranty in 2004 and haven't had any need to buy a new laptop as it's like new as i rarely travel with it.

However i have upgraded it alot, 2GB RAM, upgrade from Banias to Dothan 2.1GHz, a new IBM 100GB 7200rpm, changed the bezel, new keyboard twice.

You don't need more, it's [censored] fast with XP, i hate Vista anyway, they made Windows even dumber than it was.

[SkiBunny]

In the weight department newer T series are lighter than T4x models? I was also browsing the Z series forum and found out the Z61t is even lighter than the T4x.
I fear changing to a new Thinkpad, so many people complain about the T6x series with so many problem

Is that about the T61 and/or Vista?
As for weight, the Z-traveller series are indeed lighter that the T4-series, but the T6x series are a bit heavier and larger than the T4x series

[agarza]

SkiBunny, yes I meant the T6x series, so may complaints, Vista & XP crashing, BSOD, problems with memory usage (wouldn't take 2 sticks of RAM), etc.
So far I'm happy with my T42p, although damaged, scuffed LCD, dented palmrest, worn keyboard (have one new as backup).

It's a shame Z series were discontinued, I would gladly upgrade my machine to a Z61t no time. Those T500/W500 laptops are too expensive too me, it's like talking with a Thinkpad really evolved in comparison to the legacy old Thinkpads, who would have thought, a have one of the latest legacy IBM laptops.

How much newer T61's 14 incher weigh in comparison to old T4x?

[SkiBunny]

How much newer T61's 14 incher weigh in comparison to old T4x?

The T60 is about a third of a pound heavier than a comparable T43.
I can't speak to the T61, as I've never been interested in a widescreen thinkpad, but I think the 4-cell battery and smaller widescreen footprint should make the T61 lighter. Tho it's had a lot of problems, anecdotally, as you pointed out.

[agarza]

Yes, unfortunately. I'd like to get in the near future a new T61 either with the NVS or with the FX350M with 4:3 form factor. I'm still saddened that standard format Thinkpad are being ditched now.

[SkiBunny]

Has anyone ever tried this cheap after-market ultrabay adapter for SATA HD in a T42, or especially in a T43 (I wonder if the T43 will have the infamous 2010 error):

http://cgi.ebay.com/SATA-Serial-ATA-HDD ... 1|294%3A50

[systemBuilder]

Guys, if the Ultrabay (and thinkpad internal) drives are BOTH PATA, and if a SATA caddy converts to PATA, then you are limited by the PATA throughput in all cases, i.e. 100 MB/sec or 133 MB/sec, I don't exactly know which standard IBM used. You'll never see 1.5 Gbps or 3.0 Gps of SATA I and SATA II. So you cannot get extra transfer rate with a SATA I or SATA II drive in an adapter, because of the PATA bottleneck that's always between your drive and the CPU.

You may, however, see faster seek times on a 7200 RPM drive. Disk performance is a combination of seek time and transfer throughput. The newer 160 GB and higher disks have higher transfer throughputs due to higher densities, so once the disk gets to the right location (or if the disk is defragged often), you will see a performance boost. During multitasking or disk-drive searches, you'll probably see better performance on a 7200 RPM drive because the seeks are that much faster.

[SkiBunny]

Not many 2.5" 7200rpm PATA drives available for the ultrabay, and they cost lots more than SATA drives.

So does anyone know whether those after-market ultrabay adapters for SATA HD actually work in a T42 or the fussier T43?

http://cgi.ebay.com/SATA-Serial-ATA-HDD ... 1|294%3A50