R51 vs T40 - any reason to go "up" except screen s

[dwilsonfl]

Wondering about moving up from my T40 to an R51. From what I can tell though, there doesn't seem to be a huge difference outside the 15" screen.

Anything else?

[ajkula66]

If you go with 15" SXGA+ on a R51, you're upgrading to an IPS LCD (aka FlexView) which is probably the best reason there ever was for an upgrade...

My $0.02 only...

[sarbin]

+1
ips lcd, ftw! i've got two and i'm looking for a third!

[dwilsonfl]

so that's a big difference to someone who just uses the TP as an information tool, not as a code input device? I speak from abject ignorance as I have never seen the screen whereof you speak.

David

[ajkula66]

Most of the people who have used IPS were not able to go back to standard TN panels, let's leave it as that...night and day in any respect...contrast, colours, eye fatigue...yummy...

[sarbin]

in my, admittedly biased, opinion, there's no comparison between ips and non-ips screens. what you use the machine for is immaterial. it boils down to whether you want to pay the extra it costs.

again, all in my opinion.

[dwilsonfl]

Thanks, guys.

[jpdarcis]

I fully second the notion that once you have tried the IPS (IPS standing for?) screen, there is no going back. I will not buy another laptop until I find the same quality. Looks like I am going to wait a long long time, or anyone has a suggestion?

Regards

[MGT]

I fully second the notion that once you have tried the IPS (IPS standing for?) screen, there is no going back. I will not buy another laptop until I find the same quality. Looks like I am going to wait a long long time, or anyone has a suggestion?

Regards

IPS: In-Plane Switching.

[sarbin]

I fully second the notion that once you have tried the IPS (IPS standing for?) screen, there is no going back. I will not buy another laptop until I find the same quality. Looks like I am going to wait a long long time, or anyone has a suggestion?

Regards

select used t4x/p and t60/p models, if you want to stay with thinkpads. you could also do a "frankenpad" experiment on some non-ips models, if you can source all the right parts.

[dwilsonfl]

and so what makes it so superior?

There are a few on eBay right now, but precious few and priced accordingly.

Are there laptops at say Best Buy that have a screen that's comparable so I could see the difference?

[sarbin]

and so what makes it so superior?

There are a few on eBay right now, but precious few and priced accordingly.

Are there laptops at say Best Buy that have a screen that's comparable so I could see the difference?

screen brightness and contrast.
viewability at wide angles.
some say better color reproduction, but i've never made comparisons.

don't now about models at best buy to preview, but there have been threads here with comparative pictures.

[MGT]

and so what makes it so superior?

There are a few on eBay right now, but precious few and priced accordingly.

Are there laptops at say Best Buy that have a screen that's comparable so I could see the difference?

No normal laptop will have an IPS screen (or anything other than TN for that matter). Any remaining IPS/AFFS displays in production are predominantly going to be in tablets.

The brightness isn't all that impressive. It's the viewing angles and colour reproduction that really shows though. Instead of the jarringly bold contrast you get in poor-quality displays that make everything look like its been illustrated by a five-year old with some new felt-tip pens, you get a more realistic reproduction of colour.

Some talk of Flexviews being easier on the eyes, but I haven't really noticed too much. I'm not saying that's not the case, but TNs never really hurt my eyes too much.

You don't quite know what you're missing until you use a Flexview. TNs don't seem too bad if thats all you've used because there's nothing to compare it to. Once you use one, it's hard (read: impossible) to go back.

[virge]

Well if you use firewire at all, its available with the R5x series. I also suspect that the R5x series will run cooler because of the bigger casing, but I don't have any real numbers there.

[dwilsonfl]

I think I need to make a leap up past a T42p but not too far. Maybe the R5x series would give 15" screen and a significant enough boost in power over my T41 (1.7 dothan, 7200rpm HD) to make it worth my while to move upstream. If not, then maybe I should just go incremental with the T42p and still be able to use some of my parts.

[virge]

I think I need to make a leap up past a T42p but not too far. Maybe the R5x series would give 15" screen and a significant enough boost in power over my T41 (1.7 dothan, 7200rpm HD) to make it worth my while to move upstream. If not, then maybe I should just go incremental with the T42p and still be able to use some of my parts.

I think to get a significant boost in performance you'd have to look to the R6* series.

At work I have a T42P (15" UXGA) with a 1.8Ghz Dothan and a 80gb 5400.3 Seagate drive. I also have a 14" SXGA T41 with the 1.7Ghz Dothan upgrade installed and a 5400RPM drive.

For day to day usage, there is no significant performance difference unless you require graphics intensive applications. The biggest benefit of the T42P is the UXGA LCD. 95% of the time its docked with an external monitor, but for the 5% of the time its used as a laptop that screen is a joy to use because I tend to have multiple windows open at the same time.

[ajkula66]

dwilsonfl wrote:

If not, then maybe I should just go incremental with the T42p and still be able to use some of my parts.

You can use most of your parts in the R51 as well. And they're significantly cheaper than a T42p...

[sjthinkpader]

I changed my wife's machine from a T42 SXGA+ IPS to a R52 SXGA+ TN without telling her. She didn't notice the computer change but noticed the display change immediately.

[schen]

Wondering about moving up from my T40 to an R51. From what I can tell though, there doesn't seem to be a huge difference outside the 15" screen.

Anything else?

Back to the OP; there's really not a lot of reason for a T40 to R51 change unless there's something wrong with your machine or you need a 15" screen or Firewire. The main issue, being that you can pretty much upgrade your T40 to an R51 spec (with the exception of the 15" screen) for very little money.

However, moving up to a R52 would make much more sense. You get the faster bus (533 vs 400), probably a faster CPU with the bigger cache and the ability to put in DDR2 RAM which is much cheaper in today's market. The only issue being the 2010 error for the undocumented HDDs which you can have the BIOS set to ignore and boot right through. Plus, if you go ahead and find one of the models with the 15" SXGA+ Flexview screens.... then it will be a pretty significant upgrade. This still allows you to use the same batteries and chargers of the T40.

[ajkula66]

schen wrote:

Plus, if you go ahead and find one of the models with the 15" SXGA+ Flexview screens.... then it will be a pretty significant upgrade

There is no such thing as a R52 with a FlexView screen, unless you put one in yourself.

[schen]

schen wrote:

Plus, if you go ahead and find one of the models with the 15" SXGA+ Flexview screens.... then it will be a pretty significant upgrade

There is no such thing as a R52 with a FlexView screen, unless you put one in yourself.

I guess that's true, since that's what was done on this one. However I thought there'd been some produced like that in the line as well. Without looking it up specifically, I'll defer to the guardian of Flexview technologies on this.

[sarbin]

i was curious, too...

there are a bunch of 15"/200nits (as opposed to 150nits) r52 models in the ltwbook, but none carry the coveted flexview/ips designation.

[AlphaKilo470]

I think I need to make a leap up past a T42p but not too far. Maybe the R5x series would give 15" screen and a significant enough boost in power over my T41 (1.7 dothan, 7200rpm HD) to make it worth my while to move upstream. If not, then maybe I should just go incremental with the T42p and still be able to use some of my parts.

The T42 and T42p are both available with 15" screens and the T42 and R51 are more or less equal in performance (give or take for the low end R configurations and the high end T configurations). If I'm not mistaken, the R52 borrows a bit from the T43 meaning you'd get a faster front side bus and DDR2 memory with that model. Unless the 15" screen is your main focus, I really don't see buying an R5x machine as being a significant upgrade so much as it'd be gaining weight. Maybe you should look for clutter in Windows to remove and upgrade your RAM.

[dwilsonfl]

The 15" screen is my main need. I'm happy with the speed I have now. I could add a gig of RAM and get a little more, but why when all I do is Internet and a little Office.

If I did go up, it would be nice to go toward cheaper RAM.

[dr_st]

I will join everyone here and say - if you can get a nice R51/T42 with 15" SXGA+ Flexview screen - go for it, it's fantastic.

R52 never had Flexview, and like the T43, is based on an overall less successful hotter chipset/CPU combo, plus the HD upgrade issue. No reason that I see to go for the R52.

[sjthinkpader]

I will join everyone here and say - if you can get a nice R51/T42 with 15" SXGA+ Flexview screen - go for it, it's fantastic.

Less the GPU issue still lingered in these models??

R52 never had Flexview, and like the T43, is based on an overall less successful hotter chipset/CPU combo, plus the HD upgrade issue. No reason that I see to go for the R52.

Basically the same Dothan CPU series? Much cheaper DDR2 RAM? No Flexview is true but not too hard to put one in. HDD is a non-issue.

[ajkula66]

Here's how I see it:

Since the 15" LCD is a must, it may as well be a FlexView. R51 is a good choice in the respect of price, since it would probably be close to an equal trade for OP's current machine. I'd just make certain that it comes from a known source in order to skip the possibility of a GPU problem, even if it meant paying more for it.

For a real performance gain, my answer would be a T43 with 15" IPS. Unlike many people on this forum, I happen to like T43/p units a lot. However, a good T43 with IPS costs significantly more than a good R51, but is well worth it IMHO.

Am I right, sarbin, my friend...

[sarbin]

...but is well worth it IMHO.

Am I right, sarbin, my friend...

yep. you're right.
on all counts, imo...
known source, t43/p, ips, costs more, worth it.

[dwilsonfl]

Based on the eBay prices right now, it looks like an external LCD and keyboard will be the route I go. $700 - $900 for a T43 with Flexview. I'd be buying new if I go into that range.

Thanks for the help.

David

[sarbin]

my T43 (2668-92U) was well below that price range. picked up right here in the marketplace forum. i don't know what your time constraints are, but the do pop up here.