Is there Intel High Definition Audio in new T43?

[d94dsj]

I am a Thinkpad A30p owner for 3+ years and I'm looking for a replacement.

I'm thinking about the T43p, but I'm also comparing to other manufacturers, like the HP nw8320 to be released in late March.

After reading the excellent FAQ by dfumento, eplaining differences between the T42 and the T43, I still have a couple of questions.

According to the article regarding the new Sonoma platform that T43 is based on at http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20050119/index.html, better sound could be available since the new chipset has support for Intel High Definition Audio, if the manufacturer choose to implement it.
Does anyone know if the T43 has this?

Also, the Sonoma supports the new PC Express Card, which the T43 has. But which format is it (the THG article lists three different physical formats) and are there currently any cards to use it for?

Since the PC Express is much faster, could it be possible to upgrade the graphics in the future - what do you think? (From the THG article:

Article Info
Sonoma: The Second Generation of Intel's Centrino Mobile Technology
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Created:
January 19, 2005
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By:
Harald Thon
Bert Töpelt
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Category:
Mobile Devices
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Summary:
Intel's new Sonoma platform increases the FSB clock speed of the Pentium M, and introduces a new chipset family with such features as SATA, PCIe, and DDR2 dual channel memory support. Is switching over from the original Centrino to Sonoma worthwhile?

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ICH6-M With SATA, Express Card Support And High-Definition Audio

In terms of the range of functions, the new Southbridge is similar to the desktop versions of the ICH6. This means there will be no I/O controller hub named ICH5-M; Intel jumped directly from ICH4-M to ICH6-M.


The new I/O controller hub supports, among other things, the operation of up to four SATA drives. You might think this means Intel also brought RAID functionality into the notebook at the same time, but if so, you will be disappointed. We should also point out that there are not many compelling advantages for going to SATA in a notebook at this time. There is no performance benefit because 2.5" notebook drives don't support native or tagged command queuing, which provides a burst of performance with some SATA desktop hard drives. Also, the advantage of SATA's simple cabling does not apply to notebooks because notebook hard drives are more or less plugged in directly to the notebook's motherboard. To make matters worse, SATA 2.5" hard drives are relatively rare in the market and, compared with corresponding PATA models, they're expensive.

The chipset now supports up to eight USB 2.0 ports and - this is a novelty - four PCIe-x1 ports. Some people will naturally wonder, "where the heck are you supposed to install PCIe cards in a notebook, and why would you want to?" One possibility is using the slots for PCIe variations of connections similar to those that already exist in many notebooks for Mini-PCI WLAN and Mini-PCI Modem modules. Much more important, however, is that appropriate solutions will be offered that will be based on a new I/O card standard for notebooks and desktop PCs: Express Card.


This logo denotes the new generation I/O cards

The I/O cards based on the Express Card standard will be available in two types: Express Card|54 and Express Card|34. The number denotes the card's physical width.



From left to right: Card-Bus-PC card, Express Card|54 and Express Card|34

The cards communicate with the chipset either via PCIe or USB. The slots for the cards resemble the PC card slot, but have been renamed PC Express Card slots. The Express Card standard is expected to replace CardBus in the medium term.




Due to the high bandwidth that a PCIe-x1 lane offers, HDTV or Dual-TV tuner solutions for notebooks, for example, will be possible. Because the Express Card communicates directly with the chipset via PCIe, no expensive bridge chips are required. Consequently, Express Card solutions should in theory be not only faster but less expensive than corresponding CardBus products.

Many thanks,

Daniel

[MobileGuru]

My T43p has the standard SoundMAX audio hardware in it, so I would suspect the answer to that question would continue to be no for the time being.

G.

[lfeagan]

Answer = No

[d94dsj]

Thanks for the answers guys.

Actually, I have never felt the need for better sound in my laptop so I don't really mind.

But it would be so nice if you could upgrade your graphics card in the future by an Express Card.
Do you think this would be feasible?
Is the bandwidth sufficient?
Is is possible to surpass the built-in graphics chipset by using software?

/Daniel

[lfeagan]

For better laptop sound output, get something like the M-Audio Transit, and use its optical output to drive your own DAC. For a portable DAC/headphone amp that can run on batteries, about the only good choice is the AOS Electronics PACE. I can recommend it as I own one. If being able to listen on the road without an outlet were not needed, there are many other fine products out there that you could use not only for high-quality listening on your notebook, but that would also work incredibly well on your home stereo. For example, the Benchmark DAC1 or the Grace m902.