which T43 model?

Message

acjc33 · #1 Post by **acjc33** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 12:42 am

Hey guys, this forum is excellent for the info that is laid out. I am going to purchase a new IBM laptop and was wondering if anyone has a good info on which specific model for T43 or T43p will be the best for the money.

Also, some of the models discussed in the forum can't be found in the IBM website. Do I have to call them up to get it? If so, do you guys recommend anyone in sales dept that I should talk to? Thanks.

nomoredells · #2 Post by **nomoredells** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 6:56 am

"Best for the money" is kind of a subjective measurement

First, you have to know what it is you WANT. Then look at the options. I'll use my experience as an example:

I knew I wanted at least 2.0 GHz processor, fingerprint reader, 1 GB ram, 14" SXGA+ and 60GB 7200 hard drive. Gaming is not important to me, DVD writing is not important to me in a laptop, and battery life isn't critical. I fully expected that a T42 would be my buy BUT it is not. Why? Because of the 2.0 requirement. THe only T42 that fit that are t42p and so I would wind up paying for something I did not need (namely the high-end graphics).

It turns out that the t43 2668-74u best suits my needs even though it does not have the 60GB drive I want. I can buy that drive for under 200 and still be better off pricewise.

How did I determine this? I looked at the TABOOK and found all the models that I thought were acceptable (even some that didn't have the fingerprint reader or some other feature that I put as required - if the price difference was worth it, I may have reevaluated my needs/wants. Then I went to the ibm website in the education section to my state and chose alumni pricing. I used quick buy and entered all the models and got the prices. I may have just bought from this section, but the thinkpad protection option was no longer there (it is now but I swear it was missing on Thursday).

So I went to the ibm amex site but neither of my top two choices was listed. I called the number/ext listed on that page and asked if the discount applied to the model I wanted. He said yes, it just wasn't listed yet so I ordered it via phone and was able to add on the thinkpad protection warranty option. Shipping was free. I think my total was under 2500 including tax, with the additional RAM, an extra power adapter and the thinkpad protection for 3 yrs. Not bad at all considering I don't know any IBM employees or OSU alumni

.

acjc33 · #3 Post by **acjc33** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:46 am

thanks for the great reply! i will definitely look at the TABOOK.

And when i said "best for the money", i meant for T42 model, this forum strongly suggests that we get 2378FVU and do our own upgrades later. How about T43/T43P ? There has to be some kind of "leading" model that we should buy. Anyone care to share the experience? Thanks.

lilserenity · #4 Post by **lilserenity** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:53 am

Whenever deciding on a laptop or helping others decide I always ask them:

What do you want to do on it?

That is the most useful question to ask yourself, if you are well versed with what you really need and can get away with to do some tasks.

The next question I'd possibly ask is how long do you want the machine to last (bar any breakdowns/failures) before you have to 'move on up', because that way you can estimate how much you will need to go above and beyond.

In one intance, I advised someone that they should get a ThinkPad over any other laptop because it would last, it's a sound investment and they keep their resale value pretty much compared to some brands. They looked around, especially on the IBM website and at the time the T42 had just come out, they asked whether this would be up to their requirements.

It was nothing out of the ordinary, mid range Pentium-m, 512MB, Windows XP Pro, 40gig hard disk, 802.11g/b, XGA screen - you get the picture. I asked them what they wanted to do and they said it was to supplement their main PC, a Pentium 4 1.6GHz - they wanted to surf a few web pages, hook up via wireless, do some word processing in Microsoft Works, emails, maybe listen to a music CD now and again, and instant messaging.

Very simple stuff.

I'm pleased to say that the money they saved on getting a ThinkPad 390 which is technologically 'inferior' to the T42, and it works like an absolute dream for them and they were certainly very happy to save almost $2,000 at the time!! The 390 in question is a mere Pentium MMX 233MHz, 256MB with a 12gig hard disk and Windows 2000 Professional. They only ended up with it because I asked them what they wanted to do, and I knew that machine would do it from experience.

I'm not suggesting you should get a ThinkPad 390 here, but food for thought - consider first what you want to do on your laptop, what you will want to do into the 'reasonable' future and potentially just how long you want your investment to last before you upgrade again.

I certainly know that my T23 may not be the newest T series by the numbers; but - I have never felt that it was slow, unbearable, or inadequate and lets just say - this thing is hammered by me and I do a huge amount on this thing that some people will lead you to believe you need a 1.7GHz Pentium-m/2.4GHz Pentium 4 to do comfortably.

Just trying to provoke some genuine thought on the matter

By all means if you want a T43 for the fact it is a T43 then that will be your answer in part; however it's just really about what you wish to do on the thing.

Vicky

craigg · #5 Post by **craigg** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:04 am

I would think that a fair comparison to the 2378FVU would be this model.

2668-46U Pentium M 750 1.86 512MB 14.1" SXGA+ X300 40HS Combo ✳ Intel 11b/g Modem

It has everything the 2378FVU has except faster cpu, ram, etc. I would definitely get a quote on that model before I purchased the older T42. When I called IBM for some pricing quotes I found little price differences between identically configured T43 versus T42.

acjc33 wrote:thanks for the great reply! i will definitely look at the TABOOK.

And when i said "best for the money", i meant for T42 model, this forum strongly suggests that we get 2378FVU and do our own upgrades later. How about T43/T43P ? There has to be some kind of "leading" model that we should buy. Anyone care to share the experience? Thanks.

Leon · #6 Post by **Leon** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 11:50 am

IMHO, the T42 is "the best for the money".

dfumento · #7 Post by **dfumento** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:18 pm

Alumni/Education prices for the T42 2378FVU is $1440, 1yr warranty, 256MB RAM.
for the T43 266846U is $1700, 3 yr warranty, 512MB RAM, (plus 1.86 vs 1.7 CPU).

extending T42 FVU to three year warranty ($120) + add 512MB RAM ($80) is $1640.

You could probably run most apps with the 512MB of the T43, but once expanding RAM in T42 would want to add the 512 vs the 256.

only issue is whether the T43 266846U has installed Bluetooth antenna like T42 FVU has.

Thus, to me, it appears that the T43 266846U is the value machine.

I couldn't look up T43 266846U on the VISA site. Would have to call IBM regarding discount for this model if Alumni/education discount doesn't apply to you. I assume it will be the same 20% as on the Alumni/education site.

Also note that if expanding the RAM on the T43, a 512MB RAM stick for this model costs around $115 vs $85 for T42.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... Code=90045

davidlg16 · #8 Post by **davidlg16** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:31 pm

266846U is only $1700?

I check edu price 2 weeks ago and it was $1783.20

which T43 model?

which T43 model?

Who is online