Pro's and Cons of Buying a T42

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manny · #61 Post by **manny** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 3:26 pm

I think the M3U may be overkill for my purposes. It would cost at least $200 more than my current choices. I don't know if the extra CPU speed is really necessary. I don't care much for the fingerprint reader either.

baraider · #62 Post by **baraider** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 4:34 pm

asiafish wrote:Why not spend a bit more and get the T42 M3U which has the 80GB
drive, fingerprint reader and the SXGA+ 14".

if i remember correctly ̣(hell, i had one

) the m3u has the 7k60...not the 80g

manny · #63 Post by **manny** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 4:36 pm

Well I just called IBM and they suggested a T43 system to me.

2687D8U
IBM ThinkPad T43 2687 - Pentium M 750 1.86 GHz - 14.1" TFT
Weight 5.1 lbs
RAM 512 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - PC2-4200 - 533 MHz
Hard Drive 60 GB - 5400 rpm
Optical Storage DVD¦RW - plug-in module
Display 14.1" TFT active matrix SXGA+ (1400 x 1050)
Graphics Controller ATI MOBILITY RADEON X300 - 64 MB
Networking Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Wireless NIC Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG
Battery Lithium ion
Average Run Time 3.6 hour(s)
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Manufacturer Warranty 3 years warranty

The only things that jump out at me are:
1. No bluetooth (can I add this on my own? Will I need it?)
2. Slower HD (5400rpm as opposed to 7200rpm) - does this really make a huge difference?
3. Average run time for battery says 3.6 hours - is this accurate or should I expect more?
4. Will this be the same weight as the FVU? I know it says 5.1lb but just checking.
5. Is ATI 300 comparable to ATI 9600?
6. DVD burner is a plus for me
7. Cost is only a little more than the DXU will cost me.

asiafish · #64 Post by **asiafish** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:41 pm

The hard drive is slower, but the system bus and processor are a bit faster. For the uses you described, I doubt if you would notice a difference in either except for booting up where the faster HD is nice.

Sounds like a good deal, though I have never actually put fingers or even eyes to a T43, so I couldn't say for sure.

#65 Post by **aamsel** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 11:14 pm

Why not order what I and another member have ordered:
2687E9U which is a CTO model (means config to order or some such).

Anyhow, it is an "Open Bay" T43, and you put whatever you want in it, in terms of memory, hard drive, optical, wireless, battery. It comes with fingerprint, and X300.

The 2687E8U is the same CTO Open Bay without fingerprint (about $50 less.)

I ordered with a/b/g, 60GB 7200rpm drive, DVD/CD-RW and 512MB.

If it EVER gets shipped, I will tell you how I like it.

As far as which is better, 9600 or X300, I think the edge goes to the T42 with 9600, but the CPU and memory speed edge goes to the T43 with X300. Kind of a "wash" overall.

Andrew
Austin, TX

manny wrote:Well I just called IBM and they suggested a T43 system to me.

2687D8U

Edited by moderator: Removed 20+ lines of excessive quoting. Trim your quotes, guys.

manny · #66 Post by **manny** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:25 am

Andrew,

What you ordered seems very similar to the 2687D8U, with a slightly faster HD, and minus the DVD burner. I was thinking of getting an open bay T43 myself, adding on just the 3 yr warranty and abg wireless and then getting the HD, CD/DVD drive and RAM from somewhere else fiugring all this would work out cheaper. I think I may save about 200-300 or so that way but the parts not from IBM would not be under warranty which could be painful. I think the 2687D8U is good enough, its got everything I want, except for a slightly slower hard drive. As for the ATI chip I think I will barely notice the difference, and so will most people unless they are doing some hardcore gaming, in which case why not get a PC with 256MB ATI?

aamsel wrote:Why not order what I and another member have ordered:
2687E9U which is a CTO model (means config to order or some such).

Edited by moderator: Removed 30+ lines of excessive quoting. Trim your quotes, guys.

#67 Post by **aamsel** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:02 am

You CAN'T do that!!! (get parts from elsewhere)!!!
That is NOT what an Open Bay (or CTO) means.
IBM will not sell you the "barebones" system.

In order to process an order for a CTO (Open Bay) system, you have to add all of the parts to it: memory, hard drive, optical, battery, etc. (wireless is optional)
Just thought you would want to know that.
If you have interest in a CTO, get with an IBM salesperson. If you do it yourself, and make a mistake, your system will not ship.
Just FYI.

P.S. I agree with you on the graphics chip, i.e. few people noticing the difference between 9600 and X300.

Andrew
Austin, TX

manny wrote:Andrew,

What you ordered seems very similar to the 2687D8U, with a slightly faster HD, and minus the DVD burner. I was thinking of getting an open bay T43 myself, adding on just the 3 yr warranty and abg wireless and then getting the HD, CD/DVD drive and RAM from somewhere else fiugring all this would work out cheaper. I think I may save about 200-300 or so that way but the parts not from IBM would not be under warranty which could be painful. I think the 2687D8U is good enough, its got everything I want, except for a slightly slower hard drive. As for the ATI chip I think I will barely notice the difference, and so will most people unless they are doing some hardcore gaming, in which case why not get a PC with 256MB ATI?

aamsel wrote:Why not order what I and another member have ordered:
2687E9U which is a CTO model (means config to order or some such).
Edited by moderator: Removed 30+ lines of excessive quoting. Trim your quotes, guys.

manny · #68 Post by **manny** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:08 am

In that case I think the 2687D8U is a good choice for the price. With EPP it is below 1600. If I am not happy with the HD, I will buy another one in a few months.

manny · #69 Post by **manny** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:03 pm

Ordered the 2687D8U and it got here today!
Can someone suggest what I need to do with the machine to optimize/check things - for example power management, dead pixels, reformat HD, etc...

The Weissman · #70 Post by **The Weissman** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:44 am

The Weissman wrote:Cons
- Nothing beats a free ThinkPad (company-issued, but aging A30)
- Why spend my money for company business?
- It's my money if it gets lost or stolen
- Not a dire need after the A30 upgrades (RAM, burner, HDD) which *I* paid for
- There'll be a better deal the day after I buy
- There'll be a better laptop the day after I buy

Pros
- Big beautiful 1400x1050 Flexview display
- Excellent laptop at a great price
- I just want it. I want it!

Putting on the Pounds. Just a couple of months after I bought a T42, a Dock II, a 1GB SIMM, and a Thai keyboard, my company has finally issued me a new laptop -- a well-spec'ed ThinkPad G41 DTR. Sadly, I'll be leaving the T club. But, as I said above, nothing beats a free ThinkPad!

See you guys...

Steve

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