Advice between a T42 and T43 (used)

Hi'ya folks,

Long time reader, first time poster (etc, etc)

I am on a data-gathering quest. Specifically, my company has a buyback program where we can purchase PC's (IBM thinkpad T43, T42, T30, or T23) that are coming off lease for not-a-lot of cash. These have a 30 day warranty, but not an IBM one. It appears the cost has been adjusted to take this into account.

I've got a decent desktop (2.2g core2duo, 4g ram, etc), but the roving house laptop is definitely aged (Inspiron 8100, 1G P4, 512M ram). The laptop is mostly used for surfing, email, word/excel, with some minimal photo editing. And it does these jobs decently. But it's heavy (8lbs+), and runs hot (50 C), and even a new battery only lasts 2 hours tops. I can sell it for about $150-$200, which makes the company buyback attractive, however, I'm not that familiar with Thinkpads.

Here's what I'm offered:

T42 (2373-4WU): P M 735(1.7GHz), 512MB RAM, 40GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500, UltraNav, $275

T43 (1871-W7E): P M 760(2GHz), 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1in 1024x768 LCD, Intel 900, $340

Both units come with XP Pro, Port Replicators, Keyboard/Mouse, CD-RW/DVD-ROM slimdrive, gigabyte ethernet (Intel integrated), 802.11g (NIC), 6cell battery, secure chip. They'll add another 1G stick of RAM to either laptop for $27, which seems a no-brainer to do.

So, my question for the Thinkpad T4X experts out there, given these two options, which? Why? I've read arguments about the T43 having shorter battery life, but haven't seen a representative number (i.e. 4hrs versus 6hrs?). I wish the screen were better, but that's not offered. On the face, it seems to me the T42 is a better buy, but I wonder if there is something about the T43 that justifies the extra $65, besides the extra 20G of HDD space and different graphics cards. Not sure what that UltraNav option is, either.

All thoughts/advice appreciated.

 

Wow. 33 views and no comments.

This is not a stupid question, is it?

Anybody?

Bueller?

 

The help you receive here is free and not required. If you expect better than perhaps you should be paying someone.

Also, please observe the 24 hour bumping rule.

 

The T42 and T43 are VERY SIMILAR laptops. They have the same chasis, keyboard, ports, etc.

Based on your needs, either one should be fine. The T43 is a little faster, but may also run hotter and experience less battery life as a result. I wouldn't worry about the video cards, because I actually believe the T42 has a better one (Radeon 7500 is discrete [albiet DX7 only) vs. integrated Intel 900 on the T43).

The one factor that would shift my recommendation substantially would be screen quality. However, both the T42 and T43 you have listed only offer XGA screens (SXGA+ was an option on both). As a result, I think the T42 will be just fine and offers a good value.

The biggest thing to check is the quality of your battery. Li-Ion batteries are consumable devices and you may need to get a replacement one if you want good battery life (4+ hours should be possible with a 6 cell, 6+ with a 9 cell). If you need another one, I would get it from CalCellular (decent price, good quality), you will need a T40/R50 battery.

I used a T40 (1.5GHz Pentium M, Radeon 7500, 40GB) for 5 years and was very satisfied with it. It is still in the service of a friend and works great.

 

The T42 is considered by some, including myself, the sweet spot for T4x series. In addition to what Jon already mentioned, T43 are known to be more noisy. Also hard drive upgrades can be more problematic due to the PATA bridge used on the T43. Unless you have a need for the extra MHz, I'd opt for the T42 as well.

 

I agree with the t42 recommendation. I've personally owned a T41p and purchased another T42 for my mother to use. The only thing I'd recommend is to take a look at the condition of the LCDs on each system--some T series panels had a tendency to fade after years of use, so make sure the backlight is still operating well.

 

i own a T42 and its works good. didnt have any problems or any defects. The battery is dying off though.
if your looking between 42 and a 43, i dont think 42 is a bad idea. basically the same thing. 43 has little more ram + processor but adds a couple $. but really 512 ram cost about 20USD. cheap. also as someone mentioned, i heard many times that 43 have a loud fan noise. i dont digg that. i dont think you would either.

so if you happen to buy a 42 and want a extra 512mb ram boost for a 1gb total, i can sell you mine for about $15. its a Samsung PC2700.

EDIT: if your buying off ebay, make sure you read every little thing on there. people can trick you. its almost too easy on ebay.

 

I have used a lot of different T4x series machines and think you would be fine with the T42, but I seem to recall that the T43 has a much lower probability to suffer from the GPU issues that are not uncommon to the T4x series. I also agree, if possible, to get a quick impression of the screen and battery. If the screen has a pink cast when it first starts up, it may have backlight problems soon. My work machine has had this for a year and is still going fine, and we rarely see GPU issues on our T42s, but I thought i'd point those out to you since I see a lot discussed about them.

 

I own a T-43 with the same specs you listed except I have 2GB of ram. I would go with that laptop and add extra ram. The ram is super cheap right now at newegg.com. I picked up 1Gb for $17.00 with no tax and free shipping. Machine runs like a charm. They are built very tough also. I dropped it a few times and it still works perfect. the screen on my T-43 is super bright and way better then on my X61. You can buy top of the line ram for half the price of what they are selling it for and get a full life time service on it.

 

Another vote for the T42.

Primarily disadvantage on the T43 is the heat produced by the northbridge and southbridge and the noise (hence high temps). I owned a T42p with the 128MB FireGL card and it became hot underside the touchpad.

Be careful though when carrying the T42, those are prone to GPU failure if carried one-handed, the GPU could become desoldered from the motherboard needed repair or replacement. Good luck!