Need to replace ThinkPad T42 - suggestions?

I'm in the market to replace my old T42, which has served me well for over four years. I don't need a top of the line machine, or the fastest kid on the block, but I do need:

• a high resolution screen: at least that of my T42 which has 1400x1050
• 100% linux compatible - I don't intend to even dual boot windows
• Lots of RAM - at least 2Gb

I've been looking for a while, but the number of models and options has exploded over the last few years, and it's become quite hard to find what I want.

Thanks,
-A.

 

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the T42. I just got my first ThinkPad last week. However, I can definitely recommend the T500.

You might be better off filling out the FAQ in the 'what notebook to buy' forum and explaining your situation there.

Good luck!

 

Coming from the IBM T42 i think you will be disappointed with the new Lenovo Thinkpads, I know I was. But i needed the graphics upgrade, the T42 simply didn't cut it for the 3D applications I use.

But if you don't need the graphics support why not just upgrade the T42 to 2GB RAM and a decent size PATA disk? Especially as you have the 1400x1050 screen, others can judge the new screens better than me, but I miss my T42 4:3 screen on my T500.

And the software support really has deteriorated since Lenovo took over from IBM. We never had as much trouble with the software drivers when the T42 was new as we now have had on the T400/500.

 

Nooooo, not 4:3!!!!!!

I'm not familiar with the history but this isn't the first time I've heard about the drop in quality. That's too bad really, I hope they sort things out.

I will say though, from a new users perspective - the T500 is pretty solid overall

 

In what regard? While they looked better because of the thinness and probably had better keyboards, the T4x machines weren't as durable as the T6x machines. I don't care about the software side of it because I don't fix things unless they're broke. Since the user is a Linux user, I doubt they will either. If the T42 has a IPS screen, there will be some disappointment there, but the regular screens were mediocre at best.

It might help if you said a bit more about what you need like how much mobility you need. If you're getting a new machine, it'll probably support 8GB of memory. If you want SXGA+ and new, you're probably looking at the T500. The T61 was the last 14" 4:3 SXGA+ ThinkPad. They're available on the used market if you want to go that way. As a Linux user you might want to consider the Intel WiFi card and GPU, which always have good Linux support.

 

Aussie,
Do you really need a new machine. Like zillal said, why not just upgrade your components? If you do need a new machine, you might want to check out a T61. It works perfectly in Linux. I have a T61p and it works perfectly in Linux(haven't tried the fingerprint scanner though).

 

I would recommend the t400 or t500, both have high res screens for their size. Personally I also like the w500 for the wuxga screen so if I were to be in the market for a 15.4 that would be my choice.

 

If you need 1050 vertical pixels you will need to choose the T500. This has a 1680x1050 display. However, this will be thicker and heavier than your T42.

If you can make do with 1440x900 your options open up considerably.

The T400 is the most natural choice, but it will still be wider than your T42.

If integrated graphics is okay and you need an optical drive, you can get the x301.

If you don't need an optical drive, prefer the TrackPoint to the touchpad, and don't require WWAN or a Webcam I would highly recommend the x200s. This will come in at roughly half the weight of your T42, offer an identically sized and quality keyboard, be substantially more powerful, and offer tremendous battery life (especially with the 9 cell option).

I went from a T40 to an x200 series and have never regretted it.

If you need 1400x1050 you can look at the older models. The x61 Tablet was offered with SXGA+ as were a handful of T61s (most were widescreen though).

 

I had a similar dialemma, but I was coming from t40. I ended up with the 15 inch t60 with a Flexview/IPS screen (same resolution as yours). It still has 6 months of warranty should something go wrong, which I am able to extend for further 2 years. The main reasons for choosing that machine were the screen and the dual core cpu (can be upgraded to core2duo). I thought that the machine will be much more heavy, but I was pleasantly surprised. As their original warranties are ending soon I expect a lot of businesses to start switching them out for newer machines.

PS. at first the machine seemed a bit hot, but I undervolted the cpu to minimum voltage and it runs nice and stable. Temps under load dropped about 25 C. Also the graphics can be cooled well, by turning the frequences to minimum by Ati powerplay.