T42 Non-Flexview screens

Hello,

I am a student who is seriously considering an IBM Thinkpad T42, with 14" XGA display. However, the only thing holding me back is the screen quality, which is going to be non-flexview.

I've had the chance to use an old 600X series lappy, and I really hated the screen. It did not have even lighting from top to bottom, and was really harsh in terms of glare and vertical viewing angle. When I opened up MS Word, the blank document looked yellow instead of white, and my eyes hurt after using the notebook for only 10 mins. I LOVE the Thinkpad build, but that screen is seriously not going to work for me if it is the same on the T42.

I've read the following review of the new T43: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2240 and am amazed by the following description of the screen:

" For some that are becoming tired of seeing a steady march of glossy widescreen display style notebooks released they will be relieved to see the T43 sticking to the tried and true screen it has used in the past. The screen is decently bright, certainly not the brightest out there, but absolutely bright enough and with enough contrast to provide a pleasurable viewing experience."

So, given the fact that I do NOT have the option of flexview, and in terms of budget, the only option to me is the 14" XGA (resolution is fine for me, just the screen glare and contrast is the potential problem), could anyone tell me if the T42 will be better than the 600X I saw?

Thank you!

P.S. Another question - I thought LCD's don't refresh like CRT screens, but when I had the 600X on battery, the light kept moving up and down the screen like the refresh process on a desktop CRT, and it is flickering a lot. Is that 600 laptop screen broken or defective now, and could that be why I can't stand the screen when it is plugged in to the AC?

 

IBM does have 30 day return policy. You could send it back if you don't like it.





I know things, things that could get me killed


Thinkpad T41:
* 1.6Ghz Pentium M * 768Mb Memory * 40Gb Hitachi 7200RPM * Panasonic UJ-845-B DVD+RW *

 

I've had my T42 with a 15" XGA non-flexview screen for about a month now and I don't see what all the worry is about these screens.

Before purchasing I had read post after post here, and at the forums at thinkpads.com, highly recommending the SXGA flexview screens over the XGA. Most people just don't like the XGA screens at 14-15", and I've heard opinions ranging from just "bad" to "it looks like something that would be on a toy". I'm here to calm your fears as I've found this to be far from true TO ME (and that's all that matters). Look, if I was 20 years old with great eyesight, I didn't spend much time at a computer each day (to avoid an SXGA "headache"), I did a good amout of graphic-based work including small-group presentations viewed on the screen, and I had unlimited funds I would definitely buy the SXGA flexview screens. That's NOT me. I'm 45 years old with a -7/+1.5 prescription in both eyes. I have MS and have had bouts of optic neuritis which have taken away a few of my "megapixels". I spend a few hours each day in front of a computer screen and I value my hard-earned dollars. I was also not able to configure an 15" SXGA with other important features (to me) for anywhere near the price of the machine I ended up with. No, the screen isn't perfectly even in brightness, and yes, vertically there is a "sweet spot" but it's good enough for me!

So, for a student who has the choice of buying a quality IBM T42 over some other brand of machine with a prettier screen that will probably not hold up as well over time (not to mention the support and features IBM gives you) I would highly recommend you buy the 14" XGA T42 you like. And as the other poster stated, you always have the 30-days if purchased through IBM to make sure you are satisfied!

I am VERY satisfied with the machine I bought loaded with useful features for under $1500 with 2 batteries and free 2-day shipping.

The XGA's are bright enough for me and the narrower viewing angle is an advantage to me because it prevents easy spying. There are excellent software programs that you can use to make the brightness, contrast, color and balance to your liking, including the ATI software included.

Good luck with your decision.

Yak

 

a 600X is way old and won't be representative of screens you'll get on ThinkPads today. Definitely don't be worried about getting a screen that you can see refresh or watch a "line move down" when not plugged in. Zoiks!

The only thing I meant in that first thoughts review was that the screen is not as bright as the Sony XBrite or Fujitsu CrystalView screens and therefore I won't call it the brightest or best screen out there. But for me, as is the same for brainpicker, it's just great and no complaints.

DigitalCameraReview.com | BargainPDA.com | TabletPCReviewSpot.com

 

Thanks guys, that helped a lot. The IBM sounds great. I'm going to order one, but now my problem is trying to get around how IBM Canada gauges its customers price-wise ... ouch! I may have to get one from IBM USA somehow, since they also have a greater variety of better spec'd models.