T42 vs T60?? Can't decide

Hi all, I'm shopping for one of the above. Kinda in limbo between T42 and T60 actually.

I'm looking for:

• Build quality (most important here. Even by a small margin, which is better built?)
• Battery life
• Weight

Speed not so important as long as web pages all load relatively fast. Will be running XP

T61 I ruled out because I read so many of them have the faulty GPU. And T43 is just like T42 but with some faster components (and lower battery life)

 

1. T61 with Intel GPU does not have problems, it is only the Nvidia GPU based one that could potentially fail.

2. I would go with T60 since that is the first generation laptop to have Dual Core Processors, and it is easier to procure batteries on the T60 machines.

3. fit and finish of the T42 is better, but they are not as robust as the T60 with their internal magnesium roll cage. So T4x depending how they are used can potentially have a detaching GPU, which is what caused lot of early T4x laptops to fail. This is something you should watch out for.

 

As lead_org has stated, I would go with the T60 as well. T60 has more modern technology (dual core) not sure if it can do all socket M Core 2 Duo (depends on which T60 you have). Also never really fancied IBM's AC adapters (similar to the old school HP ones, jacks easily get loose).

 

T60 if for no other reason than the "detaching GPU" issue as lead_org mentioned! My T60 was one of my favorite Thinkpads, and I have gone through 3 T4x machines which have all eventually suffered from the aforementioned problem.

 

If you're buying used (as in, you're not looking at two specific sources for the laptops) the one thing you can do that makes the most difference is find one with a 1400x1050 resolution or higher.

And the T60 is better built and shouldn't have the same mobo-flex issues as the T42. Just avoid the NVIDIA graphics.

 

if you go with the T60, you can find quite a few 15 inch with SXGA+ LCD that are Flexview (IBM speak for IPS technology), or get a T60p with UXGA LCD for the same glorious Flexview screen.

 

But think about it...the t60 is limited to 3 gb of memory....

Renee

 

And the T42 is limited to 2GB of RAM. T60 wins.

 

Of the IBM ThinkPads, which models the longest battery life?

 

From what I've seen, the T60 is built like a tank. I salvaged parts of a T60 (chassis, mainboard) from the trash bin at work, and that magnesium chassis has no dents at all after some serious abuse.

 

The T60, IBM's swan song, is a fantastic ThinkPad and a better machine than the T4x machines in most regards. I'd agree the 15" SXGA+ and UXGA FlexViews are great, I have one in my R60e, but the problem with them is they're now at least four years old and the screen brightness may have dimmed considerably on some. You might wish to look at it if you can.

The T43 is less likely to have the GPU issue, but they tend to run hotter and more noisy.

 

I found a local T61 in practically brand new condition. Not a single blemish on the keyboard and trackpad. Maybe it was used with an external monitor and mouse.

$200 too...

How is the build quality and battery life between T61 and T60?

 

The T61p was excellent. The battery was 4 hours for a nine cell and a top performing, packed T61p. I'm leary of the T60 because of a 3gb physical memory addressing limit.

Renee

 

The T61 and the T60 were pretty much identical in the build quality department, although most are 16:10 aspect ratio displays. With as many problems as I've heard about those nVidia cards, however, I would personally be leery of the T61 unless you're sure it has the Intel X3100 integrated GPU.

The T60 does have the 3GB address limit, but personally I never had a problem with it. My old T60p ran what I needed it to run with no problems.

 

Considering how high priced some T42/T43 are, you can buy a T60. Also 2 GB though recently upgraded to 3 GB in my Z61t, there are no major issues with just running 3 GB RAM. Anyways having 4 GB won't have it recognized full anyway.

 

What's the max battery life I can get with a T43? Is 6 cell the biggest battery, because most people say that nets 2-4 hours max. I need 5-6 hours

 

You'll want a T60/T61 with 9 cell for max battery life, T43 won't get close to that. Just remember, with newer technology comes improved battery life, generally speaking, so T60/T61 will be better.

I picked up 9 cells from Lenovo outlet a few weeks ago for $25 each, what a great deal. The battery works with T60/T61 and even my W500.

Also, as mentioned earlier, they changed AC plug connectors from T4x generation to T6x generation. The newer style is what they use today, get a T43 and you'll have a more difficult time finding stuff that works with it, and there's NO advantage to a T43 over a T60.

 

Well I'm kind of attached to the IBM logo and just flat out hate Lenovo from my personal experiences with them.

Plus everywhere I read, people say T43 has better build quality, especially in the palm rest area. How well a laptop feels is the most important aspect to me.

 

Lenovo was involved with the design/production of Thinkpads starting with the T43, I believe, so if you're so against buying Lenovo (which is silly for any brand, in my opinion, since you should buy a product for its merits--but that's another story), go for the T42. Some T61 models, however, did come with an IBM logo, actually.

The vast majority of people will tell you that the T60 is more tough, is not susceptible to mobo flex, etc.

 

Excuse me, but I don't think it is silly. And why come here and criticize my opinion about a company anyway? I've had X120e and x220 from Lenovo and they were both not much better than any laptop you can get at Best Buy. Certainly didn't justify the price increase and were not "legendary ThinkPad quality" by a mile. There were many things I found wrong with these two models, and Lenovo's customer support was just atrocious.

T61 may have come with IBM logo, but it still says Lenovo on the bottom of the screen and laptop itself. I'm OCD like that, yes... that part IS silly.

 

You are not alone in your brand attachment -- which is (at least to a large extent) why I think there are so many people claiming the T43 has better build quality.

While I never purchased either machine new (and thus can't really comment on QA/QC), I can say that the T60 is without a doubt a more durable, better designed machine.

Well... you're right on the first of the two. The X120e is basically a netbook, and as such shares virtually nothing in common with a real ThinkPad. I disagree about the X220 though; it's got far more durable materials/construction than most common laptops in its class, and last I checked it was the only one of its type offering an IPS screen...

I've used (at least briefly) every single Lenovo-branded ThinkPad made with the exception of the 14.1" 4:3 T61, and have owned a good portion of them. In my opinion, Lenovo's done just as good a job of continuing the top end of the line as IBM would, given today's technologies/market requirements. They have, however, expanded the bottom range dramatically. That's something that IBM didn't really do (minus their flirtation with the concept in the form of the i series), and it's something that I think has hurt the brand's image in the eye of the average, nowhere-near-as-geeky-as-us-at-NBR consumer.

 

It sounds like you've answered your own thread then...

 

Yeah I came to that conclusion later on. Now I'm just wondering what the max battery life configuration I can have with a T43. Are 6 cells the biggest available for T43?

 

MY T42 had a 9-cell extended battery that gave around 5 hours of power in Windows 7. The T43 has hotter and more powerful components if I recall correctly, so you can expect somewhere around 4.5 hours.

 

There are some third party batteries with higher capacities and lower pricetags.

 

Personally I have not had good experiences with those cheaper third party batteries. But maybe others are doing just fine with them ...

 

My T42p is running on a 3rd party 7200mAh 9-Cell. $70 off eBay and still humming along at 7.2% wear (according to BatteryBar). This thing is lasting longer than my M4400's OEM battery which is already at 10% wear (3% when I got it, it was a refurb laptop with a used battery).

 

the generic batteries are really of an unknown quantity, since their quality changes from batch to batch. The best thing you can do is to stay with one reputable dealer, but even they can change suppliers due to fluctuation in price.

If you can stay with genuine, if you can't find genuine or used genuine, then i guess you should stay with reputable dealers.

For T60 machines you can get the boston power batteries, they are the best aftermarket batteries you can find for the T60 machines. They produce cells for many major laptop manufacturers.

 

Given how old T42 is, is it even worth buying a new battery these days? They have been sitting for years and years..probably have insane charge wear?

 

This is very true. A couple of years ago I bought a battery for my T21 from my local used electronics store. It had never been used before, but had been sitting for so long it wore incredibly quickly. I get maybe an hour's worth of charge out of it, but it was only $20.

 

Do all batteries have shelf wear? I think I read only specific kind. If so, do T61's have the same problem?

 

Yes all batteries have shelf wear. Pretty much as batteries are made they start wearing out. That's why many have expiration dates..

 

Guys bear with me I know I keep swaying the topic, just trying to find the right TP.

Which TPs come with Trackpoint ONLY? I know X61 and X200s. Were there any T series without trackpad?

 

Some R61 variants...R61e?

 

Mind... exploding...

So now it's down to x200s (really loving the form factor, just like x220 but without the trackpad, a big plus). Pretty good price ($485 brand new). Downside is it's 4 cell - lasts only 3 hours or so. It's X, not T

Then there's almost a brand new T61. Owner said about 4.5 hours. Acceptable. Intel GFX. A steal the price I'm getting it ($200). Downside is... not IBM (neither is the x200s though obviously), 15.4" a little too big of a screen for my tastes

And finally what seems to be a great condition T43 for $75 but now you got me scared about the battery!

Wish I could have all three for a couple nights, lol

 

You actually could...at those prices you shouldn't have a problem reselling them and recouping your money.

 

A T43 in good condition for $75 is suspicious, even if the battery works. But if everything checks out OK, I would go for that deal regardless of what else you buy. You could even resell it and make a profit.

 

Pretty sure the guy doesn't know what the computer really is. In the ad it just said Thinkpad Laptop, no mention of model, but I recognized as being T42 or T43 so I asked, and he said it's 43 and then sent me a really noisy picture from an iPhone, but the keyboard looked to be unused.

Also decided to not get x200s, as sexy as it is. Because if it's only 3 hours, may as well get T43, it's also about 3 hours, except that'll cost me $400 less, and just buy a 9 cell for it

 

Did the guy have a picture with the screen on and booted into Windows? Because if it's 1400x1050 then it's a really good deal.

 

Just keep in mind that with a 9-cell, the X200s will likely give you at least eight hours of battery life. My X200 when equipped with an SSD and a new 9-cell will run me a realistic 8-9 hours, and that's without an LED display or low-voltage processor.

 

By the way, is the detaching GPU problem in the T4x series user fixable? If so, is it relatively easy?

 

you can fix it some of the times by reflowing the GPU's BGA solder, but it won't work 100% of the time.

 

I did this and it's still working to date. There's a youtube video somewhere explaining how to do it with a heat gun and aluminum foil