T60 vs T43P

I'm a long time IBM fan (701C still running smoothly!), and i'm having some trouble deciding between a mid-range T60 vs a high-range T43P. Both can be had for about $1500, so it comes down to a choice: Core Duo vs a better graphics card.
Right now, i have a T40. The size is perfect, but i don't have a 15" to compare to. I was considering a z61 15.4", but it's quite heavy (albeit cheaper)

Here's a rough estimate for what i'd be able to get for $1500 on either

T60
Core Duo 2500/2600 (2.0/2.1GHz)
14.1" SXGA+ OR 15" UXGA IPS (a bit more expensive)
1gb RAM
100gb 5400
DVD+/-RW
ATI X1400 128mb

T43P (I can probably find some higher configs, but this is from IBM/lenovo outlet)
Pentium M 760/770 (2.0/2.1GHz)
15" UXGA IPS OR 14.1" SXGA+ (harder to find)
1gb RAM
100gb 5400
DVD+/-RW
ATI FireFL C3200 128mb

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As you can see, they are pretty much identical except for the processors and graphics cards. I do play games, so is it that much of a change between a X1400 and V3200? Assuming that i don't have a virus scanner running all the time (linux), is a Core Duo really worth it?

Cheers,
benplaut

 

Don't know about T60P.

15" UXGA screen is very good.
If you don't mind the noise of T43P (it is very noisy in quiet environment), take T43P.

But it is indeed very noise. Search "T43 noise" in google.

 

If the t43p has an ATI FireGL V3200 then I think (it's hard to find info on either of the cards) that the mobility 1400 is actually comparable. At that point, dual core is great, not just for running apps in the background but running multiple apps at all, word, excel, firefox...etc

 

OK... comparable performance.

Right now, leaning torwards a T60 14

 

I'd go with the T60. It is a great machine. The LCD screen on the 15" Flexview is spectacular! Very, very nice. Plus, dual core is a great addition as the load is spread to two cores.

 

The T60 is gonna be more portable if thats an issue. UXGA+ resolution on a 15" screen will have small text. I would check it out if you can.

 

Well, i think i'm going to break down and try a different path.

First of all, the first law of buying a computer is that nomatter what you do, you will end up spending $1000. I would be able to get about 5-600 for my T40, so i would have spent about $1000 for a T60. This rule is strangely applicable to students everywhere...

Since i really want a bit of gaming power, i've decided to keep an older laptop and get a desktop. A thousand brings in quite a good computer, and if one machine breaks i won't be stranded. I'm hoping to trade my T40 for an X40 (on thinkpads.com market) due to it only being used for school, but either way is good enough.

Cheers,
Ben

 

Nice choice, I did the same thing my sophomore year cuz my Sony broke down and I wanted to game. Having a gaming desktop and portable notebook is really the best of both worlds.