Which one is better: CF-74 vs CF-52

I think about buying yet another Toughbook. That will be my 11th or so.

Which one of these 2 is better ? The CF-74 that i can buy for 399 euro

eBay: Neue und gebrauchte Elektronikartikel, Autos, Kleidung, Sammlerst?cke, Sportartikel und mehr ? alles zu g?nstigen Preisen

or

a CF-52 that i also can buy for 399 euros ?

Panasonic Toughbook CF-52, Intel Core2 Duo T7100 2 x 1,8GHz, 4096MB, 15,4 | eBay

Most important thing is durability.

Is the CF-52 more rugged as the CF-74 ?

And what are some other important difrences ?

 

I haven't owned a 74 but the spec's of both look similar so ought to have similar performance too?
I do have a 52 Mk.1 with the 7100 and 4GB. It runs 7 x64 Ultimate beautifully and the touchpad is great - even better than my Vaio, which itself was way better than all the other laptops I tried about 3 years ago when I bought it.
52 has a good sharp screen like the Vaio but no touchscreen - that 74 has touchscreen if I've read the listing correctly.
If the 74 uses the same 13.3" touchscreen that my 29 Mk.5 has... then I'd definitely pick the 52. The 29 screen is just fuzzy.
52 & 74 are both business/semi rugged so not water-resistant and not as drop-resistant as fully rugged - the 52 is only 300mm. drop tested I think?
The way I see it the 52 and 74 are for indoor use anyway so why not have the wide screen? For outdoors I'd take a fully rugged.

 

The CF-52 is still a current production model, the 74 is discontinued.

I'd recomend the 52 all around.

I've sent you a PM too.

Thanks

 

One thing to consider too is the 74 has the older square screen where the 52 is a widescreen.

 

I agree with Rob...go with the 52 but the 53 is even better.

 

I'd say it depends on what you are going to do with it. If you have a use for the touchscreen, then the CF-74 is the way to go, obviously. Otherwise I would totally go for the CF-52 and it's larger screen. I've had a CF-52 mkII for years and love it! If I could afford it I'd totally upgrade to a mkIV with an i5 processor and discrete graphics. Toss in an ssd for the boot drive and then replace the optical drive with a big data drive if you need it and you're good to go!

 

There is a A VERY RARE CF-52xxGUNBM model out there (Jeff has one), that has a squre 13" touch screen that is the same panel as the CF-30

~Rob still working at 11PM from 5AM this morning~

 

Thank you all for the quick replies. I have some other questions awell :

- Which on of those 2 toughbooks is damaged easier/ has to be sent for repairs ?
- Which one has better battery life ?
- For upgrading or simply replacing the CMOS-battery, which one (74 vs 52) is easier to do ?

 

Don't know about more easily damaged, better battery life or easier memory cell replacement.
I'd choose a used TB based on what I need, how much use it's had, what options it has, OS, memory, HDD etc. and its apparent condition.
Oh yes... and price. Both of those look too expensive to me.
I won't buy another TB without seeing a pic. of the bios showing exact model number, Mk, hours run and bios version. Unless it's a really good deal...
Lots of TB's have a restricted bios which can make it difficult/impossible to install BT, WWAN, WLAN etc. Good sellers won't mind showing a bios screenshot.
My 52 bios: V1.54L21 M35. The "M35" part says it's a restricted bios. WLAN finally works but isn't seen by bios or wireless switch, WWAN doesn't work yet, neither does BT.
Still a brilliant laptop though
Paid just over £200 for it last year with about 20 hours on it - so 399 looks very expensive.

 

I can afford 399 euros. I bought a CF-29 Mk3 for 300 euros 5 months or so ago. and the CF-29 is slower as these 399 euro machines.... but of course the CF-29 is also more heavier and rugged... hehe.

 

I bought a CF-74 to replace my stack of CF-72's. Fortunately it was a non-touchscreen model. Looks like the touchscreen model sometimes suffer hinge failure much like the CF-72's!. As my eyes are accustomed to a 13.3 screen it has a familar feel. Not overly impressed with its construction. Apart from the ram, any other tinkering means complete removal of the bottom.
Having being introduced to the CF-51 thanks to this Forum, I eventually got a CF-52. Obviously it depends on the intended use, but I too would have a CF-52 over the CF-74.

 

I sold my CF-72 1 month ago. Things i didnt like about the CF-72 are : Very small battery pack, and not durable enough.

 

Is tinkering with a CF-52 easy ? I also have some CF-M34s and i love em. Very easy to take the bottom off, and you can come to all important parts to replace, upgrade, etc.

 

Well for example the wireless card can be replaced as it has a cover on the CF-52, on the CF-74 you have to take the whole bottom off.
I guess it like cars. Is it better to spend more money on a vehicle with all the goodies you want and enjoy it or buy a beater and spend a fortune upgrading it. Well that was my logic!
Apart from perhaps the Ram and Wireless, not sure why you would want to upgrade either. Might find that there is more technical info on the CF-74 than the CF-52, especially things like Service Manuals. Of course this Forum is probaly the best resource.
Agreed on the CF-72. Battery life is in mins rather than hours. Hard to source good replacements. Apart from the corners of the touchpads, mine have withstood the test of time. So much so, I still use them daily even though I have the CF-74, CF-52 and a few CF-51's laying around!

 

This a bit of an odd observation but the CF-74 due to the battery pack at the back, does not sit flat on a surface. It sort of angles towards you. That means the screen has to angled further back which may contribute to the hinge problems these have, especially with the touchscreen models.
I think the battery might last longer in the CF-74 (7.8A), well according to the indicators at least! Downside, again harder to find than the CF-51/2 batteries! I have subsequently got a 7.8A version for the CF-52!
Then there are other issues such as BT. The CF-52 has it whilst my poverty spec CF-74 does not although I have the bits to it on a spare! Actually I wanted a non touchscreen model as simplicity equals reliability!

 

Why is the CF 53 better than the CF 52, are you going to ruin my day? I have a CF 52 MK4 but with no Gobi which I would love to unlock in the BIOS if I could, I went for the 52 over the 53 because of the screen size as I am long sighted and also watch films on the laptop

 

52 is better for display. 53 is just the right size for setting in my lap, slightly more rugged due to more compact size. Very cool the 52 has the same battery as 29 and 51. I'm a fan of both 52 and 53. Does your 52 have a video card?

 

I also have a 52MK4, I bought the 53MK1 and the 52MK4 new last year and they both work great but for me the HD LCD on the 53 is so much better. The colors are so much brighter I think . If you watched a HD movie on it you would understand what I mean but maybe it's just me.