ATI FireGL T2 128MB vs. ATI Radeon 9600 64MB

[fbrdphreak]

I'm picking up a laptop for school shortly and I have access to some awesome deals on IBM laptops. It is going to come down to the video card and mainly RAM/HDD to choose between my three IBM options and I wanted everyone's opinion on the graphics cards. I know the Radeon Mobility 9600 is one of the better notebook graphics cards, but where does the FireGL T2 come in for gaming? I MIGHT use the notebook for some 3D Rendering in the coming years, but not much if any. My primary use of the graphics card will be gaming, with normal school stuff being the primary use of the notebook overall. Anyone's input on the diff with the FireGL card would be appreciated. Below are the price points of the 3 systems

IBM T42 -- Pentium M 1.8 Ghz Dothan -- 15" SXGA+ -- 40GB 5400 RPM -- Radeon 9600 64MB -- 512MB DDR -- $1800

IBM T42p -- Pentium M 1.8 Ghz Dothan -- 14.1" SXGA+ -- 60GB 7200 RPM -- FireGL T2 128MB -- 512MB DDR -- $2300

IBM T42p -- Pentium M 1.8Ghz Dothan -- 15" UXGA -- 60GB 7200 RPM -- FireGL T2 128MB -- 1024MB DDR -- $2600

All systems include 3 year depot warranty.
Full specs can be seen at: http://www.eos.ncsu.edu/soc/purchasing/side-by-side_2004.htm
Thanks in advance

 

[Frightcrawler]

FireGL = Radeon 9600. Its basically the workcenter (CAD, etc) equivalent of the 9600.
Of course, the 128mb FireGL is better than the 64mb 9600 because it has more memory. But only slightly.

Case in point, get the first one. It has the best bang-for-the-buck out of those three. The third one also has a pretty good value, but its pretty expensive. The second one isnt worth it.
If money doesnt matter, get the third one. 1gb of memory + 15" UXGA is nice.

 

[fbrdphreak]

I don't know if you read the full specs or not, but I just realized the other key difference in going from the first one to second is (A) 1.7Ghz to 1.8 Ghz (both Dothan) and (B) going from 6-cell to 9-cell battery. I'd imagine that 9-cell in combination with 14" screen & 1.8Ghz Dothan would give ridiculously good battery life.
Would you say the extra $500 to go to the middle one is worth the bigger, faster HDD; better battery; faster processor; and mildly better GPU? This will be my first and last for several years laptop and I want to make sure i get the most for my money. Of course, if all goes well, it'll be money from an educational loan. Any further input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[Wuzup101]

The faster HDD is definitely worth it, unfortunatly I believe it is only avaliable with their T42p models which add on some other stuff that you might not necessarily want to pay for. All those machines will be solid performers and have plenty of speed for years to come. As for gaming, i'm not sure. The actual GPUs are very similar... i would opt for the FireGL for more memory and the 14" screan for better batt life...