T60 vs T43 "retro" buy, which one should I get?

[vtohthree]

I'm choosing to buy either over other T series because of "tried and true" status. I'm pretty firm on it, nothing wrong with the Santa Rosa platform in the T61, but let's just not go there and stay on topic. Both have the T60 and T43 achieve excellent battery life as well, amoung other things.

Looking for reliability, durability, portability.

I know a lot of people praise the T series, but what's the dirt(actually I've read a lot of little issues on the T60)? Any gripes to consider? What do you say if you could pick between the two?


I'm pretty aware of what I get between the two as far as tradeoffs:

T60:
*more processing power
*better value for the money(atleast on ebay)


T43:
*more compact/lightweight
*more praise on the retro build quality

Having said all this, I know of a few T60 users who have told me that they would NOT get a T60 again(due to some inconsistent issues), but I know of very few unhappy T43 users.

 

[WackyDan]

Weight actually is about the same. T60 build quality is the same if not better. T61 even improves on that further.

I think at this point you will get more for you money buying a 60 vs a 43.

I've had a few t60's in use..... I have had no complaints about them.

 

[corkyg]

Just finished a 28 day swing through Greece, and Italy with a new T60. It handled everything I needed, including lots of digital imagery processing. It has a very good wireless system, and good reliability. It never crashed or malfunctioned. I got one with a 14.1-in screen and two batteries.

 

[vtohthree]

Well that's nice to know and hear. I've heard from other users that some have exprienced overheating issues, as cool as they normally are. Apparently the dedicated GPU can get really hot(on applicable models), at times too hot to even put on their lap anymore. I've also read of a lot of random freezes and lockups but it seemed to have been fixed with the latest drivers and bios updates.


I'm curious to know what models you guys used, if you don't mind me asking? I was looking into buying a 200763U.

 

[corkyg]

OK, the basic model was T60 w/14.1" SXGA screen; Core2Duo T7200; ATI Radeon X1400; 160 GB HDD (5400 RPM); Ultrabay HDD adapter; 9 cell Li-Ion battery; 2 GB PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM on a single SODIM (can thus be expanded to 4 GB.) There were other minor goodies such as bluetooth, fingerprint reader, 3rd Wi-Fi antenna. The unit came with Vista Home Premium on a Microsoft DVD, and I upgraded it to Ultimate for which I had a good key.

 

[Gibson486]

My gf had both. She likes the T60 better.

 

[vtohthree]

Interesting comment Gibson.


If I got a T60 I will probably get a 14.1'' SXGA+, CoreDuo T2500, ATI Radeon X1400, 100GB HDD(5400RPM), DVD-RW, 2x1GB PC2-5300, Intel wireless adapter ABG, along with bluetooth and a fingerprint reader.

I want to say thanks for the comments made, it has been helpful. Keep them coming, any and all input is welcome!

 

[coupdetat]

Save yourself half a grand and get the T43 unless you actually need the power of a Core 2 Duo. Pentium-M is still awesome for almost anything you can throw at it.

 

[WombRaider]

I'd get the T42 instead of the T43. The T43 is slightly hotter and has less battery life than the T42. It's only a little bit faster than the T42.

 

[coupdetat]

Or just buy my T40

 

[McCartney]

I've had the t43p and it wasn't worth it.
I didn't like it's aesthetics. I will tell you the thing is indestructable and reliable as hell though