IBM Options... X31 or T41

[phaxmohdem]

Ok I know I've posted before, and I wanted to buy a laptop with an AMD processor, however... I've been thinking about what I will be using my laptop for when at school, and I can't find any AMD laptops that fit the bill.

I have always loved IBM thinkpad's and have been looking at a couple of those units.

In all reality I will be using my laptop for the following:

Light 3D work, (simple animation setup and rendering, 2D still rendering)
Photoshop (Again fairly light load)
Office schtuff (Word, Excel)
Mostly web design (using notepad ) Maybe dreamweaver

I will be carrying this laptop in my backpack, and I will be riding my bike to and from campus most of the time so weight is an issue to an extent. My current Presario 2100 is a tad heavy for my liking .

Given the Above Would you purchase:

a) IBM THinkpad X31 1.4GHz Pentium-M/1GB RAM/40GB HDD (12.1 LCD) 16MB Radeon Mobility Video

b) IBM Thinkpad T41 1.6GHz Pentium-M/1GB RAM/40GB HDD (14.1 LCD) 32MB Radeon 7500 Mobility Video

What would you do? Both systems cost about the same. Both LCDs are teh same resolution. I'm leaning towards the T41 due to the built in CD-RW/DVD drive. LEt me know your opinion.

 

[Pabster]

The T41's are awesome. But I sure wouldn't be disappointed with the X31 either!

 

[phaxmohdem]

haha well that doesn't help me I'm seriously torn. Perhaps I need both

 

[jdiddy]

I have a x31 and its the perfect portable laptop for me. That being said its pretty hard to do any type of development on the 12" LCD. The T41 with bigger screen may suit you better. You can't go wrong either way. Thinkpads rock.

 

[focusdchaos]

Thinkpad T40p or T42p is what you need.

 

[imported_motodude]

I would get the t42 2378fvu with mobility 9600, best bang for the buck.

 

[fbrdphreak]

I would get a T42 14" SXGA+ for development stuff. It is VERY portable, but the screen has plenty of desktop real estate for working with multiple windows and viewing lots of text at once.

I wouldn't bother with a T41 as it uses the original generation of Pentium M, which is less efficient and uses more power. The T42 uses the Dothan chip, offering great performance and the best battery life of all Centrino notebooks.

An X-series would be nice for its size, but the screen resolution would be limiting for me.

EDIT If you need 3D capability at all, get one with the MR 9600.

 

[NeBaWONG]

ASUS W3V?

 

[DaWhim]

t41 in this case. faster cpu. but i have a x31, it is about a pound lighter than that t41

 

[phaxmohdem]

Originally posted by: focusdchaos
Thinkpad T40p or T42p is what you need.

What does the "p" denote on the end of the model name?

 

[fbrdphreak]

p is for the higher end "workstation" class models. These usually have the highest resolution screens and workstation class video cards (FireGL)

 

[phaxmohdem]

Thanks for the help guys. I had no clue about the "p" model. I actually just put in my order a new IBM T40P notebook. (Pentium M 1.6/1GB/40GB 5400/FireGL9000 64MB/14.1 SXGA+ LCD/ 3 YR Warranty) It seemed perfect for my needs. and 6+ hours of battery life will be nice for classes. I'm excited! Now I just gotta find somebody to take this Presario 2178CL off my hands

 

[focusdchaos]

Congrats! I use Solidworks, and the Thinkpad "P" models are the only laptops certified by Solidworks other than the Dell Precision M series. I wish I could fit a T40p in my budget!

 

[fbrdphreak]

That sounds like a great machine. The only thing I might suggest is seeing if a T42p first into your budget. As I mentioned, they use the latest Dothan processors which offer a performance increase and battery life increase. I'm not saying you will be unhappy with your T40p, but personally I always try to get the latest technology for the best bang/buck.

Enjoy, you're now a Thinkpad owner Make sure you visit http://forum.thinkpads.com!!

 

[phaxmohdem]

Thanks guys I did look into a T42p but is simply wasn't in my budget. For what I use the notebook for, the Banias proccessor should have more than enough power over the next 3-4 years while I'm finishing up school. My athlon XP-M 2400+ I currently have is just about right performance wise for my needs, and I think this processor should be about on par. + the extra 512MB of RAM over what I currently have will help for the future as well.

I can't wait. I ordered 2 day shipping so I'll definately post back and let you know how the new beast runs.

 

[phaxmohdem]

Alright, in my Sunday afternoon boredom, and anticipation I ran some benchmarks putting my current laptop against a crappy 1.4GHz Pentium M laptop I purchased to resell. Then I put all the data into an excel sheet and extracted some lowball estimated performance numbers for the new thinkpad (I know, I know... very pathetic)

Here are my results http://www.auctionspice.com/misc/lapcomp.xls

I found the results quite interesting. the 1.4 gHz notebook matched or beat my current 1.8GHz AthlonXP notebook in just about everything. (The "%over 2400+" column is estimated performance of the T40p over my current 2400+) Also Thinkpad estimated numbers were calculated by a straightline 12.5% increase based on clockspeeds only.

Anyways, we all love looking at numbers here so behold