T42 Thinkpad by IBM
Written: Nov 02 '05
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Pros: customer service, ThinkLight
Cons: build quality has suffered, price
The Bottom Line: costly but worthwhile if you can get a discount; quality has suffered a bit in recent years--maybe they'll rebound and resume greatness soon
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| aloofyouth's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad® T42 (2379DXU) PC Notebook |
I'm a die-hard IBM PC user, but that may be changing. This review is intended to encompass IBM T-series Thinkpads in general, but the T42 in particular.
I had a T23 that I loved dearly--in fact, I still use it. It's heavy and built like a tank. I needed a replacement and wanted wireless, so I got a T42.
My first T42 was a disaster; it had a corrupted hard disk and I sent it back for a replacement. IBM had previously been VERY good about customer service (my first T23 had problems out of the box, but I got a replacement in days). This time they sent me a spare hard disk and instructed me how to replace the hard disk. Same problem! The T42 was condemning every hard disk put into it with death. So I shipped it all back, got a full refund, coped with at T23 for another month, then decided to try again and buy another T42, this time an older model with a lower-resolution (1024x768 pixel), slower hard drive (5400 rpm down from the 7200 rpm hard drives that failed), etc.
The T42 shows where IBM has cut corners. If you look at the side profile, there is an alarmingly big gap between the optical drive (DVD-R/CD-RW in most cases) and the rest of the computer. If you look at the battery, it's going to be a bit looser than in the T23. There is also an awkwardly placed touchpad below the buttons that control the joystick-type Trackpoint (red dot in the middle of the keyboard), so I turned off the touchpad and use just the Trackpoint. The touchpad may be there to appease the masses, but I'm just too used to T23-style trackpoints. Given how much IBMs tend to cost without discounts, this is a travesty.
Thankfully, the T42 has some good points common to all T-series laptops. Aside from the customer service described above, the integrated wireless adapter (supports b/g) is good, the Trackpoint is larger and easier to use than in the T23 (it just feels better), there is still a ThinkLight (a small LED light above the screen that you can turn on when you're working in pitch-black darkness; it lights up the keyboard very well), the battery life is decent (about four hours if you turn down everything from CPU speed to wireless; otherwise, you may get just 2-3 hours), the titanium-composite casing is still way better than Dell, and the engineering--despite the hideous gap on the right side near the optical drive and the loose battery--is still better than Dell by far. Lastly, my T23 laptop is still in great condition after 3.5 years, and I don't think the T42 will croak after 3 years, either.
I may not buy another Thinkpad after IBM sold its division to the company that it was using to build the darn things in the first place, and also because of the unnerving two failed hard drives I got with my first T42. Nevertheless, if you can get a discount (e.g., you own some IBM stock, attend a school that has a big contract with IBM so you can get discounts), I'd pick up a T-40 series laptop over any other comparably priced/featured laptop.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1400
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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Epinions.com ID:
aloofyouth
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Reviews written: 47
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Former grad student, now wage slave.
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