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General discussion

Dell 700m or IBM Thinkpad T42/T43

Mar 15, 2005 6:45AM PST

Here's the situation:

I am going to college this fall and need a laptop. I have narrowed the search down to these three models.

Dell 700m
IBM Thinkpad T42
IBM Thinkpad T43

Between these--without considering cost--which is the best? That is, the best performing with the best specs, quality etcetera. NOTE: The one I buy will meet my performance needs.

Discussion is locked

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Check with the scholl and consider...
Mar 15, 2005 7:11AM PST

Now that the AMD Turion is really out, Intel is rolling out the 64-bit desktops and you are talking this fall... Neither model may be something you'll consider in .. the fall.

Furthermore, I took our son on trips to colleges and the on campus Dell deal and the 4 year support package is what consumers would kill for. Does your prospective school have such a program?

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you need to compare apples with apples
Mar 21, 2005 11:39AM PST

The Dell Inspiron 700M and the two IBM Thinkpads are really in quite different categories. The 700m has a 12.1" widescreen with integrated video card, a smaller than standard keyboard, and much lighter. The Thinkpads are standard size notebooks, without wide screens but bigger: 14.1" or 15". The Thinkpads have very classy full-size (for a laptop) keyboards. Within the Thinkpad range there is a wide variety of screen resolutions and video cards. The T43 is but a newer model of the T42. Dell's equivalent to the T-series Thinkpad is the Latitude line, especially the D610. As for portability, the 700m wins of course, but the T42 and T43 are quite reasonable: a variable is your choice of screen size. The T-line Thinkpad has an especially good reputation for build quality, but any notebook can break or have an accident, and cover for these things is also important. You haven't stated your performance needs, so that will also determine your choice. e.g. if you have substantial graphics needs you will want a system with a dedicated graphics card; how good depends on how substantial...