Well then, welcome to my post nr 1.
I need help choosing a laptop. It will be bought through a home-pc offer so I have only these two to choose from. I will summarize my own feelings from reading about these laptops, and I hope someone here can help me decide.
Price is somewhat unimportant, I want the one that suits me best.
The 400 buck difference here is something to consider, but it is not the most critical point in the choice.

From what I know the specs are as follows (I have requested more detailed information on certain things from the dealer):


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IBM ThinkPad T42p
Pentium M 745 (1.8Ghz)
60GB 7200 RPM (i think it's 7200)
ATI Mobility FireGL T2 (128 MB)
15" UXGA 1600 x 1200
-
SoundMAX
9 cell battery (means it's a 'long life' one if I'm not mistaken)
CD-RW/DVD-ROM

Price: 2,027 USD

Think it's this one if it's not custom:
IBM specs

--- OR ---

HP NC8000
Pentium M 755 (2 Ghz)
60GB 5400 RPM
Radeon Mobility 9600 PRO (64MB)
15" TFT SXGA+ WVA 1400 x 1050
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HP Premier Sound
Firewire
CD-RW/DVD-RW

Price: 1,625 USD

Looks the most like the PR015UA here:
HP product info

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Both have 1GB of RAM and Integrated 802.11b/g and bluetooth. The number of USB ports and such on both PCs suit me well and so is a non-issue. The HP has a firewire port however, which is a small bonus. Wow-factor is completely uninteresting, and it seems both laptops are well-enough designed. The onboard keyboard is somewhat important, but I will be getting a wireless one too, so it's another nice-but-not-necessary thing.


1. First and foremost the fan-noise must be inaudible or really low when working with OpenOffice or similar programs. As I understand it from posts on this forum the IBM is a bit more silent. But both sound acceptable for my uses.

2. The LCD panel is really important, and from what I know of resolutions the IBM will really make me squint hard. With some tweaks I should be able to live with this, but the HP seems preferable to me on this point.

3. I'm going to use Sennheiser HD555s on this baby, and I don't want a lot of sizzles and crackles. I know next-to-nothing of the sound-capabilities of these laptops, but I have had one bad SoundMAX experience on a stationary PC. Please enlighten me.

4. I need a fast processor, the HP has a 2Ghz and the ThinkPad a 1.8, this actually makes a difference for me, and it makes me lean towards the HP.

5. I need a somewhat capable GPU. The 9600 PRO is (as I understand it) a bit better than the FireGL (which is similar to a 9600 non-pro with 128 MB RAM). How big this difference actually is I have no idea, so any comments would be appreciated.

6. Weight and heat are both important, but in this respect it seems both laptops are quite equal, but I would like input if anyone has direct experience here.

7. Good battery life would be nice, I don't know what battery is in the HP, but the ThinkPad has a long-life one. Although the LCD probably draws a lot of power, I would think it lasts the longest without buying a new one. (correct me if I'm wrong).

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All in all the HP looks the most interesting to me. It seems to be the fastest, it's cheapest and I think the display suits me best. I don't know anything about the HP Premier Sound thingamabob though.
I've seen a lot of pro-IBM talk on this forum (and others). And since long life also is a factor this could tip the scales, that is, if it's a fact and not just fanatical IBM-zealot babble.

The main uses for this computer will be CPU stressing officework, but also audio, video and graphics fun. (photoshop, tracking and sound/video-editing).


That's it, thanks for reading my little essay, but to me this is an important choice so I hope I'll get your five bucks. Tell me if you need more information.

IBM has probably a Flexview screen, which is has a pretty slow refresh rate. I think you can get used to both UXGA and SXGA (just a matter of how far you look at the screen).

I don't know about the internal sound cards, but HP has better speakers than IBM.

Nope. Fire GL T2 is equal to MR 9600 Pro. So Fire GL T2 128 MB is the same as MR 9600 128 MB. Fire GL T2 just comes with Open GL drivers and is more pricey.

Dunno exactly, but IBM seems to be a bit lighter and smaller specswise.

HP nc series has also a long battery life.

IMHO, both computers are good. I'm used to HP designs (their keyboard, etc.) and I'd take it over the IBM. But I'm sure IBM would be good as well, if you like their way (Fn key placement, no windows key, Flexview, etc.).

If silence is an absolute requirement, go for the IBM. The HP and its dreadful fan that is on all the time is a nuisance.

Thanks for your thorough answer Tommi. I'll have a chance to test one of the IBMs next week. Then I can check the ghosting/the UXGA resolution thing, and the audio. (also wether or not that FN key will irritate me to death).

Another thing. when trying to OC the GPU of the computer, which will (generally speaking) tolerate this the best? The FireGL or the MR 9600? Or will they still roughly perform the same? (except that 128 MBs will help some games).

FireGL T2 on the T42s are the workstation (read: built from the very best components) counterpart to the MR9600. They use the same core, but go through more rigorous quality checks than the standard. They are also the de facto hardware on which to do professional CAD work, which is why the top of line FireGL cards go upwards of $800+ while the standard gaming cards stop at $500

I personally have a NC6000 which is fairly similar to the NC8000. When I have my Sony MDR-700s connected, you can hear quite a bit of noise just like an on-board sound card. The sound card built into my NC6000 is a Soundmax, but pretty much any motherboard with built-in sound (including laptops) will have noise because of the I/O (HDD, Cdrom, keyboard, etc). If you want some nice sound, I'd suggest you to get a USB sound card.

As for the IBM, you could probably upgrade to a 2 Ghz and downgrade the video card to a MR9600 instead of a Fire GL and get similra price ranges.

Well then, I went for the HP. I tested an IBM, and the ghosting was just horrible on the flexview, I'm hoping the HP does better. DVD-playback is a must, and on the IBM it looked quite horrendous in comparison with what I've seen on other notebooks.
The DVD-recorder and wireless capabilities of the HP are also superior, and the keyboard seemed better suited to me. The harddrive speed is not that essential, so 5400 RPM should be alright. Also from what I know, no notebooks really make a lot of noise, so if the HP isn't really monstrous I think it should be OK, especially with earphones

When I also took the price into consideration it really wasn't a hard choice anymore.

abcheng: I can't change or switch any components, everything is set up in bundles by the employer. That's why the prices are as good as they are.

I would go with the IBM. It sounds like a much better setup than the HP.
-Faster HDD
-Better GFX card
-More GFX ram
-Higher resolution screen

I would personally never get either machine, but our needs are VERY different. I have also never seen the IBM monitor, I cant imagine it being as bad as you say, but maybe seeing is believing.

I'm pretty sure the FireGL is a lot worse at gaming than the 9600. It's made for 3D modeling programs, not gaming. Their performance would NOT be the same.

Without the proper drivers the FireGL indeed does do worse on games. But with drivers it performs on par with a mr 9600, with some games, which use large textures etc, showing somewhat better scores.
No matter what, this machine won't be used for any gaming or other hardcore 3d stuff, so the GFX card is good enough as long as it displays everything (DVDs, documents, photos etc) well. And this is seldom any cause for concern on new graphic cards.

The screen might be better for some, but for me everything starts to look tiny when you go above 1400 x 1050 on a 15"er. Maybe if it was a 17".

Let me know how it behaves noise-wise once you receive it!

I have both and I would have to say that I'd choose the T42p over the HP. The HP does get warm on the bottom and left palm rest after an hour or so of use. The T42 stays absolutely cool on your lap.

The keyboard, trackpoint, and hard drive are superior on the T42. I'm a trackpoint user and the buttons for the trackpoint on the HP are terrible. Takes way too much pressure to depress the buttons. The only ones worse are the ones on the Dell D800 / 8600. Oddly, the buttons on the HP nc6000 are much better.