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Dell D800 vs IBM T42 (both Dothan 735)

post #1 of 6
7/21/04 at 7:53am
Thread Starter 
What do people think about the relability/build quality of these two models. You can configure them to have similar specs at about the same cost. (At least in Australia). They, for the same cost, have win XP Pro, 3yr warranty etc. I know the Dell is heavier and has the Nvida range of cards but it has a wide screen( 15 inch wsxga vs 15 inch sxga on the T42). I am really trying to compare quality and service for a machine that needs to work all day every day as a tool not a toy. (well I can't lie also a toy!)

On the cost issue Dell is relatively cheaper if you have a higher end model. (ie 745 or 755, DVD burner etc). I am looking at a machine with mid range specs :- the 735 chip, 128meg Nivida 5650(Dell) vs 64meg ATI Mobility FireGL T2 (IBM), 40gig hard drive, combo optical drive and 512meg ram.

Thanks in advance
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post #2 of 6
7/21/04 at 9:28am
For what you are looking at, no doubt the IBM has better overall build quality. However in terms of power the D800 has the edge with the graphics by a fair margin, whilst still maintaining a decent build quality in what is IMO a much better looking machine. I say there is more bang for your buck in that D800 so that is my suggestion, I would only go with the IBM if build quality was the be all and end all for you.
stu
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post #3 of 6
7/21/04 at 11:48am
Agreed. The IBM only goes up to a 32mb card... and the price is nearing $3000. D800 with the same specs shouldn't be that high... customize to $3000 and you'll have a much better overall machine.

And silver wins in the beauty contest, at least imo.
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post #4 of 6
7/23/04 at 5:06am
Thread Starter 
The higher spec models of the T42 have workstation video cards from ATI in either 64meg or 128meg forms. The ATI card they use is the ATI Mobility FireGL T2 which Ibelieve is a modification of the ATI 9600 card (see www.ati.com) . That is it has been modified for workstation use. I suspect it would have abit more power then the Nvidia 5650 card in the Dell even though it has 128meg of video ram. The lower spec models of the T42 have a 32med ATI 7500!!! which is just ancient
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post #5 of 6
7/24/04 at 7:12pm

The BIG Difference

Having used both systems quite a bit now. I would says the BIG difference is size and weight. If portability is not a big issue, the D800 is a fantastic machine and includes a firewire port which is nice if you want to play with video. However, the D800 is much bigger, heavier, runs warmer and has shorter battery life. So, overall, the Thinkpad is much more portable. The rest is pretty much a wash unless you have a particular preference for the widescreen format screen of the D800.
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post #6 of 6
7/25/04 at 1:20am
There are screen ghosting problems with higher-end T42-s (their nominal response time is 60ms); check the Thinkpads forums.
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