The Bottom Line
Pros
- Higher Speed Hard Drive
- Windows XP Professional
- Durable System
Cons
- Lacks FireWire Support
- Above Average Price
Description
- Intel Pentium M 735 (1.7GHz) Processor
- 512MB PC2700 DDR Memory (2GB Maximum)
- 40GB 5,400rpm Hard Drive
- 24x CD-RW Combo Optical Drive
- 15" XGA Display and ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 with 32MB Memory
- SoundMAX AC'97 Audio
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g Wireless
- Two USB 2.0 Ports and Two Type II PC Card Slots
- 13" x 10.6" x 1.2" @ 5.7 lbs.
- Windows XP Professional, IBM Access, Norton Anti-Virus, WinDVD
Guide Review - IBM ThinkPad T42
11/18/04 - IBM has long been the leader of corporate notebook computers with its ThinkPad series thanks to its high reliability. They have bolstered this with their excellent warranties and the new Active Protection System. The ThinkPad T42 continues this tradition.
Powering the ThinkPad T42 is the Intel Pentium M 735 (1.7GHz) that provides an excellent mix of power and battery life. Matched to this is 512MB of PC2700 DDR memory allowing it to run through the most applications without any problems.
Storage is not one of the strong points for the ThinkPad T42. It comes standard with a 40GB hard drive. Thankfully it has a higher spin rate of 5,400 RPMs for inproved performance. It also uses the APS system to protect data during shocks or bumps. A 24x CD-RW combo drive for CD burning and DVD playback is also standard.
Graphics on the ThinkPad T42 are a mixed bag. The 15" LCD display is larger and bright. IBM chose to use a dedicated ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 graphics core which helps performance slight, but its 3D capabilities are as poor as the integrated solutions.
All of these features make it excellent for business, but not as great for consumers that have a slightly different need in their computers. Still, the ThinkPad T42 is a rock solid machine that has a high reliability rate making it a machine that can last for a long time.
