IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T43
Introduction
A few short years back, the T series notebook from IBM was exactly what most of us thought of whenever someone uttered the word "notebook". Through the years, it has been the friend of many students, business men, and serious travelers, with broad market brand-name recognition. Lately, it has undergone its latest refresh, now equipped under Intel's Sonoma platform. This is precisely the weapon of choice for many looking for a powerful thin and light notebook. And so we decided to put one of these new ThinkPads T series machines through its paces. Here's a look at the new T43.
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| Processor •_Designed for Intel 90nm Dothan Pentium-M with 2MB On-Die L2 Cache •_Supports 533MHz FSB Chipset •_Intel 915PM (with ATI GPU) or Intel 915GM (with Intel IGP)/ICH6-M •_Supports maximum memory capacity up to 2GB Memory •_Two 200-pin SODIMM sockets •_Supports DDR2 400/533 Unbuffered Non-ECC memory •_Supports maximum memory capacity up to 2GB Graphic •_Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 900 •_ATI Mobility Radeon X300 with 32MB or 64MB ATA • Intel ICH6-M South Bridge: - 1 x ATA 100/66 - 2 x SATA 100/66 - 30GB/40GB/60GB/80GB Ultra ATA HDD (4200RPM, 52400RPM, 7200RPM available: 30GB and 40GB - 4200RPM, 60GB - 7200ROM, rest 5400RPM) - Optical device (CD-ROM, CD-RW/DVD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Multi-Burner, or Slim Battery pack) Communications •_Broadcom Gigabit Mbps Ethernet •_Intel Wireless 2200BG (802.11 b/g), Intel Wireless 2915ABG (802.11 a/b/g), or IBM 802.11a/b/g WiFi card •_Bluetooth (optional) •_56K v.92 Fax/modem Display •_14.1" XGA TFT LCD (native 1024 x 768) •_14.1" SXGA+ TFT LCD (native 1400 x 1050) •_15.0" XGA TFT LCD (native 1024 x 768) •_15.0" SXGA+ TFT LCD (native 1400 x 1050) Audio •_Compatible with AC'97 2.3 •_Built in dual speakers Dimension and Weight |
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Measuring in at 12.2" x 10" x 1" and with a weight starting at 5.1 pounds (our T43 sample weighed at 5.5 lbs.), the IBM ThinkPad T series is the bread and butter of IBM's ThinkPad line. This is what most businesses, businessmen, colleges, and institutions buy from IBM. The reason for this is simple; the T series is a good mid point between performance and mobility. If you are on the go anywhere between 40% to 60% of the time, this format of IBM's noteboook offering is a good choice. Those that want more mobility should look to the "X" series, the "G" series for performance, and the "R" series for applications that require less mobility but a robust feature set.
