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Nyl · Apr 19, 2006, 03:47 AM

Has anyone tried optimizing the ATI video card on MBP ??

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1848

zign · Apr 19, 2006, 04:44 AM

Originally Posted by Nyl

Has anyone tried optimizing the ATI video card on MBP ??

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1848

I wouldn't mess with original settings. It is fast enough even when underclocked.

Danoldo · Apr 19, 2006, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by zign

I wouldn't mess with original settings. It is fast enough even when underclocked.

blah blah blah...

fast enough for who? Are you telling me that everyone uses the computer for the same, non-strenuous applications, you use it for?

mduell · Apr 19, 2006, 09:58 AM

Apple needs to dump the metal enclosure and go back to plastic.

uicandrew · Apr 19, 2006, 09:58 AM

well, there are some posts asking if getting the 256mb vram is worth it and asking for specific instances where it is useful.

and the general consensus is: it's good for future-proofing and not that useful now.
I haven't seen any benchmarks where the 256vram and the 128vram models are compared

why possibly screw up your machine while it is so new when there is no noticible benefit? just to please the "cutting edge" ego?

Danoldo · Apr 19, 2006, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by uicandrew

well, there are some posts asking if getting the 256mb vram is worth it and asking for specific instances where it is useful.

and the general consensus is: it's good for future-proofing and not that useful now.
I haven't seen any benchmarks where the 256vram and the 128vram models are compared

why possibly screw up your machine while it is so new when there is no noticible benefit? just to please the "cutting edge" ego?

clocking the vid card, and seeing frame rates go through the roof, is no noticablebenefit?

onlykaria · Apr 19, 2006, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by Nyl

Has anyone tried optimizing the ATI video card on MBP ??

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1848

what applications would see this benefit, like would this be for something like aperture or for gaming?

jasonsRX7 · Apr 19, 2006, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Apple needs to dump the metal enclosure and go back to plastic.

Enigmaaron · Apr 19, 2006, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Apple needs to dump the metal enclosure and go back to plastic.

Am I missing something? What does the enclosure material have to do with the video card's clock speeds?

Nyl · Apr 19, 2006, 12:23 PM

the pb/mbp is already way overheated ... plastic enclosure is just gonna make it worse

MovieCutter · Apr 19, 2006, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by Nyl

the pb/mbp is already way overheated ... plastic enclosure is just gonna make it worse

Indeed. The aluminum metal body of the MacBook Pro acts as a big heat dissipator. If they made a 1" thick notbook out of plastic, that plastic would likely melt in your lap...have fun with that one.

aristotles · Apr 19, 2006, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by Nyl

Has anyone tried optimizing the ATI video card on MBP ??

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1848

It underclocked for a reason. They underclocked it so that the MBP could be less than 1" thick including the display when closed and could use thermal paste instead of a huge heatsink/fan.

Show me another laptop with the same CPU with the same thickness and no fan or giant heat sink on the GPU that is less than 1" thick when closed.

SpaceMonkey · Apr 19, 2006, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by aristotles

It underclocked for a reason. They underclocked it so that the MBP could be less than 1" thick including the display when closed and could use thermal paste instead of a huge heatsink/fan.

Show me another laptop with the same CPU with the same thickness and no fan or giant heat sink on the GPU that is less than 1" thick when closed.

Just out of curiosity, how thick is the current ThinkPad T-series? That's plastic, and should have about the same feature set and heat output, right? I did a quick once-over of IBM/Lenovo's web site, but I couldn't find any dimensions.

EDIT: their (Flash?) demo animation states that the 14" model is "about an inch" in thickness.

Danoldo · Apr 19, 2006, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by onlykaria

what applications would see this benefit, like would this be for something like aperture or for gaming?

IN WINDOWS XP! Games, photoshop, etc..........

They are able to do all this bc of Windows XP

jasonsRX7 · Apr 19, 2006, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by MovieCutter

Indeed. The aluminum metal body of the MacBook Pro acts as a big heat dissipator. If they made a 1" thick notbook out of plastic, that plastic would likely melt in your lap...have fun with that one.

That is just so wrong. I replaced my MacBook Pro with a 1" thick Thinkpad T60 (same Core Duo processor) and it gets less hot on the bottom than the MacBook did on top.

I can actively use the T60 in my lap for an hour, and it will be only slightly warm on the bottom, and completely cool on top (it gets more heat from me than I get from it). The MacBook could get scalding hot in that time.

Look at my thread comparing the T60 to a MacBook if you want to see how much thicker the T60 is... The answer is not much. I think the reason that the MacBook gets so much hotter is that Apple made low fan noise a priority over cooling. The Thinkpad fans run louder (but still not very loud) and cool it much more effectively.

mduell · Apr 19, 2006, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by Enigmaaron

Am I missing something? What does the enclosure material have to do with the video card's clock speeds?

With a plastic enclosure it wouldn't feel so hot.

Lenovo has all the same components (X1300 instead of X1600) in 5 lb, 14" laptop, 1" thick, and it gets 5+ hours of actual battery life.

aristotles · Apr 19, 2006, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

Just out of curiosity, how thick is the current ThinkPad T-series? That's plastic, and should have about the same feature set and heat output, right? I did a quick once-over of IBM/Lenovo's web site, but I couldn't find any dimensions.

EDIT: their (Flash?) demo animation states that the 14" model is "about an inch" in thickness.

As I explained in the other thread, you end up with louder fan noise or constant fan noise when you trade in fanless GPU's for overclocked ones.

Velocity211 · Apr 19, 2006, 03:01 PM

I overclocked my PB's 9700 to 580/330 and I see little heat difference and only about -15 minutes of battery life. But Doom 3 runs faster than before. Who knows what this will do to my PB in the long run. But I plan to upgrade to a MBP in a year or two.

onlykaria · Apr 19, 2006, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by Danoldo

IN WINDOWS XP! Games, photoshop, etc..........

They are able to do all this bc of Windows XP

ahhh ok

schalliol · Apr 19, 2006, 04:16 PM

I couldn't find the ATI Tools 0.2.5b software, can anyone locate it?

mduell · Apr 19, 2006, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by schalliol

I couldn't find the ATI Tools 0.2.5b software, can anyone locate it?

First hit on Google, as usual.

schalliol · Apr 19, 2006, 04:37 PM

Thanks! No where to be found you though it was "ATI Tools" ...as usual

Xidius · Apr 19, 2006, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by Velocity211

I overclocked my PB's 9700 to 580/330...

Tell me how.

- Xidius

ksloan2 · Apr 19, 2006, 05:59 PM

There is a news site out there which has an article about how DDR2 memories in general can get as hot as 85C (nearly the temperature to boil water, and the article claimed it could melt certain plastic components). I can't find the link right now, but I will update this message if I do.

To me, it seems that the race for speed hasn't kept up with the cooling technology development.

Not sure who to blaim here, but if all our Macbooks get cooked during this summer, that sure ain't a good thing...

Velocity211 · Apr 19, 2006, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by Xidius

Tell me how.

- Xidius

I used ATIcellerator II 1.06b.

Simon · Apr 20, 2006, 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

With a plastic enclosure it wouldn't feel so hot.

That's simplistic. Just because it doesn't feel so hot doesn't mean it isn't. Plastic cases mean better heat insulation, mean internal temps are higher, mean either more cooling needed or higher component failure rates. Assuming you don't want the latter, it's more fans, bigger fans or higher speed fans. Both mean more noise or more thickness. Apple seems to prefer thin and quiet to thick and noisy and obviously they find many users agree. Hence, you'll have to live with being a 'poor and disregarded minority' or just put your money where your mouth is and buy a Twhatever. It's quite simple actually.

As a comparison: My g/f's T42 is a very decent notebook, but it's always got a fan running making it louder than her PB G4 and hence it's no wonder its battery life is crap compared to the G4. It's very cool however. Bottom line is it's a trade-off and Apple made their choice.

No offense intended, but its not like Apple chose Al just because they wanted hot cases. They do employ real engineers that went to real universities and their staff isn't entirely stupid.

mduell · Apr 20, 2006, 03:29 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

That's simplistic. Just because it doesn't feel so hot doesn't mean it isn't. Plastic cases mean better heat insulation, mean internal temps are higher, mean either more cooling needed or higher component failure rates. Assuming you don't want the latter, it's more fans, bigger fans or higher speed fans. Both mean more noise or more thickness. Apple seems to prefer thin and quiet to thick and noisy and obviously they find many users agree. Hence, you'll have to live with being a 'poor and disregarded minority' or just put your money where your mouth is and buy a Twhatever. It's quite simple actually.

As a comparison: My g/f's T42 is a very decent notebook, but it's always got a fan running making it louder than her PB G4 and hence it's no wonder its battery life is crap compared to the G4. It's very cool however. Bottom line is it's a trade-off and Apple made their choice.

No offense intended, but its not like Apple chose Al just because they wanted hot cases. They do employ real engineers that went to real universities and their staff isn't entirely stupid.

Simplistic and correct. If my laptop spends most of its life at 45C instead of 40C, does it having a meaningful impact on component life? IBM/Lenovo's T series are the same thickness, have a noticably cooler exterior, and haven't had any problems with noise or component failure. Your girlfriend's T42 seems to be the exception, and those battery figures are suspect. C|Net got 5.7 hours battery life for the T42 under simulated load while the recent G4 PowerBooks managed just 2.7 hours. Perhaps she has a background app using a lot of CPU that is both increasing fan usage and decreasing battery life.

I don't doubt that Apple employs college educated engineers, but it seems that the aesthetics folks overrule the ergonomics folks. Having a metal heatsink on my lap is downright uncomfortable.

Simon · Apr 20, 2006, 03:42 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Simplistic and correct. If my laptop spends most of its life at 45C instead of 40C, does it having a meaningful impact on component life?

Again, that's perceived temp on the outside of the case and irrelevant to the components on the inside. The components inside could be up to twice as hot. And that heat needs to be moved out. With metal cases the case helps do that but it gets hot, with plastic cases the case stays cooler, but you need fans to do the real job and that causes additional noise.

It's definitely not that good looks prevented Apple from doing the right thing, it's that different people have different priorities and obviously Apple (count me in here) has different ones than you. That's life. There's no sense in trying to make your needs the 'right' needs. There's a notebook out there for everybody. Maybe your's just doesn't have a white Apple on it.

I don't doubt that Apple employs college educated engineers, but it seems that the aesthetics folks overrule the ergonomics folks. Having a metal heatsink on my lap is downright uncomfortable.

Just for the record ergonomics has to do with noise as much as with heat. There are only few computer companies who consider ergonomics as much as Apple. I find having a noisy laptop on my lap downright uncomfortable. Again, different people have different priorities. There's no such thing as the 'right' or 'wrong' needs. Apple just made a choice, that's all. Win some, lose some.

jasonsRX7 · Apr 20, 2006, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

It's definitely not that good looks prevented Apple from doing the right thing, it's that different people have different priorities and obviously Apple (count me in here) has different ones than you.

Or maybe Apple's priorities are "Quiet, Thin, and Sleek Aluminum Case" because they are better marketing terms than "Low Heat Dissipation." There's a lot of people saying the whine isn't a big deal, but complain about fan noise. Maybe the whine isn't such a big deal, but at least the fan noise serves a purpose.

hakstooy · Apr 20, 2006, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

With a plastic enclosure it wouldn't feel so hot.

Lenovo has all the same components (X1300 instead of X1600) in 5 lb, 14" laptop, 1" thick, and it gets 5+ hours of actual battery life.

Why do people keep quoting the smallest number in the "range" of the thickness of the ThinkPads to quote as their thickness? The T60 I think you're referring to, is 1.0-1.2" thick, and is 1.2" thick through most of its form, only narrowing to 1" for a small portion of the front. So its basically 1.2" thick.

As you can see here:

Additionally, the 14" T60 weighs 5.2 lbs with 6-cell battery and optical drive. (The 15" MBP is 5.6 lbs. and the 15" T60 6.4 (w/ 9 cell) just for reference).

Oh, and that battery life you're figuring comes with the 9-cell battery, which adds .7 lbs and a huge hump on the back of the thing. (Again, for reference, the 15" T60 w/ 9-cell gets 3 hours with typical use, about the same as an MBP).

And what would going back to plastic do to help cooling? The metal case HELPS cool the thing. Making it thicker might help with cooling, but keeping the same form and making it plastic will make the components hotter, make it feel cooler, yes, but make the inside hotter.

Your using the fact the T60 is more configurable and has a non-uniform shape to skew your presentation of it. Defining weight and thickness in smallest quantities possible, while defining performance in greatest, even if the two don't mesh.

Don't get me wrong, the T60 is a great laptop, but its not like it is on another plane of existence. And of course Apple puts a premium on presentation, which is why it is thinner and quieter while being hotter and less rugged than the T60. Two different design priorities, neither of which is wrong.

Barefoot Matt · Apr 20, 2006, 12:27 PM

I just want to chime in to say that the side view of the T60 above looks really freakin' ugly. I'm glad my laptop is so much prettier than that.

schalliol · Apr 20, 2006, 12:41 PM

VGA hahahhahaha

jasonsRX7 · Apr 20, 2006, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by Barefoot Matt

I just want to chime in to say that the side view of the T60 above looks really freakin' ugly. I'm glad my laptop is so much prettier than that.

Apple agrees... Form over function. Just be careful not to to let anything ever touch it, and be sure to carry around a cooling pad to use it on. That beautiful aluminum case can't take much abuse.

Originally Posted by schalliol

VGA hahahhahaha

Since you're already carrying around a cooling pad, it's not really a big deal to tote the extra DVI-VGA converter you'll need to hook it up to most projectors.

The kind of things you guys don't like about the T60 are the things that make them so appropriate for corporate use. I'm not saying that the Power/MacBooks suck (cause they're great), they're just not appropriate for corporate use, and I really wish Apple had something that was.

For the record, I LOVE my Powerbook, G5, Cinema Display, and every Apple product I own. I just wish I could start buying some at work too.

hakstooy · Apr 20, 2006, 04:14 PM

Oh, c'mon now. I've never used a cooling pad with any of PBs or my MBP. They're no more necessary than they are for a T60.

And to help everyone understand one thing, another reason the case feels hotter is because the metal conducts the heat into your skin better; ie: a 110 T60 feels a lot cooler than a 110 MBP.

Also, I think schiallol was laughing at the fact the T60 only has VGA output. Which is laughable, and really, my only real issue with the ThinkPads. I dunno why they can't have DVI.

As for corporate use, its not like every laptop used in the corporate environment is as sturdy as a ThinkPad. You wouldn't go standing on an Latitude. An MBP or PB works just fine in a corporate environment.

I agree it would be nice if there was a more "real-life" practical pro Apple portable. Something that was more rugged, lighter and with better battery life. And I certainly wouldn't mind and extra .25" if it made it run that much cooler. But, other than the pro part, we're talking about an iBook, which, is basically adequate for typical "corporate" use anyway.

Velocity211 · Apr 20, 2006, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by hakstooy

Which is laughable, and really, my only real issue with the ThinkPads. I dunno why they can't have DVI.

Because they use windows!!

jk

jasonsRX7 · Apr 20, 2006, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by hakstooy

And to help everyone understand one thing, another reason the case feels hotter is because the metal conducts the heat into your skin better; ie: a 110 T60 feels a lot cooler than a 110 MBP.

Well that's kind of the point. As long as it stays within spec, I don't really care how hot a T60 gets on the inside, as long as it isn't making my legs and palms sweat when I use it. I don't want that heat transferred to my skin. But that's just me, obviously some people don't mind.

Anyway, I am kind of curious now how hot the MBP and T60 are internally. I've got to send the MBP back tomorrow, so if there's an app that can read the internal temps (iStat doesn't work) I'll try it out tonight. I'm looking for a good one for the T60 now.

Originally Posted by hakstooy

As for corporate use, its not like every laptop used in the corporate environment is as sturdy as a ThinkPad.

Most of the ones in the price range of a MacBook Pro are. And I agree, DVI on the Thinkpad would be better, but would be used as regular vga most of the time anyway.

Yep the iBook would be fine for more corporate use if it had a docking station and easily removable hard drive.

hakstooy · Apr 20, 2006, 08:21 PM

That's true about the heat, I personally don't care, but I've had 4 PBs and this MBP, so I'm kinda used to it. Heh. It'd be nice not to have it, but, if I had to pick between hot and loud, I pick loud. But I guess a compromise would be nice.

And I completely agree with the dock, I guess its an aesthetic thing, but heck, make it covered by a little spring-loaded door like the ExpressCard slot. I assume the reasoning is the same for a non-external hard drive access cover.

Simon · Apr 21, 2006, 12:27 AM

VGA on any notebook above $1500 is abysmal. And don't give me the dongle crap. Every decent corporate presentation station will have a dongle ready. Just like a laser pointer, AC power, etc...

jasonsRX7 · Apr 21, 2006, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

VGA on any notebook above $1500 is abysmal. And don't give me the dongle crap. Every decent corporate presentation station will have a dongle ready. Just like a laser pointer, AC power, etc...

Good thing the T60 is $1475

But yes, having DVI would be better, you'll get no arguement from me there. Oh and the docking station does have a DVI port.

Simon · 03:00 AM

Originally Posted by jasonsRX7

Good thing the T60 is $1475

Well spec it decently and you'll be well above but the outdated VGA port will always be there. Personally, I'd take the feature set of the T series in the case of the X series with the screen of the Z series. No, really.

But honestly, the PC world needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Even Apple's $599 mini offers DVI. And you betcha the MB (which will start at roughly $1000) will be DVI too. I sometimes wonder if companies will still be building VGA notebooks by the time we start switching to UDI.

Oh and the docking station does have a DVI port.

Which of course does you no good for a presentation because since you don't want to lug your cooling pad to the presentation, you certainly don't want to lug the docking station there either.

But Jason, I'll give you that: I really miss the docking station option for the PB/MBP. How can a professional notebook not have a docking station port at all? Especially when the ports are arranged in such a way that it's hard to build a simple port replicator station at all. I like having the ports on the side because it allows a much more compact hinge design (check out how much space is wasted when you have hinges like most PC notebooks with ports all over the back) and it's practical when you're on the road. But as soon as I get to the office or back home, I wanna hook up my MBP to my big display, K&M, HDDs, etc. and then I have to start plugging in all kinds of cables. It's a mess. There is of course the BookEndz docking station for the PB G4, but quite honestly it sucks and it's expensive too. To make matters worse, try ordering one from the company if your shipping address is outside the US. Good luck.

Bottom line is Apple should integrate some kind of docking station port. Preferably on the bottom of the case. Hide it behind a latch that slides away once you put the MBP on the docking station. The latch will protect the port and at the same time take care of esthetics. Heck, it's been done before, it's not like Apple needs to invest a lot of R&D. IMHO they don't need to even sell a docking station themselves. Let third party manufacturers take care of it, but for the love of God make it possible.

jasonsRX7 · Apr 21, 2006, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

Well spec it decently and you'll be well above but the outdated VGA port will always be there.

The price dropped on some of the T60s right before they started showing up in stock. I got mine for $1475 for a 1.8ghz Core Duo, 512mb ram, 80gb HD, DVD burner, Radeon x1300, and 1400x1050 14.1" screen. That's a good deal any way you look at it.

Personally, I'd take the feature set of the T series in the case of the X series with the screen of the Z series. No, really.

No kidding, me too! Might as well have it ship with OS X while we're wishing

I'm with you on the docking station

n8236 · Apr 21, 2006, 07:13 PM

Man, this whole issue is turning into a fiasco. But i like to point out some things that should be common sense and alleviate some panic.

Heat: All this talk about the mbp melting if clocked to 470/470. HIghly doubt it. Given that the gpu is underclocked, clocking it back up to manufacturer spec of 470/470 should not produce an enormous amount of heat because it's not being "overclocked" per say. If pushed over 470/470, then yes, I would then assume it would create more heat. People, get it right, it's not overclocking, just clocking it back to manu, specs. Thus, i think it would be safe to keep it ata 470/470.

The only i've ever heard the fans turn on is when the mbp is plugged into the ac, on my bed where ventilation is bad. And the fan doesn't even stay on longer than 2-3 seconds at a time.

So far I haven't heard anyone having their mbp melt in their laps with the mbp clocked 470/470. Not to mention the good track record of no enormous heat issues or graphical artifacts. This is good news.

But on the flip side, it could very well be heat/battery life issue. But i'm leaning towards the battery life concern more than the heat. If i had already heard the fan go on all the time, then I'd be concerned about heat issues. But i can't imagine the mbp having a 30 minute shorter battery life given the type of scrutiny it already went thru w/ that issue. It would be such a turn-off.

Now, for the mbp to be benchmarked against comparable laptops in its class, it might have to bump its gpu to 470/470. And obviously, in terms of battery life it would lose points, but gain in the gpu area.

I personally like the discovery of this underclocked gpu. I would wait for further testing and it is well, I would defintiely keep it at 470/470 for intensive 3d purposes and off when not in use.

Simon · Apr 22, 2006, 02:54 AM

I think they're actually playing it smart.

For the general buyer they made sure the MBP gets roughly 3h battery life. Anything less would have generated a lot of bad press. OTOH those users that prefer max GPU power rather than battery life (gamers? LAN parties?) can clock it back to its original speed and get all the power the GPU has to offer. Basically everybody gets what they prefer.

jhonizzle · Apr 22, 2006, 10:00 AM

ok shouldn't this be going in the compairison forum that you setup jasonsRX7....about the t70, PB, and MBP......this stopped talking about Underclocking the MBP a while ago

Berman · Apr 22, 2006, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by jasonsRX7

That is just so wrong. I replaced my MacBook Pro with a 1" thick Thinkpad T60

seriously, WHY, unless you're running linux on it? windows can suck my ass.

jasonsRX7 · Apr 22, 2006, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Berman

seriously, WHY, unless you're running linux on it? windows can suck my ass.

I can do my job just as well (arguably better) with Windows as with OS X. I don't have a problem using either one. Besides, I still own three other Macs, including a Powerbook.

Originally Posted by jhonizzle

ok shouldn't this be going in the compairison forum that you setup

Probably. Maybe a mod will move some of the posts.

bloodline · Apr 23, 2006, 07:39 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

With a plastic enclosure it wouldn't feel so hot.

Lenovo has all the same components (X1300 instead of X1600) in 5 lb, 14" laptop, 1" thick, and it gets 5+ hours of actual battery life.

You are right, it wouldn't feel so hot... but the plastic enclosure keeps the heat in, and the CPU's thermal protection will throttle back, reducing performance. I've been uisng my MacBook Pro running Logic Pro 7.2 for 13hour recording sessions, for the past week, and the machine got hot, but performed faultlessly not a single crash and running effects and synths in realtime that brought a Dual G5 tower to it's knees!

We tried a similar set up a year a go using a Sony Viao running Adobe Audition, and the CPU throttling kept causing lots of recording glitches and sync errors

Barefoot Matt · Apr 23, 2006, 09:17 AM

Back on topic a bit, would it void our warranty to re-clock the video card?

mduell · Apr 23, 2006, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by bloodline

You are right, it wouldn't feel so hot... but the plastic enclosure keeps the heat in, and the CPU's thermal protection will throttle back, reducing performance.

Sure, once you get into the 80+C range... my plastic cased Dell Pentium M doesn't get above 75C after hours of 100% CPU usage. As far as fan noise, it's audible, but not loud enough to be annoying or prevent me from sleeping.

villalobos · Apr 23, 2006, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Simplistic and correct. If my laptop spends most of its life at 45C instead of 40C, does it having a meaningful impact on component life? IBM/Lenovo's T series are the same thickness, have a noticably cooler exterior, and haven't had any problems with noise or component failure. Your girlfriend's T42 seems to be the exception, and those battery figures are suspect. C|Net got 5.7 hours battery life for the T42 under simulated load while the recent G4 PowerBooks managed just 2.7 hours. Perhaps she has a background app using a lot of CPU that is both increasing fan usage and decreasing battery life.

There must be different processors in different T42 because the one we have at work have Pentium M and you will be hard pressed to get 3h out of the battery, with battery saver and low screen luminosity. Now when they are used to drive a projector wihth Powerpoint presentations you will not make it 2 hours...