Thinkpads Forum

Hello!

I am in the Montreal area (American East Coast, up North). This is a sweet opportunity for you if you pass by (i have no car or passport lol) to score quick money.

I am looking for any *working* ThinkPad that could run XP decently. I have limited budget for this project and this is why eBay is a no go. If you have any common ThinkPad laying around i would be glad to give it a go.

Kijiji failed me already.

Thanks all.

I have a ThinkPad 390X with 256mb of RAM and PIII 450mhz it runs Windows XP fine. The machine is 9.5/10 except for the outside plastic cracking at the hinge screw holes but affects nothing and dead batteries. I can replace the battery from Canada Computers at your charge and shipping also at your charge. I live in Toronto. I also have a T22 with PIII 900 and 384mb RAM but really rough condition. I would need something like $35-40 out of them. Thanks.

Thanks but i think i will skip these.

I was more onto a X series, like X61s or X100e you know, small form factors.

50 Canadian ($38 US) is pretty low to get a laptop that runs XP. What do you want to do with it? Running Youtube effectively or a browser like Google Chrome eliminates a lot of older devices unless they are at least dual core processors.

rjp wrote:50 Canadian ($38 US) is pretty low to get a laptop that runs XP. What do you want to do with it? Running Youtube effectively or a browser like Google Chrome eliminates a lot of older devices unless they are at least dual core processors.

Nah i'm tryna play old games and show how ThinkPads lasts longer than any average laptop.

Quardah wrote: I was more onto a X series, like X61s or X100e you know, small form factors.

Good luck finding a working X61s in that price range, especially in Canada...can't say anything about the X1**e, though...never followed them...

It's harder to find a X series laptop that satisfies your needs with 40-50$ especially in Canada. I tried before you and no luck. Plus there is no X4x machines that can run Windows 10 without GPU issues since W10 requires X60 intel GMA 950. Things better than X40 would easily cost you 60-70 USD. Or if you dont mind, 570 may also satsify your needs but i dont have one.

Quardah wrote:

rjp wrote:50 Canadian ($38 US) is pretty low to get a laptop that runs XP. What do you want to do with it? Running Youtube effectively or a browser like Google Chrome eliminates a lot of older devices unless they are at least dual core processors.

Nah i'm tryna play old games and show how ThinkPads lasts longer than any average laptop.

The mid packed T/600 series tend to survive longer than full house G/A/7 series or smaller X/500 series. I have a dead 770 and a X220 with replaced heatsink because its original one died
Not trying to make you purchase my machine though but this IS my experience. My T machines and 600 all work just fine as of now

hum let me think about it i'll reply here soon.

im also checking ebay, X100e are very inexpensive and sharp looking.

don't know yet what imma do.

Btw just to tell you the models ending with e or i are the economy inexpensive version. I personally wouldn't go for them since they, especially e, are likely to have celeron processors and may not work with higher end processors. Almost all X series have intel GMA. For T and A/W series they support high resolution displays but weighs >2kg with batt. I am using a T43 right now and it holds fair considering its age. Let me tell you the bottom line for the generations. Anything older than T/X61 is not likely to be wanted by any computer stores and likely not to work with x64. Anything older than 2005 T43 100% wont work with Windows 8 and up. Only ATI version T43 works with Windows 8 and up. Anything older than A30/T23 can't run Windows 7 with bearable speed (My A30 starts W7 in 1 min while T22 needs 2.5 minutes and almost unusable). Things older than T22 is not likely to run XP well. And im talking about after maxing out their specs (RAM and preferably cpu as well)

Btw anything newer than T/X61 is likely better off in Windows 7 and any core i machines will run slower in XP because it only supports 2 threads/cores.

Quardah wrote:

rjp wrote:50 Canadian ($38 US) is pretty low to get a laptop that runs XP. What do you want to do with it? Running Youtube effectively or a browser like Google Chrome eliminates a lot of older devices unless they are at least dual core processors.

Nah i'm tryna play old games and show how ThinkPads lasts longer than any average laptop.

Hmmm, games that were designed for Windows XP should have no problems running in Windows 7 and newer, they have a similar type of code. The only old games that you would have trouble playing would be games that were designed for DOS and DOS based Windows such as 95, and 98, those games don't run well in XP either though because XP has the newer Windows NT based format. So the only type of old laptop that you might need to easily play old games, that would otherwise be difficult to play, is a Windows 98 machine with native drivers. To play old games for XP, you could just install it on a virtual hard disk on your (newer) OS, or dual boot.

If you've got an adapter and a hard drive you can find an x60 in that price range on ebay. I've bought plenty between $1-$20. Shipping can't be that much to Canada.

jaspen-meyer wrote:If you've got an adapter and a hard drive you can find an x60 in that price range on ebay. I've bought plenty between $1-$20. Shipping can't be that much to Canada.

Shipping to Canada is usually $35-50 CAD, for most laptops.

Thinkpad Maniac wrote:

jaspen-meyer wrote:If you've got an adapter and a hard drive you can find an x60 in that price range on ebay. I've bought plenty between $1-$20. Shipping can't be that much to Canada.

Shipping to Canada is usually $35-50 CAD, for most laptops.

Agreed. I paid $40 for a T43p lid to deliver from Pennsylvania to Toronto

kfzhu1229 wrote:Btw just to tell you the models ending with e or i are the economy inexpensive version. I personally wouldn't go for them since they, especially e, are likely to have celeron processors and may not work with higher end processors. Almost all X series have intel GMA.

The X100e could be ordered with a range of AMD Athlon Neo processors, and I recall reading about overheating problems.

I have the X120e with the AMD E-350 CPU. It's a generation newer and it's not quick. Windows 7 was fine at first, but unbearable after the unending update issues began. Windows update would have one of the processors running at 100% for hours. Before anyone chimes in about fixes, I tried everything mentioned here (and a lot of tips mentioned elsewhere), but ultimately gave up. There's only so much time that a person should have to waste chasing gremlins. Whatever Microsoft did to Windows 7 in the year leading up to Windows 10 had the desired effect: I don't want to use it anymore.

It's a fine little laptop with Linux, although the AMD graphics are a bit finicky.

To my surprise this thread became a great discussion!!

I am still unsure of what i will be getting. I don't even know what it'll run, after all the Linux way sounds nice too. I would carry the device to hang out with friends while chilling, therefore something small is best.

x100e is just the right form factor and i feel like it's a sweet spot to get them while they last. Found one on eBay, 80USD shipped to my place. While it's an old amd processor, the device should be sufficiently strong to run a youtube video or some music while we chill.

Still considering the options. Anything old is surprisingly fun to fool around with but i don't want to spend too much cash into it.

Maybe i'll go for a Lenovo N device (lol). The OS is funky and it's less than 30$ to purchase right now. My dad found on deal on them somewhere close. I'll investigate and post the results.

Quardah wrote:To my surprise this thread became a great discussion!!

I am still unsure of what i will be getting. I don't even know what it'll run, after all the Linux way sounds nice too. I would carry the device to hang out with friends while chilling, therefore something small is best.

x100e is just the right form factor and i feel like it's a sweet spot to get them while they last. Found one on eBay, 80USD shipped to my place. While it's an old amd processor, the device should be sufficiently strong to run a youtube video or some music while we chill.

Still considering the options. Anything old is surprisingly fun to fool around with but i don't want to spend too much cash into it.

Maybe i'll go for a Lenovo N device (lol). The OS is funky and it's less than 30$ to purchase right now. My dad found on deal on them somewhere close. I'll investigate and post the results.

Let me warn you. If you need a true solid ThinkPad that lasts 10 years, DON'T. You are better off with a X60 instead of that c*ap. You see the point is IBM NEVER used AMD CPU and most of the things Lenovo do but not IBM do not turn out good and are usually some things Lenovo did to cash in a bit more but these are far from classic ThinkPad. For example, if you buy the Edge series Tp you are better off with a Dell inspiron which is actually better. I would feel ashamed if I get one of these budget stuff instead. Trust me, just spend some money in some ThinkPad Classics and you won't regret it. My mom bought a X220i 5 years ago and now it still works aside from my mom breaking the heatsink and I replaced it. Get a X6x or X300 if you have similar needs and you won't regret it.

Here's my list of pros and cons for the X120e, which was considered a significant improvement over the X100e (mainly because of the heat issues).

Pros:

• Keyboard. It's a chiclet-style keyboard, but it's much better than typical netbook keyboards. It's very nice to type on, even if it has the revised layout.
• Battery life. When it was new, I got 5.5-6 hours on Windows 7 with the optional larger battery.
• Case construction. It feels solid enough. No latch on the screen though.
• Access to components. A single back panel provides access to most of the regular user-replaceable components.

Cons:

• CPU. With the AMD E-350 dual core, it's about the equivalent of a low end Core Duo. If you have limited needs, it's usable today, but won't be for too long. I checked the benchmarks of the dual-core AMD Turion Neo X2 available in the X100e and they're almost identical. The other option available on the X100e, the single core Athlon Neo, is about equivalent to a P4. I suspect that the graphics may be better than those available with a P4, but I haven't checked.
• Heat. Even the X120e runs warm, and it was supposed to be much cooler running than the X100e.
• Screen. Viewing angles are very tight.
• Component quality. Mine has seen fairly limited use over five years, but I've had to replace the LCD cable, which wore through where it passes through the hinge.

I would say get a X6x or X2/300 if you need touchpad and widescreen

Or try the newer X131e with Intel i3 CPU instead of that crap AMD one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/252592236960

RealBlackStuff wrote:Or try the newer X131e with Intel i3 CPU instead of that crap AMD one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/252592236960

Agreed. AMD CPU is not necessarily bad BUT AMD Thinkpads ARE. Since they are just cheap alternatives, Lenovo wont put as much effort on them thus they usually will suffer from things like motherboard designs which will result in a lower quality. Then it also doesnt help that AMD has a lower maximum temperature for their chips than Intel. Intel mobile CPU can survive 90C without any problems while AMD CPU usually start to degrade at that temp. Most things lenovo tried on Thinkpads that IBM did not usually wont turn out good.

Good stuff.

I'll be looking for a x131e with intel.

Any other x1**e with intel?

I wouldn't mind AMD either to be honest, but if you say it's not good component quality that would be bad.

Still tryna look for a deal into this. Sadly there was a N21 laptop for sale on amazon.ca for 28CAD (not kidding) and i skipped the deal like a twat. I hate myself for this, this could have been the perfect low-price option for a chilling laptop.

Quardah wrote:Good stuff.

I'll be looking for a x131e with intel.

Any other x1**e with intel?

I wouldn't mind AMD either to be honest, but if you say it's not good component quality that would be bad.

Still tryna look for a deal into this. Sadly there was a N21 laptop for sale on amazon.ca for 28CAD (not kidding) and i skipped the deal like a twat. I hate myself for this, this could have been the perfect low-price option for a chilling laptop.

Also don't get confused with ThinkPads and generic Lenovo products. It's like comparing DreamWorks and Blue Sky under the same 20th century Fox distributor. The differences are real and one does good while the other one is below average