Thinkpads Forum

which I will use on a KVM, so the LCD needn't actually work. I think I would like at least a Pentium M (also attractive to use less power, make less heat) and all the RAM I can get (surely not less than 1GB max).

I have been told the G41 is not a good pick for this. Has anyone thoughts? And has anyone a candidate for sale?

Cheap would be good, really good. Am hoping the no-LCD angle will save money; also I have plenty of 2.5" HDD and don't mind non-IBM RAM. A battery is always nice for pseudo-UPS purposes but is unessential too.

An A31 would fit those requirements. They come with Pentium 4 M processors from 1.6 to 2.0 Ghz, upgradeable to 2.6Ghz. They also max out at 2GB of RAM, and can hold a couple hard drives and a DVD drive at one time. They go fairly cheap on eBay without screens.

RWDPLZ wrote:An A31 would fit those requirements. They come with Pentium 4 M processors from 1.6 to 2.0 Ghz, upgradeable to 2.6Ghz. They also max out at 2GB of RAM, and can hold a couple hard drives and a DVD drive at one time. They go fairly cheap on eBay without screens.

Hmm, I see one there, from some Canadian lady:

MT0633 IBM LAPTOP T30 2366-PU9 GREAT FOR TECHNICIAN NR
Item number: 150152721863

Current bid: US $23.01 PayPal account required
End time: 14 hours 56 mins (Aug-23-07 08:03:41 PDT)
Shipping costs: US $37.75

stupid high shipping costs, always makes me suspicious.


No CD, no HD, and aside from the missing LCD the KB is smashed up a bit. But none of that matters much - I have hard drives.

Is it USB 2.0? That is a must. I would rely on external drives.
Do you know the RAM speed? If it is PC2100 will it run PC2700?


Too bad about the Pentium 4 M (it advertises a 2.0, 256MB, no HDD or CD), I understand the Pentium M is better...but I suppose even a 1GHz PIII would be about enough for the job, esp. w enough RAM (2GB would be enough IMHO).

And what would you say the price should be (not exceed)?

Her approval is only 94.8% which I have been told is not great, a score of 413.

How is the mechanical record on T30s? Any fatal flaws? What would that screen cost to fix?

Finally, if I was told that a G41 is not a good pick for a media server, why is this better, as the G41 would seem to be all round bigger?

Thanks for writing!

Oh, you said the A31 and I had found a T30. Well, I will look for A31s, but does this seem appropriate?

T30 is USB 1.1 only. It's also a Pentium 4, not a Pentium M. If you look for T series, T40 is where you want to start -- and a stripped-down T40 should not be expensive, either.

tomh009 wrote:T30 is USB 1.1 only. It's also a Pentium 4, not a Pentium M. If you look for T series, T40 is where you want to start -- and a stripped-down T40 should not be expensive, either.

Yes, so I see on the '30s.

Okay, any offers? Also would an R4x or R5x be competitive? Again, I would think the G40/41 would be a good deal, but others disagree.

How close to $100-$150 could I hope to get? More available only reluctantly, but I know I may be way off.

nichevo wrote:Shipping costs: US $37.75

stupid high shipping costs, always makes me suspicious.

This compares quite favourably with some of the other cross-border shipping quotes I have seen on ebay.

stupid high shipping costs is really quite simple. It will make the final selling cost lower, which means the seller pays less in ebay fees. Ive seen ALOT worse than this. look up cell phone accessories and ipod accessories, it's pretty obvious there.

Ohhh! Well that makes sense. LOL. Thx.

Well, still a few hours to go on that machine...price looks to be right, but if it is no USB 2.0 it is not much use, eh? I guess I could spend another $20 on a USB card, another $10 on a drive caddy (optional, right?), but ISTM to me this machine is marginal. Well, it's a thought, but most here seem to think one should buy something stronger.

A31's don't have USB 2.0, you'd have to get one of those PCMCIA add-on cards.

I'd wait for one that boots into the BIOS when hooked up to an external monitor. When you find one, check the auction for a pic of this, or just ask the seller if they can provide a pic of it doing that.

skitty4gzus wrote:stupid high shipping costs is really quite simple. It will make the final selling cost lower, which means the seller pays less in ebay fees. Ive seen ALOT worse than this. look up cell phone accessories and ipod accessories, it's pretty obvious there.

I just picked up a USB cable from e-bay for my cell phone.
The buy it now price was $0.02. But shipping was $4.99.
Total of $5.01.
So this time the high shipping was OK.

nichevo wrote:which I will use on a KVM, so the LCD needn't actually work. I think I would like at least a Pentium M (also attractive to use less power, make less heat) and all the RAM I can get (surely not less than 1GB max).

I have been told the G41 is not a good pick for this. Has anyone thoughts? And has anyone a candidate for sale?

Cheap would be good, really good. Am hoping the no-LCD angle will save money; also I have plenty of 2.5" HDD and don't mind non-IBM RAM. A battery is always nice for pseudo-UPS purposes but is unessential too.

If you don't need the LCD then that means you will never be using it as a laptop so why not just get a desktop? You want cheap... I can point you to something that would blow away any of the suggestions here so far in specs... for about the same price or less... AND supply you with a 3-year onsite waranty.

Interested?

- Yak

(And now it's time to go to that job I hate so very, very much)

Laptops will always use less power than desktops, which saves (marginal amounts of) money, the environment, and could be of consideration during the summers. Out of the box, an average laptop is also going to be quieter than an average desktop...

Brainppicker, I had been thinking along those lines - a SFF I suppose?. Remember it should be cheap! But, bring it on.

That said, Thinkpads are nice.

nichevo wrote:Brainppicker, I had been thinking along those lines - a SFF I suppose?. Remember it should be cheap! But, bring it on.

Consider it brought!

Check your PM. E-MAIL me for more information and how to buy it.

- Yak