Thinkpads Forum

Hi all,

This is my first post here. I am in the market for a laptop. After reading reviews I thought a thinkpad would be best for me. I am glad I found this forum being involved in an enthusiast community is so helpful. I will be using the TP for diagnosing my VW TDIs, web browsing (mostly forums such as this), and viewing my DVD Bentley manuals. Minimum specs I need is:
1ghz
30gig HD
256mb ram
one usb port
DVD optical bay (considered using external with an X2x...)
wireless WIFI (internal or external doesn’t matter)
No software needed as I have an OS available(98 and XP)
I am willing to do minor repairs to keep in my budget (but I will need guidance’s)

What model would best fit my needs and budget. I was looking at T2x and X2x but haven’t found anything yet.

All helpful comments welcome......I am ready to learn!

Thanks

Welcome to the forum!

Remeber to look at a 600X, you can max to RAM to 576 MB and it has everything else you need ... it runs windows 2000 beautifully and I use one everyday in my lab.

LPC, welcome aboard!

If you can raise your budget a little, this $311 shipped T40 on eBay seems pretty nice.

gator wrote:Welcome to the forum!

Remeber to look at a 600X, you can max to RAM to 576 MB and it has everything else you need ... it runs windows 2000 beautifully and I use one everyday in my lab.

Thanks Gator! This is exactly what I was needing....nudge in the right direction.

Pianowizard, thanks also for the link.....Ill check it out when I get home Ebay blocked here at work But $300 is just hard to justify for me as I will not be using often.

gator wrote:Remeber to look at a 600X, you can max to RAM to 576 MB and it has everything else you need

But also remember, to get that much RAM, you need two low-density 256MB PC100 modules, which are typically $40 apiece. After upgrading, the total amount of money you've spent could have gotten you a T23.

Welcome to the forum.

T2x and X2x machine you can find all day for $250.

If that is your max. and you have more time than money, I recommend spending the time on eBay and snagging a low priced R50 or R51.

Probably once per week or so, they go for $250.

These are modern machines, with Pentium M processors, internal wifi and USB 2.0. They are also 2-3 years old, not 5+ years old. Some even have warranty remaining!

For another $50, a T4x will add panache, but no more discernible performance than the R5x, they share many of the same components.

Best of luck and let us know what you pick up.

pianowizard wrote: But also remember, to get that much RAM, you need two low-density 256MB PC100 modules, which are typically $40 apiece. After upgrading, the total amount of money you've spent could have gotten you a T23.

The trick is to find a machine in good condition for cheap.

Ok,

Started looking at the 600X, but from what I found 850Mhz is the fastest MMC-2 available.....Gator did you speedstep yours to 1Ghz?

Pianowizard, good point. I was considering upgrade cost. When I started looking into changing the MMC-2. But I also only really need 256mb of ram. The 576 would be great, but I can save the extra $40 for something else.

Underclocker, Thanks for the input....Ill check into the R50-51s.
Concerning "finding them all day" I want to get some info before I hit Ebay and Craigslist. I am concerned about getting a good machine....I dont want to buy something for $250 then have to put another $150 to get it working to for my needs.

Oh another thing. I need a battery that lasts at least 1.5hr as I will be driving with it in car to log data.

Thanks for all the comments....keep them comming

My 600X is a 650Mhz machine ... it fits in my needs perfectly. I suggested the 600X because many people use it with their cars and find it very usuable ... if you want atleast a 1Ghz machine, go with a T23 or with a R50/R51 as Ed (underclocker) suggests, but it will take good ebay-ing.

Do let us know what you decide.

Thanks Gator.

I guess its time to get Esnipe out again.....

Try to get the full 7-charecter model number (like in my sig) from sellers on ebay if possible, so that you can check the machine's base config ... if you need any help please ask and someone will help.

LPC wrote:I guess its time to get Esnipe out again.....

From my experience, it's easier to find good deals by searching for "Buy It Now" items. Most items are expensive, but once in a while you'll find a very nice deal. These nice deals get snatched within several minutes if not seconds, so you need to act fast.

Thanks for all the advise!

OK...I found this R31 on craigslist for $246
2656-2GU
1.13ghz Intel Mobile CPU
20GB Hard Drive
384MB Ram
Internal CD-Rom Drive
Fresh Copy of Windows XP Pro installed, with genuine COA on the bottom of the unit
Battery was tested only for one hr.
30day warranty

How do I check what base config is?

How do I check what base config is?

Check it Here




Product: ThinkPad R31 2656-2GU [change]
Operating system: All [change]

Original description: Mobile Celeron 1.13GHz (256), 128MB RAM, 20.0GB HDD, 13.3 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, 24x-10x CD-ROM, Modem(CDC), Ethernet, WinXP Pro

Thanks

LPC wrote: .......I will be using the TP for diagnosing my VW TDIs, web browsing (mostly forums such as this), and viewing my DVD Bentley manuals.......

Welcome to the club. Have you already bought your Vag cable? If not, go with the serial cable. I used to have an old brick of a laptop to run my Vag-com. It was a 365ED. PI 100mhz with 32mb of RAM and it worked with no problems.

I am now using a PII 600e with a 400mhz CPU, 588mb of RAM and a 40gb HD. I added a DVD from E-bay and the total cost was about $150. Add a wireless network card for $25 and you can surf the net from your garage. That is the only reason I upgraded from my old brick, so I could surf TDIClub while working on cars. The wife would get upset everytime i came into the house to look something up online

If you already have the USB cable, I found it worked fine on my 400mhz CPU despite what Ross-Tech says is the minimum requirement. Just reduce the screen size of the program. For your budget, I would recommend a PIII 600x. You can get them for under $200 if you search E-bay. I have bought several for under $50, but they were stripped down and needed parts like HDD's, Optical drives & RAM. There are oftem complete units in the $200-$250 range.

Nigel, surprised to see you here!

There's a decent looking T43 on feeBay right now. It's auction # 200152898364 .

Enjoy.

Wingnut!

Thanks for the input. I was going to post on TDIClub to see if 1ghz was really needed. I wanted a serial, but found a USB for $95 shipped on the Tex.....I was trying to trade with a club member here locally. He has a serial, but havent heard back yet. It is great to hear I dont need 1ghz this will broaden my search!

LPC wrote:Ebay blocked here at work

No it's not!

Pianowizard is correct in that you may want to look at the "Buy it Now" options first.

Many times you will find a better unit for less money than going the Bid route.

Human nature kicks in and we tend to become overzealous in our quest for "The Deal" and our our little bidding devil gets the better of us and we ...ugh.....overbid! DOH!

Plus plenty of exc. sellers and forum members to deal with here...good luck

uberT wrote:Nigel, surprised to see you here!

There's a decent looking T43 on feeBay right now. It's auction # 200152898364 .

Enjoy.

Yeah, been here a while now. I bought a Thinkpad 600 to replace my 365ED brick. I had problems with it and found this place. What a great community they have here. Its very friendly & helpfull, just like TDIClub. Ever since then, I have been addicted to 600 series laptops.

I have bought over a dozen on E-bay over the last few months. I buy them for parts or repair and put 3 or 4 together to make 2 or 3 good ones. I have sold some in the club for vag-com use and each of my kids and my nephew has one to play games on.

dsigma6 wrote:

LPC wrote:Ebay blocked here at work

No it's not!

Yes it is! At least here at my work there's a corporate firewall/proxy/filter which returns this for your proxy.org link (and others like it):

"Web Site Restricted by Company Policy"

(Fortunately, MIS has allowed eBay.com and thinkpads.com to be accessable... for now...)

Back on topic: A 600E (~400Mhz) or 600X (500 or 650Mhz) would probably fit the bill as far as a serial port and CPU power is concerned. However both are USB 1.1 machines. The 600 form-factor and bulletproof construction would do well in an automotive environment. I would not suggest a T2x system for that type of use as they seem a little more prone to problems when tossed around. A T4x system has plenty of horsepower but does not have a serial port. They do occasionally have problems with the USB port falling back to 1.1 speeds (they are supposed to be 2.0). An X2x system is much smaller than the 600s but they also have USB 1.1 ports and no serial ports, in addition to being a little more expensive than T2x systems.

rkawakami wrote:Yes it is! At least here at my work there's a corporate firewall/proxy/filter which returns this for your proxy.org link (and others like it):

There are probably 2 or 3 thousand different proxies accessible through proxy.org...I wonder if the filters can figure each one of them out..

LPC- Good luck in your search. You've chosen the right laptop!

LPC wrote

OK...I found this R31 on craigslist for $246
2656-2GU
1.13ghz Intel Mobile CPU
20GB Hard Drive
384MB Ram
Internal CD-Rom Drive
Fresh Copy of Windows XP Pro installed, with genuine COA on the bottom of the unit
Battery was tested only for one hr.
30day warranty

I'm certain that you can do better than that. In today's day and age, $246 can buy you a good T23 which is definitely more durable than R31 in my experience, or a VERY GOOD 600X with plenty of cash leftover...even if you have to buck up for a brand new battery...

Personally, I'd stay away from newer ThinkPads such as R5x and T4x because they don't (my opinion only) take the beatings as well as the old ones do...

The best of luck in your noble quest.

ajkula66 wrote:
Personally, I'd stay away from newer ThinkPads such as R5x and T4x because they don't (my opinion only) take the beatings as well as the old ones do...

.

But they look so hawt

pixplz

OK...I found this R31 on craigslist for $246
2656-2GU
1.13ghz Intel Mobile CPU
20GB Hard Drive
384MB Ram
Internal CD-Rom Drive
Fresh Copy of Windows XP Pro installed, with genuine COA on the bottom of the unit
Battery was tested only for one hr.
30day warranty

If I am reading this correctly this does not meet your basic specification of "reading DVD manuals".

Brad

Brad wrote:

OK...I found this R31 on craigslist for $246
2656-2GU
1.13ghz Intel Mobile CPU
20GB Hard Drive
384MB Ram
Internal CD-Rom Drive
Fresh Copy of Windows XP Pro installed, with genuine COA on the bottom of the unit
Battery was tested only for one hr.
30day warranty

If I am reading this correctly this does not meet your basic specification of "reading DVD manuals".

Brad

Your right......I posted this mostly to find out how to use the 7-charecter model number....not going to get it. I was able to search ebay some last night and found (as all of you were saying) that I have allot of options.

I want to take a closer look at what my "real" needs are, since Wingnut brought out the fact that my USB key-com will work with less then 1ghz. Again my main purpose for getting a laptop is to diagnose my TDIs...here is the direct quote from Ross-tech concerning requirements

"A 500 Mhz or faster PC running Windows 98 or newer with an available USB port. Windows XP or newer on a 1 GHz or faster PC is preferred. If you're using an PC that isn't running Windows XP or newer or has a CPU speed less than 1 GHz, you should consider the Serial KEY-COM instead."

Do I really need 1ghz? Ross-tech also states that 100mhz is minimum requirements for the serial…..but Wingnut said this was slow even for his serial cable. So I don’t want the same problem getting a 500mhz machine, using a usb cable. The last thing I want is to get frustrated at the laptop for slugging.

Continuing to look......Thanks for all the input!

Your best bet is to get a 600x with a speedstep motherboard (they came with 650mhz processors). You can then upgrade to a PIII 850mhz processor for another $50 and sell your 650 CPU for around $25. That is as close to 1gb as you can get with a PIII, but the toughness of the 600x, IMHO, is worth it.

As I sais, I was running the USB cable on my PII 400mhz CPU and it wasn't lightning quick, but worked OK once I figured out I had to reduce the size of the window to get it to work. With a PIII 650mhz CPU, you should have no problems at all. Ross-tech is just covering their butts. As long as you are not running AV software or other resource hogging programs, yo can runn with a CPU les than 1g

You could also use W2K with a 600x that has a 500mhz CPU as well. The problem with XP is it uses too many resources and logging data can be choppy with less than 500mhz. W2K or even 98SE will negate that problem if you want to save some $$$

Lastly, another option would be to offer to trade your USB cable with someone who has a serial cable in the TDIClub forums. Start a thread and see what happens.

Thanks Wingnut. I am going to price out modding out a 600x with:
850 P3
448 ram
20 gig 5400rpm
DVD

I have been reading and it seems there are two tires of 600x models? Some having speedstep and others not?

I have read here that the 5FU and 9FU have SS. So during my seach for a base system should I avoid 3FU's and 4FU's?
I assume 7FUs and 8FUs also support SS?

What 600x models support SS?

Thanks