Time to replace the ol' X31 ?

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GpsPasSion · #1 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:51 am

Did a search but couldn't come up with anything specific so here goes, I'm very happy with the 1.Ghz X31 I got in 12/2004, wow 3 years ago now, best laptop I've ever owned and I'd agree with something I once read here that it was/is the best laptop on earth!

...I've bumped up the RAM to 1.5G and am using a 7200 Hitachi 100Gb so I'm pretty much done with the upgrades...oh and I've got 5 batteries and the extended one...so all is well ?

Well pretty much but I'm finding it a bit slow on the "new" sites full of flash animations and videos so was wondering if anyone had been through that proces before and had upgrade to a new model.

Obviously it will have to be silent like the X31, 12" 4/3, same excellent keyboard, sturdy for backpack handling.

TIA !

rek · #2 Post by **rek** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:03 am

I've found my X60s to be very much like the old X31 I used to have, just improved in most all respects (speed, weight, heat, ...) It is just as silent as the X31 was, too. The only downside is that you have fewer docking options (you can only use an Ultrabase).

Now that the X61/s are out, I'm sure there are some good deals going around on the "old" X60 series.

I did have an X41 Tablet for a very short time; the clicking noise (helped a bit with the new HDD firmware, but still there) and general lack of performance/upgrade path of the 1.8" HDD was a bummer at best, and annoyed the heck out of me otherwise.

As an interim step, lowering the render quality of the Flash may help reduce performance issues -- as would an ad-blocking tool in your browser. You may find this fixes things so much, you don't even need to upgrade

(I use AdBlock Plus with Firefox, works well out of the box.)

GpsPasSion · #3 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:20 am

Thanks for sharing, good news on the X60 then, I guess I would just be losing out on the batteries, now the million dollar question, any chance you dropped in the X31 HDD and got it to boot up in the X60 ?

Will see if I can track down that flash setting, I do have the Googlebar pop-up blocker but when it kicks in it tends to freeze IE...

rek · #4 Post by **rek** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:32 am

Yeah, a shame with such a battery collection. You could recoup some of their value by selling them individually though? (On the topic of batteries, an X60s with the "Slimline" 4 cell battery is crazily slim and light!)

Regarding the hard disks, unfortunately that's not possible. Not only are the motherboards/chipset/graphics chips completely different (it would BSOD at a boot attempt), the hard drives themselves are not electrically compatible. The X31 uses Parallel ATA, the X60 uses Serial ATA. A similar story with the RAM; the X31 uses DDR memory, the X60 uses DDR2.

In my experience I've found the Firefox third party ad-blockers a better solution to the ones available for IE (version 6 -- I haven't used IE7 much if at all). It works well on my Toshiba tablet, which is somewhat similar in CPU spec to an X31.

GpsPasSion · #5 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:42 am

Ouch for the HD's, worst part is the lack of compatibility, I was going to pick up a new 7200 100Gb IDE Travelstar as a backup but I guess it's not a good idea after all...

At the end of the day do you find performance to be dramatically improved or could you go back to the X31 if you had to ?

rek · #6 Post by **rek** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 8:06 am

For 95% of what I use a computer for, I could quite easily go back to the X31 and not suffer. They're a lot faster than the spec would have you believe.. I even used it for quite some time as my only machine, docked with an external monitor/keyboard/mouse. The only reason I upgraded to an X60 was because I had the opportunity to pick one up cheaply.

The X60 has a tendency to get noisy in an Ultrabase (its only docking option), whereas the X31 remains silent in a port replicator.

The only situations I can think of off-hand where the X31 started to strain under pressure, funnily enough have a lot to do with your forum name -- working with detailed maps in Garmin Mapsource, and processing large (10000x10000px) raster maps in OziExplorer. The X60 is much faster at that, map loading times are only 3-4 seconds instead of 10-15.

I'm in a similar conundrum at the moment actually, but the other way around: I bought a Toshiba tablet (similar in performance to an X31) quite cheaply from one of the forum members here. In using it, realised that I don't actually need CPU horsepower most of the time and considered selling the X60. However, unlike an X31, the Toshiba isn't as compact or well put together as a ThinkPad, so the decision isn't quite as easy as it should be

Puppy · #7 Post by **Puppy** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:25 am

X61 (except the tablet) still offers the ultra-low-res-screen only like X31. No improvement at all.

pianowizard · #8 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:31 am

The SXGA+ X6* tablet maybe too heavy for people who are used to sub-3lb laptops like the X40 or the X60s, but is only barely heavier than the X31. And of course, it offers much more real estate than the X31. So it might be a good choice for the OP.

GpsPasSion · #9 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:37 am

Thanks for the input guys.
I wonder if I couldn't get a new lease on power by moving up to a 1.7Ghz X31 versus my 1.4Ghz, or the X32, I think they were HDD compatible.

Bottom line is that it seems to be more trouble than it's worth upgrading from that fantastic laptop

#10 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:45 pm

Pity you can't swap CPUs, they are soldered onto the mobo. That would have been the cheapest solution.
The X32 is identical except for the larger CPU.
There is also an X32 Express with a 2.0GHz CPU
http://www5.pc.ibm.com/us/products.nsf/ ... p/_2885K4U

Thinkpaddict · #11 Post by **Thinkpaddict** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:38 pm

I would definitely not upgrade from a 1.4 Ghz to a 1.7 Ghz, because you are likely not to notice any difference depending on how you use your laptop. In order to justify a move to a different system you have to justify it based on whether you will remove the bottleneck that you are hitting in your current one. It seems to me that your CPU, your RAM, and your HD are not to blame for the performance issues that you mention with Flash intensive sites.

Have you tried, like one of the other members of the forum mentioned, lowering the quality of the Flash engine? How about disabling it? Are you running the latest Flash plugin? Have you tried using a different browser/plugin combination? I would try all these things before moving to a different Thinkpad, and even then I would most likely not upgrade just to avoid issues with sites with too much Flash.

Whenever you upgrade, try to do it so that you move up a few levels of performance, because if not you will waste money and you will be frustrated when you are forced to upgrade a few months later.

As a last idea: What websites are you experiencing issues with? Let us know and we can do some testing for you. I use an X24 quite often, and don't really feel slowdowns very often. I'm using Firefox in Linux on it, but that is a whole different story.

ajkula66 · #12 Post by **ajkula66** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 2:03 am

It seems to me that you need something with stronger video capabilities than X31...so anything that has come out afterwards would do fine...

Personally, I think you'd have a problem with X4x series because of the 4200rpm HDD that you'd be stuck with. You'd definitely feel some lag after your present configuration.

I've never owned an X6x machine, but am fairly certain that it would solve your problems, and yes, there are some great deals to be had on these, I hear...

kosse · #13 Post by **kosse** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 4:24 am

ajkula66 wrote: I've never owned an X6x machine, but am fairly certain that it would solve your problems, and yes, there are some great deals to be had on these, I hear...

Interesting..Would you know where/from who I could get such a great deal?

ajkula66 · #14 Post by **ajkula66** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:13 am

kosse wrote:

Interesting..Would you know where/from who I could get such a great deal?

From Lenovo themselves, but you'd have to be here in the States...

kosse · #15 Post by **kosse** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:56 am

ajkula66 wrote:kosse wrote:

Interesting..Would you know where/from who I could get such a great deal?
From Lenovo themselves, but you'd have to be here in the States...

I'm going to write that in my Green card application..

Seriously, I'm painfully aware of the prices at Lenovo Outlet. Maybe I travel there when I have a steady job and get a few of those machines myself. In the meanwhile, I'll settle with the used machines

iamdmc · #16 Post by **iamdmc** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 3:32 pm

I have an X61s and an X31 - and most times, they open up the same page at nearly the same speed (any change is not even noticeable)

First, download Firefox 2.x
Then, install these add-ons:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
http://flashblock.mozdev.org/

and, if you prefer the IE7 skin, you can search for it on the Mozilla Add-ons page. I have an excellent skin called "Blue Ice" Check it out - it's very smooth.

Also follow the instructions for this page: http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/2006 ... ad-faster/

Enjoy your faster browsing experience!

GpsPasSion · #17 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 3:57 pm

Thanks, never been a big fan of FFox as it seemed to load pages slower to me (at least in chunks), will give it another try with your suggested add-ons. IE Tab does seem to do the job, let's see if I can force it by default.

As a matter of comparison how much CPU is a Youtube video using on your laptop ?

Say this one -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp8jIPaX9BM - iIm around 35% , seems high.

iamdmc · #18 Post by **iamdmc** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 7:07 pm

Depends what you are running in the background, too. Have you done what you can do optimize your X31 (ie. limit the startup programs, msconfig, uninstall major CPU/memory hogs - ie. Norton Anti Virus, uninstall unnecessary programs, etc.)?

I'll check the CPU load next time I'm near a Wifi access point with my X61s.

iamdmc · #19 Post by **iamdmc** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:36 am

23-38% watching the video

I have a few things open, so baseline was 7-15%

GpsPasSion · #20 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:19 am

Thanks, so the ol' C31 ain't doint too badly then

Moved on to FFox too and it's flying, I do need to get over my alt+tab habit to witch from one page to the other though.

The added benefit is the lower memory footprint.

iamdmc · #21 Post by **iamdmc** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 7:59 am

Instead of Alt + Tab, use Ctrl + Tab to scroll through the tabbed windows in Firefox 2.x

Alternatively, you can also use Ctrl + PgUp or PgDn to scroll through tabbed windows.

Other useful shortcuts:
Ctrl + T = new tab (loads the home page, so I recommend setting this to "about:blank"
Ctrl + W = close tab
Middle click (using a scroll-wheel click from a mouse or the built in middle mouse button on the X series) - Opens a link in a new tab. Use the same click on one of the tabs, and it will close that tab.

Other useful features: if you accidentally close a tab, go into "History" on your menu bar, and select "recently closed tabs". This way, you can reopen them without problems.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you do decide to upgrade, do it for the 8-9.5h battery life and performance with things OTHER than Internet or office - otherwise it's not worth the cost.

wayandrs · #22 Post by **wayandrs** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 5:51 pm

I'm in the same boat. Got an X31 with a very recent new motherboard, new battery and extended battery, and 100GB 7200rpm drive.

Runs like a dream.

My life is on that thing though, and if it were to break or get lost, I'd be hurrying to buy a replacement. That's probably at least half an excuse to get something new and fun.

Been looking at x61 and x61s, with the 20% discount, plus $100 off when paying with Paypal, and 10% Fatcash, not a bad deal at all.

But... I don't feel that it's THAT much of an upgrade. Sounds like the screen still blows (and no, not coughing up the money for the tablet). So it's just not quite enticing enough, I think.

What else? Buy one of the T60's on sale, with the IPS screen? Will it be too big and heavy?

Ahhhh questions, questions.

pianowizard · #23 Post by **pianowizard** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 6:01 pm

wayandrs wrote:Sounds like the screen still blows (and no, not coughing up the money for the tablet). So it's just not quite enticing enough, I think.

I hear you. Perhaps it's better to wait for the X62, which will quite likely include a 1280x800 option.

qviri · #24 Post by **qviri** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 6:04 pm

pianowizard wrote:
wayandrs wrote:Sounds like the screen still blows (and no, not coughing up the money for the tablet). So it's just not quite enticing enough, I think.
I hear you. Perhaps it's better to wait for the X62, which will quite likely include a 1280x800 option.

And here I was thinking he was talking about non-IPS

GpsPasSion · #25 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 9:17 pm

wayandrs wrote:My life is on that thing though, and if it were to break or get lost, I'd be hurrying to buy a replacement. That's probably at least half an excuse to get something new and fun..

That's what I like about the X31 though, in case it stops working, just take out the HDD and put into another X31 (or T40) and you're back in business. I try to mirror the HDD regularly (and at least before a long trip) so I can even be back in business in case the X31 goes missing or gets totalled !

I'm fine with the 12"/1024x768 resolution, still the best combo to work long hours without getting tired IMHO. I could use a better video card, like the one on the T40...

iamdmc · #26 Post by **iamdmc** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:05 pm

FYI: The screen on the X61s is actually pretty good. I'd prefer a higher native resolution, but I'm not about to complain about the current picture quality. Much better than X31, in my opinion.

wayandrs · #27 Post by **wayandrs** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:45 am

Will XP not check and have a fit about different hardware IDs? That'd be great if it's really that easy...

GpsPasSion wrote:
wayandrs wrote:My life is on that thing though, and if it were to break or get lost, I'd be hurrying to buy a replacement. That's probably at least half an excuse to get something new and fun..
That's what I like about the X31 though, in case it stops working, just take out the HDD and put into another X31 (or T40) and you're back in business. I try to mirror the HDD regularly (and at least before a long trip) so I can even be back in business in case the X31 goes missing or gets totalled !

I'm fine with the 12"/1024x768 resolution, still the best combo to work long hours without getting tired IMHO. I could use a better video card, like the one on the T40...

I've been reading a lot of posts, and while I have no personal experience with it, a vast majority seems to agree that IPS is the only way to go. Even a grand is quite a bit of change for me, and I'm in no hurry to spend it on anything less than awesome.

GpsPasSion · #28 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:34 am

Not familiar with IPS...yet, but no problem here when I dropped my X31 HDD in a T40 loaner last year, maybe there is some type of IBM check it can clear.

#29 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:14 am

If the hardware is very similar, Windows won't object too much (if at all) when shifting hard disks.
This only comes into play when there are different chipsets in the machines, like going from a VIA to an Intel set, or vv. Then you may need to update the chipset drivers, privided Windows boots in the first place.

GpsPasSion · #30 Post by **GpsPasSion** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:37 pm

Still happy with my x31 but it's been locking up on me lately, (RAM/Hardware ?) so clearly need to get a backup, found a reconditioned X31 and a reconditioned T42 for the same price and since it seems I could just drop the HDD in the T42 I'm tempted to get a bit more power that way, anyone been down that road before ?

Time to replace the ol' X31 ?

Time to replace the ol' X31 ?

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