ThinkPad X30 versus X31 performance and battery life ?

[Puppy]

I'm thinking about buying a refubrished X model as second portable notebook mostly for Internet access. Local usanotebook reseller curently offers X30 and X31 models. The X31 model is more expensive of course. Is the performance of P-M noticeably better than PIII-M ? The same question goes for battery life. X31 has Pentium-M while X30 PIII-M but the X31 has also dedicated graphics (which is supposed to consume more power than Intel in X30).

[jkahng]

the x30 uses usb 1.1 and just that fact is enough for me to get the x31. the p-ms have more l2 cache and improved performance /mhz than the p3m. battery life should be same / simular as both processors are efficient. for interet surfing, x30 is sufficient for now, x31 is more future proof. you also need to consider that they use different memory types. and the older sdram chips on the x30's are demanding a premium as they are scarcer than the x31's ddr modules

[Puppy]

and the older sdram chips on the x30's are demanding a premium as they are scarcer than the x31's ddr modules

Thanks, I see. It has explained why do they offer memory upgrade for X31 only (both models has 256M RAM only). It seems as the X31 is much better choice.

As for USB 1.1 issue, I'd use LAN for shared files, backups and "external" DVD. Moreover a PCMCIA card with two USB 2.0 ports is still about three times cheaper than the price difference between those X30 and X31.

[dr_st]

For internet access, the X30 should be just fine.

If you read the TAWBOOK.PDF, you'll see that the battery life claimed for X31 (5.3-6hr) is actually longer than what is claimed for the X30 (4.5-5hr). For what it's worth, my girlfriend has the X32, also with the Radeon graphics, and gets very high battery life (4hrs+), on full brightness and with wireless on.

[jkahng]

quote
As for USB 1.1 issue, I'd use LAN for shared files, backups and "external" DVD. Moreover a PCMCIA card with two USB 2.0 ports is still about three times cheaper than the price difference between those X30 and X31
unquote

i agree that sharing files over lan is a very feasable option. I have an wireless NAS setup myself. i works great.
external dvd : you would need usb 2.0 for this.(and most likely an external current source)
external pcmcia : the only experience i had was with a 2 port 2.0 pcmcia card that required external current for anything more demanding than a flash drive. most external 2.5" harddrives are able to operate with just the 2.0 current on a standard 2.0 port of a x31.

on the other hand, if you opt to get the card, you would need to carry the card. the ac/dc adapter(or current sharing cable that borrows from another usb port). this would be too cumbersome for a mobile solution. even for a desktop only solution, it was too much cable clutter for me.


just my 2 cents....

jkahng

[Puppy]

Ok, I've just ordered the X31 with memory upgrade and new battery