Is the T30 worth buying

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Ohiobro1 · #1 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:46 am

I'am seeking a decent thinkpad.I'am on SSI and I've got $500.00 to spend on a thinkpad.Thats foe shipping and all.Are they worth my little hard saved-up money?Or should I consider another model?

I'am seeking something kinda upgradable later on.I'll just be emailing,instant messaging,and we-browing.I use my desktop for gaming & etc.Just wanted something portable;can't pack around my desktop,.LOL.......Please,from a wheelchair that'll be real hard to do.I'am trying not to spend the whole 500.But,oh well.

Where can I find decent T30's or what ever Thinkpad you all think would suit me best.Oh a cd or dvd drive would be nice too.And the ability to upgrade the harddrive and ram later too.

I'am a very serious ram freak.I've got my desktop maxed out!

#2 Post by **rkawakami** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:13 am

From your description for the use of the Thinkpad, I would vote for either a T21 or 600X (and that's not because it's what I have). If you are only going to use it for browsing, e-mail and very light game duty, then something around 500Mhz to 800Mhz should do. The 600X can be maxed out at 576MB; the T21, 512MB. Either can be outfitted with CD, DVD or CDRW/DVD (Combo) drives. The 600X systems have 13.3" XGA screens while the T21 came with 13.3" or 14.1" XGA or SXGA+. Both are very similar in size and weight.

(edit: ACK! Hit the wrong key and prematurely posted this...)

As I was saying... You can check the specs for the 600X by downloading the 'twbook' at:

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pcinstitu ... twbook.pdf

The specs for the T21 can be found here:

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pcinstitu ... awbook.pdf

(edit2: If you really want to max out a system with RAM, then maybe you should look at a T23 as well. They can go to 1GB. The one drawback of both the 600X and T21 is that they use older PC100 SDR modules while the T23 uses PC133 SDR and the T30 PC2100 DDR. Those older PC100/PC133 memories are generally more expensive per MB than the newer DDR modules.)

BillD · #3 Post by **BillD** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:07 am

I'll just be emailing,instant messaging,and we-browing.I use my desktop for gaming & etc

Yep, me and the wife do just about the same things on our laptops and the T23's we have are just fine, and you can get a T23 for a lot less then $500..

I also have and use a bunch of 600 series machines, mostly 600x's. As the previous poster wrote a 600x would do you good also. But for the few extra $'s I'd get the T23, it has a bigger/better video card then the 600x does.

#4 Post by **Kyocera** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 11:29 am

Check the marketplace skitty4jesus has been trying to sell a nice t30 for a while

The t30 is a great machine. I have one.

Website · #5 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 11:37 am

There is a nice T30 for sale in the forum, by skitty4gzus.

It has 512MB of ram, but you'd have the ability to upgrade later all the way to 2GB of ram, a 2.4-2.6GHz CPU, and the sky is the limit on the hard drive. (200GB drives will be available soon through Fujitsu)

Ohiobro1 · #6 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:11 pm

So,over-all which model will be best if I do want to say play a game or two?Which can be upgraded to a real good graphics card?

And what about the windows OS?I've got to have at XP home
or what are you all using?

BillD · #7 Post by **BillD** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:28 pm

Ohiobro1 wrote:So,over-all which model will be best if I do want to say play a game or two?Which can be upgraded to a real good graphics card?

And what about the windows OS?I've got to have at XP home
or what are you all using?

Can't upgrade the INTERNAL video card in a laptop. You can do an upgrade externally, but thats $'s and a pain.

With T2x or T3x Series XP home will do you fine.

#8 Post by **Kyocera** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:29 pm

Can't upgrade the graphics card. I am not a gamer so can't comment on that aspect. Mine has a gig of ram an a 60g 7200 rpm hard drive, running XP pro SP2 is no problem, the machine is plenty fast for what I do.

Ohiobro1 · #9 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 1:39 pm

BillD wrote:
Ohiobro1 wrote:So,over-all which model will be best if I do want to say play a game or two?Which can be upgraded to a real good graphics card?

And what about the windows OS?I've got to have at XP home
or what are you all using?
Can't upgrade the INTERNAL video card in a laptop. You can do an upgrade externally, but thats $'s and a pain.

With T2x or T3x Series XP home will do you fine.

Bill,If I get a T23.Instead of a T30.What are the models and features to look for?Found a few sites with plenty of refurb T23's.Between $350-450.00

pianowizard · #10 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:03 pm

Ohiobro1 wrote:I'll just be emailing,instant messaging,and we-browing.

In that case, I recommend the T20. I bought one last week for only $116 shipped, with 700MHz PIII, 30GB HDD, 128MB, and an impeccable display. WinXP Pro actually runs fairly well with so little RAM, although someday I might add 128M or 256MB to it if the price is right. $116 only! Think of how much money you would save if you get something similar to this!

Ohiobro1 · #11 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:31 pm

pianowizard wrote:
Ohiobro1 wrote:I'll just be emailing,instant messaging,and we-browing.
In that case, I recommend the T20. I bought one last week for only $116 shipped, with 700MHz PIII, 30GB HDD, 128MB, and an impeccable display. WinXP Pro actually runs fairly well with so little RAM, although someday I might add 128M or 256MB to it if the price is right. $116 only! Think of how much money you would save if you get something similar to this!

Yep Pianowizard,you're correct.With my extra money I could start upgrading.Who upgradable are T20's?Do you know where I could buy them from?

pianowizard · #12 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:46 pm

You can put in two 256MB sticks (part number 33L3069 or 33L3070) to max out at 512MB.

eBay is the best place to get one, because on that site T20 tend to be actually slightly cheaper than the 600X or even the 600E. However, I must tell you that it's not that easy to get a nice one for $116 shipped; you do need to check frequently and be patient to find one for that price. Consult the tawbook.pdf to decide which model you want. Some models have modem only, so if you want to also have ethernet, avoid those models.

Ohiobro1 · #13 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:11 pm

Found this

http://www.thinkpaddepot.com/html/item_ ... asp?id=188

pianowizard · #14 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:17 pm

Eagle Computer has lots of reasonably priced choices:

http://www.saveateagle.com/599orless.html

BillD · #15 Post by **BillD** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:24 pm

Ohiobro1 wrote:
BillD wrote: Can't upgrade the INTERNAL video card in a laptop. You can do an upgrade externally, but thats $'s and a pain.

With T2x or T3x Series XP home will do you fine.
Bill,If I get a T23.Instead of a T30.What are the models and features to look for?Found a few sites with plenty of refurb T23's.Between $350-450.00

$300-350 sounds right. You should be able to get a nice T23 for that price. $450 sounds too high. Take your time and only pay for what you want/ need.

From what you're going to use it for you don't need a huge HDD, so don't pay extra for a HDD over 30-40 gig. Start out with at least 512 MB of RAM. You can always go higher later. Make sure you get an AC adapter included. The battery will not be under warranty, they never are. Make sure you buy from a dealer who's offering a at least a 30 day warranty, obviously the longer the better. And a full warranty, not just a 'the DOA warranty'...

Take your time and look at T-20's, 21 and 22's too. They're slower, less options but cheaper and it sounds like they also suit your purpose.

Good Luck

MOD EDIT: We encourage less use of entire posts in quotes, snip out the relevent point, please.

Ohiobro1 · #16 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:29 pm

BillD wrote:
Ohiobro1 wrote: Bill,If I get a T23.Instead of a T30.What are the models and features to look for?Found a few sites with plenty of refurb T23's.Between $350-450.00
$300-350 sounds right. You should be able to get a nice T23 for that price. $450 sounds too high. Take your time and only pay for what you want/ need.

From what you're going to use it for you don't need a huge HDD, so don't pay extra for a HDD over 30-40 gig. Start out with at least 512 MB of RAM. You can always go higher later. Make sure you get an AC adapter included. The battery will not be under warranty, they never are. Make sure you buy from a dealer who's offering a at least a 30 day warranty, obviously the longer the better. And a full warranty, not just a 'the DOA warranty'...

Take your time and look at T-20's, 21 and 22's too. They're slower, less options but cheaper and it sounds like they also suit your purpose.

Good Luck

LOL......Oh no don't want slower.I'd spend all this.But no slow lappy's.

Ohiobro1 · #17 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:45 pm

I've spotted T30's on ebay.What do I look for when seeking a reliable seller on ebay.One who's not selling junk or trying to take my money?

Which is better www.ubid.com or www.ebay.com ?

BillD · #18 Post by **BillD** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:48 pm

Ohiobro1 wrote:
BillD wrote: $300-350 sounds right. You should be able to get a nice T23 for that price. $450 sounds too high. Take your time and only pay for what you want/ need.

From what you're going to use it for you don't need a huge HDD, so don't pay extra for a HDD over 30-40 gig. Start out with at least 512 MB of RAM. You can always go higher later. Make sure you get an AC adapter included. The battery will not be under warranty, they never are. Make sure you buy from a dealer who's offering a at least a 30 day warranty, obviously the longer the better. And a full warranty, not just a 'the DOA warranty'...

Take your time and look at T-20's, 21 and 22's too. They're slower, less options but cheaper and it sounds like they also suit your purpose.

Good Luck
LOL......Oh no don't want slower.I'd spend all this.But no slow lappy's.

Ah but what your going to use it for, mostly surfing the net most of your'speed' we be determined by your internet connection speed. So don't get caught up with the computer 'speed' and spend extra money.. Even a 600x with plenty of RAM will be fine for surfing the net....

Also that T30 you posted for $469 had a P 1.8 Mhz CPU in it. The 1.13 Mhz in the T23 is just as good a CPU as the 1.8...

Again for what you want I'd go with any of the T series. The 23 is alittle nicer and faster than the 20,21 and 22's. But the 20,21 and 22's are also going to be about $100 cheaper. Give or take....

#19 Post by **Kyocera** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:11 pm

Please avoid using entire post's for quotes snip out the relevent point please.

BillD · #20 Post by **BillD** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:19 pm

Kyocera wrote:Please avoid using entire post's for quotes snip out the relevent point please.

Yeah I usually do that, but today I admit I've been lazy.. Sorry...

Ohiobro1 · #21 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:21 pm

Well,I may be wanting to play a game on it too.That why I asked about the vid card upgrades.
My internet connection is T1

BillD · #22 Post by **BillD** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 10:02 pm

T1...Nice speed.

T23 has a 16 mb vid card in it. The T30 has a 16 mb card also, but I think it's an ATI card which is a better card then whats in the T23's..

ronbo613 · #23 Post by **ronbo613** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 10:08 pm

I would say a T30 with the P4 2.0M would be worth $400-500. Mine's got the 2.0M and I added 512MB of memory to the stock 256MB. It runs really nice. For the internet you don't need much of a computer, but I wouldn't want a slug, either. Mine's got MS Office on it and it runs fine.
I have a P4 3.4C, 2G RAM workstation, so I'm used to a good rig. I also have an AMD 2500+ 512MB computer I use for my internet cruiser. I would say the T30 is faster than the AMD Barton PC.
The T30 is my first laptop, I like it.

silo · #24 Post by **silo** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 12:25 am

May not be relevant, but I had a T30 a while back and thought it was very nice and clearly faster than my T23's. However, it was also clearly heavier. I may have had a fancier screen or something but the dang thing seemed to weigh in a ton heavier than a T20, T21, T23.

Bg357 · #25 Post by **Bg357** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:11 pm

Ohiobro1 wrote:I've spotted T30's on ebay.What do I look for when seeking a reliable seller on ebay.One who's not selling junk or trying to take my money?

I just bought a T30 off eBay and couldn't be much happier with it.
1.8ghz/512mb/40gig/WiFi/DVD, with a/c adapter, port replicator and UltraBay FDD(for what it's worth), $399

I highly recommend the seller, quecomp, he was very thorough in describing the condition and mine was even better than he described. The shipping charges were reasonable and he shipped right away. His eBay store (linked below) lists one more T30 right now but when I talked to him it sounded like he had more available with XP & W2K.

Good luck,

http://stores.ebay.com/quecomp_W0QQsspagenameZL2QQtZkm

cparker · #26 Post by **cparker** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:12 am

I just bought a used t30 privately from someone who advertised on one of the hardware forums buy/trade sections. Came with 512 Ram and xp pro sp2 installed with license. The battery is dead (I knew this). Cost was negotiated down to 340 including shipping. It's very nice, fast (1.8 ghz), and a pleasure to use. It has the ultra nav which I really like. Also cdrw/dvd. It is a bit heavier than my old tp 560. But the speed comparison is night and day, of course. The keyboard is just great. Just getting acquainted with this very fine machine. Reading this forum got me thinking about picking up an earlier t series for a relative who is 80 years old who is now using an old compac armada p133 for surfing via dialup. Thinking of getting him dsl and maybe a t20 or t21 for his birthday.

This is my first post here. A very helpful forum. Thanks!

Ohiobro1 · #27 Post by **Ohiobro1** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:22 am

So,when seeking a T30.I'am wanting to make sure that I get the 1.8GHz and up?
Is this any good?
http://www.thenerds.net/index.php?page= ... e&GSCID=10

ronbo613 · #28 Post by **ronbo613** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:01 pm

If your mind is made up to go for a Lenovo, I guess that one would be OK, but Dell is selling an Inspiron that is roughly the same computer with a Pentium M(instead of a Celeron) for $40 less.
If you are going for a new laptop, for about $650-700, you could get a Core Duo.

cLOWN gOD · #29 Post by **cLOWN gOD** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 11:39 pm

Most under rated Thinkpad out there is probably the X series. You can get an X23 (about $350 or so) with a Media Slice/CD-DVDROM). If you put 512 of memory and a 7200 spin drive in, it'll fly!

If you really want to save cash, go with an X21 (800MHz processor) for about a $100 less!

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