what should i upgrade to (from a T-23)

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Balls Co. · #1 Post by **Balls Co.** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:31 am

I have had a T23 for quite some time and I love it. It is thin and very solid build and has ran very well for me.
I had recently tried a T30 from ebay and ended up selling at a lose. I couldnt stand the fan noise, didnt like the 1600x1400 screen ( which my model came with) and it didnt seem as solid as a T-23. Also I was worried about the memory module problems.

My question, Are the T40's a good upgrade stepping stone, or do i need to move to the T-60's to get the kinda quality i feel i have in my t23. just looking for opinoins.

i have a funny feeling that im never going to find a laptop i like as much as this thinkpad that i have now.

thanks for your replies.

Scott

#2 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:14 am

Have you maxed out your T23?
1.2GHz CPU, 2x512 = 1024MB RAM, 7200rpm hard disk, SXGA+ (1400x1050) LCD, wifi?

Funny T30 you had, AFAIK they never had a higher resolution than SXGA+ (see above).
It might have had the weaker fan an a higher-spec CPU, which caused that noise.
They are a bit heavier than the T23, but definitely a lot sturdier!
And the RAM-slot problem is not really a problem any more (fix in 15-20 minutes without having to take it apart).
You could/should have asked here first before you flogged it!

T4x's have USB2.0 but all do have worse issues than the T23/T30.
T60/R60 and above would be your best bet if you really need the horsepower.

What do you need the 'more power' for?

Balls Co. · #3 Post by **Balls Co.** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:44 am

hello,
i did do some posting here, but i just wasnt happy with the t30. my ole t23, which i still have now, seemed like a much nicer machine.
i guess i didnt realize that the t40's had worse issues than the t20' or t30's. what are some of the problems with the T40's.

Im still very happy with my t23. i dont need the horsepower for what i use it for. works just fine. just got a lil of the upgrade bug and was looking for some input.

i probably wont look at a T60 till used ebay prices start hitting $200-$300's. and imagine that is still goin be a while.

scott

voneschenbach · #4 Post by **voneschenbach** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:36 pm

It's a pity you sold the SXGA T30 at a loss - those are rare machines and I would think folks from this forum would have snapped it up.

I agree - I got an X31 recently because I wasn't comfortable lugging my T30 around. The T30 seems much less rugged than the T2x series and my first thinkpad, a T22.

#5 Post by **rkawakami** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:19 pm

Most people that know me might be surprised at what I'm about to say

.

The three T41s that have been through or in my hands seem to be very capable machines. If treated properly (i.e., don't pick up the system by a single corner with one hand), I'm sure that they will continue to perform for several more years. At least until Microsoft Office requires a quad-core CPU and 4GB of memory

. The T4x systems have their own unique problems, as do the T2x series. Granted, a loose GPU is much, much harder to fix than re-soldering a loose inductor. I'm still of the opinion that system flexing is the major issue behind the ATI chips breaking loose from the T4x motherboard, as say opposed to just the simple thermodynamics of constant heating and cooling of the area underneath and around the GPU.

The inclusion of USB 2.0 (when it works; I guess that's another problem area), the faster P-M CPUs, the ability to populate the memory up to 2GB on the T4x systems are what attracts me over the T23. I'm still trying to get used to the idea of the ethernet cable (and most everything else) sticking out from the sides of the laptop, but as I almost use them exclusively wireless, that's really not much of a problem. Also, sometimes I miss having the serial port but that's why I have the T2x and 600 systems around. Cheap DVD burners seem to be hard to find in the Ultrabay Slim form-factor, but conversely, DDR memory is cheaper than SDR when compared on a $$$/MB ratio.

As RealBlackStuff suggested, if you max out your T23 with 1GB of memory and a fast disk drive, then that should be perfectly fine for general document tasks (Word, Excel, etc.), web browsing and multimedia playback. I've used such a T23 to transcode videos and yes, it does probably take longer than a T41, but I'm in no hurry because I always have another system that I could use while it's crunching data.

Given all of those pluses and minuses, I'd still be comfortable with upgrading to a T4x system. One that has been checked out for several hours and which does not exhibit any video-related or USB glitches.

mattbiernat · #6 Post by **mattbiernat** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:34 pm

I got T23 and T60, I love both machines equally, but I am babying my T23 all the time because of the known inductor issues. My T60 on the other hand is taking all kinds of abuse for the past 2 years. I pick it up by one hand, i pick it up using the screen, it falls down occasionally. I never had any problems with it.
I would suggest to get a cheap T60. Or you can even get a refub R61 for as little as ~$400. Just check this website: http://stores.channeladvisor.com/Lenovo ... %20Series/
Right now they got R61 for $434. Get rid of Vista and install XP and you will have no problems with it.

#7 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:10 pm

Matt, why don't you take the T23 mobo out and resolder the inductors as preventive maintenance, that way you'll have no worries.

Mike Blake · #8 Post by **Mike Blake** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:11 am

Scott wrote:I had recently tried a T30 from ebay and ended up selling at a loss. I couldnt stand the fan noise...
My question, Are the T40's a good upgrade stepping stone

In my experience, if you don't like the fan noise from a T30, you won't be fond of a T4x.

#9 Post by **Harryc** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:37 am

I agree with Mike, the fan on a stock T30 is much quieter than any T4X machine that I have ever had, and I've had them all.

mattbiernat · #10 Post by **mattbiernat** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 12:30 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:Matt, why don't you take the T23 mobo out and resolder the inductors as preventive maintenance, that way you'll have no worries.

hahahah. i might as well do it!
i love it when mechanics suggest "preventive maintenance" for my car!

furiousmonkey · #11 Post by **furiousmonkey** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 11:14 am

I do prefer the power of my P4 2.4Ghz T30 compared to my T23 1.13Ghz they both have a gig of ram, but I do agree that there is something about the T23 that I just don't seem to want to give up on.

I built it myself from a T21, I put a new bottom on it, (that is a new case bottom with a T23 motherboard 1.13Ghz processor), I had to cut some of the plastic on the one side to make it fit, but it runs great.

I use my T30 more and more lately, but the T23 is not too far away!

#12 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 1:30 pm

furiousmonkey, how's the heat on a T30 with a 2.4 in it? If you have the time pls run mobmeter on it and tell me the idle and load temps. Was it a stock 2.4 or did you upgrade? If an upgrade, did you use a different part# fan over stock? Thanks!

furiousmonkey · #13 Post by **furiousmonkey** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:25 pm

I use a program called, Notebook Hardware Control it monitors the battery the CPU usage and the heat of both the harddrive and the CPU.

The CPU came with the T30, I replaced the fan with a new one of the same part number.

It reaches the temperature of about 80 degrees C before the fan kicks in and cools it down to about 60 degrees C.

The Notebook Hardware Control also monitors what your Processor speed runs at, you can set it dynamic switching if you like, but I keep it running at 2.4Ghz all the time. The other T30 is the same thing with the temperature.

#14 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:37 pm

Thanks for the information. That's about 10*C hotter than the 1.8 in my T30. I'll have to think about this one ...

#15 Post by **AlphaKilo470** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:42 pm

The fan noise in my T41 isn't that bad. I have a 1.7ghz Dothan chip (pulled from an otherwise lesser spec'd T42) in the system and while the fan is almost always running, I only notice it when in a dead quiet room.

The computer itself doesn't feel as rugged as the T23 I once had but it's still survived one drop and a few tosses through my car when I had to do sudden stops (Atlanta traffic, need I say more?) while not having the computer in a secure spot (e.g. I just placed it on the front seat).

All in all, I really have no regrets outside of upgrading to this from the T23 except for the fact I just happened to love that machine. I have to admit the T41's keyboard is alot nicer to type on.

jronald · #16 Post by **jronald** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:46 pm

Not trying to shanghai this thread, but I loaded the Notebook Hardware Control on one of my T23's and the fan has not run for over 3 hours! Very unusal, with the type things I stress it with

Im thinking because it adjusts the speed on the fly, it runs cooler. The bottom DOES feel cooler, and Im able to use it on a bare leg...which is something I could never do before.

My 2 cents worth

Ron

GoodMayonnaise · #17 Post by **GoodMayonnaise** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:37 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:Have you maxed out your T23?
1.2GHz CPU, 2x512 = 1024MB RAM, 7200rpm hard disk, SXGA+ (1400x1050) LCD, wifi?

How does one max out the display componants? That screen resolution is much higher than what the LCD display can do, I believe. Do you mean an external display of 1400x1050?

I just upgraded my t23 to Vista and I am also afraid that I may never find a computer I like as much as my T23 and I have been hurting to improve the video capabilities. Video and sound drivers are messed up since the switch. I really like vista and it basically runs fine, but it's very clear that not having proper video and audio drivers for the hardware is fouling things up. I also am not sure of the compatibility with the dock I use. Type:2631.

Can one upgrade from the integrated 16MB video memory?

#18 Post by **rkawakami** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:14 pm

What RBS was indicating with those specs, is that a factory version was produced (1.2Ghz, SXGA+, built-in WiFi) and that one could expand the memory to a maximum of 1GB and put in a larger, faster hard drive. If you have an XGA (1024x768) T23, you can replace it with an SXGA+ panel and matching cable. You can't change the amount of on-board video memory, however with your dock, you can install a PCI video card and drive an external monitor.

sjthinkpader · #19 Post by **sjthinkpader** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:16 pm

GoodMayonnaise wrote:
RealBlackStuff wrote:Have you maxed out your T23?
1.2GHz CPU, 2x512 = 1024MB RAM, 7200rpm hard disk, SXGA+ (1400x1050) LCD, wifi?
How does one max out the display componants? That screen resolution is much higher than what the LCD display can do, I believe. Do you mean an external display of 1400x1050?
...

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, T2x had the SXGA+ option. They came in somewhat towards the end of the T21 run. Became more popular in the T22 and T23s. The hitachi panels had the pink CCF issue more than the LG/Phillips panels. But at their age, this is becoming more common.

The wireless version has a slightly larger LCD cover to hold the two antennae.

Another upgrade is use a T30 battery. It gives a longer run time.

p.s. Ray beat me to it again.

t20user · #20 Post by **t20user** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 2:24 pm

I upgraded from a T22 to a T41 a couple of years ago and have not regretted it. While I prefer the format of the T2x series, the faster proc/USB2.0 and 2GB memory are necessities for me now. I have never had an issue with the T41, although it spends 95% of its time at my desk.

what should i upgrade to (from a T-23)

what should i upgrade to (from a T-23)

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Re: what should i upgrade to (from a T-23)

Re: what should i upgrade to (from a T-23)

The difference

Turn up the heat

T23 Video upgrade

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