X32 Questions

[proaudioguy]

I saw an X30 the other day and fell in love. I'd like to know the benefits of the X30 vs X31 vs X32, and how it will compare to my A31. Read on if you are interested.

I have been using an A31 for 5 years and have always loved it. I recently bought an X60 Tablet to get remote (mobile) control of the A31 which runs the applications I need for work. It is wired into various equipment and has to stay where I set it up. I use remote desktop on the X60 T to control the A31. Also, I have replaced the A31 when surfing the internet, email etc.

SO, I am thinking to carry less of a load (weight) on the road, maybe I could carry the X60T and an X32 instead of the X60T and A31.

How is the performance? It is a Pentium M which is "supposed" to be better than the 2.2GHz Pentium 4m I have in my A31. It appears to accept 7200rpm drives. Are there any heat issues with that? Is the CPU soldered on or can it be upgraded? Is any of the RAM soldered on like the unfortunately T4x series? I'd like to have 2 1gig ram cards. What is the graphics specs offered?

What are the fastest/ best specs I can get on this machine? Will it outperform my A31? Can you get it with an IPS type screen? Is there any higher resolution than the XGA?

Anything else you can think of? Any links I should be reading?

When I do a search for X32 online I just get cheezy for sale adds, and not so detailed reviews. I know it's a thinkpad and the quality etc etc. You can tell by my signature.

How much should I expect to pay for a decent used machine? Is there anyone selling NOS machines, sealed in the box?
When will these go off lease and start showing up for sale by those companies?

Thanks

[billp117]

X30...easy to buy, lowest price, USB not 2.0, solid, easy to work on, old style ram

X31...more expensive, USB 2.0, harder to buy, solid, newer ram technology, most all accessories work with X30

X32...pick of the litter, hardest hard to find, similar to X31, many still under warranty...highest priced.

I got my X30 for $200 on craigslist.com and put about $120 more into it including the X3 slice, larger HD, new keyboard and bezel. All of which I really did not have to do since it came with a docking units with DVD/CDR/W...I just wanted to make it look like new. The mother boards, video, and various parts internally are not totally interchangeable. All the external accessories work fine. If you buy an X30 and later come across an X32...you AC adapter, X3 slice, batteries, etc all will work.

Good luck with your hunt. Hope this very general comparison helps...if you want to get technical, you can download the individual Thinkpad manuals from the IBM/Lenovo website. Perhaps one of the other forum members has a better answer.

[qviri]

Is the CPU soldered on or can it be upgraded? Is any of the RAM soldered on like the unfortunately T4x series? I'd like to have 2 1gig ram cards.

CPU is soldered, RAM isn't.

What is the graphics specs offered?

Mobility Radeon 7000.

Is there any higher resolution than the XGA?

Nope.

Any links I should be reading?

Thinkwiki's pages for X30, X31, and X32 are useful for quick checks on hardware specs.


Bill has an excellent point about RAM - the X30 takes SDRAM, while the X31 and X32 take DDR. I'm not even sure if 1 GB SDRAM SODIMMs were ever made, but if they were, I wouldn't be surprised if two of them cost you more than the rest of the laptop. I'd stick to X31/32 if you want to go for 2 GB.

[proaudioguy]

Awesome guys! Thanks!

[ragefury32]

Is the CPU soldered on or can it be upgraded? Is any of the RAM soldered on like the unfortunately T4x series? I'd like to have 2 1gig ram cards.

CPU is soldered, RAM isn't.

What is the graphics specs offered?

Mobility Radeon 7000.

Is there any higher resolution than the XGA?

Nope.

Any links I should be reading?

Thinkwiki's pages for X30, X31, and X32 are useful for quick checks on hardware specs.


Bill has an excellent point about RAM - the X30 takes SDRAM, while the X31 and X32 take DDR. I'm not even sure if 1 GB SDRAM SODIMMs were even made, but if there were, I wouldn't be surprised if two of them cost you more than the rest of the laptop. I'd stick to X31/32 if you want to go for 2 GB.

Minor correction - the X30 is not a Pentium-M with the 400MHz system bus - it's a Pentium 3m with a 133MHz System Bus. The X30 also do not have the ATi Radeon M6 - it has the Intel i830MG Almador-M integrated graphics. Also, the Almador memory controller can only support up to 1Gbytes of memory in-system in total...so if I were you, I'll take either an X31 or 32. Try to gun for a late model 31 if you can - they might still be under warranty and are good machines for their price. The 32s are a bit of a rarity and they'll tend to go for more.