Feeding my new addiction (A31 any good?)

[maxinflixion]

So, as has been documented, I lucked into a T22 that needed some TLC a couple of weeks back and decided that I really like Thinkpads.

Unfortunately, that machine did not meet my needs spec-wise, so once I finished rehabbing it, I sold it.

I noticed an A31 on Craigslist this morning at a semi-decent price (will be decent if I negotiate properly).

If you are an A31 owner, how do you like it?

[pianowizard]

I assume you're referring to this unit. $400 is way too much for this model. The fact that it's still not sold after over 5 weeks suggests that the seller is unwilling to negotiate.

Incidentally, the screen is 15.0", not 16". Also, the display resolution could be either XGA (1024x768) or SXGA+ (1400x1050). If it's the former, then this unit is worth even less.

I once owned an A31p, a more powerful version of the A31. It looked very ugly and weighed 7.30 lbs, two pounds heavier than the T22.

[schen]

I like the A3x series a lot. I think they are more robust than the previous A2x series, at a much higher spec for not a lot more money. That being said; it's true that they are big and heavy, but how you look at that will depend a lot on how you use your machine. In our home, we have both the A31 and the T30. So generation, same general spec and even the same screen resolution. My wife who doesn't leave the house with it, loves hers and find that she is able to use the SXGA+ resolution since it's on a 15" rather than 14" screen (even with her bad eyes). I on the other hand, move around a lot with my machine (even around the house), so I much prefer the T Series that gives me a good package in a reasonable size and weight.

So, if you don't envision yourself traveling much with this machine, then the A31 is a very nice choice. They really are great as a mobile Workstation with the bigger screen and the 2 swappable bays. The 2 that I have on hand have been very reliable as well. One is currently running Ubuntu. Upgrade parts for them are also very cheap as well. I picked up 2 512Mb SO-DIMMs on the local Craig's list for less than $50 and it's much cheaper to find DVD burners for the older 12.7mm height drive caddies as well, and of course $ per byte is at bargain basement prices for HDDs. You can really pick one up pretty cheap, upgrade it and have a very nice and fast machine without a lot of outlay.

[proaudioguy]

I love mine.

[Boricua65]

Incidentally, the screen is 15.0", not 16". Also, the display resolution could be either XGA (1024x768) or SXGA+ (1400x1050). If it's the former, then this unit is worth even less.

The A3x series come only in a 14.1" or 15.0" LCD screen.

[maxinflixion]

The price is $100 w/ no Hard Drive. I am considering picking it up. Does it sound liek a decent deal?

[pianowizard]

The price is $100 w/ no Hard Drive. I am considering picking it up. Does it sound liek a decent deal?

Any A31 for $100 is a decent deal. Go for it!

[maxinflixion]

y'know what? For a 2652-j3u, that price seems almost TOO GOOD.

The guy keeps saying he BELIEVES it just needs a hard drive, but is not definitive.

Name sounded familiar, so I looked through some old emails and the guy was trying to sell me stuff a while back and he got real pushy and nasty.

Long story short, the guy's evasiveness on the hard drive thing coupled with the fact that I KNOW he knows about this stuff from our past dealings (ok, almost dealings that were soured by him being a prick), but is acting like he knows nothing is making me too wary to move.

This is a great price, but not for a brick. Back to teh drawing board.

[schen]

Your gut's probably right. I'm sure you do the same thing, but when I see something on ebay that looks good and the buyer claims to not know anything about computers, but has a bunch of computer stuff for sale..... I run the other way!

Like I always tell people regarding ebay; "be patient", if you see it there once, you'll see it again, so no need to panic. The same is pretty much true of Craig's List too. I'd been waiting to do another A31 for several months when I finally came across one that another ThinkPads community member was wiling to trade. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was a good deal. I had the RAM, wireless card, HDD and memory. All I needed to do was find the bigger 15" screen which ultimately came in 2 parts (I got the screen from my brother and the housing with wireless antenna from ebay). Now all I have to do is to put the thing together for an out of pocket outlay of less than $75.

I'm not trying to brag, but just want to use that as an illustration of what you can do with a little creativity and patience if you know what you want.

[fongj]

This reminds me of the story of they sucker who would buy hard drives at the flea market.

Mr. S used to go to the flea market every Saturday because there's a person there who sells computer stuff. The biggest draw for Mr. S was the box of "untested" hard drives for $5-$20 each for large capacity (100-500gb) hard drives. What a bargain! The vendor claimed it wasn't worth his time to throughly test them, then wipe them, and put them back into service.

Mr. S would use his spare cash at the end of the week to buy the nicest drive he could find in the box. For the first few weeks, he had the unfortunate luck of getting hard drives that had fatal problems (e.g. worse than just bad sectors). After a few weeks, he finally figured it out:

"Untested" = Tested, doesn't work, and selling for whatever cash the vendor can get


I've always wary of "as is" and "untested" sales and eBay auctions since a variation on this story.