Thinkpads Forum

I'm getting a Lot of laptops in the mail. I plan to keep one. I am choosing between a 390x and a 600x. The 390x is 2626-LNU, PIII 450MHz (256KB) 64MB RAM 12.0GB 14.1 XGA TFT 24X 56K . The 600x is a 2645-4EU, PIII 500MHz (256KB) 64MB RAM 12.0GB 13.3 XGA TFT, 24X 56K. I like the large screen on the 390x, however the most important things to me are:
1) max memory and ease of getting it (high/low density, PC133, PC100 etc)
2) highest cpu upgrade without hardware modification (speed step, non speed step etc)
3) video playback
4) general system speed
5) battery life
6) i/o compatibility (usb, s-vid, monitor etc)
7) weight and size
8) appearance

All opinions are greatly appreciated, especially personal experience. I used to own a 390 and was amazed at its speed and sleek look.

As my experience is only with the 600X (see sig), here's what I think:

1) Maximum memory in the 600X would be 576MB. This is with the on-board 64M and two 256MB PC100 CL2 modules. Your configuration sounds like you have 64MB and 128MB modules installed. Those would have to be replaced with the 256's. Low density 256MB modules can be had for around $30-$40. If you can get the PC133 CL2 modules cheaper, then you can use those.

2) Assuming that you don't want to change the motherboard, then 500Mhz is already the fastest you can go. The 600X was available with a SpeedStep 650Mhz but requires a different motherboard.

3) I'm running both Windows XP and Windows 2000 on my 600Xs and generally, the XP machines seems to be more smoother when playing DVDs. I believe this is due to the way Win2000 works.

4) The 500Mhz machines I have are great for general usage. My older daughter has loaded Adobe Creative Suite 2 (which requires at least 512MB) on hers and she doesn't seem to have any problems. Yeah, it's slower than my 1.13Ghz T23, but she not complaining (yet). Most of my 600Xs have combo drives now and I don't think I've ever burned a "coaster".

5) I'm using re-celled IBM batteries with 4400mAh capacity and get around 2.5 hours of life. This is with normal web surfing and word processing usage and powering off the disk drive and display after 3 minutes of idle time.

6) My only problem with the 600X (and even the T2x) is that they only have USB 1.1. Other than that, the built-in ports are fine (PCMCIA, floppy, serial, parallel, VGA, audio). I've never used the TV out jack. A great feature of the 600X is the Mini PCI slot. I've taken to installing an 802.11b/g wireless card in there to free up the PCMCIA slots.

7) No complaints other than it's a two spindle machine so if, in the rare instance, I need a floppy drive, then it's connected using the external housing. Lighter to travel (even with the AC adpater and external floppy drive) than my Gateway 450SX.

8) Basic IBM black.

(edit: Added "Low density" to module description in item 1)
(edit2: Just occured to me... If you don't already have a copy of the "twbook.pdf" file, you can download it from here:

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

This contains a brief spec sheet on the withdrawn (i.e. obsolete) systems from 1992 to 2001. The 390X and 600X are just two of the systems listed.)

I would say both, but if i were looking for one i would search for a 600x with speedstep.

I believe that both of them have about the same upgrade possibilities, so why not play around with both and then decide? Sell the other one here.

Thanks rkawakami for your indepth analysis. I was a little vague about cosmetics. the 390 as I recall had a slim profile and tapered edge, and from pictures the 600 seems to be a little thicker and have a "square" edge, very similar to most laptops. But I only have pics to go on til tomorrow. The 600x with a 500mhz can't be upgraded cpu-wise? I've seen a few threads about people doing it to them and even 600e's. I am a little confused about that and hopefully someone can elaborate on it. Anyone know the max memory on a 390x?- found it
Edit: twbook is quite useful!

tfflivemb2, I am definitely taking your suggestion. I am a little new, so hopefully everyone will work with me so I can deliver good products and get good feedback.

One thing to note, is that if you prefer the 390x, and can't upgrade either above 500MHz....simply swap the two processors.

You and I think alike!

I have fallen in love with my 600x.

Rosannafe wrote:I have fallen in love with my 600x.

To keep it in fine health over the golden years of its life, feed it generously (increase the memory as much as you can afford), inoculate it against disease (use an antivirus program and firewall), protect it from the dangers of Newton's Law (don't drop it!) and it will return as much love as you give it. Neglect these rules and like children who receive similar attention, your baby can turn out to be a source of frustration and sorrow.

Well written. Indeed, memory is quite the expensive commodity these days though. I'd "die" a happy woman if I could max it out.

Rosannafe wrote:Indeed, memory is quite the expensive commodity these days though.

I found this on eBay while searching recently completed auctions:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0019074785

2 256MB PC100 low density modules for $72 shipped. That person got a pretty good deal. However, searching a little more, I found this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0016832366

That deal was again for 2 256MB PC100 low density modules. Somebody got a GREAT deal for $35. In short, if you are patient and lucky (okay, mostly lucky), you can populate your 600X up to the maximum of 576MB.

Hmm...I forsee alot of searching for me in the near future lol...thanks for the mouth watering deals

rkawakami is the man when it comes to RAM. $35 is a nice deal, I bought two sticks of 128mb ram for 32$.

Saysana13B wrote:rkawakami is the man when it comes to RAM.

Thanks for the compliment! Probably comes from me being a memory test engineer for the last (cough, hmmm, err..) 25+ years. And along those lines, and to get slightly off topic... if/when you do get "pre-owned" memory modules, the best thing you can do is to spend an hour or so running a set of diagnostics on them before you commit to accepting/using them. Two good sources are PC Doctor and memtest86+. I've published links for these programs several times before in other threads. You should be able to use the search link to find them. Limit your search to the 600 and T2x/T3x forums since those are the places I hang out on. PC Doctor is specific to the type of Thinkpad it runs on, while memtest86+ is not. Both programs are written to their own bootable floppy disk so you will need access to a floppy drive. Yeah, the Thinkpad does its own memory check when turned on, but it is not as thorough as a dedicated memory diagnostic program (which is why it takes about an hour to test 512MB).