Thinkpads Forum

After finding out my TP 600 can't play videos due to CPU restraints, I've decided to go for this TP 600x listed on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... Track=true

However, it's missing a lot of parts:

Hard disk/caddy/cover
CDROM (has a floppy drive in place)
Battery
AC Adapter
Modem cover in back (see picture)
External floppy drive port cover
CMOS battery

Would I be able to use my current TP 600 case to replace the covers?

Can I use my current AC adaptor for the 600x?

Finally, can I use my current 64mb ram and the 64mb ram of the new system together to create a combined 128mb ram setup?

Thanks for the replies.

Hard disk/caddy/cover - You can use yours
CDROM (has a floppy drive in place) - You can use yours
Battery - You can use yours
AC Adapter - You can use yours
Modem cover in back (see picture) Yours does not have one. Can buy on E-bay
External floppy drive port cover - You can use yours
CMOS battery - You can use yours


So basically, you just need to find a modem cover

Oh, I forgot to mention. The RAM in your 600 is probably PC66. You need PC100 for the 600x. But 256MB sticks are cheap these days. You can pick up a pair for $60

Actually I've found a btter offer :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0187373181

But it has no ram. Can I simply use mine?

Sorry for the run around but this looks like a steal.

Moderator edit: Shortened URL to prevent horizontal scrolling

Yes, that does seem to be a good deal. You will have to buy RAM for it though.

rippaman77 wrote:Actually I've found a btter offer :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0187373181

But it has no ram. Can I simply use mine?

Sorry for the run around but this looks like a steal.

That ad listing looks exactly same as those of the selelr brucecomputersystems. I am spending too much time at ebay!

Wingnut wrote:Yes, that does seem to be a good deal. You will have to buy RAM for it though.

Thanks for the help Wingnut. Good thing I didn't jump the gun. I almost went ahead with the buy before asking. Oh well... looks like another boring train commute this week lol. I'll keep a look out for any future deals. All I need is for someone to be selling one with a mssing harddrive or something and I'll get a fairly discounted lap.

Why not buy it? You can easily buy RAM for it.

Wingnut wrote:Why not buy it? You can easily buy RAM for it.

Because I have a budget of about $70. If I buy the ram it would mean me spending at least $100 altogether.

What model is your 600 and what OS are you running?

You have options to get Video on your 600. Depending on which 600 it is, you can upgrade the CPU pretty cheap. And if you are running W2K, you can add a Margi Card. Do a search in the forums for more details, but its basically a PCMCIA card that will allow slower CPU's to run Video.

FWIW, I was able to play DVD's on my 600 without the Margi Card, but I had to lower the resolution to be able to watch them.

Wingnut wrote:What model is your 600 and what OS are you running?

You have options to get Video on your 600. Depending on which 600 it is, you can upgrade the CPU pretty cheap. And if you are running W2K, you can add a Margi Card. Do a search in the forums for more details, but its basically a PCMCIA card that will allow slower CPU's to run Video.

FWIW, I was able to play DVD's on my 600 without the Margi Card, but I had to lower the resolution to be able to watch them.

It's a 2645. I'm unfortunately running xp. I'm not actually trying to play files from a dvd player but I'm attempting to play divx movies. It's really slow and choppy because of the inadequate cpu. When you say change resolution, do you mean change color quality to 16 bit?

rippaman77 wrote: It's a 2645. I'm unfortunately running xp. I'm not actually trying to play files from a dvd player but I'm attempting to play divx movies. It's really slow and choppy because of the inadequate cpu. When you say change resolution, do you mean change color quality to 16 bit?

All 600's are 2645 (with the exception of a couple of 600X's). What is the 3 digit/letter combo after the 2645. That will tell us what speed your CPU is. Or, you could just tell us.

And yes, lower the color to 16 bit. You might also have to lower the resolution to 800x600. But try the color adjustment first. Adding more ram will help too.

My 600 was choppy even with the color lowered to 16bit. I had to lower the screen resolution to be able to watch DVD's

Wingnut wrote:

rippaman77 wrote: It's a 2645. I'm unfortunately running xp. I'm not actually trying to play files from a dvd player but I'm attempting to play divx movies. It's really slow and choppy because of the inadequate cpu. When you say change resolution, do you mean change color quality to 16 bit?

All 600's are 2645 (with the exception of a couple of 600X's). What is the 3 digit/letter combo after the 2645. That will tell us what speed your CPU is. Or, you could just tell us.

And yes, lower the color to 16 bit. You might also have to lower the resolution to 800x600. But try the color adjustment first. Adding more ram will help too.

My 600 was choppy even with the color lowered to 16bit. I had to lower the screen resolution to be able to watch DVD's

The combo is 85U. I tried lowering the color level and the resolution but it still choppy. I'm also using media player classic when playing video to help lessen the cpu burden but to no avail.

You may try using the free VLC mediaplayer. Very low on CPU use.

http://www.videolan.org/

Succes!

I have a plain vanilla 600- 2651-51U with a 400Mhz CPU upgrade @352MB ram.

The CPU cost 30.00 shipped, and in conjunction with VLC player
I have not had any issues playing AVI/DIVX files.

The 600X I have with the orig. 500Mhz CPU played video files right out of the box... and it just flies with the 850Mhz CPU.

Given your70.00 budget.. I would look for a MMC-1 400Mhz CPU and max out the ram on your exisiting 600 to 416 Mb(256+128+32)
and you should be O.K with video 800 x 600 16 bit.

ms5133 wrote:I have a plain vanilla 600- 2651-51U with a 400Mhz CPU upgrade @352MB ram.

The CPU cost 30.00 shipped, and in conjunction with VLC player
I have not had any issues playing AVI/DIVX files.

The 600X I have with the orig. 500Mhz CPU played video files right out of the box... and it just flies with the 850Mhz CPU.

Given your70.00 budget.. I would look for a MMC-1 400Mhz CPU and max out the ram on your exisiting 600 to 416 Mb(256+128+32)
and you should be O.K with video 800 x 600 16 bit.

Thanks everyone for all the help.

That would make sense but my current 600 is also missing a battery. That would mean I'd have to buy the battery $40, buy the ram $30 (not sure how much it will cost really but I'm estimating), and also purchase the new cpu $30. So, it would be cheaper and more convenient to simply go for a 600x with a battery.

rippaman77 wrote:Thanks everyone for all the help.

That would make sense but my current 600 is also missing a battery. That would mean I'd have to buy the battery $40, buy the ram $30 (not sure how much it will cost really but I'm estimating), and also purchase the new cpu $30. So, it would be cheaper and more convenient to simply go for a 600x with a battery.

If you can find one with a working battery.

I have been looking & bought over a dozen 600 series laptops on E-bay over the last 6 months and they are not that easy to come by for you budget of $70.

Most barebones units sell in the $50 range. Add a battery & RAM and you are over $100. But if you are patient, you can find one, it will just take time. You have to look everyday, sometimes a few times a day because if it is a BIN auction, it won't last loong. I found a place that had 2 600X's for sale for $50 each. Bought one and when I went to buy the other a minute later, it was sold already. They go quick.

Another option....Buy a cheap 10gig HD. Install W2K on it and then use a Margi Card. Both can be had for about $20 total + shipping. you can swap HD's when you need to watch video.

Ok I've bought a new 600X!!!! It cost me $110.... Now I know what you'll say. "I thought your budget was $70". Well it is. Once I sell off my old TP 600 for $70 I'll make back most of the $115 I spent.

Here's the link for the 600X I bought:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0168726970

It comes with nothing missing plus an ac adapter, Linksys wireless card, mouse, and external floppy drive. The seller also claims that the battery is brand new (let's hope it holds good charge) At $115, I thought it was worth it.

My Thinkpad 600 should easily sell for $60 - $70 considering it is ion great condition. Comes with an ac adapter, pcimia 10/100 ethernet card, Asus Wireless card with warranty and installation cd (I"m keeping the new Linksys and selling this one), Windows Professional installed, and carrying case.

The only negative is that its missing a battery.

I also have a docking station that I could include in the sale but it may add too much to the total weight of the package when shipping it off. Think it's worth including? I'm definitely never going to use it.

If you want to get the most money out of your 600..and the machine's plastics and LCD are in good shape, parting out is the way to go.

Its also by far the most hassle.

$60-70 for your unit is a very good price. The buyer would have to add shipping and a battery( I am assuming your price does not include shipping)

If you do the math, you will come close to, or over the price you paid for your 600X shipped with a good battery.

ms5133 wrote:If you want to get the most money out of your 600..and the machine's plastics and LCD are in good shape, parting out is the way to go.

Its also by far the most hassle.

$60-70 for your unit is a very good price. The buyer would have to add shipping and a battery( I am assuming your price does not include shipping)

If you do the math, you will come close to, or over the price you paid for your 600X shipped with a good battery.

My price does include shipping. I would never sell it for $70 plus $XX for shipping via Buy It Now. It definitely wouldn’t sell at that cost. I plan to sell it for $50 plus $20 shipping. Sorry for not including it in my original markup. I would be paying about $20 myself to ship it off. Making $50 from the $70 sale, I would make back $65 of the $115 I spent on the 600X, easily fulfilling my budget requirements.

rippaman77, You may be in luck, If your still looking for a 600X in prime (and I do mean prime) condition I have a 600X for sale and I live in Morris County NJ so you can see and try it before you decide and no shipping costs. I am looking for $120. This unit, 2645-9EU, has 256mb memory, 12gb drive, a good battery, ac adapter and CD drive. The keyboard is in excellent condition and the body has no nicks or scratches anywhere. The unit works perfectly with XP. The only thing it needs is a new cmos battery. It even has the original "Designed for Microsoft" and "Intel Inside" stickers on the palmrest. PM me if you are interested.

Almost forgot, it also comes with the IBM external floppy drive that plugs into the port on the right side of the unit and I replaced the Trackpoint button with a new one.