X61 still relevant in 2020?

[DJKylian]

Yes that does work, the converter quality is the deal here. Also keep in mind that sound output through the VGA-to-HDMI converter needs to pass the sound through a RCA cable from the headphones plug to an input on the converter. You cannot get more than Stereo sound to the best of my knowledge.

They work perfectly with a Creative Audigy 2 ZS pcmcia card which has optical 7.1 as well. Or any usb codec that have spdif or optical in and outputs.

[Dekks]

X61 is the smallest form factor fully featured ThinkPad. It also happens to be a classic design with the 4:3 screen nearly completely filling its lid area.

The biggest problem with using old ultraportables in their intended purpose is that good batteries are not easily accessible, plentiful, or affordable. I have a neat little X60s that behaves well with an SSD but it's good for an hour at most off the charger. Recelling is an option, but it is not easily accessible, plentiful, or affordable.

Agreed 110% - only IF you have access to good batteries. I don't have any working ones now and can't find a source that's reputable in the UK.

[iamdmc]

X61 is the smallest form factor fully featured ThinkPad. It also happens to be a classic design with the 4:3 screen nearly completely filling its lid area.

The biggest problem with using old ultraportables in their intended purpose is that good batteries are not easily accessible, plentiful, or affordable. I have a neat little X60s that behaves well with an SSD but it's good for an hour at most off the charger. Recelling is an option, but it is not easily accessible, plentiful, or affordable.

Agreed 110% - only IF you have access to good batteries. I don't have any working ones now and can't find a source that's reputable in the UK.

Do the USB C mod (or buy a USB C to barrel adaptor), then use USB C PD powerbanks. I use the Anker PowerCore 10,000 slim PD (18W) with my T480s (about 90 mins per 10,000 pack) and X61s (about 60 mins)

[pigroasts]

Agreed 110% - only IF you have access to good batteries. I don't have any working ones now and can't find a source that's reputable in the UK.

Do the USB C mod (or buy a USB C to barrel adaptor), then use USB C PD powerbanks. I use the Anker PowerCore 10,000 slim PD (18W) with my T480s (about 90 mins per 10,000 pack) and X61s (about 60 mins)

[censored] that's a really good idea. off to buy a usb c to barrel adaptor...

[mikemex]

The problem with any old anything is physical decay. Although there might be notable exceptions (such as industrial grade stuff), most electronic devices can't be trusted to run reliably decades they were manufactured. Capacitors and rubber become dry, plastic becomes brittle, gold platted connections electromigrate and eventually tarnish and change resistance, etc..

Nothing lasts forever.

That being said, an X61 in good shape is not so old to be useless at this point. But there may be some challenges you should be aware of.

Lacking processing power aside, X61 is what I might call a "transition machine". This is, it was released in a period when major architectural changes took place. One of such changes was the switch from non scalable screen rendering (GDI) to scalable one (GPU assisted Aero). This is important, because the integrated intel graphics (X3100) was optimized for the former, not the later (Windows XP and not later OSes). It simply lacks the muscle to do so, but this is relatively easy to overcome in Windows 7 (just disable all eye candy in the performance settings in the system configuration). I'm not even sure if there are drivers for later versions of Windows, as I have never tried to go beyond 7.

The other problem is the switch from 32 to 64 bit software: while it runs in 64 bit mode, it was not common back then, and drivers in that mode may not be so polished or even available. And even if you install a 64 bit OS on it, you won't benefit much from it unless you go above 4GB of RAM, which is not very likely considering this is a DDR2 machine and 4GB modules were super expensive and rare back then,

But also this:

The biggest problem with using old ultraportables in their intended purpose is that good batteries are not easily accessible, plentiful, or affordable.

That's a big drawback about using any old anything: spares. Some years after the initial release, when generalized replacement by a newer generation takes place, the market tends to flood with the old one. This is the right moment to buy what you like. After a while, supplies run dry and the market reaches a stall point because no new stuff is being made. From there, only a few places will have what you need, and they'll offer it for very high prices, knowing that there is no competition.

Myself, I'm struggling at the moment to find T420 era keyboards at a reasonable price. Sure, they are available, but they tend to sell for nearly the price of a complete machine! So I've decided to just hoard complete spare machines if I really like a model; that way I can cannibalize them and not worry much about predicting what I might need in the future.

-Written on my old and trusty X301.

[dr_st]

Good timing to bump this thread. I just set up my wife's old, no-longer-useful-to-her-or-to-me-or-to-the-kids X61, as a secondary desk station for my parents. It is docked with external monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, running Windows 7 x86. It is much faster and miles more useful than the Pentium 4 desktop with WinXP that used to serve this purpose.

[crashnburn]

Good timing to bump this thread. I just set up my wife's old, no-longer-useful-to-her-or-to-me-or-to-the-kids X61, as a secondary desk station for my parents. It is docked with external monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, running Windows 7 x86. It is much faster and miles more useful than the Pentium 4 desktop with WinXP that used to serve this purpose.

Ha ha! The things the old gen have to use, when they were not former computer geeks Wonder what happens to those of us who were, when the time comes