Portability T series versus X series

Message

ozone · #1 Post by **ozone** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 4:43 pm

I know this has probably been answered, but a quick search of the forums seems a bit scattered.

Can any long time T series users (T40/41/42) please comment on the portability of the unit compared to say an X31 or even an X24? I know there are differences in performance, but I was all set to get an X31 off of EBay when it was pointed out that I might not be overly happy given it's lack of an optical drive - don't always need it, but when you do, you wish you had it, and then you have to worry about dragging or leaving a medial slice or external drive where you need it.

So, it's possibly a T series now. Let's put it this way: any T owners regret the slightly larger size/weight for the sake of having a bit more functionality all the time? And if it helps, I'll use it for a variety of office related tasks. Nothing too complex, but quite a few different applications and programs.

#2 Post by **jdhurst** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:12 pm

I have used a TP-240 (2 pounds, no peripherals), X22 (3 pounds, no peripherals), T30 (just over 5 pounds, DVD), and now a T41 (4.9 pounds, DVD). The T30 and the T41 take the 60Gb 7200 rpm fast hard drive, and the T41 was upgradeable to the Dothan. I say "was" because I have done it.

So for me, the T41 remains light enough to go anywhere (and with Sony-Ericsson wireless, does always go with me), and has the convenience of a built-in DVD/CD-ROM. The latter is often highly useful at customer meetings.

I once said I would not bother with periphals and stay at 3 pounds or less. Times and circumstances change, and my T41 with additional memory, very fast high-capacity hard drive, and fast Dothan processor is an absolutely great traveller, and I highly recommend T's over X's as travelling workhorse machines.
... JDHurst

Leon · #3 Post by **Leon** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:39 pm

"and with Sony-Ericsson wireless, does always go with me"....

is that a data card? if so, what kind of speed do you get?

skanky · #4 Post by **skanky** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:47 pm

i have a T40 and a X21, while i love the weight/portability of the X21 (i hardly use my optical drive tbh), i find the larger keyboard/screen on the T40 a godsend.

#5 Post by **daeojkim** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 8:00 pm

I don't have problem with my T42. I am sure X series are much lighter but I thnk larger screen and full size keyboard makes extra weight worthwhile.
Such a nice laptop.. Still can't get enough of the feel of this keyboard... so nice.

#6 Post by **jdhurst** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 9:02 pm

Leon wrote:"and with Sony-Ericsson wireless, does always go with me"....

is that a data card? if so, what kind of speed do you get?

Yes. It normally delivers about 110Kbps, or about twice the speed of good dial-up. A bit pricey ($70/month for 15 Megabytes - my plan; $100/month unlimited data), but invaluable. Works anywhere my GSM phone works.
... JDHurst

none · #7 Post by **none** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 9:51 pm

For your perticular question, T4x vs. X2x/X3x, I would say go with the T4x... You will get a LOT more beef for just a bit less portability.

Now if you would consider an X4x, then it would be a harder choice, because the X4x is actually a lot more portable than T4x. Worth looking in to. And if you were to ask about T30 vs. X2x/X3x, I would go with the X again, because the T30 was pretty bulky.

But the T4x is so slim, it's really a no brainer vs. pre-4x X series. You get a full featured notebook instead of a sub-notebook.

P.S. Xcuse me for all those brain frying X's in the second paragraph.

ozone · #8 Post by **ozone** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:10 pm

Thanks for all the great feedback. I guess the ultimate is if there was an X30 series type notebook with an optical drive. I noticed on the X40 forum that a lot of owners seem to like the X31 over the X40. I'm surprised IBM hasn't made one yet given that Sony, Fujitsu, JVC have managed to make ultralights with optical drives in even smaller footprints.

By the way, how fast do people find their T series come out of hibernation/standby?

plucky duck · #9 Post by **plucky duck** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:21 pm

I've had the opportunity to use both X31 and T42. Getting both would be the best of both worlds, for me anyways.

The T40/41/42 is bigger in footprint but it's also amazingly thin. At 4.9lbs it really is a pleasure to handle.

The reason why I went with the T42p in the end is that I do like to game once in a while and like the fact I can burn DVD movies with the included DVD burner. The smaller 12.1" screen wasn't a factor in the decision to move up to the T42. I actually prefer the feel of the X31 keyboard over the T42.

The X31 feels more solid than the T42, but that's not to say the T series is flimsy.

LumberJack · #10 Post by **LumberJack** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:41 pm

dido...

X31 is great for portability. I love it. I have used a T42 and it's not too bad, but think about it this way... bigger laptop = bigger bag = less battery life = need to carry adapter.

IMHO, if you don't need the CD-Rom or the big screen etc.. go with the X31 you won't regret it.. but just don't look for fancy stuff (ie no cdrom and low resolution screen).

If you want an idea of size here is a needlessly oversized image:

http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~marouch/Thinkpad.JPG

LJ

ozone · #11 Post by **ozone** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 11:43 pm

Great photo... I'm surprised how many Canadians and Torontians are on this forum. I noticed the photo was somewhere from the ecf at U of T. Being a former U of T grad, it's always cool.

Hmmmm... all this encouraging talk about the X31 is making me think I should just go ahead and get it. Budget be [censored].

Daniel · #12 Post by **Daniel** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 12:07 am

Leon wrote:"and with Sony-Ericsson wireless, does always go with me"....

is that a data card? if so, what kind of speed do you get?

No need for data card if you have a bluetooth phone w/ built in modem and bluetooth enabled laptop.

mpcook · #13 Post by **mpcook** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:50 am

I've had three T series and now have an X31 which I prefer. On the rare occasions I need a drive, I bring it. I usually left the drive home on my T's to save weight, didn't need it much then either. But the smaller size and weight make it handy to carry and safer when sitting on a plane when the seat back in front comes back unexpectedly. Crunch.

ozone · #14 Post by **ozone** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 10:23 am

Well, based on all the excellent replies - especially from those that have owned both X and T series - I might have to revisit my decision here.

I was looking originally at just a traveling device, but I'm afraid I'll enjoy using it so much, that it'll turn into my everyday unit and that I would look back and regret not getting the T series.

I'm guessing that there is some difference between an X31 and a T, but that is more difference between an X40 and a T, and thus maybe a bit more rational to get a X40 for travel purposes only.

beeblebrox · #15 Post by **beeblebrox** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:49 am

I used to work on an TP240x for some time. it really was a very nice notebook. However, it only was useful with the large powerpack, and then putting software on it was quite difficult if no cd rom was around. So it had to carry the cd-rom with me as well (just in case). I then sold my TP240 and my A30, and got me a T40p. Boy, that thing is just slightly larger, the larger screen is a dream, and without the cd-rom it is not much heavier, but battery time is way longer.
IBM sells the plastic travel bezel in Germany for just EUR 2,90 so that was a no-brainer to buy. I compare the X30 with the T40 and in height there is no much difference. I think, the T40 series is the most versatile series ever that IBM built. AND: you can use a fast harddrive and a fast graphics chip. That was the drawback of the X40 that I evaluated as well.

LumberJack · #16 Post by **LumberJack** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:23 pm

As far as X40 goes I think that really is strictly a portability laptop. The X31 is capable of a bit more so it's good for more than just general use. I for example run MATLAB and all kinds of other number crunchingon it and it runs fine.

If you want to live out of your laptop a T series is probably a better idea, but if you hop around between networks and computers and docking stations like me, then the T is just extra weight....

T42 and X31 are the same hieght basically. If you look at the picture carefully you will notice that if you include the extended battery for the T42 the footprint actually gets bigger by about 1 inch.

UofT eh.. yeah it's not bad.

LJ

mpcook · #17 Post by **mpcook** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:40 pm

Regarding height which several people mentioned, my X31 is about 9.5" from bottom to top edge of screen when open at 90 degrees. My T21 is about 10.75". Maybe the newer T's are shorter but I would be surprised!

-Mike

ozone · #18 Post by **ozone** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:14 pm

Well... I was away for a little while on out-of-town business and whaddaya know.. every where I looked on the plane, I saw an IBM. I ended up sitting across from a guy who had a T41. Asked him all sorts of questions and for him, the T41 makes a lot more sense since he lives out of his laptop. Me, it would be slightly different. I finally got to see an X20: wasn't planning to buy, but at least I could see the approximate weight and feel of an X series. I'm still confused, but I guess I'm leaning to the X series as opposed to the T.

Mind you, anything is better compared to my 9 lb boat anchor I had to drag out when going through airport security.

bhtooefr · #19 Post by **bhtooefr** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 9:21 pm

If it helps your decision, my Inspiron 1100 (budget DTR - 8lbs w/o power adaptor, and it has a NON-UPGRADABLE (I'm sure Dell could replace it, but I'm sure they wouldn't) CD-ROM) is my main computer, and I'm switching to an X21. I don't need that much CPU or graphics power (UT:GOTY doesn't need much hardware to drive it), so the X21 will do the job just fine.

Current specs: 2.2GHz P4, 384MB RAM (1x128 + 1x256, upgraded from 2x128), 30GB HDD, CD-ROM, 14.1 XGA, XP Pro
Future X21 specs: Look down

It's got a 12.1" XGA screen (b/c it's a P3 700, it gets XGA automatically, and that was a HUGE factor in the purchasing decision).

I can't tell whether it's a 2660 or 2662. Looking at things, it appears that a 2660 with 128MB RAM has a 64MB SODIMM already installed. A 2662 has 128MB onboard. Hopefully mine is a 2662...

The last three digits of my model number are 64X-67X for sure. 64/65X are an Intel combo card, 66/67X are a 3com combo card. 64/66X are Win98, 65/67X are Win2K (doesn't matter - it ships with no OS). All four model numbers have 128MB RAM, no matter whether they're 2660 or 2662.

EDIT: I thought I said main computer, not laptop...

My desktops are in pieces right now. A P233MMX system that isn't really running (it's been kinda gutted), and a Celeron 433 system that has a fried PSU (and I'm repairing it by hand, because it's MUCH cheaper than a new PSU - proprietary form factor)).

asiafish · #20 Post by **asiafish** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:27 am

I prefer the T, even when I don't need the drive. Usually my 14" T42p travels with the slim battery in place of the optical drive and the 9-cell hanging out the back. So equipped, I get a realistic 9 hours of unplugged use from a computer that is still thin and semi-light.

#21 Post by **underclocker** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:52 pm

I, too, have both. First of all, this is the T-series forum, so weigh that.

Bottom line for me is this, you need both. My T40 has never left the house, well, it's been on the porch. It is my primary machine. My X-series is used less, but always goes on the road. On vacations thousands of miles away. I've never needed an optical drive. I would even welcome an upgrade to an X40 to save another pound and 1/3 of an inch in thickness. A laptop can never be too light or too thin when you have to carry it. Also the X-series is much more rugged than the T-series.

My recommendation, buy both. There are many used or refurb. units that might do the trick. A T40 plus an X22 might run you $1300.

However, that being said, if I had to choose just one machine, I'd take the T-series. The X is just too cramped with too small a display for all day computing.

Why can't IBM make an X-series with a 13.3" screen? After the 600X, development split between the 12" and 14" roads.

Good luck.

underclocker

Portability T series versus X series

Portability T series versus X series

Who is online