Time to replace the ol' X31 ?

[GpsPasSion]

Following up on my own suggestion, found a T42 for a good price and was indeed able to drop in the DD of the X31. Only Bluetooth doesn't seem to be working out of the box so to speak.

As for a T42 vs X31 :
- Screen is MUCH brighter!
- Feels zippier, doubt it's the 1.7Ghz vs 1.4Ghz since I'm throttling it down at 600 with CPUMark
- Fan tends to run all the time, but I calmed it down with T43 fan control
- Need to get used to the bigger keyboard, doesn't feel as nice as the X31's keyboard though, not as "deep"

Looks it's going to become my new main computer and I'll keep the X31 handy for trips. Just a bit concerned I'll be frustrated with the different keyboard size.

[GpsPasSion]

Quick update here...went back to an X31 after all, took back the T42, fan was coming on too much and a loudspeaker was shot. Got a 1.7Ghz X31 instead and like some said here, no speed improvement compared to the 1.4Ghz...

So far so good...thing is I found an X60s/80Gb/1Gb with 3G or X61/120Gb/1G for €799 (including taxes) and 8 month IBM warranty. Any thoughs ?

[GpsPasSion]

As an interim step, lowering the render quality of the Flash may help reduce performance issues

That setting seems to have disappeared in v3, all I get now when I right-click on a flash video is "settings and about adobe flash 10" ? A Google search didn't yield anything

[GpsPasSion]

Feeling a bit lonely here

Quest continues though as my trusty X31 is falling apart at the seems, litterally, case is cracked in various places and the screen is getting dimmer...the replacement x31 I got locks up when it gets hot...can get an X32 for €209 so will probably go for it...oh and for flash video I have an iPhone now

[ajkula66]

I would get an X32 myself if I could find an inexpensive one so I'll say go for it...

[WA2TIL]

I would get an X32 myself if I could find an inexpensive one so I'll say go for it...

Would you consider replacing the X31 with the new Thinkpad X100e?

While it lacks the features of the newer X60 and X200 Thinkpads (e.g. roll cage, 12hr battery, FDE security) I would expect the AMD Athlon Neo cpu (and gpu) to be much faster than the Thinkpad X32. Also the X100e supports 4Gb and most SATA drives are much faster than the PATA drives that the X31/X32 support.

My T61 never goes on trips, I can't stand its weight or size. I'm amazed at the people I meet at conferences and meetings who lug around 10lbs of computer stuff because my X32 does so much of what I need except the cpu limits the performance of my financial programs.

The big issues for me are:
Does the keyboard and trackpoint of the X100e feel right?
Will the plastic covers and metal hinge hold up as well the other X-series ?
How hot does it get? Is the fan noisy?

[ajkula66]

WA2TIL wrote:

Would you consider replacing the X31 with the new Thinkpad X100e?

Never. That thing is just so darn ugly in my opinion.

For "on-the-go" computing, X31/32 is still more than enough for most people. The only reason I got the X60 in the first was its ability to run SATA drives and 3GB of RAM...

[GpsPasSion]

And here we are 1+ year later and my X31 is all duct taped on the sides...with black duct tape that they were selling for Halloween so it doesn't look too bad

In the meantime the price of the X61, and even of the X61 tablet (not that I really need a tablet but it could be fun), has come tumbling down. One feature I appreciate on the X31 is the fact that the fan is off most of the time but these days it comes on more and more with the flash intensive websites. I even had to stick with FFox 3.0 because more recent versions are just too slow. I do have a compact Acer Quadcore desktop that can do my CPU intensive "chores".

Anyone here still using their X31 as their main computer and looking into upgrading?

[jronald]

I use X30's and X31's almost exclusively for my mains.
I have a maxed T30 and an A31p that I dont turn on once a month.
My wife has a R51, she loves, and an A31p that she uses a few times per week.

I find the difference between the 1.2 and the 1.6 X31 huge, even with the same HDD swapped between them.

Ron

[GpsPasSion]

Well I had to update this

Found a refurb X61T on eBay earlier this year and went for it...and while my main computer is till the X31 I'm slowly getting used to the X61T and will probably transition to it at some point.

Pros :
- Faster, makes a big difference with FireFox and of course for Videos (720p)
- Dual processor keeps it responsive when CPUs maxed out, unlike X31 that slowed down and had the fan come on full blast
- Better screen (colors, sharper)
- Touchscreen/Tablet mode, don't need it much though

Cons :
- Bigger and Heavier
- Keyboard has the windows and "right-click" keys instead of the larger Ctrl/Alt and Ctrl/AltGr keys that were easier to hit
- Fan has to run at all times to keep it cool (palmrest still gets a bit hot I think), with TPFC set to "1" it's acceptable and...less noisy than the 7200rpm drive in my X31

All in all I think it will fit the bill and is probably the only option to keep the comfortable 12.1" 1024x768 format.

[WA2TIL]

Last Summer I bought a 7673-AC9 X61 - it has a Core 2 Duo CPU T9300 @ 2.5Ghz (I think the highest cpu spec for an X61)
It runs XP-32 with a compute-intensive mix of apache/mysql/php/java data analysis software.

My other X61, a 7675-CTO has a Core 2 Duo CPU T7100 @ 1.8Ghz (I think the lowest cpu spec for an X61) and it runs hotter I think because the keyboard palm rest heat comes from the WiFi mini-card (the other machine has a wired connection.)

I have two working X32s and one with an intermittent problem - the LCD back-light fluorescent tube occasionally fails to turn on.

Last year replacing an X32 with the 2.5Ghz X61 made sense because I paid $500 for the X61 and an equivalent X200 might have cost $200-$300 more. This year I bought my second X61 for $300 while the price of a used P8600 2.4Ghz X200 has come down to the $500-$600 level.

I'm not a big fan of the X200 series 1280x800 wide screen. It's smaller default system font size is strain on my old eyes. The appeal of the newer X200 to me is of course the availability of faster cpus. When the used prices of core i7 X201 machines comes down to my magic $500 level I'll skip the X61 machines.

[GpsPasSion]

Nice setup!

I also passed on the X200 due to their 16:9 screen and higher density. A 1024x768 12.1" is really the ideal compromise to me, I can work for hours straight in front of that screen and I never get tired. I had a high-res 14" T40p for a brief period but it killed my eyes, I had to switch to a blocky 1024x768 and with the 14" I had to move my eyes around.

So far the dual-core X61P fits my needs, no longing for faster CPUs that would likely generate more heat. I haven't done any close comparisons but the level of comfort seems equivalent to my Quadcore desktop.

[ParatoOptimal]

@ GpsPasSion,

I just got an X60s and it seems lighter than my X31.

A user who upgraded from an X31 to an X200 tells me he prefers his X31.
There's a wide bit of plastic at the top of the screen on the X200 where as the X31's bit of plastic is narrower. He found it more difficult to read on the X200.

I'm going to be doing some work on an R61 and I'm thinking of perhaps getting an old T60 sometime for a backup.

[GpsPasSion]

Yes an X61s could have been a good choice too, didn't find one in a decent shape when I was looking though and the tablet format of the X61T was attractive.