600x verses the T23's

Message

jhillestad · #1 Post by **jhillestad** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:06 am

I have noticed that the 600x seems to hold its value right up there to the T23 price (at least on ebay) ...

With the T23 having a P3 mobile at 1ghz verses the P3 500mhz 600x's that sell a lot on ebay for the same price... what makes the 600x as desirable as a T23 ? I have both myself and they look and feel about the same and the T23 is faster... but was wondering why the 600x are revered more than a T23 ?

I was hoping all of my 600 series stuff would fit in a T23 but they do not (dvd,cd,etc..)

I have several 600's and have always liked them but now I have new love for the T23 because of its price/performance and was wondering if I missed something about the 600's that maybe I dont know about...

u.mac · #2 Post by **u.mac** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:26 am

My head says.. T23 is the better deal.

But my heart says... the 600x has the best keyboard ever build (imho), is smaller, looks better, solid as rock... and with selectabase III it's a very, very interesting desktop.

#3 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 1:05 pm

@jhillestad: As somebody who is in the position as you, I'd have to agree with u.mac about the keyboard and build of the 600X. My Thinkpad "career" started with a 600E. I then upgraded to a 600X; well, okay, several 600Xs. When I discovered the T23 that led me to my neverending quest for the top-of-the-line SXGA+ wireless versions. I don't use a 600X all that much anymore but I love the keyboard feedback and solid feeling of the entire chassis. If all you are doing with the laptop is basic web surfing and document creation (Word, Excel, etc.), then a 500Mhz P3 is fine.

You can re-use an Ultraslimbay optical drive from a 600X in a T23 but you have to change the caddy. One of the cheaper ways to do that would be to buy a dead/broken Ultrabay 2000 optical drive and swap the two side rails and rear connector. Along with the hard drive, that's about to only two things you can freely swap between the 600X and T23. The standard memory in the 600X was PC100, while the T23 requires PC133. Which I guess might bring up one of the reasons why a fully configured 600X can cost about the same as a basic T23. Prices for 256MB PC100 low density modules run about the same (if not more) than 512MB PC133 modules ($30 - $40 each).

Wingnut · #4 Post by **Wingnut** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:20 am

I'll have to say I agree with all of the above. I have both, but I use my 600X mostly. Since I use it in an automotive environment, I really like the rock solid feel of the 600X. I can pick it up by the lid with one hand. I've had it slide off whatever surface I was working on (engine, roof, front seat, etc) and the thing takes a likin' & keeps on tickn'. I can't say enough good things about my 600X.

The only drawback is the battery capacity (fixed with a refilled battery @ 4400mah) and the size of the LCD. Although, 13 inches compared to 14" is not a huge difference. Each of my kids have a 600X for watching DVD's on long drives. They were cheaper than a portable DVD player, with a MUCH larger screen and WAY more usefull for other things.

As far as price comparison goes, I can't imagine they are that close in price unless the 600X's you are looking at are already maxed out by the previous owners. I currently have over a dozen laptops sitting on my desk ranging from 600E's, X's, & T20-T23's. The X's were all under $100 and the T23's about $50 more on average. And those T23's were barebones units. Having said that, a fully maxed out 600X with the max RAM (578MB) with a PIII 850mhz CPU can reach close to the $200 mark. Which is what a complete T23 sells for. But the durability of the 600X makes it more desirable IF it is maxed out as its only a few hundred mhz slower (850 vs 1130 mhz) and you can live with the lower RAM (576 vs 1024MB)

pianowizard · #5 Post by **pianowizard** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:09 am

IMO, for people who are happy with 1024x768 resolution, a maxed out 600X (576MB RAM, 850MHz PIII, a 7200rpm HDD, and an optical drive that can at least read DVDs) is better than the T23 because the 600X is more compact and has much better build quality. So, naturally, these people are willing to actually pay more for the older 600X than the newer T23. On the other hand, if you find 1024x768 inadequate, the T23 is your only choice among these two Thinkpads because all models of the 600X are XGA only.

I had a 600X parts machine briefly last week and it reminded me how impressively robust the 6** series was. The T30 and T60 are extremely well built too but they can't hold a candle to the 6**.

obarriel · #6 Post by **obarriel** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:02 pm

I also have have a 600x, is an awesome machine. No other laptop of this age is still rocking like the 600x, and its compact size and beautiful appearence makes people think it is a modern laptop.

#7 Post by **gator** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:38 pm

PW, every word you wrote is true, esp the ones below:

pianowizard wrote:I had a 600X parts machine briefly last week and it reminded me how impressively robust the 6** series was. The T30 and T60 are extremely well built too but they can't hold a candle to the 6**.

I have a T60 and I thought I had a solid machine and then I saw the 600X - no fancy rollcage, no special composite lid etc - but it is the most solid laptop (including all thinkpads in my sig) that I have ever used. I have said it many times before, and I will say it again: if lenovo ever releases the 600 series with newer innards and a higher res screen, it will sell like hotcakes. And no, the X300 is not a "modern" 600* equivalent. It is an entirely different machines, fantastic in its own way, but it is not a "modern" 600* ...

u.mac · #8 Post by **u.mac** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 8:17 am

gator wrote: I have a T60 and I thought I had a solid machine and then I saw the 600X - no fancy rollcage, no special composite lid etc

The case and keyboardbezel of 600er series are very, very special... IBM UltraCarbon (tm) - not simple plastic.

The quality of T60 is, hmmm... different - take a look to the F1-F12 keys. Do you see the mechanic under the F-keys

now take a look to the other keys... or, better, to all keys of the 600x ...

1999 the price of 600x was like a little car (or 13.000 bottles of beer)

And the T60? Cheep like a scooter...

pianowizard · #9 Post by **pianowizard** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 8:43 am

gator wrote:And no, the X300 is not a "modern" 600* equivalent.

Of course it's not. The 600 series evolved into the T series, so any "modern 600* equivalent" will need to be a T series. The X series is the modern version of the 5** series, so perhaps the X300 can be considered the modern equivalent of the 570E, although these two Thinkpads look very different!

pikaia · #10 Post by **pikaia** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:49 am

This thread has been VERY helpful to me. I was just looking for a good comparison between laptops. I currently have 2 600Es and a 600X that I use daily. However, I've upgraded the 600x from a nonspeedstep 450 to a 750 and I only get full cpu when I have a charged battery and AC power. But I love the quality and size and was curious about the T20 series and how they compared and whether it would be worth a jump to the T23 or 24 or even to an early X series (24 or X30).

But I guess I'll just try and get a decent battery and maybe try to find a motherboard with speedstep.

Thanks for the input.

derke92 · #11 Post by **derke92** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:22 pm

Hi,

Just been reading, with interest, al the posts in this thread.
Could someone please tell me what a "motherboard with a speedstep" is please?

I am loving my 600E and I am thinking about buying a 600X so would like some pointers.

Regards to all,
Derek.

#12 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:53 pm

I believe that only one 600X came from the factory with the Intel SpeedStep processor; the 650Mhz version (2645-5FU or 2645-9FU). This CPU requires the matching SpeedStep-enabled motherboard in order to provide full support for this feature. This thread seems to have more information about this:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=41432

The SpeedStep system allows the processor to slow down (and therefore consume less power) during operation. If you enable this mode through the power option properties, during "idle" times when the system is not being asked to process data, it will throttle down the CPU speed. A 650Mhz system will slow to 500Mhz. These systems are usually highly-prized and thus go for a little bit more than a regular, non-SpeedStep system. However, I was watching this one a few days ago:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0065187574

Somebody seems to have bought a nicely configured system (650Mhz, 384MB, 12GB, CDROM) for $70 shipped

. No, it wasn't me

.

And to get back on topic somewhat... all of the T2x systems came with the SpeedStep technology. So if you want something a little bit faster than a 650Mhz 600X and don't relish the thought of getting your hands dirty and performing your own processor upgrade, then you might consider a 1Ghz T23. Personally, I'd skip the T20-T22 systems as it's still not known what causes (and ultimately, fixes) the "blink of death" problem. The T23s have their own issues but they're mostly understood.

derke92 · #13 Post by **derke92** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:10 pm

Thanks for that Ray,

It was very interesting but it's bit late over here now and I am bushed so I will read all about it tomorrow and try to soak up the information.

Regards,
Derek.

jhillestad · #14 Post by **jhillestad** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:21 pm

Thanks for the replies . Its always interesting to hear what other people are doing with their 600x 's

I have a couple of 600x's that are setup for in car mobile use and abuse.
I have a Sprint Broadband Sierra Wireless usb cell modem that I velcro to the top part of the lcd. I use it for going online while monitoring the weather radar (wunderground.com) when driving to the lake (100 miles away) or just going online from the car... if its rainy up ahead I can decide to turn around.. Sprint used to be unlimited but now they are 5gb per month which believe it or not is a lot if you just use it for mobile stuff and its not your primary connection...
These 600's are great for jobs like that and if it gets ripped off or dropped its not the end of the world.

I have another 600x dedicated to recording internet radio shows using replay radio ( http://www.replay-radio.com/products.php ) I leave it on all the time with the screen off recording shows like Clark Howard and Car Talk , etc.. its got a wireless card so I just copy the show mp3's from it to another computer for playback.

These 600's make great little dedicated computers , since they are laptops they can power save and not be a loud distraction in a room the way a full pc would be.

I got a T23 by chance from a local seller on craigslist and thought I would check one out and was quite impressed with its speed for the price they currently go for they are a good bargain. The ram on the 600x is a pain because its so expensive and is limited to 576mb ... the ram alone can set you back $90 on a 600x to max it out.

derke92 · #15 Post by **derke92** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:44 pm

Nice to hear you are still using your 600's.
It was very interesting reading your post, which I didn't read until today, and it was interesting to read about the T23 as I have read all the postings on the T23 versus the 600 and find it fascinating what some of you guys are up to.

I am still a babe in arms with the 600 but I am learning fast with the huge amount of help from the people on this site, and the IBM site on thinkpads, strange but the names are the same on both sites

I think you lot are great and it is keeping me kinda sane having this as a hobby now that I have retired.

You all keep smiling and I will be back,I'm sure, for more help in the future.

Regards,
Derek.

derke92 · #16 Post by **derke92** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:02 am

Hi Ray,

Hope you see this.

The string you gave me the other evening would not work. The following day, wednesday, I tried it again and it worked and found one drive for sale.

I tried it again today,thursday, and it won't work.

Weird or what?

Regards, Derek.

600x verses the T23's

600x verses the T23's

600X verses the T23@s

Who is online