WANT:STILL looking for a "p" Thinkpad, prefer with Firewire.

[matermark]

I'm still looking for something with UXGA & FireWire, like A31p, or newer models... What other models have both?

Let me know what you have, what features/upgrades, and cost.

Depending on model, with or without RAM, drives, etc.

Prefer with WiFi or upgraded ABG. Prefer 2GHz or more, it will be mainly used as a desktop.

All my external drives are FireWire and I also need PCMCIA/CardBus/PC Card slots for my compact flash cards if possible.

I'd be up for an older model like A31p which I'm already familiar with & can swap my drives, or a new/newer model if the price is right.

Thanks.

[mr.motoring]

I have a 15" T42p 2.0GHz / UXGA / 1GB RAM / 60GB HDD / DVD Burner / IBM abg wireless

The Flexview on this one is the best I have ever seen. It is very bright with no defects at all.

But it doesn't have FireWire, I know the A31p has it and I believe the R50p has it as well. I don't think any T4x has FireWire built in.

[ajkula66]

R50p does not have FireWire. A31p was the last "p" with it, so the UXGA/IEEE 1394 combination died with it. No T4xp or T6xp in UXGA format offer it.

Some R51 models have it, and they were available with IPS SXGA+ LCDs...not UXGA, but not bad either...

You may also state what you're willing to spend on a "p" machine...coming from someone who currently owns A31p, T43p and T60p, all in UXGA format, and may consider parting with some of them if motivated well enough...

[dr_st]

Indeed, George is right. No UXGA Flexview P-model since the A31p had Firewire. However, the T61p WUXGA 15.4" model does, if that is interesting to you.

[matermark]

I'm sure there are some of the R models that had firewire, maybe 50/51/52/p. Some newer X's too. I think one of those or a G model had a weird video resolution even higher than 1600x1200. I may consider a SXGA+ or WSXGA+ too, I think the firewire is important enough to look for firewire models at the expense of going SXGA+ because the firewire transfer is faster than USB2 in real world, even though the spec is 450 vs 480.

Maybe I should look at it backwards--which models have Firewire, and then what's the highest resolution available for the model?

Also, all the newer stuff like the 400/500/700 models have Firewire too. Maybe some Z series too. Is a T61p a W500 or T500 or ???

[Weogo]

Hi,

I have an 'Orange' brand firewire 800 card in my X41 tablet.
Faster than firewire 400.

Good health, Weogo

[dr_st]

I'm sure there are some of the R models that had firewire, maybe 50/51/52/p.

Funnily, enough, while some R50/R51/R52 models had Firewire and SXGA+ screens, none of the R50p with UXGA screens had them, at least none of the preconfigured models in the Tabook.

And p-suffix R series stopped after R50p, i.e., no R51p/R52p.

Also, all the newer stuff like the 400/500/700 models have Firewire too. Maybe some Z series too. Is a T61p a W500 or T500 or ???

You are right. All the Z have firewire, and the highest res on them would be WUXGA on the Z61p (just like on the T61p). T500/W500 have Firewire too, the highest resolution being WUXGA on the W500 and WSXGA+ on the T500.

[ajkula66]

FWIW, the highest resolution on any G series was 1400x1050 (SXGA+)

Typing this on a W500 with WUXGA and it has FireWire along with everything else...

As I've previously stated, your budget is the key...

[matermark]

R50p does not have FireWire. A31p was the last "p" with it, so the UXGA/IEEE 1394 combination died with it. No T4xp or T6xp in UXGA format offer it.

Some R51 models have it, and they were available with IPS SXGA+ LCDs...not UXGA, but not bad either...

You may also state what you're willing to spend on a "p" machine...coming from someone who currently owns A31p, T43p and T60p, all in UXGA format, and may consider parting with some of them if motivated well enough...

How many PC Card slots does an R50p have? How many Ultrabays? I also have a PCMCIA external hard drive... I can probably get a Firewire Cardbus card but then I'd be switching back & forth swapping between CF cards and either Firewire external HDs or PCMCIA external HDs.

I think pricing on A31p models, depending on options, would be somewhere between $175 & $275... that's a broad range, varying on with or without ram, wifi, upgraded abg wifi, different HDs than the 5400rpm 60GB (originally that ws the only drive but then later they made a cheaper version in 40GB), cpu speed, etc.

I don't know what the T43p or T60p are worth, but I almost bought a loaded T61P a little while back for around $1200-$1300.

[ajkula66]

R50p has one bay, and can hold two cards...

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-53107

The same is true for any full-size ThinkPad after A3x series. None of the newer machines had more than one swappable bay. Some of the G4x series had two drives, but these are fixed and not swappable.

Figure out your priorities as well as budget, and let us know what you've come up with...

As for A31p machines, 99% of them left the factory with 4200rpm hard drives, regardless of size. Very few amongst the very latest ones (Rxx-based CTO models at the end of 2003) were optioned with 40GB/5400rpm drives. None shipped with 60GB/5400 from the factory.

[matermark]

Well, I beg to differ with you on the 5400rpm 60gb drives. I'm currently typing from an A31p, 2653-HTU (WiFi, BT, Office XP) that came with a 5400-60gb. Unless you meant something else or I interpreted what you wrote a different way?

[ajkula66]

Ufff...people usually know better than to doubt me when it comes to A31p machines, but there you have it:


Product: ThinkPad A31p 2653-HTU [change]
Operating system: All [change]

Original description: P4-M 1.7GHz (512KB), 256MB RAM, 60.0GB HDD, 15.0 UXGA(1600x1200) TFT LCD, 8x4x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD, 802.11b(MPCI), Modem(MPCI), Ethernet(CDC), Bluetooth(CDC), IEEE 1394, TV out, Li-Ion battery, WinXP Pro

No mention of 5400rpm anywhere...and IBM specifies that in 99.99% of the cases...HTU is an early model, BTW, likely from 2002, probably Mexico-built, with a serial starting in 78- or 99-.....

Now, I'm not saying you don't have a 60GB/5400rpm in your A31p, I'm just saying it hasn't left the factory that way...compare the production date on the drive (assuming it has an IBM FRU # to begin with) with the production date on the bottom of the machine...

Does it have Office XP COA on the bottom as well?

[matermark]

First let me say that I bought the machine brand new. The backlight went out last year and now using a 19" LCD.

The hard drive says ASM P/N39T2522, FRU P/N39T2523, 5400RPM 60.0GB. It's a model # HTS541060G9AT00.

The Office XP COA is on the CD folder. There are 2 CDs.

YES, the serial # starts with 78...

Let me also add that when I bought it brand new back then, the first thing I did was take it apart and check everything. Of course, I didn't take it apart LIKE YOU GUYS DO, but I did pop out the hard drive to make sure it wasn't a 4200, took the burner out & checked brand, removed the DIMM door & MiniPCI door to familiarize myself with everything, etc. That was all before I even turned it on.

Over the years, I've had numerous problems wit the laptop and it has been shipped by DHL MANY, MANY times. I think the board was replaced, the ram was replaced, the CPU & fan, the screen too.

With everything that happened, I added another 2 years to the 3 year warranty for around $110/year I think, whch has paid for itself already. (ram, cpu, fan, keyboard, invertor, and something else.)

[SaberX]

Also the T43(P)'s were the first thinkpad to have Express card 54 slot.getting a firewire card for the Express 54 slot rather then the PCMCIA slot might be better.And faster.

[ajkula66]

@matermark:

Interesting story. What puzzles me is why don't you just fix that A31p, and get another newer machine to supplement it...backlight is not such a big deal, or just throw in a whole new LCD.

What was the year that you bought this machine? The reason for this question is that I clearly remember that when I was ordering my first A31p in 2002, no 5400rpm drives were offered...

Furthermore, HMM doesn't list the drive that you have as being available for any of the A3x series...so I'm quite puzzled, and it takes a lot for me to get there with A3x series...

You will never have the comfort of the 3-spin unit ever again...so you may as well restore that old friend of yours...it's never been cheaper to do so...

[matermark]

I just spent some time looking through old e-mails and I didn't find the A31p purchase but did find a 512 SODIMM purchased on 1/2/2003, ($155!) so it would have been December 2002. That makes sense because the 3yr warranty plus the 2yr extension made it warranted thru around Christmas 2007. Back then it costed me I think around $1895 on ebay.

This machine is starting to have issues besides the screen... in the last week or 2, it shuts down by itself unexpectedly sometimes. Which causes a huge delay after rebooting because Outlook's Personal Folder's file wasn't shut down properly, meaning 10-30 minutes or more to get e-mail back!

Last year I bought a loaded A31p, (2GHz, WiFi, BT, etc), and was going to use it as a 2nd machine, but I was using it more than this one.... so I took my HD out of this and swapped it with that one, so I had all my software & e-mails and a 2GHz with a working screen. Then, that machine starting acting up, giving me green & pink lines & interference on the UXGA. But If I squeezed the frame near the Thinkport, they went away. Then after a month or two, I smelled something burning and it was the power jack!

So I was looking around for a replacement again. I forgot all this time I had a Square Trade Warranty on the 2GHz machine... I made a claim and they accepted it as a full refund, $222.50. I just haven't sent it back yet. I rather they would fix it instead!

So how much is too much money to put into them when you can buy them for $150 - $225? Both of these are updated to 2GB ram (about $80 per machine), and I also have a HDD ultrabay adapter with I think a 40GB HD in, but haven't put it in since swapping around stuff between the two. Since the 2GHz machine ran flawlessly with my original harddrive, I don't think it's a software problem on the drive but hardware or ram or mainboard maybe?

A power jack repair and maybe a cable may solve the problem on #2. A backlight repair is no longer price feasible on older machines that you can buy for cheap.

[dr_st]

Ufff...people usually know better than to doubt me when it comes to A31p machines, but there you have it:


Product: ThinkPad A31p 2653-HTU [change]
Operating system: All [change]

Original description: P4-M 1.7GHz (512KB), 256MB RAM, 60.0GB HDD, 15.0 UXGA(1600x1200) TFT LCD, 8x4x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD, 802.11b(MPCI), Modem(MPCI), Ethernet(CDC), Bluetooth(CDC), IEEE 1394, TV out, Li-Ion battery, WinXP Pro

No mention of 5400rpm anywhere...and IBM specifies that in 99.99% of the cases...HTU is an early model, BTW, likely from 2002, probably Mexico-built, with a serial starting in 78- or 99-.....

Now, I'm not saying you don't have a 60GB/5400rpm in your A31p, I'm just saying it hasn't left the factory that way...compare the production date on the drive (assuming it has an IBM FRU # to begin with) with the production date on the bottom of the machine...

George,

I hate having to contradict the undisputed A31p expert on these forum (no sarcasm!), but it seems that you are somewhat wrong on this count.

All the A31p models appearing in the Tawbook are marked as having 5400RPM drives, including the 2653-HTU, which is a March 2002 model.

2653-HTU Pentium 4-M 1.7 256MB 15” UXGA 60GB DVD/CD-RW Wi-Fi/mod 10/100 Bluetooth Yes XP Pro Office XP SB28 No Mar 2002

Disk (removable): 60GB / high-speed 5400 rpm / upgradeable / S.M.A.R.T. /

5400RPM hard drives must have existed a bit earlier than you remember... Even the A22p (April 2001) models in the Tawbook are all listed has having 5400RPM drives (48GB). The A21p don't mention RPMs, so I assume they are 4200.

[ajkula66]

Well, funny enough, but HMM doesn't list any 5400rpm drives...

FRU 92P6340 which should be in 2653-HTU is a 4200rpm drive...

I'm going to say something very brave here: Tawbook is likely wrong on that count. A vast majority of A31p machines that I've seen left the factory with 60GB/4200rpm drives.

As for A22p and their 5400rpm drives, yes, but these were 12.5mm as opposed to 9.5mm, and were used in T23 and A30p as well. Special fluid bearings, 32 and 48GB sizes. A21p/22p shipped with 32GB version, while the rest of the machines (some higher-end A22p, T23, A30p) had 48GB versions.

[dr_st]

I'm going to say something very brave here: Tawbook is likely wrong on that count.

Wow, that is brave!

Seriously, though, it seems that some information is either wrong or missing. The HMM indeed only lists the 92P6340 as the only 60GB option, but then it writes that it is only in the 2652-Hxx units. And no 2652-Hxx units are mentioned in the Tawbook. Granted, the Tawbook only for some of the models, and special configurations, as well as non-US models were never listed.

However, it's strange that there is no reference in the HMM to any 2653-Hxx models, when it comes to hard drives. Normally the HMM is much more comprehensive, as far as the model list goes.

[matermark]

Well, funny enough, but HMM doesn't list any 5400rpm drives...

FRU 92P6340 which should be in 2653-HTU is a 4200rpm drive...

I'm going to say something very brave here: Tawbook is likely wrong on that count. A vast majority of A31p machines that I've seen left the factory with 60GB/4200rpm drives.

As for A22p and their 5400rpm drives, yes, but these were 12.5mm as opposed to 9.5mm, and were used in T23 and A30p as well. Special fluid bearings, 32 and 48GB sizes. A21p/22p shipped with 32GB version, while the rest of the machines (some higher-end A22p, T23, A30p) had 48GB versions.

FUNNY you should mention the 92P6340--that's the drive in the [#2] 2GHz machine!