"build" X61

[bgalakazam]

Since X61 are kind of expensive and I am on a $300 budget, generally speaking, if we ignore the ram, hdd, battery, palmrest bezel, would combing an X60 screen with X61 motherboard work?

These particular 2 items:

lcd
http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-LENOVO-X60-12-L ... 3cafe95bf8

motherboard + cpu
http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Lenovo-X61-2GHz ... 43a2caa332

Would that work? Or do I need special inverters for the lcd and other parts?

Cheers.

[ajkula66]

Yes...however...

By the time you've added everything from the "ignore" category, you'll be way over $300...

Add a few bucks to your budget and buy a complete machine...

My $0.02 only...

[bgalakazam]

Unemployed, no source on income. I can wait, but I doubt an X61 will drop to $300. But we shall see.

[Harryc]

Unemployed, no source on income.

The last thing you need is a laptop. Use the money to hold you over on necessities until you get work. Once you get back on your feet stop by and we'll fix you up.

[pianowizard]

By the time you've added everything from the "ignore" category, you'll be way over $300...Add a few bucks to your budget and buy a complete machine...

Excellent advice! When building or buying a computer, it's so important to consider the long-term cost. Going cheap at the beginning can often end up costing more later.

The last thing you need is a laptop. Use the money to hold you over on necessities until you get work.

That's also an excellent advice! If this X61 were going to be the OP's only laptop, then it would be a different story, but s/he already has a nice T60p. bgalakazam, if you are looking into building an X61 because you want something lighter than your T60p, the easiest and cheapest way to do that is replacing the optical drive with a travel bezel (several bucks) and the 9-cell battery with a 6-cell one (perhaps $30 for a decent used one).

[bgalakazam]

I do have the 6 cell battery and my cd-rw/dvd doesn't work so I don't need it. I am still not satisfied though as the T60p has memory limit to upgrade and it's the lower FSB. And I am not about to give $20-$30 for the bezel. Thanks for advice anyway. I'll just wait then.

[pianowizard]

And I am not about to give $20-$30 for the bezel.

Who said $20-$30? I can sell you one for $6 shipped. Send me a PM if that's something you want.

Nov 8th update: I no longer have any travel bezel for sale.

[Woodenspoon]

i'd go x60.
at 200 dollar mark you can get a good deal. i got one with a dock even last month.
self build is too big a risk if you have no cash. it would be one thing if those parts cost 50 dollars each, but they add up to more than a working system.

[fasteez]

+1

buying parts separately is rarely a good deal

[mikemex]

+1

buying parts separately is rarely a good deal

Of course separate parts are worth more than the complete machine, it's basic economics: it requieres far more work to sell a machine part by part than selling it as a whole, and it gets rewarded with a higher price.

@bgalakazam: You've received quite a bit of good advice already but I'll add something. If you're unemployed, the last thing you need to do is to relieve your anxiety with consumerism. Luxuries are NOT needs and you must become conscious of it, so it doesn't become a form of escapism. I don't know if you have a laptop already, but if you don't, I would actually recommend you getting one. But not a recent model by any chance. Purchase a sightly older model in good shape, like a X31/X32. A laptop is a valuable tool for work if used correctly and for serious work you will definitely not notice major differences in performance. I have a desktop computer here with a Pentium MMX 150 MHz and 32MB of RAM running Windows 2000 and I tell you, you can check your e-mail, do general web browsing and use Open Office (word processor and spreadsheet) without trouble... watching videos and playing games are luxuries, not neccesities.

[bgalakazam]

I understand. The whole unemployment I can fix by going back to Europe. I am only in the US to finish my education. I had a nice office job with AVG for 2 years before leaving. USA is kind of bad at the moment.

As for laptop, I have T60p but what bothers me is that it is not upgradeable at all. I should have gotten the X61 at the time. Oh well. When I start working I will get it. As of now I am fine.