Do i want a X40? Instead of a 12' dell ...

[madkat]

First, you cand see in my signature my thinkpadding present and history
I need, for portability reasons - something light and thin. Found about half a year ago a dell d410, very cheap, in good condition, which i have upgraded, to the specs shown. It's running decent, but, when i'm switching to the big R61, oh, what a difference it is... like switching from a VW to a Mercedes-Benz...

So i'm thinkig of replacing it with a TP... Closest in price range is the X40 (unfortunately not the X41) - and the questions to you, more experienced X-series users are the following:
- how hard/easy is to replace, or better said, find a replacement, for the 1.8 HDD. The one i've found has only 40gb...
- what about RAM - i know it's the DDR1, but what about the maximum size?
- USB's - on thinkwiki and other sites it sais 2 usb's , one powered. What does it mean
- SD slot - is it any good? Compared to the sd reader in the R6x series, for example...
- reliability - which are the known issues?

And in conclusion - if you were me, would you swap a 1.86Ghz 2gb RAM 60gb Hdd dell d410 with a 1.2Ghz 1Gb 40gb hdd X40?

thanks for your input

[Tasurinchi]

Hi!

For an X40 the hard disk will be the main area of attention IMHO, my call would be to get a good ZIF drive and ZIF drive adapter from Ebay, see my thread here for more details about available models. They are more pricey than 2.5 counterparts but still affordable. I have a Toshiba MK8025GAL and it's a huge difference with the standard stock Hitachi drives.

Maximum RAM for an X40 will be 1.5GB, provided you find a model with soldered 512MB, (otherwise 1.25GB will be the maximum).

There are indeed two USB ports. I think the powered one can be used with an external optical drive for pulling extra power.

Regarding the SD slot, I've only used it to download fotos from my camera. It's good enough for that

Appart from the slow HD there are no big issues with reliability I think, other more experienced people may confirm or dispute this.

I personally would switch to a X40 any day Having seen some D410s at work I think it's a nice model, (personally I find the next generation D420/D430 crap), but I like the X4 series more. The stock 40GB can be a PITA, but it depends what you wanna do with the TP. You will find it's much smaller and lighter than the D410, with a better keyboard and more rough due to the magnesium body as well.

My 0,02 cents...

[j-dawg]

I very briefly (very briefly) owned a Latitude C400. It was a great little computer, except the proprietary external CD drive. I suppose it also didn't help that the thing broke on the last day of the eBay seller's warranty, so I returned it and bought my X24 in its stead.

The X-series is cheap, tough, and easy to live with. Yes, the Dell was slimmer and prettier than the Thinkpad, but parts were expensive (to be fair, the C400 is a particularly uncommon model) and, uh, it broke. If it could be guaranteed that neither would break, I'd probably stick with the Dell, but in the real world, I stuck with the Thinkpad.

[madkat]

Thanks for the reply
Nice topic you have there (about the drives) - but i've noticed something - you are using Ubuntu, not Windows - and i am definetly going to use windows on the X40... And the 3600rpm drive doesn't sound too good

[Tasurinchi]

and i am definetly going to use windows on the X40

All those drives will work with windows without any issue. Only the ones with 4k sectors could get tricky with XP, but not with Win7.

In fact, I don't have the X40 with me anymore, is "borrowed for ever" to a good friend of mine, and he is using a multiboot Win7/Linux without any issue as well since April this year. I know also many users here in the forum used several Samsung models with XP too.

But I wouln't choose a 3600RPM model. Newer 4200RPM ones should be power efficient as well.

[madkat]

I have talked with the guy that is selling the X40
it's a 1.2Ghz with 1gb of RAM, 40gb hdd (he didnt know what type/brand), of course with docking, an battery lasting 3hours (so he says).
I'm extremely tempted to buy it, looks in very good condition.

The d410 it's a good machine, reasonably fast, but a little bulky for a ultraportable, weird battery life, wobbly screen...
I'll see which one i'll keep...

[pianowizard]

The d410 it's a good machine, reasonably fast, but a little bulky for a ultraportable

The Dell Latitude D410 was the counterpart of the X32 Thinkpad, which is also around 3.8 lb and much heavier and bulkier than the X40. Dell's counterpart of the X40 was the Latitude X1, which is actually slightly lighter than the X40.

[madkat]

Maybe form-factor-wise - because d410 has the specs of an intel based T43 (for example) - it has DDR2.

Strictly technically speaking an X40 cannot have the same specs as a d410. This i already know and i have accepted.
With the X40, i'll go back to a slower processor (but fuel-efficient), slower and much expensive RAM, and new-to-me, weirdly small hdd
Still, it's a Thinkpad, and if it runs and feels like my present and past Thinkpads, i shall not regret the change.

[Tasurinchi]

40gb hdd (he didnt know what type/brand)

Most probably an Hitachi standard drive.

The d410 it's a good machine, reasonably fast, but a little bulky for a ultraportable, weird battery life, wobbly screen...

... and plastic everywhere instead of a magnesium body, plus the X40 keyboard beats IMO by far the one of the D410.

Our IT guys have a tall staple of D410s (actually next to my office), all of them with bad hinges and peeled paint, next to it is another tall pile of D600/D610 with the same issues. A sad view if you ask me. I've never seen a Thinkpad X or T series with peeled paint.

[madkat]

Right you are - Although the d410 has a sort of magnesium wannabe material (tougher than plastic anyways), teh build quality is nowhere near IBM...
The keyboard... pointless to say, nobody builds better keyboards. They tried to make a trackpoint, which was a plus for me, but it's not so good as the thinkpad's.

The wobbly screen is a dell trademark ...

[pianowizard]

Maybe form-factor-wise - because d410 has the specs of an intel based T43 (for example) - it has DDR2.

The D410 and the X32 were equivalent in the sense that they both emphasized performance at the expense of weight, whereas the X40 and the Latitude X1 were both designed to be as light as possible, using slow 1.8" HDDs for instance. It's important to realize that the X3* and X4* were really two different product lines that existed simultaneously, even though their model numbers seem to suggest that the X32 is older.

The wobbly screen is a dell trademark ...

Wobbly lids were also common in the X2* Thinkpads, but IBM fixed that afterward.

[ThinkRob]

The X40 is one of my favorite ThinkPads of all time. In fact, I'm currently (re-)building two right now, one with an AFFS screen...

[topmahof]

started off with a dell d410 and a d610. after 3 months the d410 wouldn't recognize the ac adapter anymore, wouldn't charge the battery. hated the keyboard, too small, my palm would hit the trackpad and knock my typing into next week. it developed a dark spot on the monitor from the inverter getting hot. hinges got loose. sold it and the d610 and got an x40. best thing i ever did. never looked back. now i got 2 x40's, 3 x41's, and 3 x32's. love em all. i got 5 of them running windows 7. build quality is excellent. very sturdy and light. great battery life. the 1.2 processor you're getting is going to be slower than the dell, i went with the 1.5. the d410 was a 1.7 and i didn't notice any difference. the x40 has one dimm slot that will take a 1 gb stick of ram. the 1.2 x40 will have 256 mg of ram soldered on the board so your total will be 1256 mb of ram. the 1.5 usually has 512 mg soldered so you get 1.5 gb of ram. they run smoother with today's programs. x40's run nice and cool, very long battery life. love the keyboard.

[madkat]

Got the X40
cleaned it, fresh XP install, necessary drivers, and now writing on it.
it's a great little machine, surprinsingly zippy for its configuration, great keyboard (as expected), smooth trackpoint (compared to the rubbish on the dell), decent screen.
And the size and weight...

it came with the extended battery (not sure yet about lifetime), and only one 256 ram stick - so a total of 780mb.
Got to get a minimum of 512, or better a 1gb stick.

After some tweaks, it will replace the d410.

Too happy to write more about it now

edit:
-the LAN green led stays on when it's plugged in, and when it's on. I couldnt yet test the connection - but as i remember from an R51 that have passed through my hands, this means a broken LAN card?
-is there a limitation on SD's used? - one 2gb i've tested is nod recognized. 1gb is.
-it came with a weird power supply - a 16V AC/DC unit - with 100-240V cable and a 4 pin socket - for 10-18VDC - does anyone have the pinout of this connector? In order to make myself a cable.
- is there any way to "extract" S-Video signal from the docking connector?
Next - i'll try some undervolting.

did i say what a nice machine this little X40 is?

[madkat]

LAN issue kindof solved - the led is continously on, but the connection is ok.
Now searching for a 1gb module.

[madkat]

Ok for now. Found a 1Gb ddr - pc3200 - and it works perfectly. Found it way cheaper than slower-clocked sodimms, and even though it runs at a slower speed in the X40, it's still ok.

Now the machine its ok - all i need is some safe voltages, to start with the undervolting process.

[ThinkRob]

Now the machine its ok - all i need is some safe voltages, to start with the undervolting process.

The safe voltages are the stock voltages. Each chip is different, thus the only voltages you can be sure will work are the ones that Intel set. Start with the stock voltage/freq. pairs and work your way down.

[madkat]

Of course i know that
Did some undervolting on the former TR451 and the current R51.

Anyone has any idea of the charger pinout? The 12V input that is...

[Donald]

I put a 2GB PC2 5300 ram stick in my X41. Windows 7 sees it as:

2.50 GB (1.99 GB usable).

No issues.

Donald

[topmahof]

I put a 2GB PC2 5300 ram stick in my X41. Windows 7 sees it as:

2.50 GB (1.99 GB usable).

No issues.

Donald

yeh, but pc2 ram won't work in an x40. it takes pc ram.

[Donald]

yeh, but pc2 ram won't work in an x40. it takes pc ram.

bummer

[madkat]

Tried some undervolting... result posted here: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 26#p605926

Thinking of a ATA-CF interface and a decent 32gb CF... as a SSD.

[topmahof]

finally got my meter out for your adapter. mine has the 4 prong plug for 12 volt and the 110v with the little slide door. part #22p9003, fru 22p9021. the 2 prongs on the left both have continuity with the center pen on the part that goes in the cigarette lighter. the 2 prongs on the right have continuity with the 2 bent pcs of metal on the side of the part that goes in the lighter.

this is with the adapter sitting with the 12 volt connector on the left and the 110v plug on the right and the ibm logo on top.

[madkat]

Thanks, but unfortunately my adapter is different:
fru 73p4505 , p/n 73p4504

it has both the ac and dc inputs on the same side - ac normal 3 pin, dc round with 4 pins...

[topmahof]

sorry bout that, mine has a 2pin ac input but it does have the round 4pin dc input. they're both on the same side, mine has a little slide door that opens either the ac or the dc.

[topmahof]

well, i was rooting in my box of adapters and found a fru 73p4503, pt #73p4502 and it has the same round dc input as the one i listed above. the pin-out checks out the same.

[madkat]

yey!
so its the same at mine - i'll give it a try. 12V supply capability is very appealing to me

thanks, topmanhof!

[madkat]

Working nicely, but starting to be annoyed by the slow hdd. I have feared this
Replacement alternatives are far too expensive, unfortunately... And an x60s caught my eye...

we'll see...

[pianowizard]

Working nicely, but starting to be annoyed by the slow hdd. I have feared this

Not only slow, but probably also quite noisy. I had three X40's and they all had noisy HDDs.

The X60s would give you a huge performance boost, but the palmrest gets really warm, which was why I sold my X60s after owning it for just two weeks. The unfortunate truth is, there are very few "perfect" laptops. The Panasonic CF-Y4 that I bought recently may be the only "perfect" laptop I have ever had.

[underclocker]

While I loved my X40, I wouldn't go back. Switching from a Dell D410 to an X40 is going back. The D400 was noticeably quicker than the X40. The X40's HD bottleneck was the downfall. I never tried one with an SSD, but maybe that fixed the issue.

FYI, a D400 or D410 with an SSD will give an X60s a run for the money.

If you can find someone in the U.S. to bring you an X60s or X61s, you'll be happy. The former occasionally sells for under $200 these days, which is a fine deal.

After owning an X60s, which was quite snappy, my new travel-mate is an X100e. I've seen the X100e dual core models on the used/refurb. market already in the $300 range, so this can be considered, too. Two key benefits of the X100e for me are 1) a powerful audio chip that generates more than enough volume to hear movies/music on airplanes, and 2) a built-in webcam.