Thinking of Replacing my 600E after 10 years...

[pianowizard]

Can anyone tell me anything about the x301? I might have the opportunity to get one on the cheap.

Based on what I have heard, it's a great laptop except for the screen. How "cheap" is this X301?

[Nigellus]

Based on what I have heard, it's a great laptop except for the screen. How "cheap" is this X301?

$105. It was a scam to get me onto a penny auction site.

[pianowizard]

$105. It was a scam to get me onto a penny auction site.

For the X301, anything below $500 is a scam.

[Nigellus]

what do you want to know about the X301?

Just how the keyboard/weight/size compares to the 600E.

Based on the lack of them on e-bay, I'd say either they're well-liked, not many were produced, or both.

[JaneL]

Based on the lack of them on e-bay, I'd say either they're well-liked, not many were produced, or both.

Both. You'd have to pry mine from my cold, dead fingers.


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[Nigellus]

Both. You'd have to pry mine [x301] from my cold, dead fingers.

That's quite an endorsement.

[Nigellus]

Someone's selling 600Es on ebay for around $90-$150 claiming XP is installed on them. No actual specifications are given. Think I should get one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-ThinkPad-600E-X ... 2564838de0

Seriously, though, while the idea of upgrading my 600E's hardware and getting XP to run on it does excite me as a hobbyist, and a 600E lover, I really do want something more modern.

[Harryc]

That price seems high. If your budget is $150 or less, place a WTB Ad in the marketplace forum . I think you'll do better than that EBay selection.

[ZaZ]

I'm certainly no expert on the matter, but I always thought my 14" R60 with the NMB had one of the better keyboards I've used of late. They're not as plentiful as the T60, but they tend to be less expensive. You certainly could get one on ebay within your budget, perhaps even with a SXGA+ resolution screen. As others have noted, the marketplace forum here is a good place to stop too. Some of them will not have Core 2 Duos, but you certainly could upgrade later if need be.

[Nigellus]

I was considering some R series laptops as a possible alternative. What are they like in the weight department?

[ZaZ]

The 14" is about 5.5 pounds with the six cell, while the 15" is like 6.3 pounds. Not as svelte as the T60, but pretty close.

[ozzymud]

Not as svelte as the T60, but pretty close.

Not even a big word and you made me look it up

svelte [svɛlt sfɛlt]
adj
1. attractively or gracefully slim; slender

[lukee]

What about 14" T43 with Intel graphics? It gives you original IBM's design, sufficient computing performance provided by a Dothan processor, cheap RAM modules, thin body, perfect keyboard, modularity and expandability (UltraBay Slim, ExpressCard/PCMCIA slot...), optional 9cell battery, any Windows can run on this machine + very good compatibility with Linux distributions and also with OS/2 and so on... And this everything for slightly about ~150 bucks.

[Nigellus]

I'd just like to thank everyone for their advice.

@Harryc: Thanks for turning me onto the x series. I really like the idea of something like an x60s with a docking station if one could be had for $220 or less. If the keyboard turns out to be a big issue, I'll just use an external keyboard when I'm in the office.

I was thinking of buying an x41 with everything but a hard drive. But, alas, economics have come into play. Once I bought an HDD and shifted around some Windows installations on my home computers, I would be only $20 shy of a very nice T60 I found.

I think I'll sleep on it and make my final decision in the morning.

[Nigellus]

... anticipating my shiny new T60 with docking station purchased for $194.

[craigmontHunter]

Very nice - I think you will be happy with it (from what I have heard/read, it is a worthy successor to the 600 series) - do you have a model number/specs of the system you bought?

[ssd_thinkpad]

Great choice. Is it the 14 inch or the 15 inch model?

[Nigellus]

It's the 14" variety. I have no interest in a big widescreen on a laptop.

Specifically, it's a T60 / 1951-46U with Intel Core Duo 1.83 GHz, 1 GB RAM, and a 60 GB HDD.

The only extra it doesn't come with that I wanted is a travel bezel.

[pianowizard]

The only extra it doesn't come with that I wanted is a travel bezel.

The cheapest one currently available on eBay is $8.88 shipped:

http://cgi.ebay.com/UltraBay-Blank-Trav ... 41517bb684

[Nigellus]

My T60 arrived today. It is in excellent cosmetic shape and the battery appears to hold at least a 5 hour charge (if the power meter can be believed; power meters have lied to me before with 2 hours of battery life lasting 20 min).

The AC adapter does not work, which upsets me a little because it's a little harder to put a machine though its paces with only the charge the battery has left.

I've tested all of the USB ports and the wireless card on the laptop. They all work. The DVD drive works.

I plugged it into the docking station and it will power up, but none of the ports seem to work. I've never had a docking station before and know nothing about them. Are there special drivers that I need to install first?

Also, is there some sort of testing diagnostic like they used to have with the 600E that will allow the T60 to self-test for functionality?

[Harryc]

The ports on the dock will not work without a working AC adapter.

[rkawakami]

Also, is there some sort of testing diagnostic like they used to have with the 600E that will allow the T60 to self-test for functionality?

If you are referring to the 600-series capability to perform diagnostic checks on most all of the hardware from within the BIOS, then no. What you can run is PC Doctor for DOS via a bootable CD. It can be downloaded from here:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-56222

[Nigellus]

So, while I'm working on seeing if I can get the vendor to replace my AC adapter, anyone know how to repair one?

[Nigellus]

Here are the specs for my new system:

T60 1951-46U
WindowsXP Professional, SP3
Intel T2400 @ 1.83GHz 987 MHz
.99GB RAM

I assume my other .01 GB RAM is being used by my graphics display?

[Nigellus]

If I end up having a choice in AC adapter, is there any particular reason to prefer a two-prong over a three-prong?

[Harryc]

The 3 prong provides a return ground path and should be used in environments where the electrical installation can't be trusted, .e.g. travel to a foreign country. If I had a choice I'd pick the 3 prong.

[Nigellus]

Okay, the vendor replaced the adapter with one that 1.) works, and 2.) is even smaller and more portable.

So now, I'm really putting this machine through its paces. The keyboard feels great and the TrackPoint is so soft and easy to use compared to my 600E that I feel like I won something. Not that I'm complaining about my old ThinkPad, it's just they had eight or nine years to improve an already good TrackPoint between the models and it shows.

Now I just have to figure out how to turn off the touchpad... it does interfere a little...

Here's something interesting. When I was messing with it last week, it told me I had around 5 hours battery. Since then I've plugged it in and charged it to 100%. I'm on battery right now.

Riddle me this:

When I turned it on, it read 99%, 3:32 hours. Five minutes later, it read 99%, 3:51 hours. Now, it says 94%, 4:04 hours.

Any ideas why the readouts keep changing?

[Harryc]

Turn off the touchpad in BIOS. The battery is constantly recalibrating itself. It will settle down after a bit and you'll get used to battery duration.

[Nigellus]

at 61%. the battery is reading 2:49 hours

[paul*robertson]

A bit late to the debate, but i went from a 600x to an X61. Apart from the smaller screen, no regrets and the increase in speed is excellent.

Sadly, the 600 series is not up to todays requirements, apart from the hobbyist (and the down right stuborn)