Laptop upgrade advice try #2

[ratdude747]

I am at wit's end with this one.

My poor Dell d400 got left behind when Gnome went to gnome 3. Damned intel i855GM graphics.

This thread is half rant, half advice request.

This really pisses me off. I had recently fixed it up and i put a lot of new parts into it over the year i have had it so far:

1. 60gb hard drive
2. NOS battery
3. docking station
4. RAM upgrades (maxed to 2gb, the second 1gb stick was a freebie)
5. new mainboard (old one bombed the usb controller)
6. mainboard mod (soldering repair to a broken usb port)

I really like how it laid out. It is nice and compact, is realy easy to do repairs on, and is built really well.

The reason why I think I need to upgrade is Gnome 3's shell is no longer intel i8xx (graphics) compatible... To those who saw my other thread, I did check in linux mint 11 (ubuntu 11.04 based), its broke there too. I get the idea that there is no plan to resupport it... my choices are:

1. (ignore this)
2. (also ignore)
3. get a newer laptop with better graphics

the reasons why I am not fond of 1 and 2 are:

(screw this part)

the next problem is obtaining another laptop. I need it to be a decent unit as it will get lots of use in my freshman year of college next year. which leads to another lost possibility: I am in a bad finacial area; I am in the "doughnut hole"; I am too poor to buy a new or used laptop but too rich to get one paid for by scholarships and grants.

I have $75 coming my way as part of graduation gift money but that was going to be saved to go towards something with 4 wheels and an engine. Trading in my existing laptop is out as well; it has been modded in a way that I do not feel good selling it.

Does anybody have any ideas on what to do to get my problem solved? all of the working or reparable (read: no cracked screens, every part pulled, etc.) that will do what I want are at least $75, and that is with a dead battery (I use my battery a lot).

Are there any suggestions are am i just screwed?

edit- what I am looking for in a laptop:

-pentium m or newer CPU (AMD and pentium dual core OK, celeron and sempron not ok)
-at least 1gb of ram
-graphics that are non-integrated or intel 9xx or newer)
-any missing parts are easy to find (hard drives ok, caddies less ok, working screens not ok)
-wireless G (or faster) and bluetooth 2.0 (or the spot for an integrated module, please no 2.1 or 1.1; I am a heavy bluetooth user)
-decent quality/robustness
-have a windows xp restore disc (or one i can torrent)- I like to dual-boot my laptops so having windows for when i need it is a very important thing (i use linux when i can).

this was from the first try of the thread which resulted in a "who can bash linux the most" contest. I omitted the parts that caused trouble and re-clarified some things.

I am looking for pointers on finding cheap used laptops... No OS discussions please.

[seanc]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

Latitude D610/D620.
Latitude D410/D420
Lenovo Thinkpad T60/T61

[toastygoodness]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

second thinkpad T61s, they are always on surplus and refurb.

[yyonline]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

The D620 is a very solid machine. My company has hundreds of them, and they seem to hold up well. My two personal laptops are both self-refurbished D620s. Check Dell Financial Services on eBay. They sell refurb laptops that are like new as they usually have much of the exterior plastic replaced. Check the auctions, as the buy it now prices are a bit steep. Unfortunately, good laptops don't come cheap, even an older one. The factory refurb D620s usually action for about $250 on eBay. That said, you'd get a laptop that doesn't have missing parts or need repair work.

The D610 is okay. The graphics in those do not support Aero for Vista/Win7, so I am not sure how they will fare with Linux. I have oodles of D610 motherboards if you need one to fix up a non-working PC.

Thinkpads are usually pretty solid, but I have limited experience with these. Again, because they're solid, they don't go cheap.

[Wizard]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

I ask, why T60/T61? These are widescreen slimline notebooks.

There's R60 and R61 as well, more durable. But still, I'm nervous about nvidia chipset cooling is there reported issues or is the cooling design that good?

Just curious.
Cheers, Wizard

[seanc]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

The R60 and R61 are very chunky, I much prefer the T60/T61/T400/T500.

I've not seen a T61 with an nVidia chipset. The managing director of a company that we support was using one up until a few weeks ago. That thing could fry an egg - must have had some serious fluff blockage.

[yyonline]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

I've not seen a T61 with an nVidia chipset. The managing director of a company that we support was using one up until a few weeks ago. That thing could fry an egg - must have had some serious fluff blockage.

The R-series was cheaper than the T series new, but they share many features. It's possible a used R-series will be cheaper than a used T-series.

Neither came with a Nvidia chipset (all had Intel chipsets), but several models had Nvidia Quadro graphics as an option. Beware of the G8x-based variants. The G7x-based variants are a little more reliable, but still less so than integrated graphics.

The G72 Quado NVS 110M in my family's 4 D620s are working great, run Windows 7 Aero flawlessly, and show no signs of impending failure. *knocks on wood*

[ratdude747]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

the dell Dxx ideas sound good... i do have a dock for my d400 -found for $5, has the stand and everything (i got the 90w brick seperatly) that i would like to reuse... using it to post this, actually. i may see how pricey d420s are... i heard the 410 was chunky, not sure on the 420... the 400 is thin and nice... one of my things i like about it.

edit- i really like the d420... the review looked good... i bet my bluetoooth module would even be cross-compatble (it is iirc). even has a wifi decector that works even with it off.. and it has the nice all metal-build and firewire. no IR (but i havent used it in some time, doubt i ever will). has a nice sd slot as well... now let me see how cheap i can find one.

edit2- it used an intel 945 for graphics- that will do nicely.

[seanc]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

I think they're all of similar size.
I think it's the D410 you can permanently attach a dock to the bottom, but it's not a normal dock, it's like a permanently attached port replicator.
You can remove it.

[ratdude747]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

oh ok... i think the d420 does it too. and it still has IR... cheapest for one with the hdd and ram is 120$ (auction about to end). my ram and hdd are not compatible (ddr and pata vs ddr2 and sata).

edit2- i may look at the 600 series... having serial is a very nice thing for one of my activities.the d420 only has it with the media bay or dock... and i need it on the go. and i dislike usb to serial adapters. if i found a great deal on a 420 I'd take it but at the current prices probably not.

[seanc]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

I just remembered something about the 410/420/430 they did/do use 1.8" disks! Beware.

The D600 uses ATI Mobility 9000 graphics - is that good enough for your requirements?

[ratdude747]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

i think so... i have a laptop with that (dead mainboard)- a hp nc6000. it is also missing a keyboard (the guy who has the keyboard always forgets to bring it).

i heard that the nc6000 is a mobo killer... is it? if not, i might find a new base (mine is missing a lot of screws... but has all of the parts) and a decent power cord (i have a rigged 60w for testing, it needs at least 65w). someone around here had one but the board might also have been dead (like mine, spins fans for a moment and nothing else).

[ratdude747]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

OMG

a random fix i found fixed it... 40sec reset rick

haha... nice. actually it is finicky

possible route to go on?

edit- i think it is... it has the way too common max1987 chip bug... requires hot air to fix and i read event hat is no guarantee.

more research says its a hairline crack in one of the chip's traces.

final edit- i got the mainboard out of it... the chip used very fine leads... so fine my equip is useless to fix it... hot air only (too small for chipqick).

bummer!

(play taps)

[Digital Technophile]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

I've always liked the Toshiba Satellite M45; pretty much choke full of Intel. People have complained of short battery life though. I think Toshiba still makes a pretty solid laptop, but so too does Lenovo. To get a Dell laptop that is worth a damn you're pretty much going to find yourself out of your price range. Do you need full size??? I like my Dell Mini 9 (yes they found a way to f-ck it up; for some reason known only to God and Michael Dell, they found it in their infinite wisdom to remove the mini-pcie slot the 3G modem goes into...farging iceholes! ) and the idea of netbooks in general. I hate having a big fat hot piece of equipment on my lap and generally don't wander too far from the homestead to warrant having a big one. I look for internet access and adequate storage in the portable department...these "gaming" laptops are funnay to say the least (no offense anyone); I just don't understand the fuss I guess. Just my 2cents.

[mockingbird]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

The D600 uses ATI Mobility 9000 graphics - is that good enough for your requirements?

Probably, but keep in mind Radeon 9000, 9100, 9200, 9250 are really Radeon 8500. Newer Radeon gen starts at Radeon 9500.

[ratdude747]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

i had a netbook . a few times.. most recent was an asus eee pc 1000HEb. it died from a cracked screen. i eventually fixed it (and got an extra battery out of the deal); it is my dad's unit now.

my opinion on netbooks:

pro:

good battery life
compact
has a webcam (when i had the eee i used it a lot)
newer technology
low cost for the age

con:
flimsy as hell
new ones stuck with sh*tty 7 basic, not xp (which works ok)
slow for a newer unit (my 1.8ghz pentium m i use now is faster)
no firewire/pc slots/docks

honestly, i think it is abetter deal to get a used latitude then a new or used netbook... the latitude are well made. the netbooks are quasi-throwaway quality (had my first netbook- an eee 1000Hb- die in 3 months). heck, what i spent on the current laptop:


1. laptop unit (no hdd (had caddy) or brick, battery so-so, 1.6ghz)- $98
2. hdd (had in my junk bin- 60gb seagate 5400rpm), power bricks ($5 to ship, free otherwise), dock ($5 at a university surplus store)
2. NOS battery (1% wear, virtually new)- $30
3. bluetooth 2.0 module ($12)
4. new mainboard (when chipset fried)- $50 (had a faster 1.8ghz cpu as well)
5. RAM upgrade module (333mhz DDR 1gb)- $20
6. another ram upgrade (identical to above, free from the junked nc6000 i was given)

I paid a totl of about $225.. and i got a unit better than a netbook. granted there were 2 other repairs in that (a power brick fix and a solder repair to a usb port on the new mainboard)

my thinking is by staying dell Dxxx, I can keep at least my dock, power bricks, and bluetooth module...

why does it seem that laptops is a game only for those with lots of money... (they don't really trickle down like desktops, they get killed or recycled to a crusher). I can never find ones that are fixable with my knowledge and tools... all the good ones get parted out and you ultimately can't win it seems (i have a rant thread on this- where the d400 came from ironically).

the other thing is a lot of my friends got theirs as hand me downs... but my laptop is the nicest in the house (my dad's previous was an unused thinkpad t22 with virtually no ram). my family ain't rich. most of my crap was all luck outs or freebies i repaired.

[Digital Technophile]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

If you're savvy and I'm not sure of part interchangeability, I've got most of a Dell Inspiron 1525 (sans Mobo). Everything else is in decent shape. I'd be willing to barter something you've got which I may be looking for. Let me know.

But on the topic of netbooks, I've never had experience with Asus' netbook offerings, but they seem popular as hell. In fact, I've been pipe dreaming of owning a T101MT netbook/tablet. In terms of flimsiness, this Dell Mini o' mine is more "rugged" than any full size laptop I've ever used. Since repairing my old neighbor's HP laptop (LCD broke because the frame had ZERO support), I always use two hands when opening/closing/adjusting the screens. I don't even care about the fact this thing's got a tiny squished together keyboard; I don't plan on writing my autobiography on it ; hell, I've always been a hunt and peck typist anyway. Lastly, it does crack me up that some of these netbooks have 2.5" mechanical HDD's. The only plus there is upgradeability to 2.5" SSD; This Mini is severely limited in upgrading due to the pcie half-mini form factor. Oh, don't you have a retail copy of XP?; Windows7 is a laugh on a netbook, I can't see how that ol' hog could fit into the concept of a netbook. Hmm, maybe they'll have it fixed in Windows 8 (yes it's true-it's coming soon), but I digress.

Well let me know, been trying to think of a way to make good use of the Inspiron parts. Thought of buying a complementary heap off fleabay and making a good one. I'm not sure if any part are compatible with the Dxx series, I'd have to look; maybe you know already.

[dood]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

Just FYI-

D410 - 2.5" PATA drive
D420 - 1.8" PATA drive (ZIF connector; very slow and unreliable Toshiba disks)

D620 - 2.5" SATA drive (support for up to 4gb RAM)
D630 - 2.5" SATA drive (support for over 4gb RAM)

I use a d620 as my travel machine, and it runs Win7 with 2gb of RAM just fine. I did upgrade it to a 250gb WD Black HD. Mine also has the NVidia Quadro NVS 110M graphics option. Seems to do just fine with games...

[ratdude747]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

If you're savvy and I'm not sure of part interchangeability, I've got most of a Dell Inspiron 1525 (sans Mobo). Everything else is in decent shape. I'd be willing to barter something you've got which I may be looking for. Let me know.

But on the topic of netbooks, I've never had experience with Asus' netbook offerings, but they seem popular as hell. In fact, I've been pipe dreaming of owning a T101MT netbook/tablet. In terms of flimsiness, this Dell Mini o' mine is more "rugged" than any full size laptop I've ever used. Since repairing my old neighbor's HP laptop (LCD broke because the frame had ZERO support), I always use two hands when opening/closing/adjusting the screens. I don't even care about the fact this thing's got a tiny squished together keyboard; I don't plan on writing my autobiography on it ; hell, I've always been a hunt and peck typist anyway. Lastly, it does crack me up that some of these netbooks have 2.5" mechanical HDD's. The only plus there is upgradeability to 2.5" SSD; This Mini is severely limited in upgrading due to the pcie half-mini form factor. Oh, don't you have a retail copy of XP?; Windows7 is a laugh on a netbook, I can't see how that ol' hog could fit into the concept of a netbook. Hmm, maybe they'll have it fixed in Windows 8 (yes it's true-it's coming soon), but I digress.

Well let me know, been trying to think of a way to make good use of the Inspiron parts. Thought of buying a complementary heap off fleabay and making a good one. I'm not sure if any part are compatible with the Dxx series, I'd have to look; maybe you know already.

I PM'd you on the parts

i have no retail copy... but i do have a few salvaged oem xp home stickers... the codes work on xp home sp2 CDs (but not sp3)...

my netbook had a 2.5 hard disk... one of the reasons i was ok buying it. but, since my current bits of what i do involve higher power applications (labview professional 8.6 for FIRST robotics).

the 420 sounds like it might be non standard
by d600 series meant anything d6xx.

[delaware74b]

Re: Laptop upgrade advice try #2

Digital Tech - My Acer Aspire 1410 (12" display, SU2300 CPU) came with the full install of Win 7 Home Premium x64. Runs good with 2 or 4GB ram on a 2.5" 250GB hard drive. It blows my wife's Compaq with Vista out of the water. Holds its own when matched up to my desktop (AMD 640 Quad, 9500GT, 640 GB WD Black, 8 GB DDR3 1066) until I give it some photo editing.......