DEAD: IBM ThinkPad T23 for $999

[IgoByte]

Originally posted by: Lol715
Just got my T23 in today...called last night and said they had them in stock. Next day shipping and BAMN! I wake up to Airborne Express dropping this bad boy off.

I have to agree with a lot of previous posters - this computer is built very nicely and quite light (~5 lbs). Very happy I didn't buy one of those heavy ass Inspiron 5100s.

So for all those out there who were skeptical, this is the real deal. Brand spanking new. And PC Connection is definately legit - CSR I spoke with was pretty cool.

Did it come with a floppy drive?

 

[Lol715]

Yup, came with a floppy and a dvd drive...although you have to take the dvd drive out if you want to put the floppy in.

 

[Vcize]

Can you use CD's in the dvd drive?

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: Vcize
Can you use CD's in the dvd drive?

yes, you can always use CD's in DVD-ROM drives

 

[IgoByte]

Originally posted by: Lol715
Yup, came with a floppy and a dvd drive...although you have to take the dvd drive out if you want to put the floppy in.

I know that...The ultrabay is hotswappable, but it's nice that it stillc omes with the nice floppy drive.

Today, I purchased a CDRW Drive for it for $60 shipped. Awesome!

 

[DerProfi]

I've searched around on the IBM web site and I still can't figure out whether this has got USB 1.1 or 2.0. Anyone know?

Dang, I am so tempted by this. For me it's TrackPoint or nothing which these days basically narrows my options down to an IBM, and this seems to be the best IBM deal around. I just don't see how anyone gets any work done on a notebook with a touchpad?!

I've had a 560, a 600, a 600x, a T21 and right now I'm stuck with a Compaq Armada. I'd love to be back on a Thinkpad. They've also got some of the best notebook keyboards ever, IMHO.

 

[IgoByte]

Originally posted by: DerProfi
I've searched around on the IBM web site and I still can't figure out whether this has got USB 1.1 or 2.0. Anyone know?

Dang, I am so tempted by this. For me it's TrackPoint or nothing which these days basically narrows my options down to an IBM, and this seems to be the best IBM deal around. I just don't see how anyone gets any work done on a notebook with a touchpad?!

I've had a 560, a 600, a 600x, a T21 and right now I'm stuck with a Compaq Armada. I'd love to be back on a Thinkpad. They've also got some of the best notebook keyboards ever, IMHO.

1. USB 1.1. You can get a PCMCIA card for firewire or USB 2.0.
2. Mouse. I greatly prefer the trackpoint. With a trackpad I feel unable to work, but IBM's implementation is actually pretty good.
3. They certainly do have some of the best notebook keyboards. I sold my old T20 to a ladyfriend who had a Dell 4150 before that. She said that the difference between the keyboards was so significant that she had a hard time believing it.

Component by component these IBM thinkpads are the best notebooks around. There's hardly an argument.

 

[Lol715]

Igobyte - where did you get the cdrw for 60 bucks? I am assuming its the cdrw for the ultrabay...thanks in advance

 

[DerProfi]

Originally posted by: IgoByte1. USB 1.1. You can get a PCMCIA card for firewire or USB 2.0.

Thanks for the info. That's what I figured...

 

[mrVW]

I just ordered one. thanks for posting this.

I got the T21 on eBay 18 months ago (via Anandtech). it is 800Mhz and just too slow for XP.

This is an ideal replacement at a great price. That T21 has taken tremendous abuse! My wife and I each have one and use it 8 hours a day 6 days a week. We live full time in a Bluebird Motorhome (40' bus!) and lug them around eveywhere. They really are built well and the 3 year warrenty is there to back them up.

I believe one should get a "less than latest laptop" and replace it every 18 months. That is exactly what I'm doing. I paid $1350 for my 800Mhz T21 and getting a 1.2Ghz T23 for $999 is a heck of deal.

The video chipset is the weakest link. Also only having USB 1.1. The screen is ideal for hard everyday use. It isn't the latest and greatest, it is just a great deal. And the IBM's do hold their resale very well...

Anyone found a good deal on 512MB RAM upgrade?

 

[Wiek]

This one is P-3M, not to be confused with the new T23 with new Pentium-M which is a battery-saver.
That's why the price at ibm.com seems so inflated compares to pccon's.

anyhow, this is a nice price... too bad i live in australia... damn.

 

[mrVW]

Dell sells the Kingston KTT3614/512 RAM upgrade for this unit. $110 shipped with current deals.

Crucial does not carry a 512MB for the T23.

 

[kenja]

The Crucial configurator was not updated for the T23; the T22 went to 512MB max. This should work fine (but don't sue me).
Edit: mrVW jogged my "memory"; better skip Crucial's 512MB module. I just ordered a 512MB Kingston from Dell Small Business; the T23 is specifically mentioned.

The T23 reached end of life earlier this year; they all have P3m with speedstep as far as I know. Bought one off EBay a couple months ago for $1100. Very happy (but I'm not a gamer, and according to IBM.com forum the S3 16MB can't be upgraded).

I think it was at FW that someone said they received an open-box T23 from PC Connection.

The better ThinkPads really are "best of breed", but this doesn't apply to all of them:
I had an i-series 1300 that was a real lemon (not just my unit).

 

[weepul]

awesome deal! thanks! i like the X-series better tho.

//krunk (^_^x)

 

[weovpac]

This will be my first laptop Can wait to receive it. Hope I made the right decision, don't like buying things like this unseen. Thanks

 

[hwz8b]

Could someone tell me how much difference in performance is there between a PIII 1.2 and a PIV 1.8? Thanks

And could someone tell me what is the difference in build quality between the T23 and vpr matrix 175B4? I have narrowed down my choices to those 2.

 

[IgoByte]

Originally posted by: Lol715
Igobyte - where did you get the cdrw for 60 bucks? I am assuming its the cdrw for the ultrabay...thanks in advance

Yes, it's an ultrabay CDRW Drive, not an external USB/FW unit. I got it from a guy on ebay. If you're interested, LMK. I can see if he has more and if so, at what price. He seems like a nice guy, but keep in mind I haven't received the drive yet.

 

[IgoByte]

Originally posted by: Wiek
This one is P-3M, not to be confused with the new T23 with new Pentium-M which is a battery-saver.
That's why the price at ibm.com seems so inflated compares to pccon's.

anyhow, this is a nice price... too bad i live in australia... damn.

Ummm...not quite.
There is no new T23 that has a Pentium M 1.2Ghz CPU. They top out at the Pentium III M 1.2Ghz CPU, and you will not be able to upgrade the CPU on this machine to something "better." The T40 is the new model, which has the Pentium M (Centrino) processor. The T30, on the other hand, has the Pentium 4 M processor.

 

[IgoByte]

Originally posted by: hwz8b
Could someone tell me how much difference in performance is there between a PIII 1.2 and a PIV 1.8? Thanks

And could someone tell me what is the difference in build quality between the T23 and vpr matrix 175B4? I have narrowed down my choices to those 2.

I've never even seen a VPR matrix first hand, but that's the BestBuy notebook, right? I personally wouldn't go for one of those, but I haven't seen or used one (I only saw pics).

As for the performance difference between the P3M 1.2 and the P4M 1.8, I think it's minimal. The Pentium 3 is a more efficient processor. The VPR will probably have a "better" video chip, so it'll gain an edge there, but I was very disappointed with the P4M. When I had my old T23 (P3M 1.13Ghz CPU, 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400RPM HDD, Combo Drive), I had the opportunity to use several model Dell notebooks (with the P4M processor) and I was always much more happy with my T23. Even with their faster memory and 64MB video chips, my T23 felt a lot better and smoother (I was running self-installed Windows 2000 Pro and those Dells were all running factory-installed Windows XP Pro, so that too must have been a factor). The Dell notebooks were mostly i8200s with P4M1.6Ghz+ CPUs.

Unfortunatelly, I don't have any benchmarks to back this up.

 

[IgoByte]

For you folks who are looking for an X-series notebook, here is a decent deal:

X30

There is a guy here on the forums who works for them and could probably give you a discount on this as well. PM me for details.

 

[IgoByte]

256MB PC133 SODIMM

 

[s09rano]

Few days ago I ordered Gateway 400SP Plus for 799, now that was deal. 2.2 Ghz Celeran processor and combo dvd/cdrw, nobody can be that price

 

[IgoByte]

Originally posted by: s09rano
Few days ago I ordered Gateway 400SP Plus for 799, now that was deal. 2.2 Ghz Celeran processor and combo dvd/cdrw, nobody can be that price

Welcome to AT, buddy. You'll soon see that that deal is certainly beatable. That gateway is a nice notebook, but even this deal beats it by a mile. the only thing that Gateway notebook has over this one is the combo drive.

 

[DerProfi]

Originally posted by: s09rano
Few days ago I ordered Gateway 400SP Plus for 799, now that was deal. 2.2 Ghz Celeran processor and combo dvd/cdrw, nobody can be that price

Yeah, the Gateway is certainly functional and would seem to have a good feature set for the money, but I'd gladly spend the extra $200 for the IBM to get a much better warranty, support, build quality and reliability.

 

[DerProfi]

Originally posted by: IgoByteThis T23 is almost just as fast as the P4 1.8Ghz T30...The P4 is not the best processor for notebooks.

The T30 that you got, does it have an SXGA screen or is it an XGA?

That T30 is XGA, just like this T23.

Looks like LACC also has this deal going, but their ratings aren't very good. I am this close to picking one up. I haven't seen a deal this good since two years ago when I bought my IBM NetVista X40 for $799.