IBM ThinkPad X31 (titanium) with X3 Ultrabase and Combo DVD/CDRW $1274.15

[Analog]

1 22P6991 ThinkPad CD-RW/DVD Combo IV Ultrabay 2000 Drive Your price $179.10*

1 46P7912 ThinkPad UltraBase X3 Media Slice Your price $179.10*

1 26722BU ThinkPad X31 Your price $1,563.15*

Total Price Your price $1,274.15*

see Aphex's link below.

**Not sure if this is better than the T31 thread. Comments?

 

[aphex]

Working Link

 

[UltraWide]

not bad at all.

 

[iamme]

X series thinkpads are my favorite subnotebooks.....sweet.

 

[linuxthinker]

This is VERY HOT. I have an X23 that's only 16 months old and I'm tempted to upgrade. :|

 

[hytek369]

very hot

 

[Kostya17]

Please explain what's so hot in this notebook. 12.1" screen, 20GB HD, 256MB memory, $1,274.15 ? Don't consider this as a TC, I just want to know what I'm missing here... Thanks in advance for explaining

Edit: Got the answer myself from the pricewatch. The cheapest generic centrino notebook loaded similar to X31 and 14" screen is $1269.00 over there. Getting a brand-name unit for only $5.15 extra is hot, agreed!

 

[Pocatello]

This is pretty hot. It's relatively lite for travel too.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: Kostya17
Please explain what's so hot in this notebook. 12.1" screen, 20GB HD, 256MB memory, $1,274.15 ? Don't consider this as a TC, I just want to know what I'm missing here... Thanks in advance for explaining

Edit: Got the answer myself from the pricewatch. The cheapest generic centrino notebook loaded similar to X31 and 14" screen is $1269.00 over there. Getting a brand-name unit for only $5.15 extra is hot, agreed!

yes basically it's a really small kickass laptop from a company with great support

btw is it just me or do none of the x series laptops have integrated bluetooth?

 

[oaaltone]

IBM's ThinkPads are regarded as some of the finest notebooks on the market. Their build quality is FAR superior when compared to other companies, and IBM's support is second to none.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: Kostya17
Please explain what's so hot in this notebook. 12.1" screen, 20GB HD, 256MB memory, $1,274.15 ? Don't consider this as a TC, I just want to know what I'm missing here... Thanks in advance for explaining

Edit: Got the answer myself from the pricewatch. The cheapest generic centrino notebook loaded similar to X31 and 14" screen is $1269.00 over there. Getting a brand-name unit for only $5.15 extra is hot, agreed!

also, remember that this is a subnotebook.

~3.5lbs.

most 14.1" notebooks are 5-6lbs. and 15" screens can be from 7-9lbs.

you usually pay a premium for the smaller form factor.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: Kostya17
Please explain what's so hot in this notebook. 12.1" screen, 20GB HD, 256MB memory, $1,274.15 ? Don't consider this as a TC, I just want to know what I'm missing here... Thanks in advance for explaining

Edit: Got the answer myself from the pricewatch. The cheapest generic centrino notebook loaded similar to X31 and 14" screen is $1269.00 over there. Getting a brand-name unit for only $5.15 extra is hot, agreed!

also, remember that this is a subnotebook.

~3.5lbs.

most 14.1" notebooks are 5-6lbs. and 15" screens can be from 7-9lbs.

you usually pay a premium for the smaller form factor.

 

['BARtMAN']

You've gotta figure in the weight with the ultrabase connected which is listed at 5.3lb (laptop+base)... I don't see many people that wouldn't need the speakers or cdrw/dvdrom... This is tempting, but a bit over my budget.. (looking for <$1k)

 

[preslove]

Red hot, the laptop comes with a 3 year warranty, and everybody says that IBM's CS is the best.

 

[croak]

there are x31 models with built in bluetooth. that's the only thing stopping me from upgrading my x30 to an x31 via this deal...

 

[OzzieGT]

Originally posted by: 'BARtMAN'
You've gotta figure in the weight with the ultrabase connected which is listed at 5.3lb (laptop+base)... I don't see many people that wouldn't need the speakers or cdrw/dvdrom... This is tempting, but a bit over my budget.. (looking for <$1k)

The only time I really find myself needing the cdrom is when installing software, which is usually done at home. My current laptop doesn't have a cdrom at all and I'm fine. The laptop has a built in speaker but it sucks...but if you are on the go you are going to be using headphones anyway.

 

[AznMaverick]

so let me get this staright, the notebook doesn't come with a cdrom drive and that one that they are giving for free (the cdrw/dvd combo drive) is for the base?

 

[Kostya17]

Originally posted by: 'BARtMAN'You've gotta figure in the weight with the ultrabase connected which is listed at 5.3lb (laptop+base)... I don't see many people that wouldn't need the speakers or cdrw/dvdrom... This is tempting, but a bit over my budget.. (looking for <$1k)

As far as I understand, the price on this one is bloated due to 2 "well recognized" brands:
1) Intel Centrino/Pentium M
2) IBM ThinkPad
If you drop those brands you can get a nice similarly equipped Dell laptop for almost half the price with 14" screen as a bonus. This one is not as fancy though :brokenheart:

 

[straubs]

Originally posted by: AznMaverick
so let me get this staright, the notebook doesn't come with a cdrom drive and that one that they are giving for free (the cdrw/dvd combo drive) is for the base?

Correct. AFAIK, this is not that uncommon in a sub-notebook. Sony does this as well.

Remember this isn't a *docking station*, you can attach it to the laptop, and still carry it around with you. It's like an extension for when you need that stuff.

 

[Postcountislife]

Originally posted by: Kostya17

Originally posted by: 'BARtMAN'You've gotta figure in the weight with the ultrabase connected which is listed at 5.3lb (laptop+base)... I don't see many people that wouldn't need the speakers or cdrw/dvdrom... This is tempting, but a bit over my budget.. (looking for <$1k)

As far as I understand, the price on this one is bloated due to 2 "well recognized" brands:
1) Intel Centrino/Pentium M
2) IBM ThinkPad
If you drop those brands you can get a nice similarly equipped Dell laptop for almost half the price with 14" screen as a bonus. This one is not as fancy though :brokenheart:

Apples to oranges.

Assuming you're looking at the Inspiron 1100/5100, the Dell weighs TWICE as much and doesn't have integrated 802.11. You should be comparing the X31 to the Dell D300/X300. Then you'll see what a great deal this is.

 

[Souka]

X31 is a sweet laptop...... if you need a small portable laptop that can handle a beating.

We have over 400 X30 and X31's in the field...... they do awesome with our sales reps. For some of the power users, they have the large-cap batter installed so the can use it for 6+ hours non-stop....but for the majority, the std battery works great as they typically just bring it out of standby, enter some info, back into standby till next customer site.

Yes they are a tad pricey, but they include a 3yr warranty. IBM tech support is QUICK and easy....they don't give you a run-around.

We've also deployed a number of T40 and T41 laptops since the T series has gotten thinner and lighter (5.5lb).....they're holding up great also.


Yes, you can save $$$ up front and buy Dell, Compaq, or HP......but the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is much higher over a three year period.


If you have specific questions about IBM laptops, drop me a PM... I'll be glad to help. But please don't ask questions like, "is it better than a dell D600?" or "how much does one cost with 512mb ram".......those are questions that you can answer yourself or by reading a review....

thanks!

 

[yellowperil]

The keyboards on Thinkpads are of much better build quality than Dells, HP/Compaqs, Sonys, etc. My experience with IBM CS has been somewhat annoying but at least they always ship everything Airborne overnight (return boxes and then shipping them back).

 

[CWRMadcat]

OMFG. I paid 1500 bucks for JUST the X31 forty days ago...


*cries*

WHY CRUEL WORLD? WHY!?

 

[cloudchief]

I have a friend who paid over twice what IBM is asking for the exact same package 8 months ago. I won't tell her about this deal.

Edit : I just rememembered that she got some extras like a usb jumpdrive, so I don't think the package was over twice this price, but pretty close to double.
She also loves this computer and this seems like a fantastic deal.

 

[straubs]

The university I work for uses Dell as their main supplier on the PC side of things, so I've used many different models of Dell laptops. Today I had to rebuild someone's IBM T22. (old p3 900). IBM laptops just reek of build quality when compared to Dell's. I can't honestly report on things like reliability, but this lady was raving about it and she's just a normal user--usually employees just accept hardware and could care less what kind it is, as long as it works.

A mini-rant on what happens when you buy a cheaper, less reliable laptop.
I am in possession of my friend's Compaq Presario 700. She started having problems with it locking up under XP home. After all kinds of tests and research, I found that there is a known problem after adding a stick of RAM to the expansion slot. It causes the damn thing to overheat! Can you believe that?? Do they even test these things at the factory? grrr. Anyway, Compaq doesn't have a fix for this, besides sending it in and actually replacing defective (from the factory) parts. Unfortunately, most people never find out about this until they add a stick of RAM, which often times is after the warranty is up!