Slashdot Mirror
Revitalizing an Aging Notebook On the Cheap
jcatcw writes "Brian Nadel's ThinkPad R50 just hit its fifth birthday, and the years haven't been kind to it. When it was new, the notebook was reliable and fast. Now it's slow and prone to annoying shutdowns. Is it a good investment to revamp a notebook that's worth about $350? It sure is, because this old notebook will get a new lease on life for about $125 — a bargain, considering what it could cost to replace." On the other hand, upgrading RAM, keyboard and hard drive don't get you a smaller (netbook-style) computer, a new battery, or the transflective screen on the Toshiba linked above.
I've noticed that it's next to impossible, via normal channels, to get even old laptops for less than $300.. they may be worth about $1.50, but that doesn't stop people from charging the big bucks for an outdated piece of shit.
It's like craigslist syndrome; no one wants to admit that their ancient worthless crap is actually worthless.
ìì!
Or you know, buy one of those EEE PCs for $350...
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
http://dellauction.com/ is your friend.
I've seen quite a few instructables about how to replace laptop batteries yourself.
I'd say the screen quality would be the limiting factor. Dead pixels eventually add up.
If there were a way to get new screens, then this would be the next big way to save money.
Check out my sysadmin blog!
This is actually true of most LCDs under 24", and increasingly, LCDs under 30". Cheap TN screens are present in almost all laptops and consumer level PC monitors. What are the disadvantages? Most (if not all) are natively 6-bit per color (instead of 8-bit per color). Viewing angles are poor compared to higher quality IPS or PVA/MVA/CPA panels. But response times are typically better, so "high-end" TN panels are popular with gamers.
Not too long ago, panel sizes like 20" 1600x1200 and 24" 1920x1200 were non-TN, but this has changed. The current 20" iMac uses a TN screen - the previous model did not, causing a decrease in picture quality.
Still, bigger LCD panels aren't TN for at least one good reason. The viewing angles would be unacceptable in many environments.
The write cycle failure time on most CF cards is so long, you should get at least a few more years of use out of it (and CF cards will be that much cheaper by then). Even then, from what I understand, write cycle failures are just that - a failure to write. You can get a new drive, copy the contents to the new drive and be good to go.
I'd say the screen quality would be the limiting factor. Dead pixels eventually add up.
Since when??
I finally replaced an almost 5 year old Inspiron 8600. The keyboard was sticking, the mouse buttons barely worked, the drive was way too small, the battery lasted 1/2 as long as it used to, the graphics were painful for modern games, and the CPU was showing its age - but the 15.4" 1920x1080 display was as amazing as the day I got it (and still better than most new laptop displays... why is it so hard to find displays that good any more?)
I "know" that a new battery cost me $50, and it's even better than the original was.
The used laptop that I paid $300 for, over a year and a half ago, is going for $200 now, and it blows the doors off an eee.
You absolutely don't need to upgrade an old laptop. Install fluxbox, done.
Flakey memory is a common undiagnosed cause of system instability (along with bad power supplies). Testing the memory should be the first task performed after buying it from a place with a good return policy.
TO START
PRESS ANY KEY
Where's the 'ANY' key? I see Esk, Kitarl, and Pig-Up...
It is illogical to think that a cart can go faster than the slowest horse.
The trick there is to sell it by individual piece. The display and motherboard are likely to pay better than an entire laptop does.
When I sold my old sony, I got like $160 + shipping for the display alone. It was one of those behemoth 16.1" screens. Can't recall what I got for the rest, but I'm sure it was at least a couple hundred.
I would be mighty impressed if you got a NEW battery for a 5 year old laptop for only $50. Batteries for older hardware get more expensive over time, not less.
That price seems about right for the Thinkpad ones I'm currently looking at on eBay... the UK's a little more expensive on average, closer to $60 inc. shipping. You may have problems sourcing for less popular brands of laptop.
Except for that huge antenna sticking out.
Running an internal antenna isn't difficult, even doing it properly rather than just bundling the wires into any free space.
the majority of older laptops would have to go the PCMCIA route, which is both expensive
It's not. You can get a PCMCIA 'g' card for under ten quid, the same as a USB adapter. And most five-year-old laptops (i.e. 2003 vintage) have USB ports.
for something that is likely to be unreliable
No signs of it yet. Whilst we're talking anecdotes and guesses, though, I do have a friend who's had to return two new Mac laptops due to overheating in the last few years.
Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Gates M'dna wgah'nagl fhtagn.
Precisely. I have a P4, 1.7ghz, with 512MB ram. It is coming up on its 7th birthday. I have it running xp home, factory installed. I have NEVER reloaded the machine, only done regular maintenance to keep it snappy. I don't play games on it nowadays since it would be pretty worthless, but it works just fine for web development or surfing while I'm sitting on my arse in front of the TV.
The screen is finally showing signs of age, and could probably just quit working any time. Its going to be a sad day. I wish it was something other than the screen going on it, that way replacing it would be cost effective and I could keep my old trusty sidekick.
There is a certain attachment you get to your computers when they have been completely stable for 7 years. Its like an old dog dying, sure you'll get a new one, but it can't truly replace what you're losing.