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Revitalizing an Aging Notebook On the Cheap

Posted by timothy on from the but-I-want-a-wind-instead dept.

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.

3 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Huh? by White+Shade · · Score: 5, Informative

    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 they may be worth about $1.50, but that doesn't stop people from charging the big bucks for an outdated piece of shit.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.

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  2. Re:Huh? by Gulthek · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://dellauction.com/ is your friend.

  3. Re:Or battery life! by Bandman · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

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