Second-hand Thinkpad , help!

[Gandhalfman_]

I found a nice deal on a Lenovo x61 Thinkpad for around 130ish$

Specs:
CPU : Intel Core 2 Duo
RAM : 2GM
HDD : 80GB
OS : W7 pro (will change it to linux)

I am planning on going back to uni and I need a laptop for word processing mainly and able to read Powerpoints / PDF

My questions
Is it worth it? Can I upgrade it in terms of RAM and HDD (would go with a SSD)

[lani100]

This is a good price you could install 4 or 8gb ram and a nice ssd and this thing will fly.

[coen113]

core 2's are pretty old, and laptops are not that powerfull to begin with, i dont think it would work that great

[Sharif]

upgrading it is not worth it at all  because if you needed to you need to upgrade everything = a new pc

[rashdanml]

For that particular usage scenario, it's more than enough. The older Thinkpads are still excellent machines (even if they're a bit dated by today's standards). Linux is perfect for it. 

 

If you're able to spend a bit more, the X201 and X220 may be better options; iirc, the X220 comes with Sandy Bridge, and it's the last Thinkpad to feature the 7-row keyboard that diehard Thinkpad enthusiasts are extremely fond of.

[_wky]

A cheap SSD and a couple more gigs of RAM and it should be great for what you need it for.

[lani100]

Price is just good even with this specs windows 7 will run good core 2 duo's are still fast and not much slower than an i3 for some office/pdf work this is fine especially if the battery is good

[Gandhalfman_]

For that particular usage scenario, it's more than enough. The older Thinkpads are still excellent machines (even if they're a bit dated by today's standards). Linux is perfect for it. 

 

If you're able to spend a bit more, the X201 and X220 may be better options; iirc, the X220 comes with Sandy Bridge, and it's the last Thinkpad to feature the 7-row keyboard that diehard Thinkpad enthusiasts are extremely fond of.

I used to have a Thinkpad T400, but it got stolen (no need for full details lol).

 

The X220 is kinda rare to find where I come from but I will do alittle digging here and there.

My university do offer thinkpads but the T400 low specs and very overpriced.

What about the good ole IBM T60? Found one for 300$ish

[rashdanml]

What about the good ole IBM T60? Found one for 300$ish

The specs are comparable to the X61. The usual difference between the two is screen size, the X series usually being about 12.5" with the T series being 14.1/15.6". 

Just noticed your location. Fair enough. Ebay might be a possibility, but you might get slaughtered by shipping fees (package delivery is kind of a pain in UAE ) and import duties. 

[MangoJuiceStain]

For that particular usage scenario, it's more than enough. The older Thinkpads are still excellent machines (even if they're a bit dated by today's standards). Linux is perfect for it. 

 

If you're able to spend a bit more, the X201 and X220 may be better options; iirc, the X220 comes with Sandy Bridge, and it's the last Thinkpad to feature the 7-row keyboard that diehard Thinkpad enthusiasts are extremely fond of.

But MS office isn't on Linux.

[Gandhalfman_]

The specs are comparable to the X61. The usual difference between the two is screen size, the X series usually being about 12.5" with the T series being 14.1/15.6". 

Just noticed your location. Fair enough. Ebay might be a possibility, but you might get slaughtered by shipping fees (package delivery is kind of a pain in UAE ) and import duties. 

Yea thats the problem ;( 

Shipping wont be much of a big deal thou , got a nice discount on a shipping company here.

 

Im just worried if I buy anything used from Ebay and recieve it after a long wait time , it might turn out to be completly faulty or somthing.

[Gandhalfman_]

But MS office isn't on Linux.

Libre and OpenOffice works just fine.

[rashdanml]

But MS office isn't on Linux.

Google Docs, LibreOffice, Calligra Suite. 

All excellent for Word Processing.