TH2002
Experienced Member
I've mentioned this computer many times on this forum, and as you'll already know it's one of my favorites. But I've never done a proper review on it until now!
This review will follow the same format as my Everex StepNote review, and I'll use the same categories:
Specifications:
-12 MHz 80286
-CGA compatible orange gas plasma display
-1 MB of RAM
-40 MB Conner CP3044 HDD
-PC speaker sound
Build Quality: A+
It's a very solid machine! I can't think of anything negative to say as far as the build quality goes.
Display Quality: A+
Again, nothing negative to say. The display is absolutely gorgeous! Text has great contrast and all four shades of color are distinct.
Overall Design: A-
I've already mentioned that it's a very solid machine, and I again have not much to complain about in this section. The mechanical Alps keyboard alone guarantees this an A ranking. It's easily the best keyboard I've ever typed on, period. If I could somehow use the T3100e/40 as a keyboard for my modern computers, I'd do it in a heartbeat. The computer also has a nifty carrying handle on the back that doubles as a kickstand to prop the computer up at angle. Pretty neat, I must say. Also has the usual goodies like a built in floppy drive (unfortunately the one on mine doesn't work, thank goodness for LapLink!), two serial ports, parallel, RGB out, and even some room for expansion! Not sure what cards I could actually use in the expansion slot, though.
There is one gripe I have about the computer in this section. The first few times I took it apart to work on the computer, it was a freaking nightmare to do so. As of now, I've had it apart so many times that it's basically clockwork by now, but I did find it difficult and infuriating to work on at first.
Gaming: B-
This is the one category where the T3100e/40 doesn't quite shine - it's definitely NOT the best vintage computer for gaming. You are limited by the fact that this machine is a 286 (not the best processor for MS-DOS games to begin with) and is CGA only, so no EGA or VGA games will work. Of the games you can play on here, you'll find that some early games will run too fast and other newer games will run sluggishly. Still, I've found that most of the games I like to play are at least playable. Cobra (a 1989 shareware game) runs just a tad bit fast, but is definitely playable and enjoyable. Stunts is definitely a bit sluggish but also playable enough to be enjoyable (ironically, the T3100e/40 is my favorite system to play Stunts on despite the lower than desirable framerate). Others like Spectrum HoloByte Tetris and @jhhoward's CGA port of Wolfenstein 3D run almost flawlessly.
Bottom line: Can it play games? Yes, especially with the fantastic keyboard and great quality display. However, a computer like this shouldn't be your first choice if you're gonna get into the vintage computer hobby just for gaming.
Novelty: A
It has an orange gas plasma display and an Alps mechanical keyboard! You definitely don't see those on laptops anymore! The overall design is really good, so it's a great machine to have in a vintage computer collection.
Other comments:
The computer has a built-in power supply, so any standard three prong power cable will work just fine. No need to worry about having to track down a proprietary power adapter with some weird connector on the end.
Overall Verdict:
I'd only note that these systems are NOT the best if you want to get into vintage computing just for gaming, and maybe not the best for a first time collector since they are a pain to work on. Still, I LOVE this computer, and if I ever had to narrow down my vintage computer collection to just five systems, this would undoubtedly be one of the keepers. It may not be the best for gaming overall, but the keyboard and display make up for that IMO.
If I had to rate this computer on a 1-10 scale, it would be a 9/10 for me.
This review will follow the same format as my Everex StepNote review, and I'll use the same categories:
Specifications:
-12 MHz 80286
-CGA compatible orange gas plasma display
-1 MB of RAM
-40 MB Conner CP3044 HDD
-PC speaker sound
Build Quality: A+
It's a very solid machine! I can't think of anything negative to say as far as the build quality goes.
Display Quality: A+
Again, nothing negative to say. The display is absolutely gorgeous! Text has great contrast and all four shades of color are distinct.
Overall Design: A-
I've already mentioned that it's a very solid machine, and I again have not much to complain about in this section. The mechanical Alps keyboard alone guarantees this an A ranking. It's easily the best keyboard I've ever typed on, period. If I could somehow use the T3100e/40 as a keyboard for my modern computers, I'd do it in a heartbeat. The computer also has a nifty carrying handle on the back that doubles as a kickstand to prop the computer up at angle. Pretty neat, I must say. Also has the usual goodies like a built in floppy drive (unfortunately the one on mine doesn't work, thank goodness for LapLink!), two serial ports, parallel, RGB out, and even some room for expansion! Not sure what cards I could actually use in the expansion slot, though.
There is one gripe I have about the computer in this section. The first few times I took it apart to work on the computer, it was a freaking nightmare to do so. As of now, I've had it apart so many times that it's basically clockwork by now, but I did find it difficult and infuriating to work on at first.
Gaming: B-
This is the one category where the T3100e/40 doesn't quite shine - it's definitely NOT the best vintage computer for gaming. You are limited by the fact that this machine is a 286 (not the best processor for MS-DOS games to begin with) and is CGA only, so no EGA or VGA games will work. Of the games you can play on here, you'll find that some early games will run too fast and other newer games will run sluggishly. Still, I've found that most of the games I like to play are at least playable. Cobra (a 1989 shareware game) runs just a tad bit fast, but is definitely playable and enjoyable. Stunts is definitely a bit sluggish but also playable enough to be enjoyable (ironically, the T3100e/40 is my favorite system to play Stunts on despite the lower than desirable framerate). Others like Spectrum HoloByte Tetris and @jhhoward's CGA port of Wolfenstein 3D run almost flawlessly.
Bottom line: Can it play games? Yes, especially with the fantastic keyboard and great quality display. However, a computer like this shouldn't be your first choice if you're gonna get into the vintage computer hobby just for gaming.
Novelty: A
It has an orange gas plasma display and an Alps mechanical keyboard! You definitely don't see those on laptops anymore! The overall design is really good, so it's a great machine to have in a vintage computer collection.
Other comments:
The computer has a built-in power supply, so any standard three prong power cable will work just fine. No need to worry about having to track down a proprietary power adapter with some weird connector on the end.
Overall Verdict:
I'd only note that these systems are NOT the best if you want to get into vintage computing just for gaming, and maybe not the best for a first time collector since they are a pain to work on. Still, I LOVE this computer, and if I ever had to narrow down my vintage computer collection to just five systems, this would undoubtedly be one of the keepers. It may not be the best for gaming overall, but the keyboard and display make up for that IMO.
If I had to rate this computer on a 1-10 scale, it would be a 9/10 for me.