I see several IBM Thinkpads on e-bay for $98-200. Some came w/out hard drives or have been replaced w/SSD which are new and faster. Units are typically core 2 duo. These were great units at one time and are still durable.I really can't justify getting a new unit, but an older and stronger unit in the low one hundreds might lead me to get two. Tablets just don't do the same thing.xp is fine. I have a 2008 Lenovo consumer grade laptop that has a dead battery, dead screen, intermittent hard drive, and frequent total failure - not worth fixing, I guess. I like the TP 14" size anyway. It looks like units are corporate or government units, esp. if h/d removed for security reasons. Any experience or thoughts? I think batteries, keyboard, adapters, etc. are cheap, don't know about other things. Thanks to this usually well informed audience.
IBM THINKPAD - USED ON E-BAY
- Thread starter bmwjohn
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Never quite understand the fascination with Thinkpads. I have a Duo and a newer i7 at work and not impressed. My home HP laptops even a couple years older run better and cooler. That being said I wouldn't waste over $75 on one due to the fact I'd have to replace it in a year.
Could be a great deal if you shop carefully. I got a T60 with the RAM maxed at 4 GB (3 GB usable) on eBay last year for about $169. It came with XP but I installed Win7 on it. Runs great.
Thinkpads last forever if they have been cared for. One thing to consider: XP support ends in April 2014; this time I think MS is serious about that. So if you want it long-term, either deal with an unsupported OS or be prepared to install Win 7/8 or Linux on it.
Also, the graphics chips on some TPs are not the best; that's not what they were designed for, of course. Does not bother me at all but if you are heavy into visual stuff, it's something to consider.
If you find one with 2 GB of RAM or more for $150 or less it's worth a shot. Good luck.
Thinkpads last forever if they have been cared for. One thing to consider: XP support ends in April 2014; this time I think MS is serious about that. So if you want it long-term, either deal with an unsupported OS or be prepared to install Win 7/8 or Linux on it.
Also, the graphics chips on some TPs are not the best; that's not what they were designed for, of course. Does not bother me at all but if you are heavy into visual stuff, it's something to consider.
If you find one with 2 GB of RAM or more for $150 or less it's worth a shot. Good luck.
I think they're great machines, and you should get another 3-4 years out of it no problem. I have an X230 and I just picked up a T61 to have as a back-up laptop (I don't have a desktop).
My advice: don't get one with a separate video nvidia graphics card. They're failure-prone and if it goes out you'll be replacing the mother board (or ditching the computer). Supposedly, ones produced after 08/08 are OK, but I think it's best just to get one w/integrated graphics.
Besides that, batteries, keyboards and basic parts are readily available and fairly inexpensive and easy to service. I think it's a way better option than the cheap consumer laptops you'll get for $400-600.00; much better overall feel and a WAY better keyboard.
My advice: don't get one with a separate video nvidia graphics card. They're failure-prone and if it goes out you'll be replacing the mother board (or ditching the computer). Supposedly, ones produced after 08/08 are OK, but I think it's best just to get one w/integrated graphics.
Besides that, batteries, keyboards and basic parts are readily available and fairly inexpensive and easy to service. I think it's a way better option than the cheap consumer laptops you'll get for $400-600.00; much better overall feel and a WAY better keyboard.
My T61 has been almost flawless. Have been using it an average of 12 hours a day for the last five years. Only thing I have had to do is replace the touch pad. Mine is a solid, workhorse machine.
I like my T500. I bought it because nothing in my price range had anything other than a 1366x768 screen, which is useless to me. My T500 has a 1680x1050 screen. A nice size for a 15" screen, imo.
I love how easy it is to open up for upgrades or whatever and I also like the drain holes for the keyboard. OH! and the light on the screen that shines on the keyboard is pretty awesome. I could keep going.
I think I paid like $250 or something with no ram/hard drive/os key. I put in 8GB ram (max) and 500GB WD Black and Win 7 Pro key I already had.
Its only a C2D, but it has plenty of power for cruising the websternet and some other things. Ive even played light games on the Radeon 3650.
I love how easy it is to open up for upgrades or whatever and I also like the drain holes for the keyboard. OH! and the light on the screen that shines on the keyboard is pretty awesome. I could keep going.
I think I paid like $250 or something with no ram/hard drive/os key. I put in 8GB ram (max) and 500GB WD Black and Win 7 Pro key I already had.
Its only a C2D, but it has plenty of power for cruising the websternet and some other things. Ive even played light games on the Radeon 3650.
The T60s / T61s were known for their bad batteries. Other than that, they are pretty solid.
The screen on my consumer grade dell from 2007 finally died and the charger on my netbook from 2009 died. My parents Compaq laptop from 2006 was getting long in the tooth.
Thinkpads are MUCH cheaper than anything on eBay because people want flash looking laptops.
I bought myself and my parents similar T61s on eBay. Theirs was a bit more , but included battery, nvidia video card, high-res screen and was barely used! Mine had the basic intel card and was used a bit.
Anyway, I swapped the high res screen on to the one with the integrated video, bought a new 9 cell battery and gave my parents the more powerful one.
Very satisfied with them.
Keyboards are interchangeable on some laptops older and newer than the T61.
Batteries are ... hit or miss. 14.1'' widescreen used a different battery from 15.1'' widescreen, etc.
Power adapters were generally the same. But make sure to get the 90W adapter and not the 60w adapter as they won't run the more powerful computers (only tablet type things).
The screen on my consumer grade dell from 2007 finally died and the charger on my netbook from 2009 died. My parents Compaq laptop from 2006 was getting long in the tooth.
Thinkpads are MUCH cheaper than anything on eBay because people want flash looking laptops.
I bought myself and my parents similar T61s on eBay. Theirs was a bit more , but included battery, nvidia video card, high-res screen and was barely used! Mine had the basic intel card and was used a bit.
Anyway, I swapped the high res screen on to the one with the integrated video, bought a new 9 cell battery and gave my parents the more powerful one.
Very satisfied with them.
Keyboards are interchangeable on some laptops older and newer than the T61.
Batteries are ... hit or miss. 14.1'' widescreen used a different battery from 15.1'' widescreen, etc.
Power adapters were generally the same. But make sure to get the 90W adapter and not the 60w adapter as they won't run the more powerful computers (only tablet type things).
They are great machines, I wouldnt own anything else.
(As I type this on an X120E - the mini Thinkpad)
I picked up my mother a refurb T60p and it has been running great, with an upgrade in memory of course.
(As I type this on an X120E - the mini Thinkpad)
I picked up my mother a refurb T60p and it has been running great, with an upgrade in memory of course.
I love my T520 w/ i7 and FHD screen
For what it's worth, these are *excellent* machines to use if you want to try out Linux, as they are fully compatible.
Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
For what it's worth, these are *excellent* machines to use if you want to try out Linux, as they are fully compatible.
No broadcom wifi cards and the Intel Chipsets are always supported.
For what it's worth, these are *excellent* machines to use if you want to try out Linux, as they are fully compatible.
No broadcom wifi cards and the Intel Chipsets are always supported.
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
I love my T520 w/ i7 and FHD screen
+1
i5 w/fhd screen
I had to pass on the fingerprint reader because their website was bugged out and added 120$ for it.
I reported the problem to them but I needed to order before my coupon expired.
I love my T520 w/ i7 and FHD screen
+1
i5 w/fhd screen
I had to pass on the fingerprint reader because their website was bugged out and added 120$ for it.
I reported the problem to them but I needed to order before my coupon expired.
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^^ I got the FP reader but had the same problem - I was able to chat with a rep online WHILE placing my order and she was able to adjust it to the correct price, so all was ok
I recently added 4GB RAM to the t520 for a total of 8GB - probably a bit overkill, but it was cheap on cyber Monday...
I recently added 4GB RAM to the t520 for a total of 8GB - probably a bit overkill, but it was cheap on cyber Monday...
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