Which is the Best "Retro" Thinkpad?

I'm looking for a cheap Thinkpad for use at work (Powepoint, Excel, Word docs, ect) and was thinking about getting a retro thinkpad (T43, T60, ect) to save on cash. I occasionally need to burn cd's so I was looking at the T Series. Want a 14" screen (13" or smaller would be great but I think the X301 is the only one that has a cd burner and I can't find a cheap one). I wan't to throw in a new 7200 rpm hard drive and would like to install Windows 7 so I would need a machine that can handle both of those upgrades.

Rather than retro I thought about maybe getting a refurbed 14" edge (about $450) but I prefer the ruggedness of true thinkpads.

Another idea I had was I already own an x61...I thought about buying an ultrabay with a cd burner, just not sure if that would be more or less bulky than a 14" laptop (I would occasionally carry the laptop around with me).

So....what would you do???

 

Hum, given that you want to run Windows 7, i would suggest you get a T60 as the bare minimum.

T61 14.1 inch widescreen with 6 cells battery weighs: 2.457 kg

T60 14.1 inch standard aspect ration with 9 cells weighs: 2.455 kg (with 6 cells weigh about 2.290 kg)

The X61 with 4 cells about weighs about: 1.407 kg
(4 cells battery = 0.217 kg, 8 cells battery = 0.447 kg)

The X6 Ultrabase itself with the optical drive installed weighs about: 0.829 kg

So if you were to get a X61 (4 cells) + ultrabase with optical drive that would weigh a total of: 0.829 kg + 1.407 kg = 2.236 kg.

 

So weight would be similar...what about thickness? How thick is an x61 with an ultrabase?

Which route would you go lead_org?

 

T60 is about 30.76 mm, T61 is about 31.76 mm.

X61 front edge thickness (that is the thinnest) is about 21.19 mm. The back end which is the thickest measures about: 35.36 mm and the middle section is about 28.20 mm (which is the average).

With the ultrabase installed, the front end becomes 40.96 mm, the back end is about 53.18 mm and the middle section becomes about 48.40 mm.

 

There is a retro "IBM logo" T60 being offered here: forum.thinkpads.com • [FS] 14.1" SXGA+ ThinkPad T60

Good luck!

 

There isn't a huge price difference between the T60 and T61, so I suggest you get a T61 (or better). T60 would be ok, but at some point you may want to get an SSD and the T60's hardware is limited to SATA I speeds. The T61 is limited by firmware to SATA I, but a modded BIOS is available to unlock SATA II.

Avoid nVidia graphics if you get one of these, they're all faulty.

 

What, no Z61p?

Seriously though, I'm not sure I'd buy a ThinkPad for day-in/day-out use that had less than an Intel 4-series chipset. The T61 with nVidia video had issues there (knock on wood the one I have here has not). The T60 was limited to 3GB of RAM.

I'd rather buy a T400. That said, if integrated graphics will always be fine for your needs, a 14" T61 ought to do as well. If you want to run Windows 7, there's no way I'd get a Pentium-M based ThinkPad. Fast for its time, but best for running XP.

 

Lenovo Outlet - Scratch & dent ThinkPad X6 Tablet UltraBase - Discounted Laptops, Cheap Laptops, Refurbished Laptops, Discounted Desktops, Cheap Desktops, Refurbished Desktops

If you want to use the old laptop here is a dock replicator on the cheap ...

 

I say the Z61t with the titanium lid is about one the best widescreen ThinkPads to date. Finding one in good conditions will be tough. One just sold on ThinkPads.com.

 

The anemic Intel GMA 950 vs the ATI FireGL of the Z61p is kind of a deal-breaker in my mind though. Then again, the Z61t had the 14" display, and the resolution choices are easier on the eyes.

Agreed that a good Z61 would be hard to find, and they have enough residual value that you might not save a lot over something newer.

 

What's wrong with GMA950? It's enough for my work.

The Z61t came with a 1440x900 panel, though mine has 1280x800.

 

If you're running doing very little stuff that involves 3D or HD video playback, the GMA 950 is just fine, no biggies, and if you already have a system with the GMA 950 in it and it's doing you fine, great.

Personally, if I'm going to snap up a system at the present time, I'd rather have something that supports newer video decoding (i.e., MPEG-4) standards in hardware, as well as GPU Flash acceleration and GPU acceleration for IE9 and the upcoming Firefox 4. The minimum Intel graphics that support Flash acceleration is the GMA X4500; I don't know what the requirements at this time are for browsing acceleration. While Aero Glass is supported on the GMA 950, the successive GMA X3100 is an improvement on it.

Note --this perspective is coming from the viewpoint of buying a system at this immediate time. I'm big on trying to buy something that supports upcoming standards so I get a longer lifespan out of a system. Also, a dual-core processor can handle some at least some tasks I'm mentioning, especially if there isn't a lot of multi-tasking going on --but as hardware advances, I'm sure there will come a time when I'm happy for the lower CPU utilization.

 

Yeah I know it is. I wanted a Crestline ThinkPad but this Z61t I got was 150. I wanted to get like a T61 with X3100.

There are alot of Z61t on Ebay for dirt cheap.

 

The X3100 is considerably more capable with a fully-programmable pipeline. I'm rather surprised that Adobe hasn't gotten Flash hardware acceleration up on the X3100, but their release notes say that it should be working on the 10.3 Flash for Mac betas, so maybe there's still hope for Flash on the Wintel side.

I think I'd probably go for an R61 over the Z61t at this point, mainly due to the graphics differences. The Z-series is a little tougher, but the R61 is still built quite well for someone on a budget.

 

I don't think the Z61t is little tougher than the R61, but it is more aesthetically pleasing. But the z61t cooling system is of an inferior design.

 

Tell me about it. After repasting my T7200 and undervolting I get like maybe like 43C idle and 67C full load (23.5 C ambient).