Geeks has CF-29s for $350!

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=CF-29-PM14-MAR-R&cat=NBB

Not bad....

 

These are from PlanIT ROI... Any of these machines with a 90 day warranty is usually from PlanIT ROI...

 

I picked up one of these from a link on another board.

 

Go for the 1GB ram model unless you want to add the ram yourself.
I got the 1GB model from CompUSA for $469.
I added 160GB, 5400 Samsung hdd.
Runs Win7 like a top.

-K

 

As the ad states a max of 1.280 GB RAM these may be models with only 256MB of Momboard mounted RAM, which would be good, if you wanted to try to go with a 2GB stick of DDR1...

 

Mine came with 512. a 1gb stick brings it up to 1.49.

 

I've tried it... it doesn't work like that man

 

I am not sure what you mean. Are you saying that you have tried to use a 2GB stick of DDR1 RAM in the Mark 1-3 with only 256MB on the main board and it would not work.

OR are you saying that you have not been able to get any CF-29 to work with a 2GB stick? The only folks that have reported success, so far, have the Mark 4&5's.

If the ad is correct that 1.280MB is the max, then that would make them 256MB boards, though Opie74's post seems to contradict that. They must be 512MB Momboards.

 

so pray tell... how did that go?

 

The 2nd of the two. If you put a 2GB stick of DDR1 in the system it will only recognise 1GB of it. ALso with the CF-29H models that I got (1.6's with DDR2) I've tried putting in 2GB and it only recognized 1GB as well!

 

Alas, the only folks that have reported success with this upgrade have been those with only 256MB om the Momboard. I assume that you have read the thread I started on the subject?

However, no one have reported whether this works with DDR1 in the CF-29 Mark 1-3 with the 256MB Momboards, till now?

 

I knew that it didn't work on DDR1 about 5 years ago when I tried putting a 2GB chip into my cf-29 mark 3 lol

 

I remember seeing them as as 1.28 too. After sticking the 1 gig in, there is 1.49 recognized.

 

Sure enough, I look at the sticker on the box, 512 for ram.

 

Well that is informative, as long as you are saying that your CF-29 Mk3 was a unit with just 256MB of permanently mounted RAM on the motherboard?

Personally, I don't care, I ask just to make the thread informative for others that want to do the upgrade. The mod does not seem to work with any Mark with 512MB of permanently mounted RAM.

 

This one on Ebay is showing 2048mb in the bios ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/PANASONIC-TOUGH...iewItemQQptZLaptops_Nov05?hash=item19ba8667cc

If the link does not work here is the item # 110503552972

 

Now it gets interesting... do we hear a volunteer?

 

What is the average shape of these things? I have never purchased or seen a TB this way. Is it basically a crap shoot on what you get???

 

Mine was not too bad. Silt/dust in all the seals, but, the guts are clean. I think they may have put new keyboards in some of them, as my keyboard is flawless. (standard)

The battery, after getting cycled a few times, has come back up to a good solid 2 1/2 hour run time before the 10% warning.

I bought a Kingston 1GB PC5300 SODIMM (DDR2) and added it to the 512MB and it runs much faster with XP Pro SP3.

Aside from that, they are "decent" in that they are all functional and none appear to come with "dead" drives or components.

 

Mine was decent as well. The power switch looks a little worn, and scuffs and what not on the bottom. But overall its in pretty good condition. Screen isnt scratched, everything works.

 

Curious how you got a DDR2 chip in there... Mine wouldnt fit.

My battery seems to be the weak point... at about 70% it drops right off to 10%. I think there may be a few dead cells.

 

I will bid on the ebay auction

 

That is what the bios of a mk4 or mk5 with 256mb onboard memory will show when you add a 2gb stick of memory. Azrial did it first on a mk5, I did it on a mk4.

That model doesn't show the hdd or ram in the configurator.

Glen

Also, may be a special order with 1gb onboard and 1gb in the memory slot. May explain the S in the model number.

 

Either ColdMidWest is mistaken about the type of RAM that he used, or he does not have a Mark 3. The Mark 1-3 take DDR, the Mark 4 & 5 DDR2.

 

Seems to be another of those "Magical" CF-29s with 1GB of base RAM.... I have a PM into TBTech29... He will know for sure as he deals with them every day..... More than I do.... I've dealt with hundreds and have never seen a 1GB on board RAM setup....

 

I got outbid

 

It pays to advertise
Too many people read the posts here and it's not safe to post ebay listings on the forum

Alex

 

Is that a pretty good deal??
I know that sometimes the ones you get off ebay are a bit beat up, especially since they like to use a stock photo...

 

ahh its the luck of the draw

 

While there are very few Panasonic Toughbook CF-29 units with 1GB of on-board memory Panasonic did begin to introduce them starting in November of 2005 with the Mark 4 (specifically CF-29LTSGZBM). Only a hand-full of models were released in 2006 with that specification.

 

The "S" of that config isn't in the configurator... That's probably when none of us have seen them. But it would be bada ss to have 3GB of RAM in a Mark 4 CF-29...

 

Unfortunately the configurator occasionally omits available options on the drop-down selection menu (i.e. the "S"), or will not display certain models numbers that were built for a specific customer or outside of the U.S. (CF-18JH185TW for example).

 

i got mine in geeks too,it looks not so bad~~~
everythings are in good condition and work well
im going to get a 1G ram and GPS for it now
i think i will have a lot of good time with my new gadget.

 

Not to repeat myself but repeating myself this was the best $350. I ever spent. I don't see a thing wrong with it ....fully functional on a new included Panasonic yellow tag battery out of the box ...showing half charge. Looked at the Hard drive and it's spotless. From what little I know it's a new key-board. Luck of the draw but even I get lucky once in a while. The charger is new. How did they do this? CF-29HTM50BM.

Which means, I get the new battery, my wife gets the new 29. Sparkwrite (see his post) turned me on to his battery outfit for the 29 I bought a couple weeks ago. That battery works well.
I am on solar power and charge computer batteries during the day or use a generator if no sun that day. Again I charge computer batteries when the generator is on line. This computer uses one third of the alternative energy of my desk-top. To follow that along a little my inverter is pure sine wave, operating off deep cycle batteries set up 24 volt to enable use of smaller wire. A little wind charger fills it out.
It's not free but I have no utility bills.
Where did all this verbiage come from?
Good job Geeks.
Gork!

 

I got one a few weeks ago from Geeks for $368 shipped. It was trash! The palm rest had a big crack in it that extended into the frame. The touchscreen had a big burn-in at the top of the screen. The touchpad was torn and gouged and it was just literally beat to hell. I had it out of the box for one hour before I called the warranty company and had an RMA for all of this and sent it back. They are back-logged so I now have a three week wait for my CF-29 to return. Because this was the quality of Refurb that they originally sent out I am doubtful the machine I receive back will be any better...good job to all of those who had better luck than me.

 

It's all luck of the draw... And these are NOT refurbished.... They don't have the time.... They clone a drive and stick it in.... From what I hear they don't even clean them up!

Good price? Maybe... Depends on what you get.... But then life is a crap shoot!

 

Well they look excellent in condition wise if they arent cleaning them up. We do get a warranty paper with information, so i assume that company does the refurbishing.

I have bought 3 from circuit city which 2 came with a yellow battery. The other a blue. I just bought another from geeks which came with a 60gb hdd and a dvd/ cdrw combo drive which was quite interesting since the specs mentioned 40gb and cd rom which all of my other models have.

i wish a cf 30 would go on sale for around $750 but i am probably going to have to wait till 2012 for that to happen

forgot to mention, the geeks battery had 0% life usage on it and had the maximum capacity available

 

Yes, thats about right for touch screen models two more years and they will be that low

I am willing to pay $900 for the basic mk1 non-touchscreen models ,and so far always paid well over $1000 for the basic non-optioned model


Alex

 

Mine came with a Refurbished COA along with the disk. The sticker looked new.

The puter itself was in pretty good condiion. The bottom was marked up, but thats about it.