Thinkpads Forum

For Sale is my T601F Frankenpad, the traditional T60/61 hardware hybrid with a 15” T60 chassis and a T61 motherboard. It is in very good condition, with a bit of wear… but definitely presentable. There are some scuffs in the rubberized lid finish, and some more scuffing on the underside, but no gashes, holes, cracks or serious cosmetic defects of any sort.
If you’re interested in the world of Frankenpads and are interested in having one, but don’t have the time or ability to build one yourself… then this is a pretty nice unit that you can take advantage of. It has a number of party pieces you won’t find on other Frankenpads, and it’s got a TuuS supplied NOS motherboard… which means: NVIDIA graphics, but no pre-08/08 issue.

Picture Library: http://www.medessec.info/m/Frankie

http://www.medessec.info/m/Frankie/IMG_2426.JPG - Full picture of open laptop
http://www.medessec.info/m/Frankie/IMG_2430.JPG - Keyboard, Palmrest, inverter LEDs
http://www.medessec.info/m/Frankie/IMG_2434.JPG - Screen Lid Finish
http://www.medessec.info/m/Frankie/IMG_2437.JPG - Underside
http://www.medessec.info/m/Frankie/IMG_2438.JPG - Under the hood (Keyboard and palmrest removed)
http://www.medessec.info/m/Frankie/IMG_2443.JPG - Showing Windows 7 running on the machine, with basic stats visible on screen
http://www.medessec.info/m/Frankie/IMG_2446.JPG - Brightness comparison


Specs:
-No CPU (will have a T7500 in it for booting, diagnostics and initial use. All proper cooling components are included)
-8 GB DDR2-800 RAM
-NVIDIA NVS 140M(mostly related to GeForce GT 8500M)
-1600x1200 UXGA FlexView IPS Display
-Intel 5300 Wi-Fi Card ABGN, 2.4/5GHz[/i]
-Middleton BIOS is installed, Penryn CPUs will work


The sale will include the laptop in barebone format(no battery, no hard drive, but I will include a caddy)and a genuine 90W power adapter. I'm asking $575, with domestic shipping included. I plan to ship via UPS, packed and fully insured. International shipping depends on the buyer- we will have to negotiate price separately, and I will of course be open to other carriers. If you have any requests for shipping you can let me know. I am not selling this laptop on craigslist or ebay, because I want it to go to a new owner that I know will appreciate it and take care of it.

If you have any questions about the laptop concerning it's history/use, feel free to post on this topic. I'll do what I can to answer your question. If you're interested in the laptop, PM me.

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The laptop has been sold to a forum member for the listed price. Again, I'm willing to answer any questions about Frankenpads if you wish to build your own or buy one from another seller, or any other similar inquiries.

A few questions:
1) Why do you state "no CPU" when there is the T7500?
2) Will 1400x1050 be available as a resolution (in Windows 7, for instance)?
3) Do you notice any heat on the palmrest when browsing or typing (after some time)?
3a) Does the dedicated GPU make any negative difference in this regard? If so, could it be possible to replace it with integrated graphics?
4) Will it affect the Frankenpad construction if I replace the palmrest and/or the keyboard, or will it just be like a normal replacement?
5) How much extra do you charge for a 64-128 GB state-of-the-art SSD with Windows 7?
6) What is the keyboard FRU for the machine?

Systematician wrote:A few questions:
1) Why do you state "no CPU" when there is the T7500?
2) Will 1400x1050 be available as a resolution (in Windows 7, for instance)?
3) Do you notice any heat on the palmrest when browsing or typing (after some time)?
3a) Does the dedicated GPU make any negative difference in this regard? If so, could it be possible to replace it with integrated graphics?
4) Will it affect the Frankenpad construction if I replace the palmrest and/or the keyboard, or will it just be like a normal replacement?
5) How much extra do you charge for a 64-128 GB state-of-the-art SSD with Windows 7?
6) What is the keyboard FRU for the machine?

No problem!

1) I wanted to reflect that the Frankenpad being sold in this manner was mostly intended for the buyer to install a CPU of their choice. The T7500(although not a bad CPU) is not a CPU I would recommend running permanently in the machine... and that I'm including it so the buyer can simply power on the machine to ensure it's functionality on receiving it, and possibly even configure an OS before choosing a CPU of their own to install.
2) 1400x1050 is certainly able to be displayed on this display, as long as the correct graphics driver for the hardware (NVIDIA NVS 140M) is installed on the OS. Windows 7, it's certainly possible. Keep in mind the display is made to display 1600x1200 however.
3) Only when I had a cheap USB 3.0 ExpressCard plugged into the ExpressCard bay(this device tends to run hot in a lot of different laptops when plugged in... you might experience the same with other ExpressCards). With both bays empty, and the SSD I had installed in the Hard Drive bay running Windows 7, there was no uncomfortable or significant heat felt at the palmrest.
3a) The dedicated GPU in this machine cannot be replaced or switched off for Integrated only, however unlike other 4:3 T61 motherboards, it is an NOS motherboard with a newer 2010 chip, well past the timeframe for the common NVIDIA graphics chip issue. You won't have to worry about the dedicated graphics going out like on other T61s, and I've run this chip reliably for nearly a year of school with light to moderate gaming and 3D animation with no problems.
4) This Frankenpad is the sought after 15" T60 with tiny modifications to fit the T61 4:3 motherboard, other than these small modifications (no modem, slight offset of one mount point, T61 cooling) the machine behaves and is physically like a 15" T60p. The bottom base bezel, keyboard bezel, keyboard, palmrest, and even the complete screen lid assembly are all 15" T60 components and are completely swappable with other 15" T60 components. The primary concerns you'd have replacing parts in this machine would be the heatsink, it uses a Part no. 42W2820, T61 14.1" dedicated GPU heatsink. I can give you some more information if you are interested in buying the machine.
5) I'm afraid I don't have any SSDs to provide at the moment, I do have a spare 64GB SSD with Windows 7(that I ran on it before) but it's an older OCZ Vertex SSD. I would personally recommend a SanDisk Ultra II 120 if you weren't opposed to having one delivered separately.
6) Any T60/T61 keyboard should work, iirc. I believe it currently has a 39T7178 installed in it. A whole document of T60 keyboards in different languages can be obtained here: https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/migr-62728

I certainly hope that answered all of your questions adequately... and if you need anything else cleared up, feel free to post another inquiry.

bumping ad, information is still up to date.

This is far outside of the price range I can justify, but it looks like a great machine. 8GB of DDR2 is serious business, that's pricy even still today and it won't get better.

You can nab a T9600 T9500 for around $10 $25, though - why not buy one and throw it in the machine to make it complete?

I was thinking about it- but I wanted to leave the option open to a potential buyer. I understand some out there would like the machine to come with a CPU so they wouldn't have to worry about it... so I might get a T9300 and do that. T9500s are worth $50-$60, and T9300s are worth $25.

Again, as I've mentioned in the OP and in the response, the laptop does have a CPU currently installed- it's just not a CPU I would recommend running in the long term. It's perfectly fine to take immediate receipt of the machine and start installing Windows on it, then upgrading the CPU at a later date.

As for the price, I was just hopping back on to lower it... so for most, maybe it's in their range. Of course, if you wish to discuss price with me directly, you can PM me.