SOLD: IBM ThinkPad T21 in working order - mint condition retro PC to satisfy your vintage hankering

[Forsa]

I am selling my venerable IBM ThinkPad T21 in full working order and good cosmetic condition. Ideal for your retro/vintage hardware needs. Specs:

IBM ThinkPad T21 Type 2647 Model 27G (http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:T21)
• Intel Pentium-III 750 MHz 'Coppermine' CPU with SpeedStep technology - supports MMX and SSE instructions (no SSE2)
• Intel 440BX chipset
• S3 Savage IX8 AGP graphics controller with 8 MB VRAM - this venerable GPU is compatible with early Direct3D software such as the original MadOnion 3DMark benchmark titles
• 13.3" Active Matrix TFT display with 1024x768 resolution (XGA)
• 128 MB RAM (can be expanded, there's one more slot free)
• 8 GB Transcend CompactFlash card in a CF to IDE caddy - faster, quieter, less power-hungry and more reliable than any old IDE spinning disk drive. You may upgrade to bigger sizes easily by swapping the CF card. Supports Busmaster DMA transfers under Windows
• Intel AC97 Audio (CS4297A controller) + Crystal Semiconductor CS4624 PCI Audio controller
• UltraBay 2000 (UltraBay Plus)
• 1.44 MB 3.5” floppy disk drive UltraBay module
• DVD-ROM drive UltraBay module
• TrackPoint and ThinkLight (yeay, who needs those boring backlit keyboards!)
• 2x Type II PCMCIA CardBus slots or 1x type III
• USB 1.1 port - slow, but it works for file transfers. You may also install faster USB ports using CardBus adapters
• Mini PCI slot
• Brand new Intel Mini PCI Ethernet and modem combo card (original "new old stock" IBM part)
• ThinkPad docking station port at the bottom of the chassis
• Brand new Li-Ion battery fitted (original "new old stock" IBM part)

>> For photos, see https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2hisczf4k9wr ... tArfVmuEGa <<

The machine is in mint condition overall and working well, both the CMOS battery and the main battery hold a charge, but being very old, it has the following minor issues:

- There's one screen pixel stuck on white. Not very noticeable in Windows unless you work with solid black/dark backgrounds (like full-screen DOS)
- The plastic frame towards the bottom left of the keyboard had a hairline crack and was beginning to separate from the rest of the chassis. I've repaired this with super-glue and matching matte black paint so that you wouldn't even notice it now unless you're looking for it. It holds strong and steady

Additional info:
- this machine came with a German AZERTY layout keyboard originally, but I've replaced that keyboard with a QWERTY UK version taken from a T20. You'll receive both keyboards and it's very easy to swap keyboards yourself on this model.
- Machine has a Windows 98 licence printed on the sticker at the bottom of the chassis
- BIOS has support for enabling/disabling screen scaling, so you can control how to display applications which run in VGA and SVGA modes
- I've cleaned and disinfected the exterior with a damp cloth and mild clear vinegar, original sheen to the top lid was carefully restored - no stickiness
- I've cleaned the old, dried up thermal paste from the CPU with rubbing alcohol and applied a fresh dollop of high quality MX-4 thermal paste
- I've tested everything I can, cooling fan works, all diagnostics check out, Windows 98SE works smoothly, recognises all hardware, 3DMark benchmarks pass, ThinkPad Utility program works
- CardBus slots are working, and the RAM passes memtest86 with no errors. I don't have any means to test the dock port or the legacy serial and parallel ports, though, so I can't vouch for their condition.
- There are integrated Ethernet network and telephone/modem jacks on the machine, but these require the appropriate MiniPCI card to function. I don't have any suitable cards, so I haven't been able to test this functionality myself, but using a PCMCIA 802.11g WiFi card worked fine
- The system BIOS has already been updated to the latest available release from IBM. All relevant device drivers are on the disk.
- The IBM charger supplied is a 2 pin European model, but works with any plug adapter to convert for your region.

This is a wonderful little Win9x retro gaming system. Amazing classic tactile TP keyboard, trackpoint, sturdy, stable, reasonably fast, not too thick, not too heavy, practical XGA screen (none of that widescreen nonsense!) and respectable battery life for its class. It also runs DOS games well, but you'll need to run them under Win98's DOS mode to be able to hear sound, I believe. You can upgrade the RAM to run even more recent operating systems if you wish, but 128 MB is plenty for Win98. With more RAM, it can run NT, Win2K or even XP.

It connects to the wired network via the Ethernet port using the integrated Mini PCI card and I'll include a generic WiFi CardBus adapter I found which seems to work with this system, although I wouldn't recommend connecting to the Internet using such old hardware and software, for your own security. Handy for file transfers in your local network, though.

I'll also throw in the 20 GB IDE hard disk which originally came with this system, although I've never used it.

Asking price is £300 + shipping or the buyer may collect from my home in Berkshire, UK

[Forsa]

This one has been sold now through another platform.