looking to go with an older thinkpad

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Whitieiii · #1 Post by **Whitieiii** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 12:23 am

looking to go with a thinkpad with specs similar to the desktop from my childhood... I would go with the desktop from my childhood but I got no room!

would be a computer from about 2000 with windows 98 and a pentium 3 i believe but I'd go with with windows 2000 or ME....

what do you suggest?

TonyJZX · #2 Post by **TonyJZX** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 6:25 am

If you want a laptop that old then the T20/21/22/23 is a fine choice. My ultimate 23 was a PIII 1.0 ghz 512Mb and you can fit any size IDE and perhaps use a pcmcia wireless. Its doable.

I still have all mine in a box in the garage. They would be hard to find 2nd hand given they're all museum pieces now.

Unknown_K · #3 Post by **Unknown_K** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:27 am

T23, A30P, A21P or A22P.

I like the resolution and both cdrom + floppy drive of the A2x and A30 series and for something smaller the A23 machine.

TonyJZX · #4 Post by **TonyJZX** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:36 am

I think the resolution is irrelevant... they are 1,024 x 768 usually.

They have VGA of course but they are restricted to 4:3 or 5:4 formats.

Match it to a 17 or 19" LCD and you're gold.

Unknown_K · #5 Post by **Unknown_K** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:51 am

1600x1200 is pretty interesting to me.

kfzhu1229 · #6 Post by **kfzhu1229** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 9:09 am

It also depends on if you want a pre 2000 or post 2000 computer. I would say a 770ED/X/Z, 570E, 600E/X for numbered series and T/A/X2x/3x for these series. I have a 390X (PIII 450 and 256mb RAM) kept in nice condition and T22 in very rough condition

Whitieiii · #7 Post by **Whitieiii** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 4:40 pm

kfzhu1229 wrote:It also depends on if you want a pre 2000 or post 2000 computer. I would say a 770ED/X/Z, 570E, 600E/X for numbered series and T/A/X2x/3x for these series. I have a 390X (PIII 450 and 256mb RAM) kept in nice condition and T22 in very rough condition

definitely would want a computer that as built in 2000 or later I don't recall what speed our computer was but it may have been a 700 mhz PIII but it wouldn't really matter as I also am going to max out the ram

we actually bought our first computer close to the time windows 98 was being discontinued (about 2001 I think?) it was in a time where you had 4 windows os to choose from and being mum didn't know what to choose went with the oldest of the 4

kfzhu1229 · #8 Post by **kfzhu1229** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:16 pm

Whitieiii wrote:it was in a time where you had 4 windows os to choose from and being mum didn't know what to choose went with the oldest of the 4

In late 2001 you have 6 os to choose. 95, 98, me, nt4, 2000 and XP.
Also if you say 700mhz it should be something like a T21. My T22 is 900mhz and both of them can go up to 512mb of ram while T23 can hold 1gb (which makes 9x kernel unstable)

Whitieiii · #9 Post by **Whitieiii** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:45 pm

kfzhu1229 wrote:
Whitieiii wrote:it was in a time where you had 4 windows os to choose from and being mum didn't know what to choose went with the oldest of the 4
In late 2001 you have 6 os to choose. 95, 98, me, nt4, 2000 and XP.
Also if you say 700mhz it should be something like a T21. My T22 is 900mhz and both of them can go up to 512mb of ram while T23 can hold 1gb (which makes 9x kernel unstable)

Wow Windows 95 was still an option in 2001? I am really looking towards the A series but don't know what to go with... all that matters is that it has a Pentium 3 (any speed but faster is better) and can run windows 98 with the most amount of ram and fastest CPU without being too unstable as I may dual boot it with Windows 2000 and/or ME

I would also like to have a built in CD reader and Floppy Drive (floppy isn't so important but CD is)

#10 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:52 pm

If you like the A series, then A31/A31p may be what you are looking for. It has two Ultrabays so you could have both a floppy drive and CD/DVD. If the floppy is not required to be a full-time need, then you could mount a hard drive in the Ultrabay using a 2nd HD adapter. Those are available in both PATA and SATA formats. It's possible to install up to 2GB of memory in them. But where it doesn't meet your stated requirement is that it uses Pentium 4M.

Whitieiii · #11 Post by **Whitieiii** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 12:12 am

rkawakami wrote:If you like the A series, then A31/A31p may be what you are looking for. It has two Ultrabays so you could have both a floppy drive and CD/DVD. If the floppy is not required to be a full-time need, then you could mount a hard drive in the Ultrabay using a 2nd HD adapter. Those are available in both PATA and SATA formats. It's possible to install up to 2GB of memory in them. But where it doesn't meet your stated requirement is that it uses Pentium 4M.

that's awesome! but I want a Pentium 3 laptop... doesn't have to be the A series but that and the T series are the ones I can think of right now..... now with 2 GB of ram wouldn't Windows 98 be way too unstable? it will primarily run windows 98 so it would need to run that and if it also runs windows 2000 that's a plus... I would love to have one with at minimum a cd drive but if that can be removed and a floppy installed in it's place than the second ultra bay wouldn't be needed for me but that might be good for using the internal HDD for installing multiple variants of windows and the second ultra bay for keeping files in.....

any Thinkpad I get will also be bought with matching dock since this won't be leaving my desk very often

#12 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:20 am

I have a great-looking T23 with 1.13GHz P3 Tualatin and ex-factory wifi for sale.
It has this beautiful lid on it: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=121754
I also have spare parts, such as a docking station, a working battery, floppy drive, ZIP-drive + disks and a 72W power supply.
Just in case: I also have a brand new 160GB Samsung HM160HC IDE hard disk, the best drive ever made at that time!

PM me if interested.

Whitieiii · #13 Post by **Whitieiii** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 6:06 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:I have a great-looking T23 with 1.13GHz P3 Tualatin and ex-factory wifi for sale.
It has this beautiful lid on it: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=121754
I also have spare parts, such as a docking station, a working battery, floppy drive, ZIP-drive + disks and a 72W power supply.
Just in case: I also have a brand new 160GB Samsung HM160HC IDE hard disk, the best drive ever made at that time!

PM me if interested.

Still haven't decided what machine I want... you guys are awsome!

Whitieiii · #14 Post by **Whitieiii** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 6:21 am

And what I think I would like if I haven't said already is for the computer to be a powerhouse when it comes to windows 98... still haven't decided between the A,T, and X models... i do love the X2x with the cd/floppy splice dock also... the A31P is nice also but it's a bit too new.... just too many models to choose from! I know I want a 2000/2001 model pentium 3 with windows 98 (maybe 2000 and/or ME dual booted along side just to test what I missed out on) as that's what our first computer was....

#15 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 6:46 am

I also have a NEC Versa VXi from the year 2000, which still has the original Windows 98SE COA on it.
That one is a 14" machine with P III 600MHz CPU, and it has not only built-in HD and DVD, but also a Floppy drive!
It currently has XP installed.
Details in the Userguide here: https://support.necam.com/download/200673-000low.pdf

Whitieiii · #16 Post by **Whitieiii** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 6:52 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:I also have a NEC Versa VXi from the year 2000, which still has the original Windows 98SE COA on it.
That one is a 14" machine with P III 600MHz CPU, and it has not only built-in HD and DVD, but also a Floppy drive!
It currently has XP installed.
Details in the Userguide here: https://support.necam.com/download/200673-000low.pdf

I would just like to have a Thinkpad as they are the best windows computer imo

Whitieiii · #17 Post by **Whitieiii** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 8:06 am

I think I made my mind up and may go with a Thinkpad A30 or A30p... what was the difference between the two? One just has a faster clock speed on the cpu?

brchan · #18 Post by **brchan** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 8:29 am

The main differences are that the A30p has double the gpu ram size (32mb vs 16mb), and has a much nicer 1600x1200 IPS flexview screen. CPUs will be faster, but this is really the only easy thing you can upgrade easily.

It is quite difficult to find a good condition A30p/A31p that still works properly. Even the standard A30 and A31 models aren't much easier to find.

kfzhu1229 · #19 Post by **kfzhu1229** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 6:17 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:I have a great-looking T23 with 1.13GHz P3 Tualatin and ex-factory wifi for sale.
It has this beautiful lid on it: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=121754
I also have spare parts, such as a docking station, a working battery, floppy drive, ZIP-drive + disks and a 72W power supply.
Just in case: I also have a brand new 160GB Samsung HM160HC IDE hard disk, the best drive ever made at that time!

PM me if interested.

How did you get 160GB drive to work? In my A30p I tried my 160GB Hitachi HTS541616J9AT00 from my T43 and while it works as a secondary hard drive, it couldn't recognize the drive to boot...

Whitieiii · #20 Post by **Whitieiii** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 10:49 pm

kfzhu1229 wrote:
RealBlackStuff wrote:I have a great-looking T23 with 1.13GHz P3 Tualatin and ex-factory wifi for sale.
It has this beautiful lid on it: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=121754
I also have spare parts, such as a docking station, a working battery, floppy drive, ZIP-drive + disks and a 72W power supply.
Just in case: I also have a brand new 160GB Samsung HM160HC IDE hard disk, the best drive ever made at that time!

PM me if interested.
How did you get 160GB drive to work? In my A30p I tried my 160GB Hitachi HTS541616J9AT00 from my T43 and while it works as a secondary hard drive, it couldn't recognize the drive to boot...

must be a typo? idk what he would have done to get it to work

ajkula66 · #21 Post by **ajkula66** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 10:53 pm

Whitieiii wrote:I think I made my mind up and may go with a Thinkpad A30 or A30p... what was the difference between the two? One just has a faster clock speed on the cpu?

A30p will get you a 1.2GHz CPU, 32MB VRAM and a 1600x1200 (UXGA)

A30 will come with a variety of screens and CPUs, never fully matching the "p" version. No UXGA there.

Some of these will have wireless, and some won't BT was present only on "p" version, and not on all of them.

As stated below, a working A30p in good shape is a very rare find, and highly likely to be more trouble than it's worth. This is coming from someone who sees the A3x series as the Holy Grail of the ThinkPad range.

kfzhu1229 wrote: How did you get 160GB drive to work? In my A30p I tried my 160GB Hitachi HTS541616J9AT00 from my T43 and while it works as a secondary hard drive, it couldn't recognize the drive to boot...

Huh? Did it show up in BIOS?

#22 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sun Jan 22, 2017 9:38 am

Read my post again: Just in case: I also have a brand new 160GB Samsung HM160HC
Never used this one.
But I have successfully used these same drives in other laptops, such as other T23, T30 and T43/R52 (before they got SATA-modded).

kfzhu1229 · #23 Post by **kfzhu1229** » Sun Jan 22, 2017 8:49 pm

Whitieiii wrote:I think I made my mind up and may go with a Thinkpad A30 or A30p... what was the difference between the two? One just has a faster clock speed on the cpu?

Difference between A30 and A30p in terms of motherboard is basically only double the amount of VRAM and the TV port. All other stuff such as CPU, display, wireless (BT and Wifi), and RAM are universal parts that work with both A30 and A30p
A31/A31p has Pentium 4. Unfortunately the Pentium 4 in my A31p (1.8ghz) is slower than the Pentium III in my A30p (1.2ghz).
I think I will part with my A31p which I saved from going to recycling center and refurbished if you are interested because I rarely use it over my A30p! PM if you are interested.

Whitieiii · #24 Post by **Whitieiii** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 12:18 am

kfzhu1229 wrote:
Whitieiii wrote:I think I made my mind up and may go with a Thinkpad A30 or A30p... what was the difference between the two? One just has a faster clock speed on the cpu?
Difference between A30 and A30p in terms of motherboard is basically only double the amount of VRAM and the TV port. All other stuff such as CPU, display, wireless (BT and Wifi), and RAM are universal parts that work with both A30 and A30p
A31/A31p has Pentium 4. Unfortunately the Pentium 4 in my A31p (1.8ghz) is slower than the Pentium III in my A30p (1.2ghz).
I think I will part with my A31p which I saved from going to recycling center and refurbished if you are interested because I rarely use it over my A30p! PM if you are interested.

a requirement for me is that it must have a P3 CPU I love the A31p also but it isn't old enough for the task it's going to be used for... I'm gonna be playing games from the late to mid 90's plus I'd love it to be as close to my childhood desktop computer as possable

FryPpy · #25 Post by **FryPpy** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:02 am

Just my 2c.
Be warned about infamous BOD bug which killed my T20

All of PIII (coppermine) models. T20, T21, T22 (but not T23), A2Xx models and X20, X21 (needs more investigation about other T2x models) models is error prone. But 600s models (i think) is safe.
So my think you're better to go with T23 or A30/A30p.

Whitieiii · #26 Post by **Whitieiii** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:09 am

FryPpy wrote:Just my 2c.
Be warned about infamous BOD bug which killed my T20 All of PIII (coppermine) models. T20, T21, T22 (but not T23), A2Xx models and X20, X21 (needs more investigation about other T2x models) models is error prone. But 600s models (i think) is safe.
So my think you're better to go with T23 or A30/A30p.

yup I already decided on going with an A30p it has all features I want plus no problems!

kfzhu1229 · #27 Post by **kfzhu1229** » Mon Jan 30, 2017 3:15 pm

Whitieiii wrote: a requirement for me is that it must have a P3 CPU I love the A31p also but it isn't old enough for the task it's going to be used for... I'm gonna be playing games from the late to mid 90's plus I'd love it to be as close to my childhood desktop computer as possable

Yes that can be addressed. I have a backup A30 motherboard in case my current A30p motherboard dies. I can stick that in it instead if you'd like.
I also have a T23 (1.00, 1.13 or 1.2ghz, whichever you choose) and 390X (PIII 450mhz) both in almost mint condition
Also I am wondering how much are you expecting to pay?
A30p is VERY hard to find. I grabbed the last motherboard from eBay .-.
Since I moved from A30 to A30p, I can tell you right now the only differences A30p makes over A30 are the tv port and double VRAM.

Whitieiii · #28 Post by **Whitieiii** » Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:06 pm

kfzhu1229 wrote:
Whitieiii wrote: a requirement for me is that it must have a P3 CPU I love the A31p also but it isn't old enough for the task it's going to be used for... I'm gonna be playing games from the late to mid 90's plus I'd love it to be as close to my childhood desktop computer as possable
Yes that can be addressed. I have a backup A30 motherboard in case my current A30p motherboard dies. I can stick that in it instead if you'd like.
I also have a T23 (1.00, 1.13 or 1.2ghz, whichever you choose) and 390X (PIII 450mhz) both in almost mint condition
Also I am wondering how much are you expecting to pay?
A30p is VERY hard to find. I grabbed the last motherboard from eBay .-.
Since I moved from A30 to A30p, I can tell you right now the only differences A30p makes over A30 are the tv port and double VRAM.

The A30p board will work in the A31p? I don't know how much they go for... does the extra vram make much difference? If not than i don't need the A30p... i was gonna put 512mb and 256mb sticks of regular ram in it anyways

kfzhu1229 · #29 Post by **kfzhu1229** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 12:31 am

Whitieiii wrote:The A30p board will work in the A31p? I don't know how much they go for... does the extra vram make much difference? If not than i don't need the A30p... i was gonna put 512mb and 256mb sticks of regular ram in it anyways

As for the extra VRAM, I didn't notice much difference. Just the number looked more pleasing to my eyes,,,
The casing for A30 series and A31 series are the same, just the thermal sponge under GPU and northbridge is a bit different.
Also what kind of thing are you going to do with it? I think A3x's ATI Radeon GPU is slower in Windows 98 than even in Windows 7 and I have 3DMark01 benchmark results to prove that.
If you want something that looks vintage, go for 390X or the numbered series. A3x is basically the transition from vintage to modern while a numbered series (other than 240 series) cannot even be turned on by today's people (power button is on the side lol)

Anyways if you still want A30,
I think you REALLY should check this out:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/IBM-ThinkPad-A30 ... Sw4DJYjp6Y
This computer is likely to have the higher SXGA+ resolution which is good but finding a Windows 98 driver that supports that resolution takes a pair of keen eyes.
If you are in luck, F9 in the BIOS setup or unplugging devices may fix the resource conflict problem. Otherwise I think this down below will be cheaper than my offer for motherboard replacement if you understand Italian (I spent around $40 on mine because the shipping took 3/4 of that price!):
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/IBM-Lenovo-Think ... Sw2xRYfJQ5

You see the thing is it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to get A30p or A31p motherboard on eBay. I was only lucky last time because that seller marketed my A30p board as A30 motherboard (they only had 4, I ordered 2, another forum member ended up getting the other two which turned out to be defective)!

I think this depends on you. The eBay one is definitely cheaper but if you are not experienced with disassembling these models (even with IBM's manual in the HMM page), I or someone else in this forum may be the one to go.
I can also offer you 2x256mb sticks for free if you decided to go with my unit.

Whitieiii · #30 Post by **Whitieiii** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 8:01 pm

Ok will snag it up! Looks don't matter if it isn't from the correct year with almost similar specs... just gonna use it to play old games from 1995/1996... I currently have a T410 running windows xp but it doesn't even come close enough to feeling like the p3 desktop i had as a child even with all my tweeks

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