Poll: What Thinkpads do you own right now?

[Colonel O'Neill]

Hello all!

I'm doing some research and am wondering which Thinkpads you own at the moment. It'd be nice to have some actual statistics and data plus owner opinions, and probably will be useful for any other dedicated Thinkpad user who wants to use some data for their assignment/research/etc.

So, here goes:

Choose all of the Thinkpads that you own. I classified by letter series and by Lenovo or IBM.
Then post your usage/purpose of your primary Thinkpad, and how well you feel it fulfills that purpose. It's okay if you post more, more solid sources

To get things rolling, I'll go first

Own: Lenovo T400
Purpose: Student usage, writing essays, assignments, some basic picture/movie editing, light gaming (Crysis, Doom3, Left4Dead).

Satisfaction:
Very satisfied with it, except I lost 10WPM in comparison to my parents T60. Great for the gaming I do at low, as well as the light image/movie editing.
Stays cool, great workmanship (keyboard flex is there, somewhat annoying but tolerable).
Portable power but poor battery life (4 hours on 6 cell leaves a bit to be desired).
Screen quality is good (Samsung LED WXGA+) and bright, great for use at school.

[yak]

Own: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (see sig.)
Purpose: Software development, student usage, browsing, writing, basic foto/movie editing, watching movies, etc. (no gaming)

Satisfaction:
Very satisfied with it. The best of the recent T-series ThinkPads. SXGA+ on a 14.1" is the perfect resolution that gives you enough space to work yet keeps the laptop portable. Vertical resolution is crucial in coding which is vertically oriented. The Intel graphics let me work long on battery yet have enough power to drive my 2048x1152 external monitor with ease. Stays cool, great workmanship, no keyboard flex.

[neenee]

Own: Lenovo T400 (2767-2LG), with a 120GB OCZ Vertex SSD and 6-cell battery.

Purpose: Almost everything I use my Desktop for, including but not exclusively: photo/website/movie/sound editing/managing/creating, gaming, both at LAN parties and on the net (DDO, WoW, even some DA:Origins, and a lot of other oldies on LAN). I mainly bought this system to be able to do what I need to do when abroad or at least, not at home, near my desktop.

Satisfaction: Highly satisfied. Since I ordered my laptop and had it configured with a different keyboard than initially supplied (I chose a UK layout instead of the default German), I received it with a solid-backed version, and have not experienced the keyboard-flex some have been reporting. Performance is very good; I have no complaints whatsoever. My 6-cell battery does stick out, but it helps me feel more confident holding my laptop at an odd angle when moving it around the same room/workplace. The screen is very bright and I much prefer it over the screen of my previous laptop - it was glossy.

[Neil]

All you have to do is look at my signature to see what machines I own right now. Of those, my three 600X models are the ones that still get used every day. They are the most physically solid of all the Thinkpads I have, or currently, own. I don't demand much of my laptops, just light web browsing and the occasional word processing. So, for that, the legacy machines fill the bill just fine. I use desktop machines for tasks requiring more computing power.

[craigmontHunter]

T41 in my sig, school work, writing, web browsing, light java programming in eclipse (grade 12 computer sciences), and I perfer it to all my friend's computers (sony, toshiba, acer, compaq, apple ...)

Great keyboard, fast eneough, light, decent battery life with 37% full charge capacity (2.5 hours) - better than a brand new acer had. Only one problem - the gpu, other than that, IMHO, the perfect laptop for high school.

[ajkula66]

Well...apart from what's in my signature (all of these should be pretty self-explanatory), I've recently finished a R6* FrankenPad and am currently working on obtaining parts for an ultimate (IMO) T6* FrankenPad, and then I'm pretty much done...until Lenovo starts offering decent LCDs on non-tablet machines...

A few brief notes about "signature" ThinkPads...

a) 701C: Bought from Bill Morrow, and lovingly restored (the inside portion) by RealBlackStuff, this oldtimer runs as well as it has on day one-probably better given the upgrades-as long as you stick with Win 95. Not a dead pixel in sight. Keyboard strong and responsive. An absolutely amazing piece of computing design.

b) A31p: The ultimate desktop replacement, and one of IBM's finest moments when it came to matching utility with design. Perfectly usable nowadays, as long as you stick with XP. Nothing beats a three-spindle/FlexView combo as a media server. I'll have one of these buried with me, seriously.

c) T43: The one in my signature belongs the rarest breed of T4x range: Intel graphics + FlexView LCD. Sheer beauty of T4x design without the nightmare of GPU failures. Pretty hard to beat as an everyday machine for an average user.

d) X60: A very beaten up and abused example that I saved from being literally dumped. Excellent battery life (Core Solo helps) and portability...and I don't mind throwing it in the bag with fifty other pieces of equipment and not getting worried about it getting scratched...

Now, back to you TPF members...

[Unknown_K]

Just legacy laptops I collect, my main machines are desktops since I don't need to be mobile currently.

[Colonel O'Neill]

Wow, it seems everyone loves the T series. With good reason though.

I haven't found any Lenovo sales statistics on which ones are sold the most, which is too bad.

I was hoping to get some more input from the R crowd, but it's all good.

Just another opinion: I sometimes use my parents X61 in the car (for its awesome portability)

IBM X61:
Purpose: General office stuff, web surfing. Basic gaming: StarCraft, CS 1.6/CSS. (Runs Crysis at an awesome 5 FPS)
Fulfillment thereof: Okay, could use better cooling for portability. Small keyboard impedes fast typing (despite being an NMB). Great build quality; survived a few tumbles off the table. I prefer a larger keyboard and screen; more immersive at the cost of portability

[mattbiernat]

the poll should distinguish T6x, T4x and T2x from the newest T400 series.

[qviri]

Own: X31
Purpose: school machine, carried every day. Internet, some homework
Satisfaction: more than satisfied. On a machine over five years old, I'm running the newest OS, browsers, and web apps. Visual Studio 2008 actually shocked me with its speed, at least when working on basic apps. I'm getting over three hours from a battery with almost 300 cycles on it, that's not that great but it's definitely enough. Probably tied with the X21 for the quietest laptop I own. I got an entire new screen assembly (with top cover) in May, so it also looks pretty much new.

Own: T60p
Purpose: general desktop replacement; more demanding homework; driver for movies
Satisfaction: pretty good. Powerful. Quite adeptly drives a 2048x1152 external screen. I like the keyboard slightly more than the X31's. I originally bought it for a different reason, so it's not quite what I need now. Touch too loud to keep on 24/7, so I'm moving stuff requiring computing power to a silent desktop.

Own: R50p (haven't voted for it, just got it yesterday)
Purpose: intended as RDP terminal with an amazing screen for photo editing
Satisfaction: we shall see.

Own: X21
Purpose: Amaze me with aesthetics. Be reused as basic internet/game machine once I find the wireless card or get my wired setup in order
Satisfaction: Well, the design is amazing, so no complaints. With RAM upped to 384 MB, I was able to install XP, and it seems to run fine when I try Notepad. Haven't really done much other than that recently. In its previous life, it was my school machine, running win2000 and/or a hacked together version of SUSE. It could pull three hours and give me MSN, which was all I wanted.

[Tõnis]

In the poll I selected "Lenovo R series." I'm not sure if I did that correctly. The unit says "Lenovo R61" and "Thinkpad R Series" on it.

I came from a Lenovo 3000N100 which is a great machine and still in use in my household. When I called to order another one, I was told it is no longer being made. I described what I was looking for, and the salesperson said "You want a ThinkPad." I got my R61 CTO with a T8300 Core (2) Duo processor and a 150gb HDD and 3gb ram. I didn't specify which one when I ordered the unit, but I lucked out with the Hitachi HDD for which I've added a password. I'm running XP Pro.

I wanted rugged, because I take mine everywhere (if I absolutely can't, I have my BlackBerry), and my R61 is probably as rugged as it gets without going "ruggedized." The Active Protection System is quite practical and gives added peace of mind. I have two 9-cell batteries so I can stay unplugged longer and a Lenovo 90 watt travel charger for in the automobile.

I use instant messaging clients a lot every day (video and voice calls) with both Bluetooth and wired headsets. I have a 3G USB modem for when I'm on the go. I also like that the I can take the DVD drive out, and I ordered a blank plate to leave in the UltraBay when I don't need my DVD drive.

More than anything else, I'm on line with my Thinkpad. I love to use message boards (like this one), and I have my own little poetry board with an international membership. I added the url to my profile here.

Tõnis

[emeraldgirl08]

I am currently in possession of two R-series Thinkpads- the R51e and the R52. I've only owned one T series and that was the T30. The difference I noticed right away from the T30 and the R-series I've owned is the casing. I miss the rubbery-glittery top lid of the T-series! The R series has regular black plastic-type kind of casing. Still is rugged however as I can press the back of the lid and there are no ripples unless a hammer comes into the picture There is also a different colored Thinkpad light on the R-series. It is amber colored. I don't want to sound nitpicky but the white light is the best!

Wish I knew of a way to switch lights for my R-series

A big deal-breaker for myself is video RAM performace. The R51e that I found just happened to be both affordable and had adequate hardware for some video tasks that I occasionally do (R51e does the job while R52 is more for web browsing and lite-graphics stuff). Some people can live without GPU power but I like the reassurance that if I decide to run some type of GPU intensive work then I at least have the means to do so. I'd love to have an T-series again but will have to wait for the opportunity to come my way again

[mattbiernat]

the T400 series has no longer as nice finish as the T6x and all previous versions.

[Colonel O'Neill]

the T400 series has no longer as nice finish as the T6x and all previous versions.

It seems to be on par with the T60 my parents have, but that one has been worn a bit. I'm already seeing the same wearing off on my T400 of the rubberized paint on the corners (Lenovo should have a service to restore that ).

But I must say, the greatest improvement was the moving of the speakers above the laptop and moving the two speakers farther apart so stereo sound is possible. Throw in SRS Audio Sandbox to turn up the volume (default volume is really quiet in my opinion) and add surround sound effects, and it sounds so much better than the T60 does.

[mattbiernat]

not really, T60 still does not have a plastic look that the T400 and T61 does. and if you are talking about the magnesium alloy then yes T60 does not have it on the outside like the T40, that's why T40 looks even better than the T60!

[Nigellus]

My 600e is the best computer I've ever owned. It still does everything I need it to do, and the keyboard is the most efficient (to my fingers) I've ever typed on. Now, given that it's at least a decade old, it doesn't do some things I want it to do, which is why I will be upgrading to the T series if I ever get out of this recession.

[SafeHarbor]

I'm using my 15th R52 as a second monitor for my desktop (using Maxivista). The T61p is being used as a Windows 7/Ubuntu test bed. Right now it has the Vista Home Premie that it came with in the drive bay with the original 100 GB drive and the main drive is a 320 GB with Ubuntu and Windows 7 on it. I also use the R52 when I want to look up something in XP Pro. When I rarely travel, the T61p goes with me. Sometimes I don't boot it for days at a time, so it should last a long, long time for me. (I hope.)

[phaxmohdem]

I own two Thinkpads at present: (Both in Sig)

T40p: Usage - Student work mostly, taking notes and using most of the 2007 Office suite. Heavy web programming using Flash, Dreamweaver, NotePad++ (my personal favorite coding app), and Visual Studio.Net. I also do some light video editing, and effects work with it now days. I used to do a LOT of video editing work on it, and even had a backpack for the laptop where I could plug in an HD camera directly through PCMCIA Firewire, click record, close the lid, and shoot until my hard drive was full (Beat the heck outta using tapes ) Satisfaction: VERY satisfied. Easily the best computer I've ever owned. I've had this laptop for over 6 years now, and with my upgrades over the years (RAM/Hard Drive/WiFi/DVD Burner) it is still fast enough to do most any modern task short of gaming or heavy media encoding. The 14.1" SXGA+ screen is simply the perfect resolution for my needs. It's sad 4:3 panels are all but gone in modern laptops. On the "unsatisfied" side of things however, I have just recently run into the common design flaw where the GPU and SouthBridge solder joints crack due to motherboard flex.

X30: Usage: Bathroom web browsing and grab-and-go computer for taking notes at meetings, or whenever an extra computer is required. Also used as an extra machine for my old school Age Of Empires LAN parties. Satisfaction: Mostly satisfied. It does great for what I need it for, however the Pentium III processor lacks SSE2 instructions which means I can't run a few Adobe apps I'd like to on it. Also, the keyboard has a bit of flex on the left side, and makes a somewhat jarring metal on metal vibration noise when keys are pressed, (even after disassembly, and tightening everything up good). The laptop didn't come with WiFi which was annoying, but I bought a cheap 2200BG card on eBay, and ran the antenna wires up behind the LCD display myself without any problems.

[qviri]

the T400 series has no longer as nice finish as the T6x and all previous versions.

I made a mental note and checked today -- my friend's T500 has the same rubbery finish on the lid as my T60p and X31. I'm not sure about the inside.

And I agree with service for fixing up worn corners! Make it inexpensive and they should be able to make a tidy sum.

[rkawakami]

X30: Usage: Bathroom web browsing <snip>

Along the lines of T.M.I.: Personally, in that situation, I use a wireless X22 (2662-9EU) .

Okay, for the systems you currently see in my .sig...

X22 is used as mentioned above and it also sits on the kitchen table (when my wife allows it to be there) so I can check anything online without having to go back to my office. I usually have it removed from the Ultrabase so it's as small and lightweight as possible. Used primarily for web browsing and lightweight Office tasks but I sometimes use it to monitor a video camera that's connected to my network. About the only thing that bothers me about the X2 are the flimsy hinges.

X24/X31 are not used that much as they are being kept for reference or refurbishing projects.

X41t was received as a "parting gift" from my old boss. I've played around with it for a little while but as it's in almost-pristine condition, I'm going to keep it stored most of the time.

560z is my EDO memory tester . As such, there's not much call for it at the moment.

600E hasn't been used in some time. This was my first exposure to Thinkpads and it ended up starting my collection.

600X systems are being used by myself and younger daughter. Except she has recently told me that the display is out on her system. I use mine in cases where a real serial port is needed or the program needs to run under DOS; for example, programming HAM radios/scanners. Has the best keyboard that I've used on any Thinkpad. Just wish it could be upgraded with a modern processor and be able to handle at least 1GB of memory...

T21/T22 are either SXGA+ systems and/or have BoD motherboards .

T23 are my bread-and-butter systems. I use at least three of them (all SXGA+ & wireless) in essentially dedicated functions. There's one which goes back-and-forth to work, another which sits on my desk at home (the one I'm using right now) and a third one behind me doing video storage/transfer tasks. While they don't have the best keyboard (see: 600X) and are stuck with internal USB 1.1, once they are populated with 1GB of memory, Windows XP works fairly well for me. Sure, I could probably use the power in the T41 to better advantage in certain tasks, but knowing how to solve some of the common problems with aging T23s, I think that I can keep these systems going for several more years. Well, at least as long as MS continues to support XP . Both of my kids, and a possible future son-in-law, all use a T23. Which means I need to keep a fairly well stocked supply of replacement parts.

T41 are used mainly as visitor-loaners, although I have one 15" SXGA+ Frankenpad that I keep for myself. Maybe it's the thought of the touchpad, which I'm not really fond of, or the feeling that the video chip could act up at a moment's notice (which is not easy or that inexpensive to fix), but I simply don't have the same "love" of the T4 as I do with the T23 .

A21p/A22p were bought specifically with the "p" in mind (15" UXGA) . Yes, they are slow, heavy and the battery life is pretty bad....

A31/A31p are nice desktop-replacement systems. In fact, whenever my Win98 PIII 600Mhz Gateway desktop bites the dust, I'll probably end up using an A31p in its place. I don't really consider any of the A series systems "laptops"....

Overall, I'm pretty much "satisfied" with all of the Thinkpads that I own. The older systems are now saddled with parts that are harder to find or more expensive than what the current technology offers; SDRAM memory and PATA laptop drives for example. Yet when you consider the age that these things are reaching, it's nice to know that they can still be useful. About the only thing that I can think of which applies to all of the systems I have and would be considered a "minus" is that they don't have the necessary video power to run World of Warcraft . My kids are hooked on that game and the only reason that they continue to play is that my older daughter now has my iMac and the younger one is using an SL500 loaner.

[Puppy]

X31: I bought it as a refurbished model and it came in perfect condition. It is my travel machine for web browsing and communication. It has the best notebook keyboard I've ever seen, regading the size, layout and feel. Battery life is still over 4 hours. It also allows me to use the special "modern" PCMCIA mobile equipment local mobile provider requires for their proprietary technology. The major weakness is the low display resolution and quality.

R51 - 15" SXGA+ FlexView: My mobile workstation and desktop PC backup machine. I'm still waiting for a new Lenovo model to replace it but it will probably never happen since it has unique features like acceptable display quality for long term work. It is five years old machine and unfortunately prone to the famous GPU crack motherboard issue. The keyboard is a little worse (soft feel) than the X31 one but still very good.

[mattbiernat]

you can get a T60p refurb right now at IBM used laptops website. for 500USD i think its pretty good deal.

[thePCxp]

Own: R51, T41, 600, R50
Purpose: I use them for a lot of things (I have a lot of interests).
Satisfaction: Extremely satisfied with them. I love everything about them. I love them all!

I am also going to get another ThinkPad (hopefully a *60 series) a little later and a 15" W series (which I will also be using for music production).

[rjenovai]

Own (main): T42p w/14" SXGA+ (upgraded to 2GHZ Dothan and 2GB RAM)
Purpose: Software Development, primarily C# and C++, Office, Web, the usual other stuff
Satisfaction: Highly Satisfied. While it's starting to show its age and will be replaced with either a T6x or T40x in the next year or 2, I've gotten many years good use out of it. And it's easy to keep them "new" looking, just replace the palm rest and keyboard when they start to look warn, and boom, good as new.

Other Thinkpads in the house: T42 (wife's), T23 w/1.2 GHZ PIII, Built-in wireless, and SXGA+ screen, and my all time favorite, a 600X w/576 MB of RAM, and a PIII-850. I wish I could get updated guts in that one somehow.

[Colonel O'Neill]

Sigh... It truly does seem like the build quality with Lenovo is going down.

I just noticed that my T400's keyboard is slightly warped with a slight bulge in the E letter area. And I'm not allowed to take the NMB out of the T60 to put in mine... That one doesn't even handle any significant amounts of typing beyond typing with two fingers.

[AIX]

1x T41. I'm very satisfied with it but I started to look at (the expensive..) X301 / T400s.

[Marf]

Used a T60 at work for 5 years, lovely machine, used 12-14hrs a day, 60% docked. Only quibbles were it ran quite hot and seemed to be able to decimate a new battery within months. Not that much of an issue as it was a company laptop so batteries weren't coming out of my pocket.

Left that job now so have just bought a used T60p for personal use, again lovely machine, powerful, not that much heavier than the T60. Came with the larger battery so has about 3.5 hrs life in it per charge. It seems to run much cooler than my T60 did.

[emeraldgirl08]

Just got an 600X today. It's a legacy machine but a real classic

The build on this thing is phenomenal and the finish is nice. The keyboard is very tactile and the feedback is choice!

Pleased

[PizzaandWine]

This seems a fitting topic in which to make my entrance into the forums....

Today I received my first Thinkpad from Neil on the forums, an gently used x31, 40gb 4200, 1.6 M CPU, 1gb RAM. Quick shipping and helpful throughout the transaction, a great way to get acquainted with the community around here.

Finally have the OS installed, working on Crunchbang Linux, runs gorgeously on this piece of hardware. Almost everything working out of the box, with the exception of software-based scrolling with the Trackpoint.

The hardware makes me want to write, something I need a push towards occasionaly during grad student life. Keyboard is fantastic, with both good tactile and aural feedback. Feels solidly build, and the weight is right compromise for me between a full on laptop and a netbook. (I'm currently transferring off of an 900a eeePC. In fact, if anyone wants one feel free to PM me.) 12.1'' screen is in great shape, and I'm digging the 4:3 aspect ration which makes much more sense for the documents/webpages/pdf's i spend most my time in than does the unavoidable widescreen. Yet to press it on battery life, but ACPI output shows its health at 97%, something I was hardly expecting in an older notebook.

It'll be used mostly for writing, researching, a bit of cartographic work, and perhaps most commonly to muck around on the web.

All for now. Thanks again to Neil for a great introduction to Thinkpads, look forward to getting to know the forums and hardware.

Cheers.

[A31]

My current setup!
.ThinkPad A31 2652, XP Pro, 40Gb HDD (restoring as a project)
.ThinkPad R40 2681, XP Pro, no HDD at the moment - currently non working (restoring as project)
Click the link in my signature for my "project page"!
A31

EDIT: Only have the A31 now and the A31 now has 80GB HDD, and there isn't a link to the project page in my signature anymore!