The best $200 ThinkPad - that you build yourself!

[underclocker]

Recently, I needed an inexpensive computer for someone with fairly mainstream computing demands - Internet surfing, video watching, word processing, email, etc.

For $200, I was able to assemble a ThinkPad that performs these tasks faster than nearly any modern non-SSD equipped computer.

It was actually quite easy to do. I started with a used, nearly complete T60 that had 3GB of RAM and added a used, Intel X25-M G2 80GB SSD. The T60 minus a hard disk was $110 and the SSD was $90. These items at these prices are fairly easy to come across via eBay, Craigslist or this forum. Alternately, R60's are even easier to find in the $100 price range, especially if you prefer the SXGA+ LCD vs. the XGA.

IMHO, 14" T60's and R60's are two of the most reliable and rugged machines in ThinkPad history (and they were one of the last with nice and tall 4:3 ratio LCDs).

The end result is a machine that runs Win XP, Win 7 or Ubuntu flawlessly and quickly. Boot-up and application load times beat brand new ThinkPads without SSDs and many four to five year old T60/R60 models still look good.

I am impressed on how modern this build feels at the $200 price level. Battery life is a top concern when selecting a T60 or R60, but if you are particular, you can easily find one with a 6 cell and at least 50% capacity, which is good for about 2 hours runtime.

Summary
1 - used ThinkPad T60 or R60 in good cosmetic shape with XGA or SXGA+ LCD, 2GB RAM (min.), battery w/50% capacity (min.)
1 - used Intel X25-M G2 SSD (80GB min.)

[ajkula66]

A nice guide...

Just as an FYI, a friend of mine who is setting up a homeschooling project recently picked up 13 R60 14" XGA Core Duo units, missing batteries, adapters and hard drives for $575 from a local non-profit that had received it as a donation...all working and reasonably clean.

Inexpensive SATA drives were easy to locate, as were adapters...since the machines were to be plugged in at all times, the quality of batteries was a non-issue as long as they were not completely dead...so yes, thank you Ed...

It's difficult to believe where the prices of more mainstream units have gone...

[dorronto]

Yes, nice guide Ed...

I personally like T60's myself...

Ron

[virge]

IMHO, 14" T60's and R60's are two of the most reliable and rugged machines in ThinkPad history (and they were one of the last with nice and tall 4:3 ratio LCDs).

I'll second that opinion! These 14" machines are incredibly sturdy and are probably the "best buy" for anyone on a tight budget. Old enough to be cheap, but new enough to run Windows 7 without any problems. If you go with a mechanical drive instead of an SSD, the total cost will be under $150 for a good working machine.

[ArtShapiro]

If you go with a mechanical drive instead of an SSD, the total cost will be under $150 for a good working machine.

I've been keeping an informal eye on eBay for a decent T60/T60p machine for a relative still using my old T30. If one ignores XGA machines, with unusably-low vertical resolution, I'm rarely seeing anything actually sell at the $150 or less level. Craiglist is almost a joke, as folks tend to not even cite the Thinkpad model number, let alone the display resolution, and then expect to get a jaw-dropping high price for their T20 or whatever.

Art

[ThinkRob]

If you're an IBM shareholder, you can get some pretty solid deals on T60s from time-to-time via the IBM SPP certified used store. It's not uncommon to see well-equipped refurbished T60s for about $200, and often sales, etc. can bring the price down to where underclocker's $200 T60 build is quite possible.

[ArtShapiro]

If you're an IBM shareholder, you can get some pretty solid deals on T60s from time-to-time via the IBM SPP certified used store.

I am a stockholder, but haven't seen anything about the stockholder purchase program in years. I just went over to the site, logged in, and don't see any appropriate links for any sort of perks / benefits. Am I missing something obvious?

Art

[ThinkRob]

I am a stockholder, but haven't seen anything about the stockholder purchase program in years. I just went over to the site, logged in, and don't see any appropriate links for any sort of perks / benefits. Am I missing something obvious?

http://www.ibm.com/shop/spp

You'll need the offer ID from an old newsletter.

There's nothing terribly good on the store at the moment (apart from a T400 at a decent price, plus the fact that they're doing a sale where they extend the warranty to 1 year), but last month there were a few T60s that went for under $200.

[ArtShapiro]

You'll need the offer ID from an old newsletter.

Thanks- much appreciated. It occurred to me that these offers used to pop up back when I got paper copies of IBM material. I went electronic several years back and don't recall seeing anything since that time. So I've fired off an email asking them if this is one perk that paper people might get and electronic people don't. Then again, maybe I just haven't been observant. We'll see what they say.

It never occurred to me that IBM would still be selling off T60s, especially given that they're no longer in the business.

Art

[ThinkRob]

It never occurred to me that IBM would still be selling off T60s, especially given that they're no longer in the business.

And newer machines too.

They may not retail ThinkPads any more, but they still (can) move them as part of contracts (both re-selling and purchasing used equipment), and they *definitely* use them a lot internally. I suspect that most of the machines sold through their "certified used" program are either obtained from customer sites as part of a large-scale decommissioning or former internal fleet machines.

[ArtShapiro]

They may not retail ThinkPads any more, but they still (can) move them as part of contracts (both re-selling and purchasing used equipment), and they *definitely* use them a lot internally

Thanks. I got a quick response back from IBM that the info still appears on the periodic statements as administered by CompuServe. I looked at my last several, online, and saw absolutely nothing other than the usual financial tabulations. Maybe I'll switch the account back to snail mail statement delivery.

Art