600X Speedstep finally here. (Large Pics)
Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 12:17 am
So last week I finally decided to purchase my long sought after Thinkpad 600X Speedstep. The ultimate version of my favorite Thinkpad series, next to the 770Z. I was for a long time set on buying a mint unit for pure collection, until I realized that I like the 600s so much that I wanted to be able to actually use it. And my mint condition units simply don't get used.. 
So recently I found an eBay auction which seemed honest in all ways, describing a 650MHz unit that had seen little use, spent some years in storage and was suffering from some errors due to a supposedly bad CMOS battery and now refused to boot. I recognized the errors, so I knew what was going on, but the seller was so focused on this that he even emailed me to make sure I knew what I was facing here. And what I got turned out to be acceptable.
The lid had become "sticky", so I replaced that with one I ordered. Apart from that all the port covers are still intact, which is a sign of little use. It also came with the SelectaDock and an external floppy unit.
The CMOS battery was fixed temporarily with a CR2025 (I think it was) with the original wires and solder tabs taped to it. It has a XP install which appears to have been upgraded from Win98 SE, and as soon as I put the battery in, it revved up to 650MHz. Lots of nice IBM backgrounds and screen savers were also to be found. There might be an issue with the keyboard, as the pointer sometimes flies off to one side of the screen, so I also ordered a brand new keyboard for it, to make the most out of staying in the US and have access to what feels like free shipping. I also ordered a 7200rpm hard drive, and I will image the XP install on to it, and make a dual boot with Linux Antix for better daily usability.
A few years ago my goal would have been to upgrade it with a 850MHz CPU as fast as I could, but now I'm not sure if I want to do that. I was considering taking the 850MHz CPU I have in the 770Z, as it seems to do more harm than good there, but I'll see. For now I will keep it as it is and enjoy it. This is also the first Thinkpad I have ever bought off of eBay, but it was a good experience, and I'm happy I trusted my judgment on it.
So recently I found an eBay auction which seemed honest in all ways, describing a 650MHz unit that had seen little use, spent some years in storage and was suffering from some errors due to a supposedly bad CMOS battery and now refused to boot. I recognized the errors, so I knew what was going on, but the seller was so focused on this that he even emailed me to make sure I knew what I was facing here. And what I got turned out to be acceptable. The lid had become "sticky", so I replaced that with one I ordered. Apart from that all the port covers are still intact, which is a sign of little use. It also came with the SelectaDock and an external floppy unit.
The CMOS battery was fixed temporarily with a CR2025 (I think it was) with the original wires and solder tabs taped to it. It has a XP install which appears to have been upgraded from Win98 SE, and as soon as I put the battery in, it revved up to 650MHz. Lots of nice IBM backgrounds and screen savers were also to be found. There might be an issue with the keyboard, as the pointer sometimes flies off to one side of the screen, so I also ordered a brand new keyboard for it, to make the most out of staying in the US and have access to what feels like free shipping. I also ordered a 7200rpm hard drive, and I will image the XP install on to it, and make a dual boot with Linux Antix for better daily usability.
A few years ago my goal would have been to upgrade it with a 850MHz CPU as fast as I could, but now I'm not sure if I want to do that. I was considering taking the 850MHz CPU I have in the 770Z, as it seems to do more harm than good there, but I'll see. For now I will keep it as it is and enjoy it. This is also the first Thinkpad I have ever bought off of eBay, but it was a good experience, and I'm happy I trusted my judgment on it.