Comments on this Frankenpad?

[mbarker]

I've been having some issues with my T60p so I'm in the market for a newer TP. Not terribly impressed with what I am finding. Like others here I am still rather attached to 4:3.....not to mention a traditional keyboard. Anyway, I've recently become aware of the Frankenpad concept and am thinking this might be the right direction for me. Since I only kind of half know what I am looking at, I am interested in comments on the following:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291302316748

Does it look like a good build? How about the price? Any other comments?

[dr_st]

I am skeptical. He says 15" UXGA Flexview, but all the pics are of a 14" unit which cannot be Flexview by definition. He says the machines are custom-made - does it mean he has a big supply of parts and just builds them for every buyer? These are not common parts, especially since he claims some of them are new!

[QWERTY Andreas]

If you are to make a frankenpad, make sure to make the 1066MHz mod. This way you get access to the newer Penryn CPUs, allowing for much cheaper perfomance/$.

With some modding it is possible to put a 15.4" board into a 14" chassis. This will make it easier to source parts, but you will Loose the DVD drive. It is also possible to get a post 08/08 T61p board

About the linked; Im not sure if its alle true, since those parts are rather hard to source as new

[RealBlackStuff]

Like dr_st said, the pictures are all from a 14.1" machine.
FYI: that screen's P/N 42T0355 (with FRU 42T0366) is not mentioned in any HMM, but it's ID-Tech alright.
It is probably a factory-refurbished screen.
AFAIK they stopped making those around 2006, so don't hold your breath about its quality.
There was also a hot discussion about that very screen here: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=63772

I have built dozens of Frankenpads.
You'll need:
- 15" T60 or T60p machine, perfect chassis required, with or without motherboard
- 14.1" non-widescreen T61 motherboard (3 types, with either Intel, NVS140M or FX570M GPU)
- skills to fit the T61 mobo in the T60 chassis
- corresponding T61 heatsink
- Middleton BIOS
Choice of:
- CPU: T7100/T7300/T7500/T7700/T7800 (all Merom), T8100/T8300/T9300/T9500/X9000 (all Penryn)
- up to 8GB RAM (PC2-5300 or PC2-6400)
- SATA HDD or SSD
- XGA/SXGA+/UXGA/QXGA screen (some optional with LED backlight)
Loss of:
- the modem

[mbarker]

I guess I had kind of assumed the photos were just meant to be representative since the seller states it will be custom made. There are actually at least 2 different machines in the photos. I agree that is odd that he used a 14" unit though.

His feedback shows he has sold at least a couple Frankenpads in the past.

Building one of these is waaaaay above my pay grade.

[Medessec]

Even if you PM the seller and clear things up... I'd probably be far more comfortable if you bought the parts or- better yet- an entire Frankenpad from one of us on here.

You'll get a better bang for your buck, and we're all accustomed to the guides and PMing each other on here, so 9/10 times, if you buy a Frankenpad from a forum member, it's been done up right. Especially from one of the forum vets.

You seem new to the Frankenpad scene- so to make sure you understand: The Frankenpad in question, the one you want and the one we all absolutely treasure(the absolute best 4:3 laptop[aside from Panasonic Toughbooks]): Is the 15" chassis of a T60 with a 1600x1200 UXGA Flexview, modified slightly to cradle the 4:3 14" motherboard of a T61. You get much faster, more efficient CPUs, SATA 2 which makes SSDs a far more appealing option, and NVIDIA graphics, although this is an insanely volatile aspect of the Frankenpad mod.

If you are genuinely interested in one, but not interested in building it yourself, you have to hope someone is willing to sell one of theirs, quite a rare occasion. If you ARE interested in building it yourself, then ask around, do as much research as possible and make absolutely sure you know what you're doing before you sit down with your 15" T60 and 14" T61 4:3 with a screw driver, ready to get cracking. Some of the vets on here (TuuS notably) have "Frankenpad kits" that help tremendously.

I was thinking of making a Frankenpad assembly video for YouTube too... need to find the time though.

[mbarker]

Even if you PM the seller and clear things up... I'd probably be far more comfortable if you bought the parts or- better yet- an entire Frankenpad from one of us on here.

I understand and I would prefer that as well. There does not seem to be anything available at the moment, other than George's monster. I posted the e-Bay one here primarily to stimulate discussion. I am not actually looking to buy it.

You seem new to the Frankenpad scene- so to make sure you understand:

Yes, very new. I do understand the idea, and generally what is being done. That said, I absolutely do not have the skills or interest to do it myself. I also don't understand subtleties of one PN vs another. I love the old Thinkpads but unlike many of you I don't have the parts knowledge and certainly don't have the technical skills to work on them.

Question: how are these machines with heat and noise?

[RealBlackStuff]

Like I said above, I have built dozens of these FrankenPads, including George's monster!
So if you get into the proper mood, let me know, I can build one for you!

As to heat/noise, not a single machine (that I built) has ever come back with such a problem!

[Medessec]

Yes, very new. I do understand the idea, and generally what is being done. That said, I absolutely do not have the skills or interest to do it myself. I also don't understand subtleties of one PN vs another. I love the old Thinkpads but unlike many of you I don't have the parts knowledge and certainly don't have the technical skills to work on them.

This is totally fine, we understand that you may have the appreciation to use the old machines but not recognize the tech in greater detail. Buying one already assembled doesn't leave you in a hazey spot anyways- most aspects of computer maintenance (broken casing/plastics, busted screen, keyboard) can be treated as if you just had a 15" T60p. The only big problem would arise from motherboard failure, you'd have to consult the forums (a computer repair shop probably won't help you out, and Lenovo certainly won't help you out) about replacement or servicing.

Question: how are these machines with heat and noise?

A "maxed out" Frankenpad, with a T9500 Core 2 Duo (2.8 GHz) and a Quadro FX 570M will usually do just fine. A Frankenpad usually uses the cooling components from the T61 as well, not the older T60 heatsink and fan. This ensures proper cooling. Noise is mostly dependent on the age and smoothness of the fan- it's recommended(not just with Frankenpads, but any Thinkpad) to dust the fan with an air can or air compressor to clear it of dust and debris. If the fan is in good condition, the laptop should be dead silent most of the time, maybe kick up to a whisper if it has to work hard.

Again, as you can see- RBS up there is very open to helping people out who are interested in Frankies, so feel free to PM around, get some details. If you have any other Qs on Frankies, posting it here is your best bet, all of us on here can help you out. Good luck!

[Bibin]

Building one of these is waaaaay above my pay grade.

I don't understand. $900 for one of these off of eBay is a ludicrous price, while building one shouldn't cost you anything near that!

[mbarker]

Building one of these is waaaaay above my pay grade.

I don't understand. $900 for one of these off of eBay is a ludicrous price, while building one shouldn't cost you anything near that!

Sorry, my "pay grade" comment was not a reference to price. I was simply suggesting that I don't have the skills to build one.

I agree, $900 seems rather high.

[Medessec]

I agree, $900 seems rather high.

It really depends. When building one of these the bills stack up quite quickly.

Even if you bought a parting T60 that happened to be missing a motherboard, and a T61 motherboard with ExpressCard cage all by itself, you should still be in around $150-$350, depending on if you got a Merom/Penryn board, Intel graphics or Nvidia graphics and the condition of the NVIDIA chip, and what screen the T60 chassis has on it. On top of that, you'll probably want a T9300, which is usually $30-40. 4GB of RAM(2x2GB) can be had for around $30 if your parts didn't already come with it. You have the Hard Drive to worry about too.

All in all, a typical, clean good-condition UXGA-screened Frankenpad with 4GB RAM, a T9300, and a well-taken care of NVIDIA chip with no Hard Drive installed is worth about $400-$500 already standing as it is, from what I've seen. Intel graphics Frankenpads are worth slightly less in the same spec. But it's mostly up to whoever's selling it how much it's worth, I've seen Frankies go for over a grand. Don't think for a second you'll be spending that much though... Frankies come in all shapes and sizes, so all you have to do is keep your eyes open and play the waiting game.

[ajkula66]

It really depends. When building one of these the bills stack up quite quickly.

QFT. It all depends on what exactly one is trying to accomplish.

If you want to max out the full RAM potential at 8GB, that alone is $140-150 since I don't believe in putting "no-name" DIMMs in any of the machines that I own. The Elpida set - the only DDR2 laptop sticks with heatsinks AFAIK - that is in my QXGA monster cost me $155 and I wasn't complaining...

The single biggest issue - IMO - is the screen. And proper ones don't come cheap. At all.

[Bibin]

It is also definitely luck of the draw. I've settled for 4GB of RAM as 8GB is a huge price jump, but I just got a T60p in very nice shape for $200 and a working T61 motherboard for $40, a T9300 for $20 (why do people pay $40 for 100MHz more on the T9500???), and an Intel 6205 card for $8, and just built the frankenpad today. It has an UXGA LCD in very nice condition. In all it took about an hour, and I'm typing on it right now.

It can definitely be done on the cheap with patience and some hunting! RAM will drive up the price a bit, but I am confident it can still be done for <$500.

[Medessec]

The RAM issue is a big one- and it mostly shows exactly what level of "awesome" you're trying to achieve for your Frankie. Because 8GB is so hard to find and is usually pretty costly when you do find it- Frankenpads with 8GB of RAM are quite upheld in their own right, and it tells whoever you're showing your Frankenpad to that you spared no expense.

The CPU is another big issue, because if you have a Penryn board or Merom board with the Middleton BIOS, you ultimately have three major options: The T9300(most cost-effective), T9500(best within bounds and T61 options), and the X9000(pretty much only show-offy). All three of these processors perform, for the most part... equally the same and there is no immediate or long-term consequence with opting for the T9300 over the other two CPUs. The T9500 is only worth considering if you do insane CPU loads on your Frankie, and the X9000 is just ridiculous as a whole in a Frankie as... yes, it does perform quite a bit better than the other two CPUs, but it puts out far more heat- which shortens the lifespan of the planar and will almost certainly kill a planar that looms under the NVIDIA chip issue. Ajkula66 has posted a topic showing a machine like this that he has built: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=109360

[Bibin]

The RAM issue is a big one- and it mostly shows exactly what level of "awesome" you're trying to achieve for your Frankie. Because 8GB is so hard to find and is usually pretty costly when you do find it- Frankenpads with 8GB of RAM are quite upheld in their own right, and it tells whoever you're showing your Frankenpad to that you spared no expense.

The CPU is another big issue, because if you have a Penryn board or Merom board with the Middleton BIOS, you ultimately have three major options: The T9300(most cost-effective), T9500(best within bounds and T61 options), and the X9000(pretty much only show-offy). All three of these processors perform, for the most part... equally the same and there is no immediate or long-term consequence with opting for the T9300 over the other two CPUs. The T9500 is only worth considering if you do insane CPU loads on your Frankie, and the X9000 is just ridiculous as a whole in a Frankie as... yes, it does perform quite a bit better than the other two CPUs, but it puts out far more heat- which shortens the lifespan of the planar and will almost certainly kill a planar that looms under the NVIDIA chip issue. Ajkula66 has posted a topic showing a machine like this that he has built: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=109360

Even so, I wouldn't expect the RAM to drive the price up anything over $200, which is already pushing it. However, I definitely don't need 8GB - I don't really intend on showing the machine to people much, so the impression it leaves is not important to me...

[Medessec]

Even so, I wouldn't expect the RAM to drive the price up anything over $200, which is already pushing it. However, I definitely don't need 8GB - I don't really intend on showing the machine to people much, so the impression it leaves is not important to me...

Yeah. I do agree to some extent, which is why my knock-around Frankie does have only 3GB of RAM(a 2GB stick I bought, and a 1GB I got from one of my parting machines) and that works perfectly fine for web browsing, documents, and even light gaming.

Just keep in mind that if you plan on running Windows Vista or newer, anything below 2GB is not enough. But as long as you have that- you won't struggle too bad as long as you know how to take care of your OS.

[Bibin]

Even so, I wouldn't expect the RAM to drive the price up anything over $200, which is already pushing it. However, I definitely don't need 8GB - I don't really intend on showing the machine to people much, so the impression it leaves is not important to me...

Yeah. I do agree to some extent, which is why my knock-around Frankie does have only 3GB of RAM(a 2GB stick I bought, and a 1GB I got from one of my parting machines) and that works perfectly fine for web browsing, documents, and even light gaming.

Just keep in mind that if you plan on running Windows Vista or newer, anything below 2GB is not enough. But as long as you have that- you won't struggle too bad as long as you know how to take care of your OS.

It boots between Debian and Windows 7, and both run very well on it. The SSD is a helpful factor as well. I use the machine for C and VHDL development primarily, and it's been more than sufficient for that.