Thinkpads Forum

I was thinking of buying one secondhand, but I need it to at least play 1080p videos YouTube, is the CPU or GPU powerful enough to handle it?

Does this laptop have a CFL or LED backlight? I was thinking since this laptop will be quite old will the screen have yellowed?

Any other advice or stuff to beware of when buying a used ThinkPad? I read the ThinkPad buying guide and I plan to check if I can go into the BIOS and see if computrace is turned off.

I am also located in Toronto, Canada. How much should I typically pay for one? I see some numbers of craigslist/Kijiji, are they accurate or will I have better prices here on this forum? I assume shipping is not worth it? Only local deals?

#1 Yes, but only if you have the higher resolution monitor-- many T60s came with 1024x768 and a lower-end intel GPU which won't be the best.

#2 All T6x series has CFL. They are not yellowed (at least not the LG panels). The IPS 15" 'flexview' T60s can be modded with LED backlights with use of a special kit-- but it requires a fair bit of technical prowess. The 14" 1400x1050 LG LCDs do not have an LED mod kit presently. If you know enough about electronic engineering you could make one, though.

#3 For a good T60p w/ the LG 1400x1050 screen you're looking at around $100 - $200 depending on condition and specifications. For a T60 15" with flexview the price can dramatically increase, I typically see them hovering around $200 - $600

One with a T7600 processor and discrete graphics should be able to play 1080p videos well. A T61 with T7700 and with intel graphics can do it, so a T60 with high end cpu but with intel gpu might be able as well. This is regarding youtube.

Youtube clients such as minitube, gtk-youtube-viewer, and so on, will easily play 1080p video on an even low end T60 (even my 2Ghz T43 with X300 can do it).

I would get one with dedicated gpu, personally.

A T60p with FireGL or a T60 with Radeon 1300 or 1400 should handle it with no problem. I can almost do 1080p on this T42p with a Radeon FireGL gpu and it can definitely do 720p.

The prices quoted seem a bit high to me. On eBay a complete working T60 with Windows is going for around $100-$125 these days and you can get one that boots to BIOS with no HD for as low as $25-35. There was a 14" T60p this morning for $80 shipped with Windows installed.

My 15" T60p gets a 4.2 Windows 7 performance rating. My T60 with intel graphics, 3.1. The ATI gpus make a big difference. Go for a T60p with FireGL or a T60 with a Radeon 1400 and you should have no problem.

MisterB wrote:A T60p with FireGL or a T60 with Radeon 1300 or 1400 should handle it with no problem. I can almost do 1080p on this T42p with a Radeon FireGL gpu and it can definitely do 720p.

Try Media Player Classic Home Cinema with 1080p video on your T42p, and please report the result.
https://mpc-hc.org/

Erare wrote:I was thinking of buying one secondhand, but I need it to at least play 1080p videos YouTube, is the CPU or GPU powerful enough to handle it?

With ATi graphics - preferably X1400 or V5200/5250 and a T7200/7400/7600 CPU you should be OK

Does this laptop have a CFL or LED backlight? I was thinking since this laptop will be quite old will the screen have yellowed?

CCFL only. Since you're looking for a 15.4" widescreen model, make sure to get one with 1680x1050 resolution. If the screen doesn't seem bright enough simply pass on the machine altogether.

Any other advice or stuff to beware of when buying a used ThinkPad? I read the ThinkPad buying guide and I plan to check if I can go into the BIOS and see if computrace is turned off.

Also check for any passwords set, and whether the fan is noisy.

I am also located in Toronto, Canada. How much should I typically pay for one? I see some numbers of craigslist/Kijiji, are they accurate or will I have better prices here on this forum? I assume shipping is not worth it? Only local deals?

Well, I'd argue that you'd most likely get a better system by buying it from someone on this forum, but it's also likely to cost a bit more than it would on a local CL/Kijiji or whatever along those lines...

The real question is: how much are you looking to spend?