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Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

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Self_Propelled_Crane
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Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#1 Post by Self_Propelled_Crane » Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:44 am

I want to purchase a T60p I saw the other previously. It's a 14-inch sized model with Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.16 Ghz CPU, 3 GB of RAM, 100 GB SATA HDD, ATI Mobility FireGL V5250 (256 MB) graphics adapter, 14.1" TFT display with 1400x1050(SXGA+) resolution, japanese language keyboard,Windows 7 OS, and battery that only holds a charge for 30 minutes. I was amazed at the novelty (for me) of a square laptop with a 4:3 aspect ratio screen, a non-chiclet style keyboard, and I love having the IBM logo. The one thing keeping from outright purchasing said laptop is that is it a good idea to purchase a T60p in 2018? I plan to use this as my daily laptop for libreoffice applications, watching 720p youtube, internet browsing, and I might change OS to Linux and put in a SSD. Or should I just give up the idea and buy a Thinkpad T420 or T420s? Can I have your input on this?
Has plans to make a Frankenpad. Please sell a Thinkpad T60 or T60p with a 1600x1200 screen resolution to me. :D

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#2 Post by Hans Gruber » Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:12 am

How much will this T60p set you back? We need dollars and cents. How much?
:beer: T43p,T61,X200,X200s,x201,T500,W500,T510,T410,T410s,T420s,T430,T430s :parrot:

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#3 Post by Self_Propelled_Crane » Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:57 am

4,999 Pesos, when converted into USD in today's conversion rates, is $96.13. Is that an okay price or not? Or should I haggle (and how?)
Has plans to make a Frankenpad. Please sell a Thinkpad T60 or T60p with a 1600x1200 screen resolution to me. :D

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#4 Post by wujstefan » Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:01 am

If the shape is right, so is the price.

Being you I'd take aim at T61 or T61p w/14,1" 4:3 screen. Gives you Penryn CPUs, SATA-2 support for SSD, up to 8gigs of ram (albeit expensive when over 4gigs - T60p will support only 3gigs, however), will run cooler and will be more future-proof. And all of this for not much more.

And if this is your first time with thinkpad, type in google/forum here a "Frankenpad" word - this is generally a T61 inside T60 frame, mostly with 15" Flexview 4:3 screen for IPS. Such very nice unit has been sold here lately for ~$175 afair.

This post has been brought to you by such frankenpad (or rather freakenpad) :D

EDIT
Ah:
Self_Propelled_Crane wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:44 am
is it a good idea to purchase a T60p in 2018?
Yes, if you can live with 3 gigs of ram and/or plan librebooting.
Too many thinkpads not enough time!
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#5 Post by axur-delmeria » Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:47 am

I wouldn't recommend it.

The T60 is more than ten years old at this point, so it can fail anytime. I wouldn't even dream of spending 5,000 pesos for it, especially since it doesn't have an IPS display. Unlike in the US, spare parts can be pretty hard to find, and the prices are sometimes unreasonable.

I saw a local ad for a T61 T7300 with 2GB RAM and 250GB HDD, for less than 4,000 pesos. It's probably a 14 inch widescreen model though.
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#6 Post by Shredder11 » Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:17 pm

I got my first of three Z61p (same as T60p) in England (UK) back in July 2012 and that cost £72.87 The second followed a few months later for approx £122 but had a GPU problem. The third arrived in August 2013 and cost £41.75, and this was in the best cosmetic shape and had already been upgraded with better CPU and RAM; this was in almost mint condition. However if I were buying this model now, I would not spend more than £50 regardless of how good the condition etc.
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#7 Post by dr_st » Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:51 pm

Self_Propelled_Crane wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:44 am
The one thing keeping from outright purchasing said laptop is that is it a good idea to purchase a T60p in 2018? I plan to use this as my daily laptop for libreoffice applications, watching 720p youtube, internet browsing, and I might change OS to Linux and put in a SSD. Or should I just give up the idea and buy a Thinkpad T420 or T420s? Can I have your input on this?
That might feel fine, until you compare it to any modern laptop, at which point it will feel very sluggish. If you only browse light websites, like this forum, it would still be OK, but typical mainstream sites are much heavier. I have a T60, and it's not at all fun to use on the modern web compared to my newer Core i7 laptops (or even the 3GHz C2Q desktop).
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#8 Post by wujstefan » Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:21 pm

Shredder11 wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:17 pm
However if I were buying this model now, I would not spend more than £50 regardless of how good the condition etc.
Isn't that close to $100? ;)
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#9 Post by Self_Propelled_Crane » Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:47 pm

wujstefan wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:01 am
If the shape is right, so is the price.

Being you I'd take aim at T61 or T61p w/14,1" 4:3 screen. Gives you Penryn CPUs, SATA-2 support for SSD, up to 8gigs of ram (albeit expensive when over 4gigs - T60p will support only 3gigs, however), will run cooler and will be more future-proof. And all of this for not much more.

And if this is your first time with thinkpad, type in google/forum here a "Frankenpad" word - this is generally a T61 inside T60 frame, mostly with 15" Flexview 4:3 screen for IPS. Such very nice unit has been sold here lately for ~$175 afair.

This post has been brought to you by such frankenpad (or rather freakenpad) :D

EDIT
Ah:
Self_Propelled_Crane wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:44 am
is it a good idea to purchase a T60p in 2018?
Yes, if you can live with 3 gigs of ram and/or plan librebooting.
Alright. T60p is a no-go due to being outdated. The frankenpad is a generation newer, but I have my concerns about the T61 motherboard that will be used. I thought the ones with nVidia graphics tend to have a high failure rate prior to a specific date? What about the 51nb/lcd fans' modern day version, the T70? Can I still get one of those?
Has plans to make a Frankenpad. Please sell a Thinkpad T60 or T60p with a 1600x1200 screen resolution to me. :D

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#10 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:24 pm

1: T70 isn't made anymore
2: The T61 boards provided by TuuS are dated 08/08 or later which use the newer nVidia chips and don't break.
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#11 Post by Self_Propelled_Crane » Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:33 pm

Okay. I'm sold on the idea. How do I get myself one of these? Can it run Windows 10 just in case I need it to (the office uses Windows 10-compatible programs only)
Has plans to make a Frankenpad. Please sell a Thinkpad T60 or T60p with a 1600x1200 screen resolution to me. :D

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#12 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:59 pm

W10 will run just fine on it. Send a PM to TuuS for one of this T61p boards. He has a boatload of them.

T60p in this day and age will be pretty bad. I have a X61s* which is probably somewhat comparable and it was pretty bad. I have a T500 with a P8800**(compared to a T9900 or something with a T61p which will be faster) and it is pretty good and quick. Don't give it too many browser tabs and forget video editing/3D modeling and you will be set.

*: My X61s has a L7500 which s 30% slower than a T7400 in the T60p
**: The P8800 is 50% faster than the T7400 and is 15% slower than the T9900 or 25% slower than a Q9000 if you feel like lowering your heating bill a bit :D .
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#13 Post by axur-delmeria » Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:30 am

Note that after you buy one of TuuS's T61p boards, you still need to buy a chassis for it. If you buy a non-widescreen board, you can use a non-widescreen 14.1" or 15" T60 chassis, or a non-widescreen 14.1" T61 chassis.

Using a 15" chassis allows the installation IPS screens (either 1400x1050 or 1600x1200), though sourcing one is another matter altogether. :?
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#14 Post by Shredder11 » Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:34 am

wujstefan wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:21 pm
Shredder11 wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:17 pm
However if I were buying this model now, I would not spend more than £50 regardless of how good the condition etc.
Isn't that close to $100? ;)
Hard to be accurate but £50 converted to US Dollars is around $70 according to Google.
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#15 Post by Shredder11 » Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:42 am

Thinkpad4by3 wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:59 pm
W10 will run just fine on it. Send a PM to TuuS for one of this T61p boards. He has a boatload of them.

T60p in this day and age will be pretty bad. I have a X61s* which is probably somewhat comparable and it was pretty bad. I have a T500 with a P8800**(compared to a T9900 or something with a T61p which will be faster) and it is pretty good and quick. Don't give it too many browser tabs and forget video editing/3D modeling and you will be set.

*: My X61s has a L7500 which s 30% slower than a T7400 in the T60p
**: The P8800 is 50% faster than the T7400 and is 15% slower than the T9900 or 25% slower than a Q9000 if you feel like lowering your heating bill a bit :D .
I have both the Z61p fully upgraded and also a X61s partially upgraded (see my signature profile in below my posts), and I can say the latter is noticeably slower. The faster X61 variant in my profile with a similar CPU does run about the same as my Z61p though. However as with anything to do with speed, it is relative to what you own or have used. The fastest computer I own is a Intel Xeon X5492 based machine with 8GB DDR2 RAM and SSD drives, plus an old GeForce GTX550-Ti graphics card. I have not had the opportunity to own or use anything faster, so to me this feels like a responsive and reasonably quick computer.
Z61p x3 (C2D T7600, 3GB, 500GB SSD, BCM70015, Advanced Dock x1, Mini Dock x2)
W520 (C2Q i7-2720QM, 8GB, 60GB SSD)
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X61s (2GB, 120GB SSD)
T43p (P M 760, 2GB, IBM Port Replicator II, 128GB SSD)
G41 (P4 3.46GHz, 2GB, 128GB SSD)

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#16 Post by Self_Propelled_Crane » Thu Mar 08, 2018 1:06 am

axur-delmeria wrote:
Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:30 am
Note that after you buy one of TuuS's T61p boards, you still need to buy a chassis for it. If you buy a non-widescreen board, you can use a non-widescreen 14.1" or 15" T60 chassis, or a non-widescreen 14.1" T61 chassis.

Using a 15" chassis allows the installation IPS screens (either 1400x1050 or 1600x1200), though sourcing one is another matter altogether. :?
Okay, I can source the T61p board from forum member TuuS, but where to buy the chassis and screen? Is there a way to get a Frankenpad that's already assembled? I've never assembled anything more complicated than a 1/35 scale model of a tank. XD
Has plans to make a Frankenpad. Please sell a Thinkpad T60 or T60p with a 1600x1200 screen resolution to me. :D

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#17 Post by axur-delmeria » Thu Mar 08, 2018 3:45 am

Well, you can check the Forum's Marketplace if anyone's selling one of their Frankenpads. Usually it's referred to as a T601 Frankenpad (T61 board in T60 chassis), to differentiate other Frankenpads based on other models, like X601 (built from X60 and X61 parts), TR4252 (T42 / R52 hybrid) etc.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#18 Post by wujstefan » Thu Mar 08, 2018 10:02 am

Thinkpad4by3 wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:24 pm
2: The T61 boards provided by TuuS are dated 08/08 or later which use the newer nVidia chips and don't break.
They DO break, albeit the failure rate is said to be reasonably lower; you can't say a 10-years-old graphics chip will not break. I personally ran one for a year and it worked perfectly OVERCLOCKED by 60%.
If not looking for nvidia graphics, I'd recommend a 4:3 R61. GLORIOUS unit; very close in build quality to A31.
If a frankie, just read the forum / ask via PM, there are lots of frankie users that are very open to give out answers.

Building a frankie is not very complicated, and here's what is the final effect:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tumRe ... eaHrHLWy3F
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2p58 ... 19IdmhlREE
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2p58 ... TNTZUx5UHc
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#19 Post by Self_Propelled_Crane » Thu Mar 08, 2018 10:22 am

So I took a look the google drive pics, why does it seem like the T601 Frankenpad that's featured looks like a factory fresh machine? And that screen! I love it. All the T60/T61 units I've seen in the PH seem like they've been (cosmetically) abused by their previous owners compared to what you've linked above. XD (What happened to your T70 by the way?)

For reference, how long does it take to build a Frankenpad from parts?
Has plans to make a Frankenpad. Please sell a Thinkpad T60 or T60p with a 1600x1200 screen resolution to me. :D

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#20 Post by wujstefan » Thu Mar 08, 2018 11:18 am

Self_Propelled_Crane wrote:
Thu Mar 08, 2018 10:22 am
So I took a look the google drive pics, why does it seem like the T601 Frankenpad that's featured looks like a factory fresh machine? And that screen! I love it. All the T60/T61 units I've seen in the PH seem like they've been (cosmetically) abused by their previous owners compared to what you've linked above. XD (What happened to your T70 by the way?)

For reference, how long does it take to build a Frankenpad from parts?
The T70 I have owned has been turned into marvel and sold to another forum member, who will make better use of it. I prefer my old, good frankie.

Well, when building a frankie, lets build it GOOD :)

I need around a week to build and tune a nice frankie. That is, when all the parts are already on my desk. Given that I have my right hand not yet fully operational and I work on it during my free time only, a well-timed, experienced thinkpadder could build it in a day and tune it another day I guess :)
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#21 Post by Self_Propelled_Crane » Fri Mar 09, 2018 2:49 am

wujstefan wrote:
Thu Mar 08, 2018 11:18 am
Self_Propelled_Crane wrote:
Thu Mar 08, 2018 10:22 am
So I took a look the google drive pics, why does it seem like the T601 Frankenpad that's featured looks like a factory fresh machine? And that screen! I love it. All the T60/T61 units I've seen in the PH seem like they've been (cosmetically) abused by their previous owners compared to what you've linked above. XD (What happened to your T70 by the way?)

For reference, how long does it take to build a Frankenpad from parts?
The T70 I have owned has been turned into marvel and sold to another forum member, who will make better use of it. I prefer my old, good frankie.

Well, when building a frankie, lets build it GOOD :)

I need around a week to build and tune a nice frankie. That is, when all the parts are already on my desk. Given that I have my right hand not yet fully operational and I work on it during my free time only, a well-timed, experienced thinkpadder could build it in a day and tune it another day I guess :)
Now I'm trying to look for a 15-inch T60 and/or T60p. I can at least be assured that they have a LED IPS screen right? So that's one less part to source?
Has plans to make a Frankenpad. Please sell a Thinkpad T60 or T60p with a 1600x1200 screen resolution to me. :D

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#22 Post by wujstefan » Fri Mar 09, 2018 2:58 am

Self_Propelled_Crane wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 2:49 am
Now I'm trying to look for a 15-inch T60 and/or T60p. I can at least be assured that they have a LED IPS screen right? So that's one less part to source?
No chance for LED - these were all CCFL. You need to make a LED-conversion yourself, using i.e. Xiphmont LED strip and controller if you want to go for led. Note that not all T60s have SXGA+. Not to mention it's very hard to get a well-shaped IPS screen nowadays; and UXGA+ is close to extinction.

You can ask via marketplace for some parts. Forum members tend to keep some spares, including myself. Maybe you'll get someoune who will sell you some/all parts you need, or even build a whole frankie for you.
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#23 Post by FryPpy » Fri Mar 09, 2018 5:48 am

wujstefan wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 2:58 am
Self_Propelled_Crane wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 2:49 am
Now I'm trying to look for a 15-inch T60 and/or T60p. I can at least be assured that they have a LED IPS screen right? So that's one less part to source?
No chance for LED - these were all CCFL. You need to make a LED-conversion yourself, using i.e. Xiphmont LED strip and controller if you want to go for led. Note that not all T60s have SXGA+. Not to mention it's very hard to get a well-shaped IPS screen nowadays; and UXGA+ is close to extinction.
Not quite right. Threre were famouse IPS (AFFS) LED UXGA lcds - HV150UX2-100. But it was never factory installed in ThinkPads and it needs inverter and lcd cable modding. And it is very rare and very expensive.

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#24 Post by wujstefan » Fri Mar 09, 2018 6:19 am

FryPpy wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 5:48 am
wujstefan wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 2:58 am


No chance for LED - these were all CCFL. You need to make a LED-conversion yourself, using i.e. Xiphmont LED strip and controller if you want to go for led. Note that not all T60s have SXGA+. Not to mention it's very hard to get a well-shaped IPS screen nowadays; and UXGA+ is close to extinction.
Not quite right. Threre were famouse IPS (AFFS) LED UXGA lcds - HV150UX2-100. But it was never factory installed in ThinkPads and it needs inverter and lcd cable modding. And it is very rare and very expensive.
Please read that again, and the previous post as well. The OP was asking if he is assured of getting a LED IPS if he tracks down a SXGA+ or UXGA T60/T60p.

The answer is still NO, if you want a LED IPS you won't find it installed in any stock T60 or T60p. You will get CCFL out of T60/T60p, always. Sure, ex-factory LED, but hunting for SXGA+/UXGA T6x is pointless that way. You need to buy a panel, inverter, cable, mod the inverter and cable. Note that nowadays a proper cable is hard to find, and proper ibverter is close-to-impossible to find. RBS website may come in with great help here; and I guess he still offers the cable/inverter mods.

EDIT:
the first thinkpad I linked couple of posts above is sporting the LED AFFS screen. AFFS, not IPS.
second one is the Boe-Hydis UXGA, LED-modded with "daylight kit"
third one is ID-Tech unmodded CCFL UXGA
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#25 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Mar 09, 2018 7:30 am

wujstefan wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 6:19 am
RBS website may come in with great help here; and I guess he still offers the cable/inverter mods.
Yup, see: https://www.theboardroom.info/led_mods2.html

PS: thanks for the referral!

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#26 Post by Self_Propelled_Crane » Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:28 am

Wow, this is all overwhelming, it seems I have to do some surgery to the parts to make them fit? *sigh* How much does a Frankenpad cost? I'm weighing to pros and cons of hunting down the parts and assembling them (wherein I might make a mistake) vs getting a fully assembled frankenpad.
Has plans to make a Frankenpad. Please sell a Thinkpad T60 or T60p with a 1600x1200 screen resolution to me. :D

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#27 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:48 am

There isn't surgury per se, more reassembling with different parts. There is no dremeling or soldering.

Shell ~50 - 100$ depending on nick
LCD ~100-300$ depending on model
LED mod~ 75-125$ depending on model
MOBO~ 150$ I think(TuuS knows exact price)
Misc upgrades~ 150$(100$ for 8GB DDR2, 50$ for upgrade wifi and any other stuff)
CPU~10-100$ depending on model

Now you need an SSD, an OS of choice, and some spare time. A Frankenpadder cpuld probably get you the whole thing for close to 1K for a nice spec'd unit. Also, remember. You are getting a 10 year old machine. Consider a W500. It comes preassembled, cost a 1/10th the price, uses cheap DDR3 ram, and can come with faster CPUs, no GPU failure risk, and a 1920x1200* display that while TN, fricken ROCKS. Beats the IPS display in both my X220 and X230 by a significant margin. I always feel right at home with a W500.

*:16:10 isnt as wide as it first seems, not at all like 16:9. You are gaining 300 pixels wider, ot isnt any shorter, and the display isnt any bigger. Really, you are getting a higher DPI display, so you actually gain something over UXGA. Also, I have a T500 not a W500, but same machine, atleast for the lid and panel.
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#28 Post by wujstefan » Fri Mar 09, 2018 9:38 am

I think you need a small help in here :)

If you want a IPS CCFL LCD, these come out from every SXGA+ or UXGA in T60 and T60p straight ahead, and need no modding.
If you want a IPS LED LCD, these come out from every SXGA+ or UXGA in T60 and T60p straight ahead, but need a LED-strip from Monty and quite some work. These are way brighter than CCFL.
If you want a AFFS LED LCD, these must be hunted along with proper inverter and cable (see RBS website again), need modding. This is the most glorious screen, albeit very difficult to source (and expensive). I do have one, and seroiusly consider hunting for another one just-in-case. This one is not as bright as the daylight-kit modded IPS. However, 4/15 notch of brightness is enough for me.

So this will generate most of the cost, and is the main reason we are all frankenpadding: IPS 4:3 screen.

As for the rest, you could either go R61-way (no hardware modding except for screen swap, limitted to Intel board only, pretty difficult to source in the US, offers both touchpad and no-touchpad palmrest) or T601 (needs frame and fan modding, difficult to source in a good shape, but offers intel, nvs140m and fx570m options; palmrests with touchpad only).

I personally find R61i easiest and cheapest to build, while having superb build quality and being extra rugged.
$200 is the price to start with any reasonable frankenpad I guess. May be a bit more or less, but this is somewhere around a minimum that needs to be paid for a complete unit.
Too many thinkpads not enough time!
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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#29 Post by wujstefan » Fri Mar 09, 2018 9:54 am

Thinkpad4by3 wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:48 am
Now you need an SSD, an OS of choice, and some spare time. A Frankenpadder cpuld probably get you the whole thing for close to 1K for a nice spec'd unit. Also, remember. You are getting a 10 year old machine. Consider a W500. It comes preassembled, cost a 1/10th the price, uses cheap DDR3 ram, and can come with faster CPUs, no GPU failure risk, and a 1920x1200* display that while TN, fricken ROCKS. Beats the IPS display in both my X220 and X230 by a significant margin. I always feel right at home with a W500.
Hold on cowboy. I'll have my argue here. I have more than a dozen W500 that failed with dead mobos, USB failures or burnt graphics, and these are only the most common issues. Not to mention comparing any display from W500 to any 4:3 IPS is a poor joke (don't feel offended, this is just my point of view after years on Flexviews and Dreamcolors). WUXGAs in W500 are dim. Too dim for any use really, T61p WUXGA screen is way better. Keyboard is a sheer junk compared to T6x era. Difference between T500 and W500 is the RAM size of GPU only. Oh, and if you can source a W500 for $100 fully specced and asembled, I'd happily buy 10. Or 20.

W500 is one-and-a-half year younger only ;)

And for 1k I'm willing to sell my frankie any time - and it's _ABSOLUTE MAXIMMUM_ you can get with Penrn-revised fx570m board, LED AFFS, 8 gigs and X9100/FSB-Mod.

$200 is a good start, any more budget just builds the thing up better. The last one in the forums' marketplace sold with 175Euros, and not a grand.
Too many thinkpads not enough time!
(stable under reduction)

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Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

#30 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Fri Mar 09, 2018 10:23 am

My T500 is still running fine and I like it. I'm not a frankenpad expert :oops: .
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

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