Thinkpad you've never had?

[Medessec]

What Thinkpad do you think you really should have had at one point that you still have never gotten your hands on?

You can look at this any way you want-if you're a big collector, you can mention some obscure model you've missed. If you're not a collector, or if you use new Thinkpads, you can mention one you like or you've seen, but didn't get or have never had.

I personally think the one Thinkpad I've missed out on having(that I really shouldn't) is the 600.

[Tasurinchi]

Too many to count...

My latest regret was not bidding for an X32 that was auctioned in a local "Ebay alike". I was being too stingy

[dr_st]

I still want an X220, but a very particular configuration. Since they are still pricy, and I have no real need for it at the moment, I'm holding myself and not buying.

[Puppy]

X60/X61 with SXGA+ AFFS display mod

[Medessec]

^^ ajkula mentioned this in another topic awhile back:

An ideal travel machine: a X24 frame housing a X60T SXGA+ panel (with no digitizer) and motherboard...with a battery life of a Panasonic CF-W8...

I remember it-because I agree, I'd really want something of that sort. I can see several problems with actually executing such a project, but it doesn't stop me from thinking about the finished product

X32s are amazing-especially when they're kept in nice condition. I really liked the one I had.

I still want an X220, but a very particular configuration. Since they are still pricy, and I have no real need for it at the moment, I'm holding myself and not buying.

I guess it's a lot of the smaller (X-series) Thinkpads that are generally overlooked...

[emeraldgirl08]

I would love a T520 w/FHD (16:9 however I hear great things about the FHD panel!) and an X60T w/SXGA.

I prefer high resolution screens and prefer a more tall-stature (16:10 and 4:3) compared to the squat, flat, and sticky-floor cinema variety that is 16:9

[Cola]

W701ds and X201..

[DaKKS]

^I've got a X201 i can consider parting with. PM if you're interested.


I'm not a collector, but I've always wanted a 701 and a Transnote. There's just something about that weird keyboard. 701's are impossible to fine over here (and US shipping is a killer) and a Transnote costs more than what my daily driver is worth....

[ajkula66]

Let me see...off the top of my head...:

240Z or i Series 1124 (10.4 XGA + P3)

770Z with SXGA panel.

W70* with a WUXGA.

G50 in any shape/form.

Might come up with something else later...

[Fixed_Rider]

X60/X61 with SXGA+ AFFS display mod

+1...... and maybe shoehorn an different mobo with a bit more horsepower.

[lead_org]

Pretty much got all the new thinkpad that i really wanted. Happiest was when i got the W701ds.

[Cigarguy]

+1...... and maybe shoehorn an different mobo with a bit more horsepower.

This is getting easier/closer. Around where I live companies get rid of their old laptop in cycles. Lots of X60 and X61 tablet floating around. So A X61 Tablet body with bad screen for $100, $50 for prestine condition X60 T screen. Couple hours of of elbow grease to clean, reseat and new TIM on CPU. While everything is apart install X60T screen assembly onto X61T base. Upgraded RAM to 4 GB and a SSD. Viola! Works perfect.

My wishlist is X220 Tablet and W520. Sadly there's nothing of the newer Thinkpads that I really want.

[pianowizard]

My latest regret was not bidding for an X32 that was auctioned in a local "Ebay alike".

You aren't missing much. I have an X31 that I use exclusively at work, and it is ugly, too heavy to be considered "ultraportable", and doesn't feel as high-quality as the X4* or X2*. Of the ~40 different models of Thinkpads I have owned, I like the X31 the least. I dislike it so much that I don't even list it in my signature.

770Z with SXGA panel.
G50 in any shape/form.

The 770Z with its unique 5:4 SXGA was high on my wishlist as well, although after getting my current Dell Inspiron 7500 (which has 15.4" SXGA), I haven't craved for the 770Z as much. But I would still love to play with a 15.0" SXGA+ G50. The 15.0" SXGA+ G41 was a joy to have.

[ajkula66]

This is getting easier/closer. Around where I live companies get rid of their old laptop in cycles. Lots of X60 and X61 tablet floating around. So A X61 Tablet body with bad screen for $100, $50 for prestine condition X60 T screen. Couple hours of of elbow grease to clean, reseat and new TIM on CPU. While everything is apart install X60T screen assembly onto X61T base. Upgraded RAM to 4 GB and a SSD. Viola! Works perfect.

Not really...

What Puppy and the rest of the crew are referring to is a custom build pioneered by erik, which involves a standard X6x unit with a panel from X60 tablet with the touch portion of it removed...throw in modded BIOS and a custom LCD cable for a good measure... ...not for the faint at heart...

[Cigarguy]

^^^ Oh OK thanks for the clarification. That would be a LOT of work!

I'm lazy, it's easier to swap screen assemblies. Sxga+ screen do not have touch capabilities anyways which as a good thing as touch capability on non-capacitative touchscreens are pretty much useless.

[fleming164]

I'd love a QXGA T60, don't quite know whether I'd be able to manage with the resolution, but it'd be great to try out!

[Tasurinchi]

You aren't missing much

I think I do

and it is ugly, too heavy to be considered "ultraportable"

I have two X31's and I really like them. I agree the X4x series is better, but still I regret havent' bidding for the X32 mentioned above.

[ajkula66]

I'd love a QXGA T60, don't quite know whether I'd be able to manage with the resolution, but it'd be great to try out!

Unless your eyesight is downright spectacular, you wouldn't enjoy it.

Also, these panels are somewhat dim when compared to their UXGA siblings.

[Puppy]

I like the X31 the least. I dislike it so much that I don't even list it in my signature.

I bought X31 refurb five years ago just for fun. Except the horrible display, I really like it. It has the best notebook keyboard I've ever had (size, layout, colors, feel), it is silent and sturdy. Actually I like it more than X220 but I need up-to-date hardware to run virtualized OSes and Visual Studio 2010/2012.

[Medessec]

I like the X31 the least. I dislike it so much that I don't even list it in my signature.

Well... my only experience with the X3* was with an X32, which appeared to be very well kept and ran nicely despite it being a recycler pick. It was wicked quick with XP on it... and Halo and a few other nice old games ran on it, and the battery life was spectacular. I loved using that thing a lot.

I'd love a QXGA T60, don't quite know whether I'd be able to manage with the resolution, but it'd be great to try out!

Unless your eyesight is downright spectacular, you wouldn't enjoy it.

I'll have to try a QXGA panel if I ever get around to it. I've used a WUXGA 15" screen, and that wasn't half bad. I also tended to annoy my dad (back when I used his desktop computer) by switching the resolution up to a very high one that he couldn't cope with.

[fleming164]

Unless your eyesight is downright spectacular, you wouldn't enjoy it.

Also, these panels are somewhat dim when compared to their UXGA siblings.

I'll just stick to my newly acquired A31p then

[pianowizard]

I'll have to try a QXGA panel if I ever get around to it. I've used a WUXGA 15" screen, and that wasn't half bad.

The difference is night-and-day, really. I had several Thinkpads with 15.0" QXGA, which I liked to brag about but in reality I hated how the 171 DPI made things look so absurdly small. But I also had several non-Thinkpads with 15.4" WUXGA, and I thought their 147 DPI was the best balance between real estate and viewing comfort. IMO, 150±5 DPI is the sweet spot for laptops running Windows.

To get a taste of 171 DPI, spend a day or two (not just a couple minutes) using the Sony Z Series with 13.1" 1080p, whose pixel density is 168 DPI.

[Unknown_K]

T23 with built in Wifi, 770 with the 1280x1024 screen, A30P, G40 series, maybe an X30. My collection is pretty decent and a T60 is next on my list when I can find one cheap enough.

[jdk]

14" T42 SXGA+.

Nothing really special. My first experience around Thinkpads was 5-6 years ago, using T42 series in military training. The machine was so well-built compared to anything on the market. In Iraq, we used 14" T42s for tracking purposes, and I loved the resolution. I couldn't afford the T42, but I got an XGA T41 on eBay. The next year, I got a 15" T42 for nearly $400, but it was too big for my tastes so I sold it at a loss after swapping out the motherboard (GPU failure) and I was done with the T4x series.

I guess the next best thing would be a T60, but it wouldn't be the same without the grey keys and red mouse buttons.

I would have liked a X32 as well. I loved the look of the X30-series machines with the notch in the corner. They seemed so strong for an ultraportable, and the keyboard on my X30 was the best Thinkpad keyboard ever until the X120e.

[Medessec]

Another thing I've noticed is that a nice X32 is very hard to come across... the X31 and X30s are far more common.

It is a bit irritating for if I want another one...

[ajkula66]

Another thing I've noticed is that a nice X32 is very hard to come across... the X31 and X30s are far more common.

It is a bit irritating for if I want another one...

They were always rare, and quite pricey when new. Kept their value as s/h units very well for a looooooong time...

X32 is an "end-of-life" baby for the 400MHz PM generation...and had a far shorter lifespan than X30 or X31.

There's a forum member who modded his X32 with a SXGA+ panel from X60T...almost bought it from him a couple of years ago...talk about a rare bird...

[Medessec]

X32 is an "end-of-life" baby for the 400MHz PM generation...

Gah... I probably should've kept mine or sold it on here . The guy I sold it to on ebay paid quite a bit more than I had posted though, so I'm a bit certain whoever it went to will take care of it.

I would like to try out an X32 SXGA+ mod, but only on one of the cooler, 1.7 or 1.8 GHz models.

[Tasurinchi]

Yep, those babies are expensive. Specially the 2.0Ghz Model. That's why I'm [censored] off I was too stingy when I had the chance to bid on one

[pianowizard]

Specially the 2.0Ghz Model.

I have one (2885-K4U) with blown fuses. It wouldn't charge the battery or light up the screen, but I did use it for a while on AC and with a desktop monitor connected. Then I bought an X31 with no RAM, HDD, HDD cover or charger, so I moved these from the X32 and now the X32 is just collecting dust.

[t140568]

W701ds - I don't say that lightly either, I'd love to have a Wacom digitizer built in, and the second screen seems like it would work quite nicely for all my GIMP dockable dialogs - freeing up valuable real estate on the main WUXGA panel. ...Drools....
I wish I bought a 600X instead of the 600E, but at the time it was what I could afford. Man, I loved that 600E!
Right now, I'd love to get my hands on an X61 with a nice screen.
And, since we're talking about wishes here, how about that Reserve Edition X61s? - of course, under no circumstance would I want to pay the pricetag, but I still love that attached case/cover.
The 240Z has caught my eye a time or two as well.
And, finally, the Z61t as it would be neat to see that titanium lid in person.

And, while it would be nice to have all these just show up on my doorstep one day, I'd find it more enjoyable piecing them together over time.