IBM 850, PowerPC ThinkPad sold for over $1000!

[Saucey]

So I've been seeing if I could get a ThinkPad 800 series, and well, I was watching it incase if it's at a reasonable price.
eBay Link, as you can see, it was about $1000 a day or two before it was ending!


I wasn't expecting it to be that much, given that Transnotes go for $140 to $400.
But it was in excellent condition. I guess I'll be happy with my iBook G4, won't get a PowerPC ThinkPad for awhile.
Looks like it came with AIX, which I thought would be neat, though I wouldn't know how to use it.
Heck I wonder how much it weighs.

So which one of you maestros bought it?
800 series are much a rarer breed to see on eBay, but maybe because some sellers list them as 'Power Series' as PowerPC usually shows Apple machines or a few IBM servers.

[FryPpy]

So I've been seeing if I could get a ThinkPad 800 series, and well, I was watching it incase if it's at a reasonable price.
, as you can see, it was about $1000 a day or two before it was ending!

Wow $)
Sometimes i have asked ebay about 8x0 series? but i have asked with query "Thinkpad 820".... and ebay answered nothing

BTW - a week ago i have found ebay auction for A31 (may be p) with strange red stickers - "not flight unit" and green russian letters... And seller described it as a A31 from NASA project which was made for Huston to service space flights on Earth. I have lost link and don't know what was the end but starting price was $230 for a piece of great history of space challenge.

[ilakast]

In the UK one sold for £400 recently http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IBM-Thinkpad- ... 1400025198

[Hierax_ca]

BTW - a week ago i have found ebay auction for A31 (may be p) with strange red stickers - "not flight unit" and green russian letters... And seller described it as a A31 from NASA project which was made for Huston to service space flights on Earth. I have lost link and don't know what was the end but starting price was $230 for a piece of great history of space challenge.

FWIW, The NASA/Russian A31p went for $149.99, the starting price, I was the only bidder; I was having a hell of a time finding another functioning A31p but getting an unusual one with a NASA connection is extra cool!

As cool as the 850 PPC would have been to get, especially at the $199 opening, in the end it was waaay to rich for my blood.

[Saucey]

I saw that A31p Hierax_ca and FryPpy were talking about.
Looked great, I did want but well, out of my budget for now.
I wonder what modifications it went through for NASA...

Thank you ilakast for sharing that 850 link.
Boy those go for a pretty penny, I was hoping it would be under the obscure/not necessarily wanted pricing, but it seems I am not the only one who wants it.
But boy, those things are pricey when they first came out! $12,000?! I've heard their options could fetch up to 10K
Very cool stuff in that machine, like eating caviar when opening it up.

[Norway Pad]

FWIW, The NASA/Russian A31p went for $149.99, the starting price, I was the only bidder; I was having a hell of a time finding another functioning A31p but getting an unusual one with a NASA connection is extra cool!

So you bought it? In that case, nice find. Interesting piece of history. Feel free to post a picture of it. May I guess that the original HDD was missing?

I have been wanting a 800-series too, but I see now that these are a little bit beyond what I'm willing to pay, even for a collectible Thinkpad.

[FryPpy]

FWIW, The NASA/Russian A31p went for $149.99, the starting price, I was the only bidder;

Congratulations! May be i have forgot / messed up with prices (added shipping price).

Feel free to post a picture of it.

+100500 please post couple of photos on this forum for other Thinkpadders. And make photo of unusual A31p things in this one. I have seen photos on that auction but i didn't seen other A31p to undersood what it have unusual.

PS
I want to take this one, but thought that i got enought presents to my New Year.

PPS
I feel that this topic echoes "Anyone still collecting ThinkPads?" topic. This both topic about collecting, unique and Thinkpad brotherhood.

[Unknown_K]

Even if you find a working 8x0 series you have the issues of needing a special equally rare 2.5" SCSI hard drive.

Lots of cash just to be able to run AIX on a low resolution screen.

[Hierax_ca]

Since there is interest, I'll post details after the A31p-R arrives, currently leaving Houston and has a long trip to Canada, so likely sometime in the NewYear...

As for the 800-series of PowerPC Thinkpads, what sort of software could/would you use on such a beast?

[rkawakami]

PMFJI, but here's my post about ex-NASA A31p I bought a couple of years ago (Feb 2012): http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 03#p675803

@Hierax_ca: Mine cost $199 so you got a good deal (not including shipping maybe). I think it came without a hard drive. Unit has since been decommissioned by me due to a failed backlight.

[wavemux]

Wow! Maybe it's time to let mine go! I have a new-in-box Thinkpad 850 that has been used once (just to install AIX and poke around).

http://s817.photobucket.com/user/statmu ... 0850%20PPC

[mnowell69]

Fantastic

[Summilux]

Wow! Maybe it's time to let mine go! I have a new-in-box Thinkpad 850 that has been used once (just to install AIX and poke around).

http://s817.photobucket.com/user/statmu ... 0850%20PPC

An absolutely new 850 and its complete box? You should keep it preciously!

[automobus]

I wonder, do those NASA Edition ThinkPads have customised firmware, or the same general market firmware?

One feature bothers me: firmware (a.k.a. BIOS) password. Today's ThinkPads are packed with antifeatures. The firmware password is one of few ThinkPad antifeatures from before year 2000. I can imagine, if NASA considered it treacherous, then IBM would omit it from systems for NASA. But then I think, if NASA used Microsoft Windows in space, then maybe they accepted 'brickable' notebook.

[Hierax_ca]

My A31p NASA was delivered today (not bad for international shipping over the holiday season) ... and it works great! One of the best models of Thinkpads over the entire history of the line!

2653-NU4 03/04 (April 2003? March 2004?): 15" 1600x1200, P4m 2 GHz, 1GB RAM (I'll upgrade to 2GB), ~40GB HDD (I'll upgrade to 100GB or maybe even 320GB), 2 Ultrabays! Battery and CD, BIOS 1.09, WinXP SP3. FN key is a bit sticky but it works (I've got an A30 for parts I could probably use the keyboard for but I'll keep the unusual Russian one), speakers are coming in clearly for me so far, no distortion as mentioned in the auction. I can share all the UltraBay options with my other A31p (Zip, SuperDisk, HDD, etc.). It has an IBM pre-load, sorry, No super-special NASA secrets, Area 51 evidence or anything like that, just the stickers and the intangible history which I'm quite happy with it!

NASA acquisition price $2,639, my price $149+Ship, so ~95%+ discount!

Overall, another solid working classic computer for my collection with some space history as a bonus!

p.s., I can't seem to upload/attach pictures through this message board software but I'll get some uploaded online sometime and link to them, but they will be very much as seen in the auction: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/131381883312

MOD Edit: please check the Forum Rules, especially Section 5! http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=14339

(picture link removed, sorry)

[ilakast]

Stumbled upon one's for sale: eBay item number: 251788089111 (not affiliated!)

[Khipata]

I just won IBM Power PC Thinkpad 820 Type 6040-966 on feebay and am very excited
It was listed as "not tested, as is" but what the heck, looks good from outside and I always wonted one
Will let you know details when it arrives

P.S. From the same seller, several seconds apart I aslo won Z50, which I already have but price was irresistible. Z50 is one with Windows CE on it

[Medessec]

The 800 series have always looked like very interesting machines... will have to see how desirable they get as time goes on. They do seem like pretty extraordinary pieces of tech in the line of 90s laptops.