How many ThinkPads is too many?!

[SteveCoops]

Can you have too many?

Just acquired my latest addition - 360CSE

360CSE - 486 DX/2 50, 8MB RAM, 170MB HDD, PC DOS 6.30 + Windows 3.1
770 - Pentium 233 MMX, 192MB RAM, 4GB HDD - Windows 2000
X41 - Pentium M 1.6GHz, 2.5GB RAM, 60GB HDD - Windows 7
X200 - Core2Duo 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD - Windows 10
E320 - Core i3-2310M 2.1GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD - Windows 10
T430i - Core i3-3120M 2.5GHz, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD - Windows 10
X220 - Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD (Not pictured) - Windows 10
X260 - Core i7-4600U, 8GB RAM, 250GB SSD (not pictured) - Windows 10

Oh and I can't forget the PS/2 P70 - 386 DX 20 (with 387 CoPro), 8MB RAM, 120MB HDD - MS DOS 6.20 + Windows 3.1 (Well it's a ThinkPad predecessor!)

Some photos I just took:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN ... NHWnFJS2F3

They're all still working (the PS/2 getting a bit temperamental in its old age!) The X200 is probably my favourite - that was very heavily used and abused for a good few years and never missed a beat (only replaced the battery). The X220 is now donated to my brother and the X260 is my desktop at work. The Edge series E320 is horrible and doesn't justify the ThinkPad badge in my opinion.

Cheers,
Steve

[Neil]

I think I have about 20 of 'em. That's too many!

[Thinkpad4by3]

I think I have about 20 of 'em. That's too many!

32. Beat that . You betrayed us TFT screen people with that putrid STN screen . Those machines are cool no matter what screen type!

[mbr12]

Two.

[kfzhu1229]

Well at one point I have 12 ThinkPads. The collection includes:
770ED (now dead, pwr board failure)
600
390X (sold to a forum member in Toronto)
T22
T23
A30p
A31p
T42 (sold just recently to another forum member)
2x T43
T43p
T530i
Now I am starting to sell the ones that I don't use often away. I still have 10 of them on hand and I certainly don't need all 10 of them.
I will probably end up selling one of the T43 and a T22 as those are the things that I clearly don't need. T22 came from a high school and T43 came from the T41p parts with dead mobo that I salvaged for $10 and dropped in a spare mobo.

[jaspen-meyer]

I think I have about 20 of 'em. That's too many!

32. Beat that :D .

I've got 32 at my summer house.

When you start misplacing them, and can't find the machine you're looking for, you (may) have too many.

[evening_hunger]

Two.

Agreed, two is too many. Keeping it at one requires no less effort:)

[TheAuldMan76]

50 plus IMHO.

[MikalE]

I tend not to keep something or buy something I'm not going to use. I don't want it if I'm not going to use it.

To answer the question, I only have four, but each has a purpose and all are used regularly.

[shawross]

I believe it is not how many you own but how much it costs you to keep this hobby going. Also it should depend on what you can afford.

Obviously this will vary because everyone is different. If you are spending around $200 per year you are OK but if you are spending $500 per year you might need to reassess your purchases or sell some of your hardware. YMMV

[rkawakami]

When you start misplacing them, and can't find the machine you're looking for, you (may DO) have too many.

Three or four, if you ask my wife .

(See .sig below. I'd guess that a little bit more than half of the different models listed I have multiples of; most working, some not. My notes say that I have purchased 58 T23 systems over the years [don't have that many on hand any more]. I think RBS beats me.)

[Thinkpad4by3]

When you start misplacing them, and can't find the machine you're looking for, you (may DO) have too many.

Three or four, if you ask my wife .

(See .sig below. I'd guess that a little bit more than half of the different models listed I have multiples of; most working, some not. My notes say that I have purchased 58 T23 systems over the years [don't have that many on hand any more]. I think RBS beats me.)

Add a gigabit network card to each, get one ig power stip and you can make a super computer.
Pentium 174?

[beko1987]

I have a fair few now!

240 (£3!)
T40 mongrel (getting on for £60 now, £15 purchase price but I've splurged out on upgrades, new main board etc... oops)
T400 (cobbled together using bits of a scrap T61, cost so far about £2)
X60t (awaiting parts to repair) (£20 cost of the machine, to be offset by selling the 2 other laptops that came with it, another £20 in parts)
T420i (in the post, cost me just £5 postage!)
Will have some form of T42/T43 mongrel too, that's what's left in my job lot box still if they work, cost £unknown atm
Been promised a T23 when the chap finds it too for postage

Not sure how that's happened tbh... ah well!

[RealBlackStuff]

My notes say that I have purchased 58 T23 systems over the years [don't have that many on hand any more]. I think RBS beats me.)

Nope, you win!
I 'only' bought 38 T23 machines, still have 4 left, which I use for SVP removal.
Overall I have piled up about 40 Thinkpads, oldest T23, newest X240s.
12 of them are X-series.

[madicetea]

Too many, or not enough.

Meh. Same side of an easy-to-flip coin.

[wujstefan]

Phew... over 80 units, of which:
- 3 in my daily use (T70, T601p, X61)
- 7 in my family daily use (R61 and T500)
- 6 (Z60t, T43, G41, T43, A30, R61i) in occasional use
- 4 for certain purpose (X32 connected to my car, W500 to my 3d printer, T40 is playing music in my garage, X61s is awaiting its tasks with central camera)
- 10 just to make joy to my eye (some R5x, R3x, T2x, 380E, 701C etc.)
- 12 projects waiting for "me-time" (mostly Z-series that I felt in love with, but also 570, 600e, X21, A22e, A30)
- 23 already assembled for local school; another 27 needed or on their way
- the rest is in there if I need some parts; 80% T6x, 10% T400, 10% rest. Thats generally why asking for a "silly part" generates a positive response on most occasions

Is it too much? YES. I need to cut one from my daily use, finish the school project, pack up some units I do not need and hand them to another fellow thinkpadder. My garage/workshop is already too narrow.

[FryPpy]

When you start misplacing them, and can't find the machine you're looking for, you (may) have too many.

+1.

50 plus IMHO.

But my disease is still progressing and black boxes still growing in number:(

Right now i have about 10 lying on tables and involved in projects and i turns them on a weekly basis. Others are placed on book shelf and i can find anyone with closed eyes. Some are parts in drawer. Some are have gone to friends or family.

Add a gigabit network card to each, get one ig power stip and you can make a super computer.
Pentium 174?

Or build cryptofarm and mine some crypto coins;) Have tested W530 vs T440p on mining and they works on par.

So it's 4 keep - 4 eventually let go for now.
I'm also fighting some urges to get some other more rare pieces, but who knows - maybe with more money I'll get others like more PowerPCs and other nice things. And maybe I'll eventually invest in a W70xds. Just maybe.

And you'll find more and more interesting ThinkPads to acquire... S31, X301, Anniversary editions or may be tablet-like thinkpads (tablet / helix), or space traveller T61 or A31, transnote, T30 (R40) for that cut corner, Z6x with Ti lid, G41 or G50, 600x with speed step, or Yoga and so on...
The main problem is storage space;)

[wujstefan]

The main problem is storage space;)

I'd be closer to $torage $pace.

[madicetea]

The main problem is storage space;)

I'd be closer to $torage $pace.

Well, in any small country as mine - space is money after all

[kfzhu1229]

The main problem is storage space;)

Another problem would be that you have to constantly spend time to maintain all of your computers, do a power on test and recharge the battery and stuff like tat. Also, the more computers you have, the more often that things break and you have to buy replacement parts contantly, unless you decide to give up on them.

[FryPpy]

The main problem is storage space;)

Another problem would be that you have to constantly spend time to maintain all of your computers, do a power on test and recharge the battery and stuff like tat. Also, the more computers you have, the more often that things break and you have to buy replacement parts contantly, unless you decide to give up on them.

+1. Common Thinkpads are not tend to break (in my hands).
But T2x. Many times i trys to get good specimen for collection (and some retrogaming too;) and every time it ends with BOD;( One time tried to resolder ADP3421 and MAX 1632 and no luck..... and decided to give up on them;)
Batteries - yes it is hard thing. Even if stored outside of ThinkPads they discharge and worse it makes backup batteries (yellow coin) to discharge fast. But not all so bad. Now i am waiting for replacement cells and try to recell 560X battery. There is topic here about recelling (T/X)6x batteries. But this activity eats some free time.

[fcgarcia]

I have used at work and owned many ThinkPads from the 300, 600, 700, T and X series. But I also owned and wish I still had them the TP 700, 700C, 720C - microchannel ThinkPads. I was jigging when I got my 720C with the whopping 120MB drive. No cables, no tools needed to get inside and play with the insides.

Need to get a "way back" machine so I can find them.

[TonyJZX]

I think I have about a dozen Thinkpads all working (last time I checked), earliest being a T20 and the latest being a T420/420s... I dont have nothing newer, nor do I really want one newer.

I probably have about a 2 dozen laptops inc. other brands like HP Dell.

I have this odd thing where I used a particular laptop for a company I was consulting for and when that contract ends I dont re-use that laptop for a 2nd contract.

I was using a T23 for this company I worked for 10yrs ago and all the info is still on the HDD and I never touched it again, its in my garage somewhere.

[shawross]

I dont have nothing newer, nor do I really want one newer.

Precisely how I feel although my latest is an X220 of which I have two to cover any hardware failures.

I suppose there are some good Thinkpads which are newer but they just don't do it for me.

[TonyJZX]

I just dont feel a huge need to own a T430 or anything like that... I feel like their decisions have made their newer models just less desirable for me... maybe its because I've worked in companies where they all have X1 carbons and I look ad these and go... nah.. while I was banging away on my 420s I was using instead.

I do however have gravitated towards the competiton... I do like my Dell 7440 which is FHD and has an 'ok' keyboard and is otherwise a neat machine... I find the design of this good enough that I paid for an exlease and fixed it up rather than tip similar money into a 430/440 etc.

Sorry Lenovo, your modern design has pushed me into Elitebooks and Latitudes.

They wont care anyway since I get all my stuff ex lease and the companies I work for still use X1 carbons!

I even gave my X1 carbon back and just have it sitting on my work desk as a image mule.

[shawross]

I do like my Dell 7440 which is FHD and has an 'ok' keyboard and is otherwise a neat machine...

What are the pointing sticks like and how do they compare to a Trackpoint? From pictures the pointing stick keys are flat. I like many here solely use the Trackpoint and the keyboard in general keeps me using Thinkpads.

[TonyJZX]

Both Dell Latitudes and HP Elitebooks pay lip service to the trackpoint device.

However I used to be a strong proponent of the touchpad and nipples on these laptops but my habits have changed... I am largely deskbound so I'm tetherred to power and an external mouse.

I did 'get used' to the Dell HP trackpoint devices say 10yrs back but they were never ideal and I only used them in a pinch...ie. stuck in a server room with no mouse.

I Believe the current Latitudes and Elitebooks do not even have a trackpoint.

[wujstefan]

Elitebook pointsticks were interchangeable with Thinkpad up to Elitebook 8x60 series, they were very good albeit non-interchangeable in 8x70 series, and are sheer junk starting with Zbook - series.

As for Dell, I've only put my hands on M6600, M6700 and M6800 series, and all were useless.

[TonyJZX]

The sectors I work in if its not a Thinkpad T/X its Dell Latitude or a HP Elitebook or maybe a Probook if the company is poor... also you see E450s and whatnot too.

For my uses these are all fine, I have a few models of each and unfortunately I use them a bit like DTRs... I'm a desk I'm plugged in, I have an external mouse but I use the laptop screen and kbd... this is typical of a desktop you have to provide yourself.

If its an extended work period then I borrow a 104 kbd.

This makes my usage fairly non typical I guess.

I think the worst indicator of having too many laptops is that they tend to disappear and you dont miss them until they turn up again.

I lose my T420s my X series my HP2570s etc. all the slim light things. My 420s disappeared under a pile of books and A4 paper for weeks on end. My X201 tablet got wedged under one of my car's front seats.

I never lose the big 14" plus units.

[Yukikaze]

When each PC takes 1 year to take out of the shelf and power on!