If you were allowed to collect just one Thinkpad, which one?

[pianowizard]

Yep, you can name just one model. I am asking strictly about collecting, not using, though you are allowed to actually use this collectible Thinkpad. It can be a model that you already have, or used to have, or have never had. You should also feel free to mod it.

As much as I am proud to have owned the rarest Thinkpad ever (the i Series 1124 -- see http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=91264 ), I think I would opt for its more conventional-looking twin, the 240Z. I would want one with the best specs available, meaning the 2609-82J which has 1024x768 resolution, 600MHz Pentium III, integrated Ethernet port, 256MB RAM, and a Windows 2000 COA sticker. However, I would opt for the 3-cell battery because I hate batteries that stick out, and I would swap out the Japanese/English keyboard with a U.S. keyboard from a 240 or 240X. I would also try to use an SSD, not to enhance performance but to minimize the laptop's weight. My rationale for picking the 240Z is that it's extremely rare (rarer than the S30), very cute (MUCH prettier than the S30!), and fairly unique (there weren't many 10.4" XGA laptops), and yet it still looks like a classic Thinkpad. The silver gray exterior of the i Series 1124 makes it look not so classic.

Now, your turn!

[ajkula66]

Now, your turn!

I'm not expecting to surprise anyone with my answer...

A31p

[brchan]

701c

[Dekks]

S30 - the piano black finish

[Medessec]

You have me pretty horribly split between my X60T, Frankenpad, and my W700ds... but geez. If I had to have only one:

W700ds

It's a do-it-all Thinkpad, the largest one ever made. Can house the most "computer stuff", and it's the graphic artist's ultimate dream laptop. The ridiculous size will keep others away from it, but it doesn't bother me at all. The one thing that will bother me is the drawing tablet- I would much rather draw on my X60T, so I can look at where my hand's drawing. I can't do the silly non-screen tablet thing that other graphic artists are capable of. But everyone else seems to do ok with it, so in a dire emergency(forced on threat of my life to only have a W700ds), I would learn the skill.

[Khipata]

700C

[JaneL]

X301 as the perfect successor to the perfect 600X.

[emeraldgirl08]

Wow people are picking classics! I have a fondness for the T500. The T500 I sold this past summer performed very well in many tasks I subjected it to. The keyboard was great. Maintenance was not too problematic (thanks to easy internal access). The 2503 Advanced Dock+video card pairing worked surprisingly decent with the T500. Sound was fairly good from the internal speakers. The screen was good for a TN panel- not great but resolution, brightness, and matte finish was good. Just a pleasant all-around experience for me! If collected I would pick a T500 and do an upgrade in: RAM, SSD, HDD (in the optical bay), Wifi card (more recent), Sharp panel (which I hear is very good), and lastly reinforce that weak area of the frame to reduce any possibility of frame breakage. Not a perfect Thinkpad but a darn good one in my opinion!

[Saucey]

Hard to say for me to pick one, as my X61T is my daily, and the other ones are basically not used much, but for strictly collecting, non-use, need that one in excellent condition, but still buying others for parts and extras...

I think the 755 would be the one for me. It's just a cool machine in my eyes, I find its keyboard great to type on, the best so far in feel and just in the laptop's form factor.
*A31 and X300 come second to it.
The 755CE I have doesn't work, sounds like it boots but no video, yet I think I misplaced a part when tearing it open due to curiosity changing the power input.
It is similar to the 365XD, which has a great keyboard as well though that machine is newer but doesn't have same build quality like the 755.
I think the machine is neat, I think one of the 755 models was the first laptop with an integrated CD-ROM drive.
Then you have the 755CV/CDV with a removable LCD lid so it can go to the projector.
Definately one I'd like to have someday!
Oh and an extra two 755's for some modding fun, perhaps one day I'll be able to retrofit a chromebook or tablet onto it with a keyboard as well.

[GomJabbar]

As a museum piece, the 701c hands down!

Edited superfluous content by choice.

[pianowizard]

701c

As a museum piece, the 701c hands down!

Ah, the "Butterfly" that almost everyone wants. For some reason, I have never wanted one.

S30 - the piano black finish

Another highly sought after Thinkpad, which has a "pseudo-butterfly" keyboard. Sadly, it looks much nicer in photos than in person. Disgusted by its looks, I kept mine for only several days!

700C

Wow, one of the first three Thinkpads, and the first Thinkpad with a color display!

[600X]

This is a really tough one. However, I can essentially narrow it down to 3 models that mean a lot to me for various reasons. The 600X, the X301 and the X1. The 600X was my first ThinkPad and arguably had the biggest impact on me. I get nostalgic feelings every time I see it. I also have very happy and joyful memories of my time with it, which is something I can rarely ever claim. The only other ThinkPad that I share similar happy memories with is my old X220i, which I didn't even like at the time.

The X301 is pretty much my dream ThinkPad. It offers almost all the qualities I look for in a notebook. When a cheap offer appeared on ebay I couldn't resist, and got myself one. From then on, it became my favorite ThinkPad, and could only be matched by the 600X or X1.

The X1 was love at first sight. Back when I was looking for a ThinkPad to replace my 600X, I came across the X1 and have wanted one ever since. However, it was very expensive back then, which is why I got myself a X220i instead. But I never forgot about the X1 and when I finally did get myself one, it was everything I had hoped it would be. It truly amazed me in the same way the 600X and X301 did.

The one thing they have in common is that they all embody the perfect notebook to me. It's really hard to choose just one of them, but if I had to, it would, after much consideration, come down to the 600X. I guess nostalgia always gets the best of me. But it's not just that, I think anyone here will agree with me when I say that the 600X is one of the most amazing ThinkPads ever constructed. It's truly special, and I'd be more than happy to choose the 600X to fill my single collectors space.

[Norway Pad]

That's a hard one. I guess I have to put this in two categories: 'Purely collectible and not usable', and 'Collectible but to some extent usable'.

For the first category, I guess the 701C comes in as a first. I eventually found my long sought after mint 701C for the shelf, and there it will stay. For the second category, I think I will put a 600, preferably the most capable of them, the 600X.

If I had to choose between these two, I would have picked the 600X. Simply because I would have liked to be able to actually use my one single Thinkpad.

[GomJabbar]

My first ThinkPad was my first laptop. I bought a used 600E from a local used computer store. Great laptop, and I really loved it at the time. I think its a great piece of work, but now long-in-the-tooth hardware wise.

I still have my 600E and AFAIK it still works. I don't believe there is an OS installed on it atm. I kind of lost interest in it when all the more modern software seemed to run so slow on it. I have been thinking about putting some version of Linux on it, but just haven't had the spare time to play with it.

While the 600E is a great laptop, it's not unique enough for me to think of it as a collector's item (then again, I am not a collector). The 701c is definitely unique, but I've never owned one. I've only owned the 600E, a T42, and an X220.

[brchan]

The 600X would have been my second choice, Probably the most all-around durable, reliable, and ergonomic thinkpad in thinkpad history. Using Windows with modern browsers will indeed be unusable. However, I have found that wary puppy linux + Dillo browser + gtk-youtube-viewer makes this machine VERY usable again. Most websites render properly enough (and virtually instantly!), but for those that don't, there is always the built in seamonkey browser, which has tolerable performance.

[tfflivemb2]

While the 600 series remains my favorite, because it introduced me to Thinkpads....I think I'd say the S30 or 700c, because I've never had the pleasure of playing with one...

[Khipata]

Steve, I have 4 of them (701C) in various conditions and 2 brand new planar boards (spare) and 1 brand new battery (spare).
PM me if interested

[FryPpy]

W700ds

Climbing higher
W701ds

May be S30 (non-Mirage model - i don't like my fingerprints on shiny surfaces).
A31p???
I afraide of collecting pre T20 series.... so may be Transnote....

[pianowizard]

W701ds

May be S30 (non-Mirage model - i don't like my fingerprints on shiny surfaces).
A31p???
I afraide of collecting pre T20 series.... so may be Transnote....

For the purpose of this thread, you can pick just one!

[axur-delmeria]

Part of me wants to have a 760XD just like the first Thinkpad I had.
Another wants to experience the venerable 600 series firsthand, or the 560Z and 570E ultraportables.

But I know they will be little more than toys since they're woefully inadequate to run current software.

So, my choice is the X301.

1. It's worth collecting because it's a premium model and as a result is not as common as other Thinkpads. Its combination of features (thin and light with 13.3 inch WXGA+ screen optical drive) also give it a "WOW!" factor.

2. it's still usable because it has a dual-core processor and decent battery life.

I'd outfit it with an SSD (1.8" or mSATA), 500GB HDD, and 4-8GB RAM.

Mod: If an upgrade to a Core 2 Duo SL9600 (2.13GHz) is possible, why not
That would make it on par with some CTOs of the MacBook Air 2010 model.
I might upgrade the Wifi and Bluetooth adapters as well.

[wavemux]

701C gets my vote as well. I have (2) but they are both in a state of "dissasembly". Took my 701C apart a couple of years ago to upgrade the processor and could not get the keyboard back together. If anyone has any pointers on how to successfully do this I would be overjoyed! The other unit has never been assembled (it's a model)

http://s817.photobucket.com/user/statmux/library/701C

[RealBlackStuff]

It's not easy to decide between my X200s with SL9400 CPU and my X301 with SU9600, both having LED WXGA+ (1440x900) and weighing practically the same.
Since I don't watch movies on a laptop and hence have no need for a CD/DVD-drive, I guess in the end my preference would be X200s,
because of its slightly larger keyboard, even though the machine itself is smaller.

[shawross]

For me it's the X301 and high on my preference is usability. As "axur-delmeria" stated it is a Premium model with a great feel and Lenovo designed it to have wow factor. I also like the 13.3 size screen because my X201 is just a bit small.

Modding - For my X301 I purchased the ultra-bay to accept a WD Scorpio Blue 500G because the Unit I bought only had a 64G SSD also I can't see myself needing the DVD but it is there if needed.

I actually bought the unit recently for $170 AUD on Ebay and shortly after bought another unit for $135 but without battery.

I can understand the nostalgia choices and isn't it a shame that some great hardware has been relegated to shelf-life units which may never be used again. Sigh

[axur-delmeria]

Part of me thinks keeping old Thinkpads as museum pieces is a good thing, preserving the legacy of these amazing machines.

The other part thinks that I'd rather gut their innards and put in something faster just to let me keep using them.
I mean, even a Raspberry Pi is more powerful than any Thinkpad that doesn't have a Pentium II processor.

Imagine, you're in a cafe and from your bag you pull out what looks like a 701c or 560e but it has wifi, bluetooth, all-day battery life, IPS panel, and Full HD video playback!? Doesn't it sound exciting?

I'm sure someone with enough time, motivation, and crazy awesomeness can do it.

[micrex22]

None.

I prefer using over collecting. It's a shame when there's a nice ThinkPad sitting untouched-- of course everyone's opinion will differ.

[Saucey]

Ah, the "Butterfly" that almost everyone wants. For some reason, I have never wanted one.

Since I started to use an M4-1 before I had a space saver mechanical, I actually hated the keyboard feel it had.
Missed a lot of keys when it came to my ring and pinkie fingers, had to press hard, hurt my hands after awhile, totally unlike the legendary Model M...

Anyways, when I was dusting my ThinkPads one day, I took out the keycaps for the M4-1 and was surprised it was very similar to the 701C's.
And I've come to dislike it a bit afterward... 755 all the way!

[pianowizard]

I prefer using over collecting. It's a shame when there's a nice ThinkPad sitting untouched-- of course everyone's opinion will differ.

Like I said in my opening post: "I am asking strictly about collecting, not using, though you are allowed to actually use this collectible Thinkpad." I too feel bad when a computer isn't used much -- see http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=32284 .

[Dekks]

S30 - the piano black finish

Another highly sought after Thinkpad, which has a "pseudo-butterfly" keyboard. Sadly, it looks much nicer in photos than in person. Disgusted by its looks, I kept mine for only several days!

What in particular about the looks? The Lid finish or the overall esthetics?

[pianowizard]

What in particular about the looks? The Lid finish or the overall esthetics?

The worst part was the battery. The keyboard "wings" were also an eyesore, though they look fine in photos.

[Temetka]

I don't collect Thinkpads anymore (or computers of any kind for that matter).

But if I were limited to one series/model it would be the X models (Tablets included).

I love small laptops.