Wanted: T40-60 Thinkpad

[julia]

My trusty T30 has been going since 2002 and it's getting tired. I'd greatly appreciate advice and offers from those here. I can get 40% off Lenovo at my college store so could buy new, but the computers come pretty bare and unseasoned.

I'm a writer and most of my work is in documents. I have no use for games. But I just got a Canon G6 and plan to get into graphic work with 5+meg photos. I'm looking for the following that I know of:

80-120 GB hard drive (prefer 120)
1-2 GB RAM
Intel
DVD-RW drive
Portable, lightweight
WiFi
XP-Office Pro, not Vista
14.5 screen is fine and so is widescreen
Some warranty time left

Does anyone have anything coming up they're going to sell (I can wait), or any recommendations about what I should buy? I can't carry weight so I was thinking about the R or X series, but need sturdy for all my traveling.

I've had IBM laptops since 1988 (started with the old gray folding one that looked a little like Wall-e, then graduated to the 386 SLX prototype from the mothership here in Boston).

I think about switching to Apple (for the graphics) but the TP has never let me down so...

I'm hoping to buy a new Thinkpad and prefer to buy used and upgraded from someone who knows them.

Thanks for taking a wanted ad, Bill. I trust your board and members and appreciate all suggestions and offers.

Thanks,
Julia
(member since 2002)

[mgo]

I'm a writer and most of my work is in documents.

But I just got a Canon G6 and plan to get into graphic work with 5+meg photos. I'm looking for the following that I know of:

XP-Office Pro, not Vista
14.5 screen is fine and so is widescreen
Some warranty time left

Does anyone have anything coming up they're going to sell (I can wait), or any recommendations about what I should buy?

I think about switching to Apple (for the graphics) but the TP has never let me down so...

I'm hoping to buy a new Thinkpad and prefer to buy used and upgraded from someone who knows them.)

I'm using a Canon D40 on my T60 ThinkPad with good results.

I just bought a MacBook pro with very high res non shiny screen and 4 gig of ram. It's fast and all, but the Apple GUI isn't all it's hyped up to be. Dual boot using Boot Camp with Vista is pretty good, but many of the shortcut keys aren't there due to hardware differences, which detracts from using it for documents. My point is, Apple just isn't worth the hard work of switching over to their system. Using the Mac has shown me just how truly good the ThinkPads are!

I have a high res T60 with two gig of RAM and in XP or Vista (both could be included on separate hard drives)

It has Tech Net versions of XP or Vista on separate hard drives (I have a subscription to Tech Net) and Office 2007 is on board both. Everything is legal and activated.

If you want to talk, we could. I'm in a low key "iinventory clearance mode" and would consider selling.

I'm a reputable buyer on this forum, but have not sold anything here.

[schen]

80-120 GB hard drive (prefer 120)
1-2 GB RAM
Intel
DVD-RW drive
Portable, lightweight
WiFi
XP-Office Pro, not Vista
14.5 screen is fine and so is widescreen
Some warranty time left

Does anyone have anything coming up they're going to sell (I can wait), or any recommendations about what I should buy? I can't carry weight so I was thinking about the R or X series, but need sturdy for all my traveling.

I think about switching to Apple (for the graphics) but the TP has never let me down so... (member since 2002)

Your spec requirements really aren't all that high. I was doing all of that (except for warranty of course), with a T30 and just recently switched to a T41 (upgraded to T42 spec).

If you are looking for something light that you can carry around on a regular basis; the T is basically a lighter version of an R. The regular X is lighter than either by over a pound, but there's no optical drive unless you put on the media slice which puts that pound right back on! If you want something that light, but has an optical drive, then you'll want to look at the X300, but those guys are pricey right now.

Probably the best cost vs. performance deal on the used market would be a T43. You can find them pretty readily still under warranty, they have a bay for an optical drive, easy to bump the RAM up to 2Gb, and can often be found for $300-400. Also, if you find the ones with a SXGA+ screen, you'll have more real estate to do digital photo work on.

I don't have one for sale. Just my .02 worth.

P.S. Oh, I work with files from my Nikon DSLR regularly on my T30 and now the T41 with no issues and they are fairly large.

[dorronto]

"Probably the best cost vs. performance deal on the used market would be a T43. You can find them pretty readily still under warranty, they have a bay for an optical drive, easy to bump the RAM up to 2Gb, and can often be found for $300-400. Also, if you find the ones with a SXGA+ screen, you'll have more real estate to do digital photo work on"

I would believe T43's would sell for a little higher than $300-400, considering the warranty still left...........

Ron

[SkiBunny]

I'm a writer and most of my work is in documents. I have no use for games. But I just got a Canon G6 and plan to get into graphic work with 5+meg photos.

Does anyone have anything coming up they're going to sell (I can wait), or any recommendations about what I should buy?

Probably the best cost vs. performance deal on the used market would be a T43. You can find them pretty readily still under warranty, they have a bay for an optical drive, easy to bump the RAM up to 2Gb, and can often be found for $300-400. Also, if you find the ones with a SXGA+ screen, you'll have more real estate to do digital photo work on.

I don't have one for sale. Just my .02 worth.

I have a T43 that I'm thinking of selling. Model is 266889U. It has the 15" FlexView screen. Search this forum for Flexview, and you'll see the FlexView would be fabulous for your photo work, and generally better for your hours at your screen writing. The Flexview technology produces much more accurate color, and much better viewing angles and clarity than regular LCD screens.

T43-266889U Specs:

Intel PM 750 1.86GHz
512MB RAM DDR2 --> upgraded to 1.536 GB
80GB HDD 5400rpm (I have a new-sealed Fujitsu 120GB drive (MHV2120AH) for this laptop to replace/add for a nominal charge)
15" SXGA+ (1400x1050) FlexView LCD,
64MB ATI Radeon X300 video card
Fingerprint Reader
CD/DVD combo drive
Intel 802.11a/b/g wireless(MPCI)
1Gb Ethernet(LOM)
Secure Chip
Genuine IBM 6-cell Li-Ion battery holds 100% of design capacity (51.84/51.84 Wh and 45 recharge cycles)
WinXP Pro
MS Office Professional Plus
Genuine IBM AC adapter

Also includes one genuine IBM T43 docking station / port replicator, plus T43 recovery CDs.

The IBM recovery partition and the Microsoft COA are intact. The machine is reset to its original factory software configuration. The machine will give you the chance to create your own recovery CD's. The open part of the laptop looks new with no scratches or blemishes. The keyboard has virtually no shine. The LCD is very bright and even and it has no scratches or blemishes. The LCD lid hinges are nice and tight. The exterior does have several small scuffs and scratches from normal use but there are no broken, missing or cracked pieces anywhere.

Has international IBM warranty for one more month (09/2008), and it could be extended with IBM/Lenovo for 2 more years. This was an IBM corporate machine.

I also have a new-sealed genuine IBM hard drive adapter for an extra $36, which will hold a second hard drive inside the laptop's ultrabay. With the 2 drives above, you'd have 200GB and the ability to easily backup your data.

The last T43 on here sold for $550 two weeks ago. I think this T43 is roughly comparable with a few pluses and minuses. So now I'm thinking of $500-$550 shipped too if that's fair.

[underclocker]

...snip... I can get 40% off Lenovo at my college store so could buy new, but the computers come pretty bare and unseasoned...snip...

Excuse me, but this doesn't make any sense. Even a basic R61 in the $500 range will come with 1GB or more of RAM, a DVD burner, and an extremely fast CPU - even a new Celeron is faster than most Pentium M CPU's.

40% off an entry T61 will be tough to beat.

Is there something specific you are looking for or a price range you'd like to stick to? Everyone here loves to help, but I think we need more precise info.

[julia]

I'm psyched about these offers and am looking into them. Will send out some PMs soon.

Thanks, Underclocker. What I mean by "bare and unseasoned" is that except for the OS, there's no software. You have to buy everything new and the factory stats haven't been upgraded. It seems to me that most here know how to improve on the "shipped out the door usual" and do so, esp. in a Best Buy ("Buy 'N Large") techworld that gets closer with each model.

Also, they're not selling the T43 now and I have friends who've had problems with the 60s....

Does that make sense?

[SkiBunny]

Also, they're not selling the T43 now and I have friends who've had problems with the 60s....

Does that make sense?

Hmm, my new T60 from work had a motherboard die when 2-3 months old, but generally I thought the T60 was a good machine (the replacement T60 was fine). The T61 however is not one of my favorites, mainly because of the widescreen. I don't think you can go wrong with a T60 (which comes in both standard screen and widescreen)

If I may answer your questions publicly, so others can chime in. I'm not sure whether my T43 fan runs hot or if it's been corrected with this model. But I think it's not an issue because this is a 15" model and being bigger the heat dissipates better than in a smaller laptop (my small X60 feels hotter especially on the palmrest). Maybe the T43p with the high-powered graphics ran hot? I know some of the earlier T60's with higher powered graphics got hot.

The Fujitsu drive I mentioned is reputed to be very reliable and this model of drive (MHV2120AH) is said to work well in the T43, as most other brands cause a bios error. Actually, some hitachi drives that came with T43s were infamous for failing, and indeed my original hard drive failed in its first year. This Fujitsu drive was manufactured in Feb 2008 and has a 3-year warranty.

You mentioned taking it on the go... so I want to mention that this being a 15" machine, it's not as portable as a 14". It's a personal decision and essentially a tradeoff between portability and screen quality. Similarly, XGA (1024x768) and SXGA+ (1400x1050) is personal preference. Finally, this laptop does write CDs (I think every T43 and T60 can).

[julia]

I'm not sure about this but... it's $650. Amazingly, the seller is local so I can pick it up tomorrow. Does anyone see any problems? It's a 2007 T60 and here are the specs:

* Model: 2623D6U (Topseller Program)
* Processor: Intel Core Duo processor T2400, 1.83GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache (Mobile Intel 945PM Express chipset)
* Screen: 14.1" TFT, 1400x1050 (SXGA+), 16 millions colors, non-widescreen, non-glossy
* Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon X1300, 64MB DDR2 SDRAM, 16 million colors, max 2048x1536, simultaneous external display
* Memory: 1x512MB SODIMM installed, 2 SODIMM slots total (3GB max), 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM PC2-5300
* Hard drive: Hitachi 80GB 5400rpm SATA-150 (5GB hidden partition)
* Optical drive: Ultrabay slim CD/DVD dual layer recorder
* Read Speed 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
* Write Speed 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD R) / 2x (DVD-R DL) / 2.4x (DVD+R DL)
* Rewrite Speed 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD RW) / 3x (DVD-RAM)
* Power: 6-cell 5200mAh Lithium-ion battery (non-protruding), international brick power supply
* Communications: Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g, 56K modem, infrared
* User inputs: full-size keyboard, touchpad, TrackPoint, fingerprint reader, integrated microphone
* Ports: 3 USB 2.0, headphone, microphone, docking port replicator, external monitor VGA, RJ-11, and RJ-45
* Card slots: 1 PCMCIA card slot, 1 ExpressCard 54 slot
* Other: Active Protection for hard drive, ThinkLight
* Dimensions: 12.4" x 10" x 1.2"
* Weight: 5.3lbs
* Warranty: Three years parts and labor (battery: one year)
* Useful software included: Windows XP Professional, ThinkVantage suite, and WinDVD.

More generally, it lists:

- ThinkPad T60 2623D4U
- Intel Core Duo processor T2400 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2, 667MHz FSB)
- Genuine Windows XP Professional
- 14.1 inch SXGA+ (1400x1050) TFT
- 1.5GB SDRAM
- 64MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1300
- 80GB, 5400rpm Serial ATA
- 24X/24X/24X/8X Max CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo EIDE Ultrabay Slim drive
- Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (Standard)
- 1Gb Ethernet
- Bluetooth/Modem
- Integrated Fingerprint reader on palm rest
- Ultranav
- Secure Chip
- 3 year system/1 year battery limited warranty (this was from original purchase date of 5/8/06)
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

My only concern is Office 2007 and the dread XML files. A friend says you can save to .doc and avoid the .docx plague but I'm not sure. I may have to replace that...

I'd love to go with SkiBunny's T43 but can't handle the weight or size of the 15" screen (sob!) and Mgo's T60 also has Office 2007.

The above belonged to a guy's daughter but she wants a large screen for watching movies. It looks to be in mint condition. I'm sure I'll be here crying though about the 2007 thing. I hope it doesn't freak me out.

Do any warning bells go off re the above for anyone here?

Many, many thanks!
Julia

[SkiBunny]

Do any warning bells go off re the above for anyone here?

Many, many thanks!
Julia

First I'd say to closely look at the screen resolution and quality and ensure you like it before you buy. Some people dislike SXGA+ on the 14" lenovo screen, for example:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ht=2623d6u

Also, here is a review of the exact model you're considering, and note the section in it about the screen
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3002

Second, because it's a youngster's machine, I'd say make sure that the MS Office on it is licensed instead of warez (unlawful pirated copy) if you care about that sort of thing.

If the Office isn't warez, I think the price is reasonable. Otherwise I think that $650 is a bit high, because Lenovo was selling slightly better new T60 for that price in its online outlet section this spring, new with 3-years onsite coverage. I also think the price for mine was slightly high too, but I'm not a motivated seller and I'm happy to keep it
Also consider this 14" T60 that sold just a few days ago: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=64780

What is the size and resolution of your current laptop screen?