I got a Thinkpad!!!!

[Manyak]

My Thinkpad just arrived like 2 days ago, this thing is sweet

This is the first time I've bought a new laptop in about 14 years.

- Thinkpad T410
- Core i7-620M
- QM57 Chipset
- 4GB DDR3
- 30GB OCZ Vertex
- 250GB HDD
- 14" 1440x900 Matte LED Blacklit Screen
- Intel Ultimate N 6300 w/ 3x3 antennas
- Bluetooth
- Fingerprint Reader
- 2x 9 Cell Batteries (190Wh total)

Battery runtime is about 15 hours with standard use or 7-8 hours of HD video playback, and it weighs about 5.5lb in this configuration.



The slice battery also acts as a stand to tilt it.


I HATE touchpads!


At least one manufacturer still has some sense not to use a glossy screen

[bigpook]

Nice. How is that 30G SSD working out?

[ch_123]

Nice!

I have the 14" T61 (two generations behind) and the 9-cell battery comes out at an angle so that it doesn't take up too much space behind the laptop. The downside is that it limits how far back you can tilt the screen. The arrangement in your laptop is nice because it raises the screen and puts the keyboard at an angle.

Worst solution is the one on Dell's D-series Latitudes where the battery sticks out at the front your laptop, so that you can rest your wrists on a hot battery and burn your hands =P

For comparison - mine has a single 9-cell battery, and lasts about 3-hours with moderate usage. Not exactly spectacular by anyone's standards.

[hyperlinked]

Nice! I came pretty close to pulling the trigger on a Thinkpad myself a few weeks ago for a relative. I wouldn't have been able to keep it, but it would have been mine to mess with for a few days while I set things up for her. Too bad she decided to hold off on her laptop purchase for a while. Ah well.

[Manyak]

Wow. Just wow. Well, first of all, congratulations! How's the cooling on this system? Have you given it any real challenges yet? How's the overall quality compared to older (IBM) Thinkpads?

The battery life is really impressive for a system like that!

Thank you

The only challenge I've given it so far is to test the graphics, which I did with Borderlands (Unreal 3 Engine). It managed to pull off 960x600 @ medium settings, or 1280x720 @ low settings. This really surprised me, given that it uses the standard Intel GMA HD chip. But what's cool is that because it's in the same package with the CPU, they are able to change the speed of the chip dynamically by balancing it with the CPU. So it's a pretty large boost for games, especially ones that aren't very CPU intensive. I just didn't believe it when I read it, being that it's still Intel graphics and all lol.

The last time I ever touched a thinkpad it was a Pentium III model, and it was so long ago I don't think I could give you a real answer. But this thing is real solid. There's no flex to the casing whatsoever, and for the keyboard to flex I really have to push down with all my arm strength. You can even hold the laptop horizontally from the corner of the LCD, lol.

The cooling is a single fan in the back left corner. When plugged in I have everything set to full speed (no speedstep) so the fan is a bit noisy - though still not loud enough to be annoying. On battery, with the CPU speed turned down, the fan barely runs at all. Either way you don't feel any heat on the casing of the laptop.

Nice!

I have the 14" T61 (two generations behind) and the 9-cell battery comes out at an angle so that it doesn't take up too much space behind the laptop. The downside is that it limits how far back you can tilt the screen. The arrangement in your laptop is nice because it raises the screen and puts the keyboard at an angle.

Worst solution is the one on Dell's D-series Latitudes where the battery sticks out at the front your laptop, so that you can rest your wrists on a hot battery and burn your hands =P

For comparison - mine has a single 9-cell battery, and lasts about 3-hours with moderate usage. Not exactly spectacular by anyone's standards.

The main 9 cell battery in this one actually sticks out the back as well, but it's still smaller than the old ones you're talking about:

[microsoft windows]

Do they still make Thinkpads with just the track points?

[salcan]

how do you have that 30GB setup? That's your system disk and then you have the 320GB in the optical disk bay?

[ch_123]

Do they still make Thinkpads with just the track points?

The X200 series are the only ones left, and I'm pretty sure you can get an optional mini-touchpad on them.

[Manyak]

how do you have that 30GB setup? That's your system disk and then you have the 320GB in the optical disk bay?

30GB as the system drive, but it's only 250GB in the cdrom bay.

Also, the 250GB drive is divided into several partitions:

(P:)  - 8GB for the pagefile
Temp: Mounted as the folder C:\Temp
Downloads: Mounted as the folder %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
Temp Work: Mounted as a folder Desktop\Temp Work
Linux Partition
Linux Swap Partition

The X200 series are the only ones left, and I'm pretty sure you can get an optional mini-touchpad on them.

Yup it's just the x200 series left, and I think the tablet model still doesn't have an optional touchpad (not like it's even needed with a touchscreen).

[datamonger128]

What's the yellow USB port for?

[ch_123]

I think that's an eSATA port.

[elservo]

The yellow port always has power so you can plug things into it while the laptop is shut down and it will still send power to the device.  That's what I heard on youtube, and you know that's the bastion for truth in the world.

[EverythingIBM]

That makes my T60p look like trash (which I am ironically on right now). I might actually get a lenovo one down the road (although, I'll borrow ripster's sandblaster and blast off all of those ugly lenovo logos). And, you can buy IBM stickers; I'll buy a few and put them on; you can always cut off the "thinkpad" part and fit a nice RGB "IBM" in there.

[Manyak]

That makes my T60p look like trash (which I am ironically on right now). I might actually get a lenovo one down the road (although, I'll borrow ripster's sandblaster and blast off all of those ugly lenovo logos). And, you can buy IBM stickers; I'll buy a few and put them on; you can always cut off the "thinkpad" part and fit a nice RGB "IBM" in there.

You'll have some trouble with that: the casing is actually molded around the logo, so if you remove it you'll be left with a gap that's still shaped like it. So you'll need to maybe fill it with some bondo and then paint the entire chassis to hide it.

The only ones easily removable are the stickers on the bottom left corner (Windows 7, Core i7, lenovo enhanced experience) and the one at the bottom of the LCD which should come off pretty easily with some sanding.

[hyperlinked]

That makes my T60p look like trash (which I am ironically on right now). I might actually get a lenovo one down the road (although, I'll borrow ripster's sandblaster and blast off all of those ugly lenovo logos). And, you can buy IBM stickers; I'll buy a few and put them on; you can always cut off the "thinkpad" part and fit a nice RGB "IBM" in there.

Given that you're such a fanboi over labels, why don't you just go all the way and use Ripster's mod to salvage an old Apple logo for reuse?

Hmm... nevermind. Won't work. It's not lavender. Sorry.

[ch_123]

That makes my T60p look like trash (which I am ironically on right now). I might actually get a lenovo one down the road (although, I'll borrow ripster's sandblaster and blast off all of those ugly lenovo logos). And, you can buy IBM stickers; I'll buy a few and put them on; you can always cut off the "thinkpad" part and fit a nice RGB "IBM" in there.

Hate to be the one who breaks it to you, but your T60 is a Lenovo laptop. It was made during the period where they still used the IBM branding and kept their own branding low-key.

The T61 (which I have) can be 'converted' to the IBM branding easily enough, newer ones not as much so because they changed the Thinkpad logo section so that you can't really cover it with a sticker, and there's a lenovo logo carved into the lid if memory serves correct.

[EverythingIBM]

Hate to be the one who breaks it to you, but your T60 is a Lenovo laptop. It was made during the period where they still used the IBM branding and kept their own branding low-key.

The T61 (which I have) can be 'converted' to the IBM branding easily enough, newer ones not as much so because they changed the Thinkpad logo section so that you can't really cover it with a sticker, and there's a lenovo logo carved into the lid if memory serves correct.

I know it's lenovo made. I see it every time in the ugly BIOS. And I had a T61, so that's where I got the idea from about the logos.

[sethstorm]

That makes my T60p look like trash (which I am ironically on right now). I might actually get a lenovo one down the road (although, I'll borrow ripster's sandblaster and blast off all of those ugly lenovo logos). And, you can buy IBM stickers; I'll buy a few and put them on; you can always cut off the "thinkpad" part and fit a nice RGB "IBM" in there.

This would be closer to a beefier x61 than a proper T series. The only equivalent to the T60p these days is the W5xx/W7xx[ds] series.  

A couple of questions remain:
Will Lenovo void the warranty after making those modifications?  
Can you get a Thinkpad without the larger Lenovo logos out from the factory
(that is, it's fine to have the software/COA/system label sticker have it - but all other Lenovo/Thinkpad logos are removed from the unit)


To the OP:
Is that a battery that is one large unit, and not a docking port attached battery?  That setup seems to be similar to what the x30/x31 series had for an extra battery.

[sethstorm]

Hate to be the one who breaks it to you, but your T60 is a Lenovo laptop. It was made during the period where they still used the IBM branding and kept their own branding low-key.

It depended more on how you bought your T60/T60p and when.  

If you were a corporate customer, you were more likely to receive the IBM branding on a T60.  If you were an individual ordering, you got the Lenovo/Thinkpad case.  To add another wrinkle to things, IBM/Lenovo switched the T60p over to a TN widescreen and bumped up the graphics for its later shipments.

As far as mine is concerned, it's one of the former (4:3, IBM logo, 2007-BA1 model number) category Thinkpads.  Going to follow it up with the beefiest W7xxds w/o tablet when finances permit it.  If they're going to drop pixel count with widescreen (to please the HD folks), I'll just move up to the next larger size.

[EverythingIBM]

It depended more on how you bought your T60/T60p and when.  

If you were a corporate customer, you were more likely to receive the IBM branding on a T60.  If you were an individual ordering, you got the Lenovo/Thinkpad case.  To add another wrinkle to things, IBM/Lenovo switched the T60p over to a TN widescreen and bumped up the graphics for its later shipments.

As far as mine is concerned, it's one of the former (4:3, IBM logo, 2007-BA1 model number) category Thinkpads.  Going to follow it up with the beefiest W7xxds w/o tablet when finances permit it.  If they're going to drop pixel count with widescreen (to please the HD folks), I'll just move up to the next larger size.

I got the non-widescreen T60p since I absolutely detest widescreen. Someone told me the widescreen T60p version was more rare though.

[ch_123]

It depended more on how you bought your T60/T60p and when.  

If you were a corporate customer, you were more likely to receive the IBM branding on a T60.  If you were an individual ordering, you got the Lenovo/Thinkpad case.  To add another wrinkle to things, IBM/Lenovo switched the T60p over to a TN widescreen and bumped up the graphics for its later shipments.

As far as mine is concerned, it's one of the former (4:3, IBM logo, 2007-BA1 model number) category Thinkpads.  Going to follow it up with the beefiest W7xxds w/o tablet when finances permit it.  If they're going to drop pixel count with widescreen (to please the HD folks), I'll just move up to the next larger size.

Either way, it was still a Lenovo-made laptop.

Oh well, it could be worse, it could be made by Mexicans.

[sethstorm]

Either way, it was still a Lenovo-made laptop.

Oh well, it could be worse, it could be made by Mexicans.

Some of them were assembled in Mexico.

Two examples I can recall being the 600 series (600/E/X) and the A3x/A3xp models.

[ch_123]

I know. For a long time, the keyboards were manufactured by Keytronic in Mexico too.

[sethstorm]

I know. For a long time, the keyboards were manufactured by Keytronic in Mexico too.

It's that having Lenovo plastered all over the Thinkpad case seems too out of place(e.g. top lid).  I'd be just fine w/ a logo delete as specified above.

[sethstorm]

I know. For a long time, the keyboards were manufactured by Keytronic in Mexico too.

It's that having Lenovo plastered all over the Thinkpad case seems too out of place(e.g. top lid).  I'd be just fine w/ a logo delete as specified above.  The things that Lenovo has done to the machines seem to be focused towards absolute cheapness.

To put it bluntly, the carpet does not match the drapes.

[ch_123]

As long as they don't go near the Trackpoint, I'll live with it.

[rdjack21]

I want! that is a really nice laptop and I'm actually in the market for one or will be very soon that is.

[ch_123]

I think my next one will be an X200S, but given that I've only had my current one two years, and laptops haven't really advanced a lot in that time, I think it will be a while yet.

[sethstorm]

I think my next one will be an X200S, but given that I've only had my current one two years, and laptops haven't really advanced a lot in that time, I think it will be a while yet.

As for my choice:
It's that the w7xxds goes where the A31p left off.  It's a large laptop done well, and one that doesn't really compromise in quality for price.

[Manyak]

To the OP:
Is that a battery that is one large unit, and not a docking port attached battery?  That setup seems to be similar to what the x30/x31 series had for an extra battery.

The one in the back is just a slide in battery, the one on the bottom is attached through the docking port. Each one is ~95Wh.

As long as they don't go near the Trackpoint, I'll live with it.

This. The trackpoint alone is about 40% of the reason I bought this thing to begin with. The non-chiclet, standard spaced, standard sized keys on a keyboard that doesn't flex are another 40%. And the non-glossy screen and casing is another 40%.

That's 120% of a reason to buy a Thinkpad.

[ch_123]

They have chiclet keyboards on some of the lower end Thinkpads. As long as they know their place I can live with it.

[Manyak]

They have chiclet keyboards on some of the lower end Thinkpads. As long as they know their place I can live with it.

You mean like the Thinkpad Edge and x100e?

That board is still a gazillion times better than everyone else's because the tops of the keys are still curved.

[sethstorm]

They have chiclet keyboards on some of the lower end Thinkpads. As long as they know their place I can live with it.

The problem with that is Lenovo has been known to cut away stuff from Thinkpads ever so slowly. That is, slow enough that those who do notice are customers they can afford to lose.

[EverythingIBM]

Given that you're such a fanboi over labels, why don't you just go all the way and use Ripster's mod to salvage an old Apple logo for reuse?

Hmm... nevermind. Won't work. It's not lavender. Sorry.

Nah, I let all of the apple keyboards go to the dump for recycling. They were yellow though.

Mostly the lavender stuff is on the inside; which makes it easier to see when I'm working inside my computers.

I don't like the ugly lenovo logo: and I kind of like the red green and blue "IBM", that's what represented a thinkpad for a long time, Paul Rand made the colours like that you know.

Although, I'd rather have a PLAIN thinkpad than one with lenovo. Lenovo just looks ugly, bad font, demented name, and it's not colourful. BLAH.

[EverythingIBM]

The problem with that is Lenovo has been known to cut away stuff from Thinkpads ever so slowly. That is, slow enough that those who do notice are customers they can afford to lose.

Yep: first the customer support, then the infrared, then the "expensive" high-resolutions, the two-way vents, and whatever else.

Thinkpad with chiclets... *smack on the forehead*

[ch_123]

I like computers that do stuff.

[kishy]

I like computers that do stuff.

I like helping computers that otherwise couldn't do stuff...do stuff.

The current goal of Geekhack on my 286 remains standing.

[Manyak]

I like helping computers that otherwise couldn't do stuff...do stuff.

The current goal of Geekhack on my 286 remains standing.

I just got it onto a P1-120 , with a completely usable browser with all the new javacript and HTML support and everything . Flash is completely out of the question though

How much RAM do you have on that thing, and do you have an IDE/ATA card for it?

[kishy]

I just got it onto a P1-120 , with a completely usable browser with all the new javacript and HTML support and everything . Flash is completely out of the question though

How much RAM do you have on that thing, and do you have an IDE/ATA card for it?

2.6MB (640K on the mobo, 2048 on an ISA card...hoping to fill that card up to its full 8MB capacity however).

It's a PS/2 30-286.

Presently using an Adaptec AHA-1540CF SCSI card and a Quantum ProDrive 1225S 1GB hard drive. Any ATA card I would use would need its own BIOS and I can't get my hands on one cheaply enough (the cards that are basically pass-throughs making use of the AT and newer's builtin support for ATA are useless; despite being AT-class this machine lacks that feature as it's intended to be used with a 100% proprietary drive type).

Because it's a 286, WfW 3.11 wouldn't run without some...alterations. Being limited to 3.1 imposes pretty serious limitations to what I'll be able to make it do...but Lynx from the command prompt is definitely going to be possible.

Ethernet network card is a D-Link DE-220PT.

[Manyak]

Yeah I was going to say if you can't get at least 8MB RAM it's pointless to try. And not having an actual ATA controller is really holding you back . Throwing a Dual-Channel SLC CF card on there is pretty much the best thing you can do for it. I don't think it'll recognize the entire 4GB (I imagine that whatever you get would only use CHS addressing, no LBA), but it'll still speed up the virtual memory tremendously.

Unless, of course, you aren't going to use virtual memory and you just want to browse text-only.

[kishy]

Yeah I was going to say if you can't get at least 8MB RAM it's pointless to try. And not having an actual ATA controller is really holding you back . Throwing a Dual-Channel SLC CF card on there is pretty much the best thing you can do for it. I don't think it'll recognize the entire 4GB (I imagine that whatever you get would only use CHS addressing, no LBA), but it'll still speed up the virtual memory tremendously.

Unless, of course, you aren't going to use virtual memory and you just want to browse text-only.

Text-only is good enough for me, just to say I did it. If it's doable on an 8088 with 512K, I'll get it going on a 286 with 2.6MB lol.

If I could I'd go back with an RLL drive. I like the stepper motor sound.

Yet another aspect of the machine that can't be recreated in VMware.

[sethstorm]

I like computers that do stuff.

Have any Thinkpad that has non-integrated video from the T4x / A3x and onward?  Use that video to its fullest capacity and you're going to have something that won't do stuff.

[sethstorm]

Yep: first the customer support, then the infrared, then the "expensive" high-resolutions, the two-way vents, and whatever else.

Thinkpad with chiclets... *smack on the forehead*

That's why I go with the On-Site warranties.  Less hassle, and you know exactly what they're doing.

[sethstorm]

2.6MB (640K on the mobo, 2048 on an ISA card...hoping to fill that card up to its full 8MB capacity however).

It's a PS/2 30-286.

Presently using an Adaptec AHA-1540CF SCSI card and a Quantum ProDrive 1225S 1GB hard drive. Any ATA card I would use would need its own BIOS and I can't get my hands on one cheaply enough (the cards that are basically pass-throughs making use of the AT and newer's builtin support for ATA are useless; despite being AT-class this machine lacks that feature as it's intended to be used with a 100% proprietary drive type).

Because it's a 286, WfW 3.11 wouldn't run without some...alterations. Being limited to 3.1 imposes pretty serious limitations to what I'll be able to make it do...but Lynx from the command prompt is definitely going to be possible.

Ethernet network card is a D-Link DE-220PT.

Would a Quantum HARDcard be out of the question?  Got one, and if it takes arbitrary sized drives, it might help you.

[kishy]

Would a Quantum HARDcard be out of the question?  Got one, and if it takes arbitrary sized drives, it might help you.

Hardcard would be a bit too chunky I think. This is a really compact case as far as 286s go.









It's not off topic because the thread is about an IBM computer, and this is an IBM computer.

Needs moar Mounties before it's off topic.

[sethstorm]

Hardcard would be a bit too chunky I think. This is a really compact case as far as 286s go.

It's not off topic because the thread is about an IBM computer, and this is an IBM computer.

Mine (Hardcard EZ 127) is surprisingly slim for what it does.
Pics:

[kishy]

That actually is quite compact for a hardcard. The other problem, however, that I forgot about is I'd have to lose the SCSI card to do it...3 ISA slots, RAM+NIC+SCSI+Hardcard = 4.

SCSI stays because I want to find an external CD-ROM drive eventually...muahahaha.

[sethstorm]

That actually is quite compact for a hardcard. The other problem, however, that I forgot about is I'd have to lose the SCSI card to do it...3 ISA slots, RAM+NIC+SCSI+Hardcard = 4.

SCSI stays because I want to find an external CD-ROM drive eventually...muahahaha.

No combo net+SCSI ISA cards exist? Color me surprised.

[kishy]

No combo net+SCSI ISA cards exist? Color me surprised.

If such a thing exists...I don't know about it.

Ethernet specifically is what's needed here, I'm not going to dig up far-obsolete network standards here.

[sethstorm]

If such a thing exists...I don't know about it.

Ethernet specifically is what's needed here, I'm not going to dig up far-obsolete network standards here.

Was about to say Ethernet + IDE, but I don't know of anything that would allow them to go external.  With all the proprietary systems out there, it's not as if such a combination wouldn't exist.