An IBM Thinkpad in 2015!

[Stick_man]

The Lenovo version is visually very similar, aside from the Lenovo logo.

Unfortunately you will not be able to upgrade the old CPU to a brand new model, even if you can find a model where the CPU is not soldered to the motherboard, the CPU socket will still be out of date, meaning it will be impossible to put a modern chip in it.

You *may* be able to put a solid state drive in the older machine, but to be honest it's not worth spending the money.

Lenovo purchased IBMs PC division in 2005, so any machine produced post-2005 is a Lenovo machine. Lenovo also used IBM branding for a further 3 years, so despite the machine saying "IBM" on the case in 2008, it was in fact still Lenovo.

Even before Lenovo's takeover in 2005, IBM were no longer making their own machines, in 2004 a Chinese company was producing the IBM ThinkPads "FOR" IBM.

To summarise, if you want a original quality IBM ThinkPad, you'll have to go back more than 10 years, to a machine with at best a "Pentium M" chip.

Possibly better to go for the "chinese imitation" and uninstall the spyware.

Hope this helps.

-J

Do you mean to say upgrading to pentium duo would be impossible and therefore getting 64 bit is also impossible?

 

[cb600fshornet]

Well, if you want a true IBM machine I think it would be 2003 and previous. This would be the mobile 478 socket on the CPUs, so you're limited pretty much to Pentium/Celeron M chips.

Intel Core 2 Duos were 64 bit but were released until 2006, the earlier Core Duos (also 2006) did not support 64 bit. Also, the dual core chips were not released on the mobile 478 socket.

In short, on a "True" IBM machine, you won't get dual core, and you won't get 64 bit.

Hope this helps.

-J

 

[Stick_man]

Well, if you want a true IBM machine I think it would be 2003 and previous. This would be the mobile 478 socket on the CPUs, so you're limited pretty much to Pentium/Celeron M chips.

Intel Core 2 Duos were 64 bit but were released until 2006, the earlier Core Duos (also 2006) did not support 64 bit. Also, the dual core chips were not released on the mobile 478 socket.

In short, on a "True" IBM machine, you won't get dual core, and you won't get 64 bit.

Hope this helps.

-J

so I need one with a duo core ... ? I would think it it's still got an ibm logo on it it still not that far from the pedigree. the case looks identical. I cannot say that for the newer ones. The case looks difference it's got big, tacky Lenovo logos all over it and expensive. Man I think I'm just going to stick w my 64 bit acer aspire 1830 series

 

[Janet H]

I am a thinkpad user and have had a whole series of them over the years. My current laptop is a ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Can't say enough good....

 

[setishock]

Is that one of those you could drop out of a plane and it still works?

 

[cb600fshornet]

so I need one with a duo core ... ? I would think it it's still got an ibm logo on it it still not that far from the pedigree. the case looks identical. I cannot say that for the newer ones. The case looks difference it's got big, tacky Lenovo logos all over it and expensive. Man I think I'm just going to stick w my 64 bit acer aspire 1830 series

By the time the dual core IBM ThinkPads came out they were being produced in china FOR IBM and not BY IBM. Post-2005 all the IBM branded ThinkPads were actually Lenovo just using the IBM branding.

You're wasting your money trying to find an old IBM ThinkPad, they're too old. The Lenovo ThinkPads do the job absolutely fine. If you're concerned about lack of "corporate image," don't be, plenty of businesses still use the Lenovo versions.

 

[Stick_man]

By the time the dual core IBM ThinkPads came out they were being produced in china FOR IBM and not BY IBM. Post-2005 all the IBM branded ThinkPads were actually Lenovo just using the IBM branding.

You're wasting your money trying to find an old IBM ThinkPad, they're too old. The Lenovo ThinkPads do the job absolutely fine. If you're concerned about lack of "corporate image," don't be, plenty of businesses still use the Lenovo versions.

Why are you trying to convince me about Lenovo?

Even a Lenovo made computer for IBM is OK since IBM still had a hand in it. Now it is not the case .

Just google Lenovo sucks.

Why can't I just get what I want -- an ibm branded Lenovo made w somewhat modern processor and ram that I can upgrade. do I need one with duocore?

 

[root]

That would be adware, not spyware. Looking into this, I have found that the "fake" version comes with a lot of added programs, but nothing that cannot be cleaned out with some time.

I think that having a forged root certificate that sits in the way provides fake credentials, decrypts everything you do and reports it back to the spyware vendor for "targeted advertising" is pretty serious, and yeah, providing a faked root certificate, pre-trusted for the purpose of doing MITM attacks, for targeted advertising, I'd say that was spyware.

as for if IBM got caught, IBM don't make laptops, so they weren't shipping laptops with spyware because they weren't shipping laptops.

the original thinkpads were pretty much bullet proof, - I had one kicking about for running a code reader for my car until the screen broke at the start of this year, it was a pentium 750, one of the ones with the screen that wraps around the keyboard so that they are almost indestructible. - apparently not entirely, that true IBM machine has ben kicking around for over a decade, it was old when I bought it and that was 7.5 years ago!

Do you mean to say upgrading to pentium duo would be impossible and therefore getting 64 bit is also impossible?

yes, the socket is different, and with out a BGA rework station you won't be able to get the chip off the board since it'll be soldered.

Is that one of those you could drop out of a plane and it still works?

You might be thinking of the toughbooks, (look like some kind of army issue thing) provided in a suitcase with foam shock absorbers, - they were toshiba?

Why are you trying to convince me about Lenovo?

Even a Lenovo made computer for IBM is OK since IBM still had a hand in it. Now it is not the case .

Just google Lenovo sucks.

Why can't I just get what I want -- an ibm branded Lenovo made w somewhat modern processor and ram that I can upgrade. do I need one with duocore?

You can't get what you want because IBM sold their brandname to a chinese hardware vendor almost a decade ago.

IBM do not make laptops,

The reason that you can't find an IBM laptop is that IBM don't make laptops.


as for good/indestructible laptops, the HP probook that I'm using for work seems pretty good, all metal chassis seems well built etc

 

[cb600fshornet]

Why are you trying to convince me about Lenovo?

Even a Lenovo made computer for IBM is OK since IBM still had a hand in it. Now it is not the case .

Just google Lenovo sucks.

Why can't I just get what I want -- an ibm branded Lenovo made w somewhat modern processor and ram that I can upgrade. do I need one with duocore?

IBM did NOT have a hand in making ThinkPads from 2005 onwards, it was ALL Lenovo just using the IBM brandname.

How much clearer can I make it, machines built with the IBM branding from 2005 onwards were 100% LENOVO and were not in any way IBM machines!

In which case, you may as well buy a modern machine with Lenovo branding.

If you are buying a laptop from, for example, 2007, you will be buying an obselete, out of date laptop which was built by Lenovo anyway!

 

[Stick_man]

IBM did NOT have a hand in making ThinkPads from 2005 onwards, it was ALL Lenovo just using the IBM brandname.

How much clearer can I make it, machines built with the IBM branding from 2005 onwards were 100% LENOVO and were not in any way IBM machines!

In which case, you may as well buy a modern machine with Lenovo branding.

If you are buying a laptop from, for example, 2007, you will be buying an obselete, out of date laptop which was built by Lenovo anyway!

I never said they had a hand in making them. All I said was that they were still involved in the transition which to be exact meant sales marketing etc.

They were a minority share holder in the company back then in the deal.

without even looking it up--common sense would dictate the rest of the terms were clearly spelled out as not run their name through the mud--and would still be up to IBM standards. What that would mean is not changing the cases to something totally nondescript; adding spyware; and big tacky logos to it. Yeah kinda like Lenovo did once it became their Think pad.

Also I just want a cheap retro computer that is still functional and that I can upgrade cheap. An ibm branded one -- even if built by Lenovo -- fits that bill. A new $1000 pc nondescript computer built by one of half a dozen other manufacturers that you never heard of -- does not.