My computers
Besides owning tons of CDs and books, I also have an excess of computers.

2 AT HOME IN RHODE ISLAND:

Computer #76: Compaq Presario 5WV232
Bought from an acquaintance at Brown for $25 on 29 Sep 2008
1.3GHz AMD Duron, 1.25GB PC100 RAM (2x512MB PC133 @ reduced speed, $26.28 eBay, 12 July 2007 and $30 eBay, 16 July 2007; 1x256MB, free), 200GB hard drive ($92.34, Staples 28 Dec 2004)
2407WFP Dell 24" 1920x1200 LCD monitor ($581, Dell.com, 22 Nov 2006), Samsung SyncMaster 204B 1600x1200 LCD monitor ($319.93 grant money, Dell.com), 64MB AGP video card (free, from a friend), NEC ND-2510A DVD burner ($69, NewEgg 15 Aug 2004), Zip250 drive, floppy drive
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): My first-ever computer with an AMD processor! I plan to use this computer in my future lab.

Computer #67: IBM Thinkpad T43p (2669-CTO)
Purchased used on 27 Jun 2008 ($620, eBay)
2.26GHz Pentium M 780, 2x1GB PC2-4200 RAM, 100GB 7200rpm hard drive
15.0" QXGA Flexview display ($315 eBay + $35.70 for LCD cable from UCR Online), CDRW/DVD combo drive (from T42, worth $20), built-in 802.11a/b/g
6.35 lbs with 6-cell battery
Sold/removed part(s): 15.0" UXGA Flexview display (worth $100, moved to R50p), cable (worth $12, moved to T42), DVD burner (worth $50, moved to T42)
Additional comment(s): I was one of the first few people in the world to have upgraded a T43p to QXGA!

5 AT WORK:

Computer #31: Dell Dimension B110
Purchased new on 7 April 2006 with 1-year warranty ($404.46 grant money, Dell)
2.53GHz Celeron D, 2GB DDR PC3200 RAM ($194.98, eBay, 2 Oct 2006), 320GB hard drive ($100.45 from NewEgg)
Dell 2407WFP-HC 24" 1920x1200 LCD monitor ($400 grant money, eBay), Dell 2007FP 20" 1600x1200 LCD monitor ($150, Craigslist), Dell 2407WFP 24" 1920x1200 LCD monitor ($115 - $9.20 Bing Cashback, eBay), nVidia FX5500 graphics card ($25, Thinkpads.com, 5 Dec 2006), Samsung SH-S202J DVD burner ($24.99, NewEgg, 22 Jan 2008), Zip250 drive (free), floppy drive (from OptiPlex GX110)
Sold/removed part(s): 19" Dell E196FP LCD monitor (sold on Craigslist for $140), 256MB PC3200 stick (sold for $16.89 on Craigslist), 80GB hard drive ($30, Craigslist), CDRW/DVD combo drive (worth $20)
Additional comment(s): I used my grant money to pay for the original B110 unit with 19" LCD!

Computer #78: IBM Thinkpad 240Z (2609-93J)
Purchased used on 27 Nov 2008 ($238.50 - $59.75 Live Search Cashback, eBay) but received on 23 Jan 2009!
500MHz Pentium III, 256MB PC100 RAM, 100GB 7200rpm hard drive (Newegg.com, $95.28)
10.4" XGA display, US English keyboard ($10, Thinkpads.com)
2.92 lbs with 3-cell battery, 3.22 lbs with 6-cell
Sold/removed part(s): 60GB 4200rpm HDD (worth $40)
Additional comment(s): The rarest of all Thinkpads! This model was sold only in Japan.

Computer #79: Dell Dimension 8200
Got for free at Brown on 2 Jun 2009
2.0GHz Pentium 4, 256MB PC800 Rambus RAM, 200GB hard drive ($66.24 from Staples)
Acer X193W+BD 19" 1680x1050 LCD monitor ($99.99, grant money), CDRW/DVD combo drive (from Dimension B110, worth $20)
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): none

Computer #66: Dell Dimension XPS T550
Got for free on 18 Feb 2008 at Brown University
800MHz Pentium III (upgraded from 550MHz PIII for free), 768MB PC100 RAM (upgraded for free), 200GB hard drive ($45.54 from Staples)
Acer AL1706A 17" 1280x1024 LCD monitor ($30, Craigslist), 32MB AGP video card (upgraded for free), CD-RW drive, floppy drive, USB2.0 card ($5 from Geeks.com)
Sold/removed part(s): Zip750 drive
Additional comment(s): I plan to move it to Houston on my next trip there.

Computer #32: eMachines T1140
Inherited on 26 May 2006 from Dad, who had bought it in Feb 2002 for around $600
1.1GHz Celeron, 256MB PC133 (free from lab), 40GB hard drive
17" 1280x1024 CRT monitor, floppy drive
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): none

2 AT HOME IN HOUSTON:

Computer #55: IBM Thinkpad T42 (2373-B09)
Purchased used on 5 Aug 2007 ($411, eBay)
1.6GHz Pentium M, 2x1GB PC2700 RAM (1GB for $53.99, eBay; 1GB from X40 #3, worth $45), 250GB 5400rpm hard drive (eBay, $96.48-$27 cashback)
14.1" UXGA display (from a Dell Inspiron 4100, worth $70; inverter from R50p #2, worth $3; cable from T43p, worth $12), DVD burner (from T43p, worth $50), built-in 802.11a/b/g
5.41 lbs with 6-cell battery, 5.01 lbs after replacing optical drive with travel bezel
Sold/removed part(s): 14.1" SXGA+ screen (sold for $67.45 on Thinkpads.com), 60GB 7200rpm drive (sold for $48 on Thinkpads.com), 2x512MB PC2700 SODIMMs (sold for $20 each, Thinkpads.com and Craigslist), 72W AC adapter ($13 on Craigslist), CDRW/DVD combo drive (moved to T43p, worth $20)
Additional comment(s): This is probably the world's first 14.1" Thinkpad with UXGA resolution! I love it! With a travel bezel, this unit weighs 5.01 lbs, much more portable than my R50p's. When the machine arrived, the left touchpad button didn't work and the Windows COA sticker was for XP Home. I got both replaced with a touchpad and a XP Pro sticker from a 15.0" barebones T42.

Computer #12: Packard Bell Pack-Mate 5996CDT
Got for free in October 2004 (Brown Univ.)
90MHz Pentium (free from lab), 128MB 60ns EDO ($15.99, eBay), 4GB hard drive
ADI MicroSCan PD-959 19" 1280x1024 CRT monitor (free, from an acquaintance), CD-ROM drive, Zip250 drive ($10, ResellerRatings.com), 3.5" floppy drive, 5.25" floppy drive (from the 80286 machine)
Sold/removed part(s): 16MB RAM (removed)
Additional comment(s): I carried this with me when I flew from Providence RI to Houston TX in Jan 2005 -- of course, that wasn't an easy trip! The 100MHz CPU is underclocked to 90MHz.

COMPUTERS I USED TO HAVE:

Computer #1: brandless 80286 desktop
Purchased by my Dad on 24 August 1990 (about $1,090US, Hong Kong)
16MHz 80286, 1MB RAM, 40MB hard drive(!)
a monochrome CRT monitor, 3.5" floppy drive (~$27, local store in Houston TX, 1995), 5.25" floppy drive
Sold/removed part(s): 3.5-inch floppy drive (dead, removed)
This computer is so old that I can't even identify which chips are the RAM! It doesn't even have a mouse port though I can still use a serial mouse, and it still uses Dos 6.22 (upgraded from the original Dos 3.3!) and Windows 3.1.

Computer #2: Packard Bell Legend 11CD. This desktop was a present from my Dad and purchased on 23 September 1994 from Best Buy for $1,663.80 including the 14" monitor. It had a 50MHz 80486DX2 processor. I remember that shortly after getting this machine, I demonstrated its multimedia capabilities to relatives and friends and everyone was shocked and awed. It had a 420MB hard drive. It came with Packard Bell's silly Navigator installed, which I quickly replaced with regular MS Windows 3.11. Later, I upgraded the OS to Windows 95 and installed Office 2000. It ran DOOM, DOOM2 and a Mahjong game pretty well, with nice sound! The extremely slow modem (2400 bps!) is useless nowadays, though it was okay for downloading small files from bulletin boards back in the mid 1990s. Upgrades:

4MB SIMM RAM --> 20 MB ($0, 2003)

Sadly, this computer was found to have a dead CMOS battery in January 2006. Even worse, this battery was soldered to the motherboard making it hard (or impossible?) to replace. So now this desktop no longer works, and I have transferred its CD-ROM drive to a similar Packard Bell computer that my dad has. I haven't discarded the computer yet, because some of its parts might someday become useful as replacements.

Computer #3: Dell Inspiron 8200. Was used primarily for data analysis, MS Office and other work-related applications, data backup, and wireless internet. This 1.6GHz Pentium 4 laptop was bought new from Dell on 13 Aug 2002 for way too much money ($1,675.84, including a 1-year warranty that I actually needed once). It was the first computer I had ever bought with my own money. It was top of the line back then and was therefore supposed to be expensive, but had I waited just a little bit I would have saved 10% because Dell offered a coupon two weeks later. It had TWO internal optical drives: a DVD ROM drive and a CDRW drive. This laptop was so heavy (8.08 lbs) that I used it at home almost exclusively. When I ordered it I didn't know it's so important to check the weight. After learning this lesson, the weight has been one of the first things that I check before buying a laptop. About a month after getting this laptop, I bought the much lighter Thinkpad 600E so that I had something carryable. I enjoyed the huge 15" high-resolution SXGA screen, though. However, I never liked this computer very much, mainly because it looked so bulky and ugly, and finally decided to sell it on Craigslist for $350 on 3 Feb 2006. Before selling, I took out the 80GB hard drive (moved to Inspiron 700m), one of the 512MB PC2100 sticks (transferred to Portege R100), the USB2 card, and the 802.11b wireless card (sold for $10 on 4 Feb 2006). The following upgrades were done:

256MB PC2100 RAM (sold one stick for $13 in Sep 2005 and the other for $5 in Aug 2006) --> 512MB PC2100 ($83, Kingston, 17 July 2004)

40GB hard drive with 2MB buffer(sold to a friend for $40 on 25 Mar 2006) --> no hard drive

Computer #4: IBM ThinkPad 600E. I bought this 366MHz Pentium II laptop used from Geeks.com (then Computer Geeks) for $403 on 19 Sep 2002. I read somewhere that this is IBM's best selling computer ever. It was probably made in either 1999 or 2000, so it wasn't that old when I bought it. The original 6GB hard drive died in June 2003 and I replaced it with a 30GB one ($104, NewEgg, 1 Jul 2003). I also upgraded the PC66/100 RAM from 128MB to 224MB ($32, Computer Geeks, 15 Jul 2004), and sold the original 64MB PC66 module for $5 on 19 Aug 2005. Like many other older laptops, this ThinkPad doesn't have a built-in ethernet adapter, and so I had to install a GigaFast PCMCIA card ($17.50, NewEgg; sold for $8 on 24 Jan 2006). A sometimes inconvenient feature is that this machine has only one USB port. The display is 13.3", which is big enough. The external drive shown here is a floppy drive which I actually used quite a bit to back up thesis-related files. At 5.29 lbs, it was my lightest laptop until I got my Inspiron 700m and I used to travel with it. I often used this laptop in conjunction with the Dell OptiPlex desktop, e.g. to analyze different kinds of data on the two machines to make the process more efficient, or to stay logged on to Yahoo Mail using two different user names. Another use was to give Powerpoint presentations at lab meetings. It worked like a champ for 3 years but, after getting the Thinkpad X20 I really didn't need this 600E any more. So, I got a new battery ($41, eBay) and sold it on Craigslist for $180 on 26 October 2005. Just before selling, I swapped the hard drive with the 20GB from the X20. The 30GB drive is now used as a portable external drive, which is really convenient for transferring files. For surfing the internet and Microsoft Office, this 366MHz Pentium II computer is plenty fast enough. For most people, there is no need to buy the very latest technologies.

Computer #5: Ambra NC425SL. You can tell from its tiny monitor that it is really old; it was made in September 1993. I got it on eBay just for fun. 25MHz 80486SX CPU, 4MB onboard RAM, 120MB hard drive which eventually died, a 2,400 bps modem, and a 9.4-insh **color** monitor! This thing cost $3,000 when it was new! I got it for $31 on 21 Oct 2002. I installed Windows 3.1 and Dos 6 on it and for a while I used it for playing silly DOS games (e.g. Tetris and Pacman) and writing diaries, but eventually (in around May 2004, I think) the BIOS started having problems and failed to recognize the hard drive; I suspect that was because the CMOS battery died. The floppy drive was also half dead, and so the computer became non-functional. Notice the trackball mouse, very common in the old days. The unit had parallel, serial, external monitor and keyboard/mouse ports.

Computer #6: Umax "Slim Type Notebook". I really loved this computer but had to sell it because it was never used much. What's really strange is that it doesn't have a serial or model number on the case, although the manual suggests that the model is H1P233MTX and it looks exactly like the WinBook Eagle computer with the same model number. Perhaps it's a prototype of the WinBook model? Umax stopped producing laptops several years ago, and now they make scanners almost exclusively. I bought it on eBay on 11 November 2002 for $273.17. This purchase included a 100MB parallel port Zip drive, a PCMCIA ethernet card that uses a dongle, a PCMCIA modem card, a huge carrying case that can hold two laptops, and a mouse, and so it was a pretty good deal. Though made in (late?) 1997, it's impressively futuristic. It's pretty thin (1.5"), relatively light (6.18 lbs), has a USB1.1 port and a big (13.3") screen with resolution up to 1024x768, unlike most other laptops made at that time. It has 233MHz Pentium-MMX, 112 MB of EDO RAM (upgraded from 32MB, for $8 Computer Geeks plus $14 Coast To Coast Memory; transferred an original 16MB module to the Thinkpad 365X that I sold on 30 Aug 2005), and a 3GB hard drive which I upgraded to 5GB (from the Macintosh external drive). It ran Windows 98 Second Edition perfectly. The main use for this laptop was recording my piano playing in the practice rooms at Brown. Sold on 19 Oct 2005 for $120.

Computer #7: brandless 80486DX4 desktop. Another freebie that I got from my old lab at Harvard. The monitor was Leading Edge CMC-1412AD (Leading Edge monitors used to be quite popular). The main unit appeared to be custom made, with an Asus VL/I-486SV2G/GX4 motherboard, a 100MHz 80486DX4 CPU, a 420MB hard drive, 16 MB of SIMM RAM, and a sticker that said "Ideal Computer" on the case. It was probably made in 1995. I got this machine in late 2002 or early 2003. It was running Windows 95 and MS Office 2000 for a while, and I actually typed part of my doctoral thesis on it. I moved it with me when I moved to Providence but never used it and it was just taking up lots of space. So, I took all the parts (floppy and CD-ROM drives, bus cables, power supply, RAM modules, CPU, jumpers, and screws) out and discarded the case. The CPU has been used to upgrade my dad's 50MHz DX Packard Bell computer.

Computer #8: Packard Bell Synera 406. The computer box was inherited from a colleague at Harvard in September 2003, and the monitor from my current lab at Brown. The Synera unit was originally manufactured in early 1997, and the monitor is probably even older. It was the computer that I used at my office desk until I got the OptiPlex desktop. It originally had a 166MHz Pentium-MMX processor, but I upgraded it first to 200MHz MMX ($5, eBay) and more recently to 233MHz Pentium MMX (free from my old lab at Harvard). The motherboard (PB680) is not supposed to support MMX CPU's, and so I am overclocking the system. Let's hope it won't explode! It has 128 MB of EDO RAM which unfortunately is the maximum supported and thus can't be increased any further. I upgraded the ethernet card from 10Mbps ISA to 100Mbps PCI ($8, NewEgg). It didn't have a sound card, so I bought one ($4, Computer Geeks). It's the oldest machine I have seen that has USB ports. For a while, this computer had a 60GB hard drive but I replaced it with an old 10GB hard drive taken from the Optiplex just before selling the computer to a coworker for $40 on Sep 23, 2005. When it was my main computer at work, it ran Windows 2000 Pro, MS Office 2003, Deneba Canvas 7, Adobe Acrobat 6 Pro, and Photoshop 7, and so I was really stretching this dinosaur to its limits! Now it runs Windows 98SE, and my coworker and I are using it for data acquisition in some experiments.

Computer #9: Gateway E-3200
Got the Gateway for free in Dec 2003 (Harvard Univ.)
1.1GHz Pentium III ($32, eBay, 31 May 2005) with a huge heat sink ($4, Geeks.com, 29 Nov 2004) via a Super Slocket ($4.95, eBay, 29 Sep 2005), 512MB PC133 RAM ($55, eBay, 17 Sep 2005), 440GB hard drives (120GB for $79.99, NewEgg, 23 Jul 2004, and 320GB for $100.45, NewEgg 30 Jul 2006)
Dell E196FP 19-inch LCD monitor (worth $200, from Dimension B110 purchase, 18 Apr 2006), NEC DVDRW drive ND-2510A ($69, NewEgg, 16 Aug 2004), Zip250 drive ($10, ResellerRatings, 2 Jul 2005), floppy drive, 32MB ATI Rage 128 Pro NLX form factor AGP video card ($17.98 eBay, 15 Dec 2004), USB2.0 PCI card ($6, Geeks.com, 29 Nov 2004), Logitech cordless keyboard (worth $5, from Thinkpad X22 purchase), Cintre RW-6510 5.1 Channel Surround Home Theater Speaker System ($24.95, Geeks.com, 17 Sep 2005)
Sold/removed part(s): 300MHz Pentium II processor ($5, 11 July 2005), 700MHz PIII (got for $25, eBay, 27 Nov 2004; sold for $14, 14 Aug 2005), 64MB PC100 RAM (donated to the lab), 4GB hard drive (removed), 21" Panasonic S21 CRT monitor (got for free, sold for $40, 9 Apr 2006), CD-ROM drive (removed), 100MB Zip drive (sold for $6, Nov 2005)
Additional comment(s): It's amazing that with enough upgrades, such an old computer (made in Sep 1998) is still up to the most demanding tasks. Unfortunately, it started having problems recognizing the hard drives and displaying images on 1 Oct 2006, and so I discarded it.

Computer #10: Toshiba Satellite T2130CS It was made in around 1996, with a 75MHz 80486DX4 CPU, 24 MB of RAM, and a 520MB hard drive. I got it in 21 July 2004 for $28.30 and it ran fine, although the hard drive made lots of ominous noise. It's equipped with a Netgear PCMCIA ethernet card (taken from the Umax laptop) and I used it to surf the internet a few times, but the small screen (10.4") with low resolution made the experience not so pleasant. I wrote my diaries on this Toshiba for a while. As it didn't have a CD-ROM drive, I had to install Windows 95 using floppies and MS Office 97 from a parallel port Zip drive, after copying the installation files from a CD to Zip discs. I sold this computer on Craigslist for $25 on Sep 4, 2005.

Computer #11: Apple Macintosh PowerBook G3. Bought it to learn to use Mac, but never had a chance. This laptop has a 233 MHz processor, 160 MB SDRAM, a 10GB hard drive, Mac OS 9.2.2, and a Japanese keyboard. It was made in 1998. I bought it from a former colleague on 9 August 2004 for $180, which was a decent deal because it included an extra, brand new battery and a 5GB external PCMCIA hard drive. I sold the new battery for $25 on Dec 23, 2005. Unfortunately, the display hinge has become very loose, a problem that seems to be specific to G3 PowerBooks (see http://www.macopinion.com/columns/roadwarrior/01/07/03/). Consequently, I have to lean the screen against a wall or something to keep it upright. Surprisingly, it doesn't have a USB port. It doesn't have floppy or CD-RW drives either, and for a long time the only way to transfer files from this laptop to other computers was via that external PCMCIA hard drive, which was inconvenient. Luckily, I recently found an abandoned SCSI Zip100 drive in the lab and managed to install it on this laptop, and so I can now easily transfer files between this and other computers on Zip discs. Weighs 7.76 lbs. Sold on 28 Feb 2006 for $52.

Computer #13: Dell Inspiron 700m
Purchased new on 19 October 2004 with 2-year warranty ($866.06, Dell)
1.6GHz Pentium M Centrino, 512MB PC2700 RAM (worth $40, from Portege R100, 4 Feb 2006), 80GB 5400rpm hard drive w/ 16MB buffer ($102, Geeks.com, 30 Sep 2005)
12.1" WXGA (1280X800) display, DVD-ROM/CDRW combo drive, built-in 802.11b/g, SD card reader
4.14 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 30GB hard drive (removed), 2x256MB PC2700 sticks (sold for $20 in Aug 2006)
Additional comment(s): The computer was bought with a $750 off coupon! In general, I am quite happy with this laptop, but the keys are pretty small and it hangs or restarts on its own much more frequently than all of my other computers. Sold for $600 on Craigslist on 11 Sep 2006.

Computer #14: IBM Thinkpad 240 (type 2609-21U). It was used primarily for all mobile computing at work, piano recording, and travel. Bought on 16 May 2005 and received on 20 May 2005. It was such a bargain that I couldn't resist it! Only $156 through eBay, which included a tiny carrying bag, a mouse, an ethernet card, and an ethernet cable. The TP240 was an ultralight model first introduced in May 1999, with 300MHz Celeron, an external floppy drive, a USB1.1 port, a 6-cell battery that still holds lots of charge, but no internal optical drives. With the 6-cell battery, the whole unit was 3.22 lbs, but it was reduced to 2.96 lbs after replacing it with a 3-cell battery (just before carrying it with me to a 10-day conference), making it my third lightest notebook ever. Though the whole computer is really small, the keyboard is almost full size, something many other users like about this awesome notebook. However, the 10.4" monitor was uncomfortable to use, which was the main reason I sold it to a colleague on 7 Feb 2006, for $167 (without the hard drive). Here is a list of all upgrades I did to this unit:

192MB PC66 RAM (sold 128MB for $15 on 13 Jul 2005) --> 64MB PC66 ($41.52, eBay, 4 Jul 2005)

6GB hard drive with 0.5MB buffer --> no hard drive (from Inspiron 8200)

3-cell battery ($39, eBay, 31 Oct 2005)

Netgear 10/100 NIC CardBus PC Card ($13.99, Overstock.com, 16 Aug 2004)

Computer #15: Dell Optiplex GX110
Got it for free in late June 2005 (Brown Univ.)
600MHz PIII, 128MB PC133, 6GB hard drive (from Packard Bell Synera)
19" Rosewill R911E LCD monitor ($165, 22 Apr 2006, Craigslist), CD-ROM drive, floppy drive
Sold/removed part(s): 10GB hard drive (removed), 17" Dell CRT monitor (removed), Zip 100 drive (sold for $6)
Additional comment(s): Before getting this, the 233MHz Packard Bell Synera was my main computer at my office desk. Discarded on 3 Oct 2006.

Computer #16: Compaq Armada 1573DM. It's the first Compaq I had ever used. I got it for $40.41 from eBay on 24 Jul 2005, and had to get a hard drive caddy seperately for $14.98 (also eBay, 28 Jul 2005). 233 MHz Pentium MMX and 32MB EDO RAM. I tried to add a 64MB RAM module but the slot turned out to be defective! It was probably made at about the same time as the Umax, but the design is far less modern. The display is smaller (12.1 inches) and quite fuzzy, and the highest resolution supported is only 800 x 600. Also, it's absurdly thick (2.1") and is 7.85 lbs. It's one of those weird machines that doesn't let you get into the BIOS directly, but instead through a floppy disc or a special partition on the hard drive. I added a 3GB hard drive (taken from the Umax laptop) and was actually able to run Windows 2000 and Office 2003. Unfortunately, after just several weeks, the display failed to power up! So I sold it on Craigslist for $20!

Computer #17: IBM Thinkpad 365X (model 2625-7E7) I got it for $30 (eBay) but sold it after only about 3 weeks because I was not happy about two things. First and foremost, it didn't come with a battery which prevented me from updating the BIOS to a version that would have enabled me to increase the RAM to 72MB. Second, latch problems prevented the lid from closing completely. This 100MHz Pentium laptop had 8 MB of onboard EDO RAM, a 800MB hard drive, and an internal floppy drive. I added 16MB of RAM (from the Umax) to bring the total to 24 MB and sold the whole unit for $32 on Aug 30, 2005.

Computer #18: Hewlett Packard Pavilion XE783. I got it for free from my old thesis lab at Harvard. It has 700MHz Celeron and a CD-RW drive. Perhaps because the FSB is only 66MHz, this computer is quite a bit slower than the OptiPlex, although it is still fast enough for most purposes. Also got a free, 19" Dell monitor from Brown University. I sold both the Pavilion and the Dell monitor on 10 April 2006 on Craigslist for $80. The following modifications were made:

64MB PC100 RAM --> 128 MB PC100 ($12.25, eBay, 18 Jul 2004)

30GB hard drive --> no hard drive

Computer #19: IBM Thinkpad X20 (model 2662-34U). Got for $285 on eBay on 19 Oct 2005; received it on 24 Oct 2005. 3.46 lbs, 600MHz Pentium III, 128MB PC100 RAM, has a docking station with CD-ROM drive and floppy drive that's not shown in the photo, two USB1.1 ports, built-in ethernet port as well as modem, and 12.1-inch display with resolution up to 1024x768, which is much much nicer than that of the Thinkpad 240. The pipe and back slash key doesn't work, but that's okay because I rarely use it and when I do need it, I can just copy from the character map. No upgrades, but instead a downgrade:

20GB hard drive --> 6GB hard drive (from the Thinkpad 240)

I sold it to my cousin for $220 on 15 Jan 2006. It's a very sexy machine, worked very well and I loved it, but after getting the X40, I had no use for this X20.

Computer #20: IBM Thinkpad X40 (2371-9EU)
Purchased new on 13 Dec 2005 with 3-year warranty ($1,082, Thinkpads.com)
1.2GHz Pentium M Centrino, 1.5GB PC2700 RAM (1GB for $85, Thinkpads.com, 17 April 2006), 40GB 1.8" hard drive
12.1" XGA display, built-in 802.11b/g, SD card reader
2.76 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): My favorite computer! So light and so sturdy, with nearly full-sized keys. Sold for $805 on Boston Craigslist on 21 Nov 2006.

Computer #21: IBM Thinkpad X20 (model 2662-11U). For a while the laptop that I left in the lab was the Thinkpad 240, but I didn't like the slow speed and the small screen. So I bought this reasonably priced 500MHz Celeron laptop from eBay ($130.27, 28 Jan 2006). The auction didn't include a hard drive or an AC adapter. This unit has a 12.1-inch display that supports only up to 800x600 resolution, and its ethernet port turned out to be a fake! However, I actually like it more than the X20 I owned previously because it's considerably lighter (3.15 lbs vs. 3.47 lbs). Here are the upgrades:

64MB PC100 RAM --> 128MB RAM (from Portege 7020CT)

no hard drive --> 3GB hard drive (from Thinkpad 240 number 2)

no AC adapter --> AC adapter ($15.50, eBay, 21 Feb 2006)

But I sold it to a friend for $145 on 25 Feb 2006, because I bought a Thinkpad 240 that's slightly faster than the first 240 that I had owned (366MHz Celeron vs. 300MHz), and thought that's more worth keeping than the X20.

Computer #22: Toshiba Portege 7020CT (part # PAP702U-T2W8). This was bought on 29 Jan 2006, purely for fun. It was quite cheap on eBay ($117), thought the hard drive included was dead. It has 366MHz Pentium II and a 13.3-inch XGA screen. It's around 4.1 lbs. I tossed in the 30GB hard drive from the Inspiron 700m, installed Windows 98SE on it and played with it for two weeks. Then I sold it for $95 on 15 Feb 2006. Modifications:

128MB RAM --> 96 MB (swapped 64MB PC100 module with 500MHz X20's 32MB PC100 module)

dead hard drive --> 20GB hard drive (from Armada 1750) --> removed hard drive before selling the computer

Computer #23: Toshiba Portege R100 (part # PPR10U-06NW17)
Purchased used on 1 Feb 2006 ($583.22, eBay)
1GHz Pentium M Centrino, 768MB PC2100 RAM (512MB for $83, Kingston, 17 July 2004), 40GB 1.8" hard drive
12.1" XGA display, built-in 802.11b, SD card reader
2.38 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 512MB PC2700 RAM (worth $40, removed)
Additional comment(s): There are a few scratches and two 1 inch-long dents on the lid, which is why it was sold for so cheap. As much as I am impressed by its light weight, I must say I still prefer the Thinkpad X40 because Thinkpads are made of much stronger material; the display lid of the R100 flexes very easily. The purchase included both a standard and an extended battery, and both can be used simultaneously. Sold for $540 on Boston Craigslist on 21 Nov 2006.

Computer #24: Compaq Armada 1750. Bought it just for fun. Bought on 11 Feb 2006 for $145 (eBay). It has 333MHz Pentium II processor, 192MB RAM, a 14-inch display, and internal CD-ROM and floppy drives. At 8.33 lbs, it's the heaviest laptop I have owned! However, this weight includes a built-in AC adapter, and so the travel weight is actually lighter than that of the Inspiron 8200. It came with an original copy of Windows 2000 Pro with Service Pack 4. This purchase included a Lifeview USB TV tuner. I sold the computer and the Windows 2000 CD for $150 on 26 Feb 2006, and kept the TV tuner. Just one upgrade:

20GB hard drive (sold for $20 on 21 Feb 2006) --> 30GB hard drive ($104, NewEgg, 1 Jul 2003)

Computer #25: IBM Thinkpad 240 (model 2609-31U). Yep, I bought another TP240! But this one is better than the first one because it's 366MHz Celeron compared to only 300MHz. It was very cheap too, only $70 (eBay, 24 Feb 2006). The reason it was so cheap was that the display has a green vertical line about one third down the screen. That bothered initially but I got used to it quickly. A really nice thing is that it uses the 3-cell battery, and the weight of the whole computer is only 2.94 lbs, which is just lighter than the first Thinkpad 240 I owned. I sold it with the wireless card for $160 on 23 March 2006. Here are the upgrades:

3GB hard drive --> 30GB hard drive (from Inspiron 700m) --> 20GB hard drive (from Thinkpad X22)

80MB RAM --> 192MB RAM ($10, Craigslist)

generic 802.11g wireless card ($15, Geeks.com)

Computer #26: IBM Thinkpad X22 (2662-9DU)
Purchased used on 6 Mar 2006 ($280, eBay)
800MHz Pentium III, 256MB PC133 RAM, 30GB hard drive (from Inspiron 700m)
12.1" XGA display, built-in 802.11b wireless, USB CD-ROM drive, USB floppy drive
3.48 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 20GB hard drive (removed), Port Replicator II ($30), extra AC adapter (removed)
Additional comments: This is the first X-series notebook with built-in wireless, ethernet and modem! It looks virtually identical to the X20, i.e. they are equally sexy. This purchase included a tiny cordless mouse.

Computer #27: IBM Thinkpad X20 (model 2662-11U). Bought for $101.92 on eBay (22 Mar 2006) without an AC adapter, but that's fine because I had an extra adapter (worth $15) from the X22 purchase. This laptop is the exact same model as my second X20 and has 500MHz Celeron and 10GB hard drive, and it weighs 3.17 lbs. I upgraded the memory from 64MB to 128 (from my second X20) before selling it on Craigslist on 30 Mar 2006 for $150.

Computer #28: IBM Thinkpad 240 (2609-41U)
Purchased used on 26 Mar 2006 ($169.14, eBay)
400MHz Celeron, 192MB PC66 RAM (128MB from Thinkpad 600, 13 April 2006), 12GB hard drive
10.4" SVGA display, external floppy drive
2.96 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 64MB RAM (removed), one 3Com 16-bit ethernet card (removed), extra AC adapter (removed), extra extended battery ($28), Microsoft Works 2000 Suite ($6.41, 14 Sep 2006)
Additional comment(s): My third Thinkpad 240!!! The whole computer is in near-mint condition. The purchase included two ethernet cards, a laptop carrying case, an extra extended battery, and lots of original CDs and manuals.

Computer #29: Compaq Presario 5002US. This was given to me by the guy who bought my HP Pavilion XE783 on 10 April 2006. It has a 400MHz Celeron processor and a DVD-ROM drive, and I sold the computer for $50 on brown.dailyjolt (12 April 2006) after making the following upgrades:

64MB PC100 --> 192MB PC100 ($12.25, eBay, 18 Jul 2004)

Added the CD-RW drive from the Pavilion XE783

Added the 30GB hard drive from the Pavilion XE783

Computer #30: IBM Thinkpad 600 (type 2645-51U). I bought it because I had an extra AC adapter from the 400MHz Thinkpad 240 purchase, and I saw this TP600 on eBay a that didn't include an AC adapter. Got it for $80 on 13 April 2006. It weighs 5.40 lbs, heavier than the Thinkpad 600E that I previously owned. A nice feature of this laptop was it had two 128MB PC100 SODIMM sticks; I needed one for my 400MHz Thinkpad 240 to speed it up, and needed another for someone else. The processor is the 266MHz Pentium II, and the hard drive has only 2GB. Has a CD-ROM drive. The unit didn't come with a battery, and so I put in the bad one from my Thinkpad 600E. Modifications made:

288MB RAM --> 96MB RAM (removed two 128MB sticks and put in a 64MB stick from the 400MHz Thinkpad 240; sold one 128MB stick for $10 on 24 April 2006)

no AC adapter --> AC adapter added (worth $10, from the 400MHz Thinkpad 240 purchase)

no ethernet card --> added a 3Com 16-bit 10Mbps ethernet card (worth $3, from the 400MHz Thinkpad 240 purchase)

I sold the computer for $99 on Craigslist on 16 April 2006.

Computer #33: Sony Vaio PCG-K23
Inherited on 26 May 2006 from Dad, who had gotten it for free from a casino in July 2004
2.8GHz Pentium 4, 1GB PC2700 RAM ($40, bought from an acquaintance), 60GB hard drive
15.4" WXGA display, CD-RW/DVD drive, built-in 802.11b/g, memory stick reader
8.1 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 2x256MB PC2700 modules (sold for $19.53 on Thinkpads.com)
Additional comment(s): The power brick is huge! The glossy screen is beautiful. Sold for $300 on Craigslist on 27 April 2009.

Computer #34: Packard Bell Force 51CD
Inherited on 26 May 2006 from Dad, who had bought it in around Dec 1994
100MHz 80486DX4 (from the desktop computer with an Asus motherboard), 64MB SIMMs ($16, Computer Surplus Outlet), 840MB hard drive (one 420MB drive taken from the Packard Bell Legend 11CD)
14" CRT monitor, CD-ROM drive, floppy drive
Sold/removed part(s): 50MHz 80486SX2 processor, dead CMOS battery
Additional comment(s): This is currently the slowest computer that I own and is the only one that can play Doom, Doom2 and Hong Kong Majong. The operating system is Windows 98SE. The monitor is very fuzzy, unfortunately. I dumped both the monitor and computer on 13 June 2007.

Computer #35: Fujitsu Lifebook B-2131
Purchased used on 7 Aug, 2006 ($116, eBay)
400MHz Celeron, 192MB PC100 RAM (128MB from Thinkpad T12), 3GB 4200rpm hard drive (from second Thinkpad 240)
10.4" SVGA display, USB CD-ROM drive, external floppy drive via port replicator, 802.11b wireless card
3.17 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 6GB hard drive (removed), USB CD-ROM drive (removed), Cisco 802.11b wireless PCMCIA card (removed)
Additional comment(s): The first Fujitsu computer I had ever used. Good thing it has a built-in microphone, so that I can use it to make piano recordings. Sold on Craigslist for $109 on 30 Aug 2006.

Computer #36: IBM Thinkpad T23 (2647-8MU)
Purchased used on 11 Aug 2006 ($165, eBay)
1.13GHz Pentium III, 256MB PC133 RAM, 30GB hard drive
14.1" XGA display, DVD-ROM drive
5.10 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): What a bargain, T23 in pristine condition for $165! There is a minor problem though, namely the computer almost always thinks that it's on battery even though it's plugged in, but I can live with that. I use this laptop to make piano recordings and play DVDs. I used to avoid lugging around laptops as heavy as this one, but now I don't because I need to work out! Sold for $260 on 28 Aug 06.

Computer #37: IBM Thinkpad T21 2647-4AU
Purchased used on 9 Aug 2006 ($160, eBay)
800MHz Pentium III, 128MB PC100 RAM, 12GB hard drive
14.1" XGA display, DVD-ROM drive
5.34 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): Bought this, and just two days later found a T23 with much nicer specs but only $5 more. The screen of this T21 has quite a few bright spots and looks washed out.

Computer #38: IBM Thinkpad T43 (2669-C8U)
Purchased used on 28 Aug 2006 ($719, Thinkpads.com)
1.86GHz Pentium M, 2GB PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM ($160, Frys.com), 80GB hard drive
14.1" SXGA+ display, DVD/CDRW combo drive, built-in 802.11b/g
5.17 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 2x256MB (sold for $24)
Additional comment(s): Needed a powerful laptop with SXGA+ resolution. Has an optical drive travel bezel, to minimize weight. Sold on 1 Feb 2007 on Craigslist for $699.

Computer #39: Gateway GP7-500
Got it for free on 29 August 2006 (Brown Univ.)
500MHz PIII, 128MB PC100, 13GB hard drive
17" Dell E770P CRT monitor, CDRW drive, CD-ROM drive, Zip100 drive, floppy drive
Sold/removed part(s): 128MB PC100 RAM (sold for $8 on 1 Sep 06), 8GB hard drive (removed)
Additional comment(s): Someone in the Cognitive Neurosci. Dept. trashed it, and I picked it up. Sold for $30 on Craigslist on 31 Aug 06.

Computer #40: IBM Thinkpad 240X (2609-61U)
Purchased used on 5 Sep 2006 ($66.98, eBay)
500MHz Pentium III, 128MB PC100 RAM (64MB from second TP600E, $0), 30GB hard drive ($35, Thinkpads.com 8 Sep 2006)
10.4" SVGA display
3.12 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): Bought the AC adapter separately ($16.99, eBay). It's heavier than all three of the TP240's that I have owned because of the 6-cell battery. Sold on Craigslist on 3 Oct 2006 for $150.

Computer #41: IBM Thinkpad T20 (2647-41U)
Purchased used on 6 Sep 2006 ($40, eBay)
700MHz Pentium III, 128MB PC100 RAM, 6GB hard drive (from Fujitsu Lifebook)
14.1" XGA display, DVD-ROM drive
5.17 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 128MB PC100 RAM (removed, worth $10)
Additional comment(s): bought an AC adapter separately for $13.98 (eBay); a battery separately for $26.90 (eBay). Sold on Thinkpads.com for $119 on 28 Sep 2006.

Computer #42: IBM Thinkpad 600E (2645-8BU)
Got for free on 20 Sep 2006 (eBay)
400MHz Pentium II, 128MB PC100 RAM, 10GB hard drive
13.3" XGA display, DVD-ROM drive
5.61 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): The seller gave this laptop to me for free to compensate for his taking forever to get the laptop ready! Sold for $119 on 20 Oct 2006.

Computer #43: IBM Thinkpad T23 (2647-NU0)
Purchased used on 29 Sep 2006 ($335, eBay)
1.2GHz Pentium III, 640MB PC133 RAM (512MB for $46.98, eBay), 40GB hard drive
14.1" SXGA+ display, DVD-ROM drive
5.25 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): My second laptop with an SXGA+ 14.1" display. I love it!

Computer #44: IBM Thinkpad A31p (2653-R8U)
Purchased used on 4 Oct 2006 ($428, eBay)
2GHz Pentium 4, 256MB PC2100 RAM, 40GB hard drive
15" UXGA display, DVD-ROM/CDRW combo drive drive
7.30 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): My first laptop with UXGA! It enables me to view four web browsers simultaneously! Sold for $420 on 12 Nov 2006 on Boston Craigslist.

Computer #45: Dell inspiron 6000
Purchased used on 7 Nov 2006 ($495, Craigslist)
1.6GHz Pentium M, 1.5GB PC2-4200 RAM (1GB $48, Thinkpads.com, 9 Apr 2007; 512MB $17, Thinkpads.com 23 Apr 2007), 60GB hard drive
15.4" WUXGA display, DVD-ROM/CDRW combo drive drive
6.60 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 2x512MB PC2-3200 RAM (sold for $40, Boston Craigslist, 8 Apr 2007)
Additional comment(s): My first laptop with WUXGA (1920x1200)! Love it! Sold for $440 on Craiglist on 4 Jul 2007.

Computer #46: Dell Inspiron 600m
Purchased used on 3 Nov 2006 ($350, eBay)
1.5GHz Pentium M, 512MB PC2100 RAM, 60GB hard drive
14" XGA display, DVD+RW burner
5.48 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 802.11g PCMCIA card (worth $10)
Additional comment(s): By far the worst eBay experience I have ever had! The auction description stated that this thing has 1.6GHz Pentium M, 14" SXGA, 80GB HDD, and is guaranteed to work perfectly. But it's only 1.5GHz, XGA, 20GB of the 80GB is severely damaged and unusable, and the laptop doesn't always power when I hit the power button! Thus, I sold it on 13 Nov 2006 for $320.

Computer #47: IBM Thinkpad X22 (2662-95U)
Purchased used on 15 Nov 2006 ($168.95, eBay)
800MHz Pentium III, 256MB PC133 RAM, 20GB hard drive
12.1" XGA display, CF card reader
3.39 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): I bought this because I really needed a super cheap and light laptop, which I wouldn't mind carrying around all the time. The X40 and the R100 were too expensive. Also, this X22 has a built-in microphone, which the R100 doesn't have. Sold for $215 on 11 Jan 2007.

Computer #48: Lenovo Thinkpad X60s (1704-3DU)
Purchased used on 11 Dec 2006 ($841 - $20 PayPal cashback, eBay)
1.66GHz L2400 Core Duo, 768MB PC2-5300 DDR2 RAM, 60GB hard drive
12.1" XGA display, built-in 802.11b/g/a, SD card reader
2.89 lbs or 3.46 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 512MB (worth $40)
Additional comment(s): My first Lenovo-made Thinkpad. Came with an ugly and huge 8-cell battery that lasts about 8 hours. I bought a 4-cell slim line battery for $97 directly from Lenovo. Traded for a T60 on 26 Jan 2007.

Computer #49: Systemax Tiger desktop
Picked up for free in Dec 2006 (Brown Univ.)
2.8GHz Pentium 4, 1GB PC2700 memory, 60GB hard drive (free from lab)
CDRW drive, CD-ROM drive, floppy drive (from OptiPlex GX110)
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): sold for $80 on Craigslist on 12 Jan 2007

Computer #50: Lenovo Thinkpad T60 (2623-D4U)
Traded with X60s on 27 Jan 2007 (worth $878, locally through Thinkpads.com)
1.66GHz Core Duo, 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 RAM (2x1GB from eBay, $140.88), 80GB hard drive
14.1" SXGA+ display, DVD/CDRW combo drive, built-in 802.11a/b/g
5.22 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 2x512MB RAM (sold for $74 on Thinkpads.com), 7-CD recovery disc set (sold for $25.68 on Thinkpads.com)
Additional comment(s): Realized that I wouldn't be needing a light laptop for the year 2007, so I swapped the X60s for this. Sold for $899 on Thinkpads.com on 11 Jun 2007.

Computer #51: IBM Thinkpad R50p (1832-23U)
Purchased used on 26 May 2007 ($705, eBay)
1.7GHz Pentium M, 1x1GB PC2700 RAM ($51.75, eBay), 60GB 7200rpm hard drive
15.0" UXGA Flexview display (worth $100, from T43p), DVDRW drive, built-in 802.11a/b/g and bluetooth
6.92 lbs with 6-cell battery ($25 on Thinkpads.com)
Sold/removed part(s): 9-cell battery (sold for $43.10 on Thinkpads.com), 1GB stick transferred to R50p #2 (worth $70), the other 1GB stick sold ($38, Craigslist), 15.0" UXGA Flexview screen (sold for $130.25 on Thinkpads.com), 60GB 7200rpm HDD ($30 to a friend)
Additional comment(s): The highest-resolution laptop LCD ever made! 2048x1536 pixels!

Computer #52: IBM Thinkpad 570E (2644-6BU)
Purchased used on 3 Jun 2007 ($95, eBay)
500MHz Pentium III, 192MB PC100 RAM (128MB stick from X21, worth $10), 20GB 4200rpm hard drive
13.3" XGA display, CD-ROM drive in UltraBase
4.03 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 256MB PC100 stick (worth $30, moved to X21), extra AC adapter (sold for $13, Thinkpads.com), 802.11g Belkin PC card (sold for $11, Craigslist), external floppy drive (sold for $4, Craigslist)
Additional comment(s): I had wanted to own a 570E for two years because it's so beautiful. Thank God I finally found a nice-condition one for so little money! I sold it for $90 on Craigslist on 29 Jun 2007.

Computer #53: IBM Thinkpad X21 (2662-65U)
Purchased used on 8 Jun 2007 ($129.50, eBay)
700MHz Pentium III, 384MB PC100 RAM (256MB stick worth $30 from 570E), 20GB 4200rpm hard drive
12.1" XGA display, CD-ROM drive in UltraBase, floppy drive in UltraBase
3.47 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 128MB PC100 stick (worth $10, moved to 570E), AirLink 802.11g PC card (sold for $15, Craigslist)
Additional comment(s): My first ultraportable laptop since selling my X60s on 26 Jan 2007. But the microphone turned out not to work, so I sold the laptop for $149 on 7 Jul 2007 on Craigslist.

Computer #54: IBM Thinkpad R50p (1832-22U)
Purchased used on 2 July 2007 ($620, Thinkpads.com)
1.7GHz Pentium M, 2GB PC2700 RAM (1GB from R50p #1, worth $70)
15.0" QXGA Flexview display ($315 eBay + $10.50 for inverter and LCD cable from Thinkpads.com), DVDRW drive, built-in 802.11a/b/g and bluetooth
6.95 lbs with 6-cell battery, 7.27 lbs with 9-cell battery
Sold/removed part(s): 512MB PC2700 stick (sold for $24.70), 15.0" UXGA Flexview screen + cable (sold on Thinkpads.com for $162.53), UXGA inverter (worth $3, moved to T42), 60GB 7200rpm hard drive ($57.54 on Thinkpads.com)
Additional comment(s): I liked my first QXGA R50p so very much that I bought one more!

Computer #56: IBM Thinkpad T23 (2647-4MU)
Purchased used on 23 Aug 2007 ($92.99, eBay)
1.13GHz Pentium III, 256MB PC133 RAM, 60GB 7200rpm hard drive (from T42, worth $48)
14.1" XGA display, DVD-ROM drive
5.13 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 30GB 4200rpm HDD (worth $15, moved to defective T41)
Additional comment(s): Bought it mainly to help me sell the 60GB 7200rpm HDD.

Computer #57: IBM Thinkpad T21 (2647-5AU)
Purchased used on 2 Sep 2007 ($134.49, eBay)
800MHz Pentium III, 256MB PC100 RAM, 32GB 5400rpm hard drive
14.1" SXGA+ display, DVD-ROM drive
5.24 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): AC adapter (sold for $15 on Craigslist), battery (sold for $20 on Thinkpads.com), 2x128MB PC100 RAM (sold for $10 on Craigslist), DVD-ROM drive (sold for $15.17 on Thinkpads.com)
Additional comment(s): Had a supervisor password, tried to clear it by removing the CMOS battery but made things worse! Sold the unit without battery, hard drive, RAM and adapter for $80 shipped.

Computer #58: IBM Thinkpad X41 tablet (1866-6TU)
Purchased used on 2 Sep 2007 ($550.88, eBay)
1.5GHz Pentium M, 512MB PC2-4200 RAM, 60GB 4200rpm hard drive
12.1" XGA display, built-in 802.11a/b/g and bluetooh
4.14 lbs (with 8-cell battery)
Sold/removed part(s): None
Additional comment(s): My first tablet. Couldn't stand the XGA resolution and weight, so sold it quickly on Thinkpads.com.

Computer #59: IBM Thinkpad X40 (2371-G4U)
Purchased used on 18 Sep 2007 ($394, eBay)
1.4GHz Pentium M, 512MB PC2700 RAM, 40GB 4200rpm hard drive
12.1" XGA display, built-in 802.11b/g, CDRW/DVD drive in X4 Ultrabase
2.77 lbs without Ultrabase
Sold/removed part(s): None
Additional comment(s): My second X40. Sold it after only 6 days because I found a nice HP nc2400 on eBay for a good price.

Computer #60: HP nc2400
Purchased used on 24 Sep 2007 ($579.61, eBay)
1.2GHz Core Solo U1400, 1GB PC2-4200 RAM, 60GB 1.8" 4200rpm hard drive
12.1" WXGA display, CDRW/DVD combo drive, built-in 802.11a/b/g
3.16 lbs with 3-cell battery ($46.50, eBay), 3.88 lbs with 9-cell battery
Sold/removed part(s): 9-cell battery ($7 on Craigslist), original AC adapter ($18 on Craigslist)
Additional comment(s): This is my first HP laptop and I love it! Sold on 9 Oct 2008 for $500.

Computer #61: Lenovo Thinkpad X61 tablet (CTO)
Purchased new on 19 Dec 2007 (Lenovo.com)
Core 2 Duo, 1GB PC2-5300 RAM, 80GB 5400rpm hard drive
12.1" SXGA+ display, built-in 802.11a/b/g
3.84 lbs with 4-cell battery
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): My first Core 2 Duo machine. But didn't like the sparkly screen and the heavy weight, so I sold it on Jan 22 for $999 (Thinkpads.com).

Computer #62: IBM Thinkpad X40 (2371-HU1)
Purchased used on 17 Dec 2007 ($387.61, eBay)
1.2GHz Pentium M, 512MB PC2700 RAM, 40GB 4200rpm hard drive
12.1" XGA display, DVD/CDRW drive in Ultrabase, built-in 802.11b/g and bluetooth
with only onboard memory: 2.78 lbs with 4-cell battery, 3.24 lbs with 8-cell battery
Sold/removed part(s): 1GB stick transferred to T42 (worth $45), 4-cell battery (sold for $27, Thinkpads.com), 7-CD recovery discs (sold for $20, Thinkpads.com), wireless keyboard and mouse (sold for $22, Craigslist), sleeve (sold for $8, Craigslist)
Additional comment(s): Bought it to try to install the X61 tablet's SXGA+ screen. Sold for $363 on 31 Dec 2007 (Thinkpads.com).

Computer #63: IBM Thinkpad T30 (2366-85U)
Purchased used on 20 Dec 2007 ($149, Boston Craigslist)
1.8GHz Pentium 4-M, 512MB PC2100 RAM, 40GB hard drive
14.1" XGA display, DVD/CD-ROM drive, built-in 802.11b
5.55 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): dock (collecting dust)
Additional comment(s): Sold to a colleague for $220 on 25 Feb 2008.

Computer #64: Dell Inspiron 5000e
Purchased used on 21 Feb 2008 ($108, Thinkpads.com)
850MHz Pentium III, 320MB PC100 RAM, 32GB 5400rpm hard drive (from Thinkpad T21, worth $5)
15.0" UXGA display, DVD-ROM drive, Xircom Ethernet PC card
7.74 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 256MB PC100 SODIMM (sold for $32.38 on Thinkpads.com), 60GB 12.5mm 5400rpm HDD (sold for $18 on Craigslist), 802.11g Netgear card (sold for $10 on Craigslist), two AC adapters (sold for $20 on Craigslist)
Additional comment(s): Sold the main unit for $100 to a coworker on 28 Mar 2008.

Computer #65: IBM Thinkpad X40 (2382-KPU)
Purchased used on 14 Feb 2008 ($215, eBay)
1.5GHz Pentium M, 1.5GB PC2700 RAM, 40GB 4200rpm hard drive
12.1" XGA display, built-in 802.11b/g
3.24 lbs with 8-cell battery
Sold/removed part(s): 1GB PC2700 RAM (sold for $50 on Craigslist)
Additional comment(s): Insanely cheap!

Computer #68: IBM Thinkpad R32 (2658-J3U)
Purchased used on 6 Jul 2008 ($145, Thinkpads.com), but had to spend another $10.49 for HDD caddy and cover (eBay)
1.8GHz Pentium 4, 512MB PC2100 RAM, 30GB 4200rpm hard drive
14.1" XGA display, DVD-ROM drive
5.78 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): None
Additional comment(s): Bought it just to see what the R3* looks like. It resembles the T30. Sold for $175 on 24 July 2008.

Computer #69: IBM Thinkpad G41 (2886-79U)
Purchased used on 8 July 2008 ($350, Craigslist)
3.3GHz Pentium 4, 1GB PC2700 RAM, 80GB 5400rpm hard drive
15.0" SXGA+ display, DVDRW drive, built-in 802.11b/g
8.43 lbs with 12-cell battery
Sold/removed part(s): None
Additional comment(s): My heaviest laptop ever! I ran Vista Home Premium on it, which worked surprisingly well. Sold on 14 Sep 2008 for $350 (Craigslist).

Computer #70: IBM Thinkpad 390X (2626-LNU)
Purchased used on 21 Jul 2008 ($59.99, eBay)
450MHz Pentium III, 192MB PC100 RAM, 12GB hard drive
14.1" XGA display, CD-ROM drive
? lbs
Sold/removed part(s): None
Additional comment(s): Sold for $70 on 24 July 2008 to a coworker.

Computer #71: IBM Thinkpad T23 (2647-5RU)
Purchased used on 22 Jul 2008 ($80, Craigslist)
1.2GHz Pentium III, 256MB PC133 RAM, 60GB 5400rpm hard drive
14.1" SXGA+ display, CDRW/DVD-ROM drive
5.49 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): None
Additional comment(s): Sold for $180.60 on 2 Aug 2008 on Thinkpads.com.

Computer #72: IBM Thinkpad A20m (2628-12U)
Purchased used on 24 Jul 2008 ($37.75, eBay)
500MHz Celeron, 64MB PC100 RAM, 6GB hard drive
12.1" SVGA display, floppy drive
? lbs
Sold/removed part(s): low-density 256MB PC100 RAM (sold for $30.83, Thinkpads.)
Additional comment(s): I didn't weigh this laptop because too many parts were missing: battery, HDD caddy and cover, and mini PCI cover.

Computer #73: Lenovo Thinkpad Z61t (9443-A41)
Purchased used on 1 Aug 2008 ($436.50, eBay)
1.83GHz Core Duo (T2400), 1x1GB DDR2 RAM, 60GB 5400rpm SATA hard drive
14.1" WXGA+ display, CD/DVD-ROM drive, SD card reader
4.71 lbs (4.35 lbs with optical drive removed)
Sold/removed part(s): Advanced Mini Dock (sold for $75.65 on Thinkpads.com)
Additional comment(s): So cheap because it was purchased with a 10% off eBay coupon! Sold for $490 in NYC on 22 Aug 2008 (Thinkpads.com)

Computer #74: IBM Thinkpad i Series 1400 (2611-452)
Purchased used on 6 Aug 2008 ($35, eBay)
366MHz Celeron, 64MB PC66 RAM
14.1" XGA display, DVD-ROM drive, floppy drive
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): It can play music CDs even when the computer is off.

Computer #75: IBM Thinkpad S30 (2639-42J)
Purchased used on 12 Aug 2008 ($270, eBay)
600MHz Pentium III, 256MB PC100 RAM, 20GB hard drive
10.4" XGA display
3.07 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): none
Additional comment(s): The smallest Thinkpad ever made!

Computer #77: Compaq M300
Purchased used on 15 Dec 2008 ($62.95, Thinkpads.com)
600MHz Pentium III, 320MB PC100 RAM, 100GB 7200rpm hard drive (Newegg.com, $95.28)
12.1" XGA display, CDRW combo drive in dock
3.86 lbs
Sold/removed part(s): 256MB PC100 RAM (sold for $25 on 25 Jan 2009)
Additional comment(s): Sold on 25 Jan 2009 for $99

Last modified: August 1, 2009

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