I picked up a T20 about three years ago now, used on ebay, when the model itself was three years old. At that point it was already behind the times when it came to processing power and graphics capabilities, but at the end of the day I didn't care - I wanted a well made laptop that was good ... Read review
Advantages: Very economic, very smart, well built, very capable Disadvantages: Ageing now, limited processing power, no USB2 or inbuilt wifi
...and I hoped that the Thinkpad heritage would deliver that. Deliver it did, and in spades!
Three years on, and of course it's even more behind the times in regard to the spec, but I couldn't care less - I've upgraded it from Win 98 to XP, and it's performing better than ever. As a notebook it's perfect - thin and light, comfortable to use, with more than enough computing power for everyday tasks and good battery life. Using the Mobile ... .../>
The design of this Thinkpad is second to none, with a titanium composite case which keeps it strong, while being smaller and lighter than many current machines. The keyboard is legendary, with great movement and comfort, and I much prefer it to my desktop. The Trackpoint pointer - or "nipple" mouse set into the keyboard - is also by and away the best pointing device ever invented for a laptop, and far quicker and easier to use than ... more
I picked up a T20 about three years ago now, used on ebay, when the model itself was three years old. At that point it was already behind the times when it came to processing power and graphics capabilities, but at the end of the day I didn't care - I wanted a well made laptop that was good for the internet and office tasks, and I hoped that the Thinkpad heritage would deliver that. Deliver it did, and in spades!
Three years on, and of course it's even more behind the times in regard to the spec, but I couldn't care less - I've upgraded it from Win 98 to XP, and it's performing better than ever. As a notebook it's perfect - thin and light, comfortable to use, with more than enough computing power for everyday tasks and good battery life. Using the Mobile version of the Pentium III processor, it's very frugal on power and although the battery I have is four years old and now giving around 60% of its original design capacity (as shown in the helpful IBM battery status app) I still get a couple of hours out of it.
The design of this Thinkpad is second to none, with a titanium composite case which keeps it strong, while being smaller and lighter than many current machines. The keyboard is legendary, with great movement and comfort, and I much prefer it to my desktop. The Trackpoint pointer - or "nipple" mouse set into the keyboard - is also by and away the best pointing device ever invented for a laptop, and far quicker and easier to use than any touchpad. The "Ultrabay" is a brilliant idea too - a hot swappable bay for your choice of disk drives. Most T20's come with at least a DVD reader and a good old fashioned floppy disk drive (the standard kit on release) - but you can easily expand on this with optional CD and DVD writers too. One of the great things about Thinkpads is IBM's support - they didn't just knock these out and move on to the next model, they made sure their big corporate customers (who bought whole fleets of these machines) had the kind of support and backup in terms of new parts and enhancements that they needed, so you can find piles of accessories and spare parts on ebay and elsewhere.
IBM's support is also still apparent in all the utilities and help that comes loaded onto a Thinkpad (or can be loaded on fresh from the IBM site even now). Although the Thinkpad division has now been sold to Lenovo, they're still supporting all the old models really well, with easy to find downloads for drivers, updates, and utilities - there's even a "Windows update" style installer that will keep your T20 up to date automatically. For a computer that's now six years old, it's still supported as well as their latest model.
What's bad about the T20? Obviously you have to be realistic about its abilities - although it was bleeding edge in 2000, you wouldn't load Doom 3 on it now. It's still a perky machine running office apps and browsing the web, and video isn't too much of a problem, but get into any more processor/graphics intensive stuff and it will struggle. There are also a few other omissions in comparison to modern machines - although it has one USB1 port, it's not the faster, Ipod friendly USB2 version. It also has no built-in wireless BUT both of these things can be added via a PC Card. In fact there's little if anything in the way of peripherals that can't be added on either in PC Card or Ultrabay form. And while we're talking about ports, check out the full set the T20 does enjoy, such as parallel printer, monitor, S-Video, and even an old-school serial port (more useful than you might think).
The T20 was one of the most expensive notebooks you could possibly buy in 2000, and I paid £500 for mine three years ago, but now you can easily pick one up for less than £150 - that's fantastic value in my opinion. Although it's old, the build and component quality is such that you can be reasonably assured a used machine in decent condition will last you many more years - it might even outlast many of the flimsier models on the market today.
If you decide to buy, look for one with the top spec - 750mhz processor, 512mb memory (very important), 20gb HDD. It's possible that the hard disk drive might be bigger than that, but only if it's had an aftermarket upgrade - IBM only supplied up 20gb.
Advantages: Lightweight, protable, good for all business type applications Disadvantages: poor stock specification, gets a little warm on your legs!
I purchased my Thinkpad T20 second hand for around £300. For this money, I got the original specification machine fitted with a CDRW/DVD drive, which is an optional extra for the later models. With the ultrabay 2000, it is possible to use a range of hardware, without having to re-boot the system. Optical drives, hard disk drives and batteries are some of the possibilities to name a few. These all work at lightning speed and are so simple to change ... ...is cheap, easy to upgrade and very versitile. Transportation is easy because of its size and light weight materials, and it is strong, made from titanium composites. When closed, the IBM ThinkPad systems are one of the best computers for shock resistancy. Great for students and parts are readily available. ...
a_t_b321 04.03.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ThinkPad T20
Advantages: Titanium covers, light, fast. Disadvantages: Burns a hole in your wallet, looks black and dull.
...Processor
The ThinkPad T20 is supported by an Intel Pentium III processor that has 750 Megahertz. In addition, it is also supported by Intel’s SpeedStep technology that also increased the speed of the ThinkPad’s processor. When opening files and documents, it was pretty quick unlike many other laptops.
Memory
With 128 MB of RAM, the ThinkPad T20 is quite impressive. Now you could have the power of a desktop in the size of a notebook.
... ...Storage
In the ThinkPad T20, you get a DVD-ROM drive, which supports DVDs, software, and music CDs. The drive is quite small when you see it.
Modem
Like most PCs and laptops today, the ThinkPad T20 has a V.90/56K modem for all your communication and Internet use.
Power
For stock, IBM gives you a Lithium-Ion battery that gives up to 3.75 hours of battery life. With the length of this battery, it is perfect for business or travel use.
Operating ...
mc_bubba 08.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ThinkPad T20
Advantages: Everything you would want is built in Disadvantages: Large footprint, not light in weight
...my new job, my trusty thinkpad 240x (see my other review) was replaced by an altogether more substantially built T20.
There are two design concepts behind notebook computers; small and lightweight sub-A4 ultraportables, where the design is pared down to the absolute essentials, and ‘size of a cow’ desktop PC replacements. The T20 falls very definitely into the second category.
Rather than list the manufacturer’s specifications (you can get those ... ...the machine.
The first impressions is of a large format notebook (300mm by 250mm x 35mm) which is very, very black! – open it up, and you find a 360mm colour screen – this gives a sharp image, if a little washed out (that could just be down to adjusting it correctly!) there are no obviously ‘dead’ pixels – which can’t be bad.
The lower half of the system has an almost full sized keyboard, the action is a little spongey, but reasonably useable. ...
dobieg 06.09.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ThinkPad T20
Advantages: speed, size, weight, features & support Disadvantages: cost
First Impressions
I think this laptop is stylish and reflects the era its designed in, nice and sleek, It’s not fancy and silver or anything like that it has a simple but stylish design. One of IBM’s better products I have to say for the Home & Office user which I would say laptops have been designed for either, or.
Technical Details
Inside this laptop it has Intel’s Pentium III processor running @ a speed of 750MHz which for ... ...is pretty speedy to run programmes and documents although as with every laptop the more software and plug-ins you install the slower the laptop will become at responding.
The T20 also comes with 128Mb SDRAM which is excellent to start off with and is quick and easily affordable to upgrade if necessary.
IBM have hit a winner with the display, a 14.1” TFT active matrix screen. Its crisp, sharp and an excellent size so no external monitor is ...
Bell 14.08.2002 (15.08.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ThinkPad T20
Speed
Look & Feel
Comfort & Portability
Robustness & Durability
Value For Money
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Advantages: Fast, Quiet and Efficient Disadvantages: None
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Advantages: Great VALUE! Athlon 64 processor, fairly sleek Disadvantages: Graphics card starting to show age now
I purchased this laptop a few months ago to replace my aging but trusty IBM ThinkPadT20. I had a budget of £750 and considered many laptops, but finally decided on the Fujitsu Siemens Amilo A1630 laptop. I chose it because of the fast Athlon 64 processor and 128mb ATi MR9700 dedicated graphics card.
Specification:
* AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Clawhammer 2.0GHz processor (1MB cache).
* 512MB DDR RAM (2x 256MB) PC2700, 333MHz.
* 40GB (4200rpm, 2mb cache) hard drive.
* 128mb ATi Mobility Radeon 9700 dedicated graphics.
* 15.4" widescreen 1280 x 800 display.
* Integrated 802.11b/g Ralink wireless.
* NEC ND-6500A DVD+/-RW dual layer.
* Memory card reader- SD, MMC and Memory Stick.
* Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.
* Software bundle- Microsoft Works Suite, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Win ...
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Software
Drivers & Utilities, ConfigSafe, Drivers & Utilities, Netscape Communicator, StarOffice, Drivers & Utilities, Drivers & Utilities, ConfigSafe, PC Doctor
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Manufacturer's product description
Protected by Titanium Composite covers, ThinkPad T Series notebooks are the lightest high performance mobile computers. These trim and light notebooks are powered by a blazing Intel processor, and a long-lasting battery, making them an ideal mobile computing solution for frequent travelers. Your fingers will never be tired as they lay down comfortably on the keyboard while you manipulate and access your software easily with the TrackPoint. The ThinkPad T series is optimized for connectivity and you stay on-line all the time. Whether you are on your way to a sales call across town or a business meeting across the continent, the ThinkPad T Series notebooks deliver a better experience.
Cheap second hand laptop great for surfing net with wifi pcmcia card 
