A Different Kind of ThinkPad

A few years ago, Lenovo decided that it needed/wanted to shake up it's ThinkPad Line some. Enter the ThinkPad Edge, range of notebook computers. I was only mildly interested since I rarely if ever dabble in the lower end of their offerings anyway. Never the less, the Edge machines were on the edge (unintended pun) of my awareness, but remained there until very recently.

Other than eBay, I often go to Goodwill's online entity, which is called "shopgoodwill.com". Mostly, I go there to find old, obscure cameras for my little collection. Sometimes, if they aren't well known (such as Petri, Fujica, Yashica), or unpopular (Minolta, Konica) they can be had cheap. And cheap is right up my alley! I don't have expensive things in any of my collections. On occasion, I'll look at computing equipment there as well, and sometimes I'll even find something that's the right combination of interesting and inexpensive. One caveat for any of you who are thinking of trying it out. Their shipping charges tend to be on the high side. 

On this occasion, this is what appeared to grab my attention. OK.... not literally, this machine, but one like it; a ThinkPad Edge 15, which is appropriately enough, a notebook computer built around a 15.6" screen. The most generic size of notebook computers being sold today. I have 4 dead computers of that screen-size sitting in my office right now. What really got my attention was that it was receiving very little action even, though the price was cheap and it was relatively new (Arrandale Core generation). It came in at $34.08 with about $15 cost for shipping and arrived at my house under the magic $50 "impulse buy" mark! The reason an i3 Core machine from a major manufacturer was less than $50? 

 

There ya go. I'm not even going to bother you with the image showing the hole where it continued into the screen. Why, someone would choose to take a machine out of service by drilling a hole through it is beyond me! But like I said, I've got several of that size screen and similar vintage sitting in my office waiting for disposal. Given the price-point that this machine sold at, I was betting that unlike, real ThinkPads, these were made up of rather generic parts with some ThinkPad like part(s) grafted on (e.g. TrackPoint, ThinkPad badge), and sold basically as a marketing ploy!

Yup; sure enough..... when I got the thing apart, it's construction, layout and design was almost completely identical to the Lenovo IdeaPad that I recently bought my son. So; you're thinking: you threw $50 down the tubes to prove a point!?!  

You guys are probably aware that I'm a sneaky bugger and had something up my sleeve..... and you'd be right. A working relatively recent (less than 5 years old) notebook computer is typically worth something like $150. One carrying a well-known and respected name is generally worth a little more. If it has a recognizable performance buzz-word labeling associate with it.... say "Intel Core i5", then that's even better. 

Through the magic that is eBay, I bought the following: 

• ThinkPad Edge 15 motherboard (without the hole feature)- $25 
• ThinkPad Edge 15 display cable (also without the hole)- $4.95
• Intel Core i5-520m CPU-  $8.25

From my the amazing Frugal Propellerhead Scrapyard:

• Working 15.6" WXGA screen (again, without the hole)- $0
• 120Gb HDD- $0

Which brings the whole exercise to just south of $90 spent. I may sell it, or maybe use it as a "spare/loaner" machine. Who knows; but now I know more and got to spend some good fun time this last weekend.