- Product:
- IBM ThinkPad T20 with 256Mb RAM, 700Mhz P3, 14.1" 1024x768 display (CNet Review)
- What's Good:
- Excellent case design, good features, great value.
- What's Bad:
- Weak video card, one USB port, only 1024x768 monitor.
Three years ago, just before leaving on an extended trip to London, England, I decided I needed a laptop to travel with and do work on. Nathan here at silverorange had been a proponent of ThinkPads for years (he owns two 600 series laptops) and so I looked on eBay for a good computer that I could program on and use PhotoShop. Now that three years have passed, I'm still very happy with my laptop and even enjoy some of its features over the newer T30s (see silverorange stuff review) that most of the guys I work with currently use.
Laptop Design
View Larger Image Subtle case differences really are better than the newer T-Series laptops.
The case design of the T20 is superb. First of all, everything is built strong and sturdy. From the solid monitor hinges that never wobble to the keyboard that remains soft but sturdy (ThinkPad keyboards really are the best laptop keyboards available), the T20 is built with longevity and tough use in mind. What I find most remarkable about the T20's design is the differences between it and its successor the T30, made evident in a side-by-side comparison. The T30 is about half a centimeter taller than the T20 and simply feels chunkier. The nicely scalloped detailing around the audio ports is gone, replaced by a flat panel - which incidentally makes feeling where to plug your headphones in without looking much more difficult. I never use the TrackPad, so having the simplified mouse-navigation buttons is a bonus for me, especially the huge and useful scrolling button that can't be missed with your thumb. Other little touches that really stand out on the T20 over the T30 are the dummy-keypads around the arrow buttons (it really is harder to feel what you're doing when these are replaced by "back" and "forward" buttons - who uses those anyway?), hidden monitor hinges, and subtle case-design differences really help make the T20 feel like a better computer.
Laptop Performance
View Larger Image I prefer the simple TrackPoint system and keyboard design of the T20.
Of course, under the hood of the T20 are significantly lower specs than the newer T-Series computers. With that said, I run a full gamut of developing tools - from design related programs like Photoshop to programming software like Aqua Data Studio - and never run into performance problems. Gaming might be the one thing where performance is lacking, so playing Half-Life 2 on this machine probably won't work.
There are one or two gripes about the performance of the T20 that I have. First of all, the stock 12Gb hard drive that came with it was really loud. It would whir up and vibrate and was audible enough to really become a nuisance. I replaced the drive with a Seagate 40Gb drive at Christmas and at the same time bought a new battery (battery life was down to 20 minutes instead of 2 hours), both of which I bought on EBay, and since then my laptop has been running like new.
The major upgrade that is worth it for the more expensive T30 (or T40) models is the higher screen resolution. After having seen the desktops of my colleagues running at 1400x1050 or higher, the increase in screen real estate really is nice. Another nice addition to the later T-Series laptops is the built in WIFI, whereas I always have a PCMCIA card hanging out one of the slots. Oh, and another nice feature missing on the T20 is a second USB port, though I usually have it plugged into a USB hub at home.
Laptop Durability
The durability of the T20 is really great. I'm reasonably careful with it, but I've never gone out of my way to treat it like a delicate piece of intricate technology. I bike with my laptop several times a week in a Timbuk2 courier bag (see my review) and despite crashing several times, the laptop is no worse for wear. I once pulled the laptop off a desk onto a concrete floor (trying to set up for a digital presentation with a jungle of cords) and everything was fine except the little window plate over the volume controls (which I've never really liked design-wise anyway) which easily snapped back into place. The monitor is still solid - a major weakness in many other laptops - and the keyboard/TrackPoint/ports all still work as if new.
Overall Review
View Larger Image Thinkpad arrows. Simple, subtle, not over-designed and over-'useful'.
With the current price of T20s on EBay and other online stores, buying a T20 right now makes a lot of sense. For around $800 CAD you can get a high performance laptop with most of the features that come on the newest models - plus a better case design. I'd love to talk to latest crop of industrial designers at IBM who seem to have taken a superb case and have since been removing several of its greatest features. Perhaps this is to make the X-Series laptops more enticing, but it really is at the detriment of the T-Series line.
Comments
Brad Pineau - May 22, 2004 2:40 pm
Oopsie... I think you mispelled T20 in the title... =)
Brad Pineau - May 22, 2004 2:41 pm
Oopsie... you must have fixed it just as I posted that.
Ryan C. - May 22, 2004 7:22 pm
My IBM T22 has served me very well.. only costing around US$800, it was money well spent.
Kyle H - June 21, 2004 1:43 pm
I just got a T20 here in Chicago through a chain called Microcenter. Refurb 700mhz/DVD/128MB/12GB are going for $350! Battery was shot, and something makes the unit loud (I don't think it is the HD, but if that's what you replaced then perhaps). Suse 9.1 (linux) installed without a hitch.
Andrea Manuel Just - February 27, 2005 8:29 am
Hello
I've bought a Thinkpad T20 12 GB HD 128 RAM TFT CD VGANotebook on ebay.de. It should be like new (only the battery not). I payed 332,00 EUR. I hope I did a good deal.
Greets from Switzerland!!! :)
david g - June 12, 2005 6:56 am
bought a t20 256 mem etc for 300 australian dollars..very good pc on a budget...where do u look on/in pc to upgrade memory?
jimmy - August 28, 2005 8:50 am
My mum in law just brought a new notebook cause her T20 screen shat it self. I asked her for it so i could use it with a 19'' crt in my shed for porn nites >:) when i turned the bugger on i could faintly c windows 98 symbol.I then tried Fn and Home for brightness and nothing happened.If any1 knows wut it could b drop us a line.
jason d - September 21, 2005 3:45 pm
hi i've got a question about the ibm thinkpad t20...
i was just wondering if i could enable it with wi-fi?
if some-body (anybody!) e-mail me and explain please.
would appreciate a response.
thanks. jason
arlene - November 30, 2005 3:30 pm
Nick or anyone-
When I go to England from the US with my laptop, do I need an adaptor or a converter to charge the battery and where do I get that? Do you buy it from IBM?
tony asa - December 13, 2005 4:24 am
please pleassssssssse
my laptop locked with password
i forgotten it
i reset bios
but nothing changed
what i'll does
thanks
mike - December 15, 2005 12:26 pm
Does anyone know if you can upgrade the memory on the Savage IX Video card from 8MB to 16MB?
I got my T20 at a computer show for $150 a year ago, it rocks!
Thinkpad T20 user - December 22, 2005 10:26 am
Hi!
I had a TP 600, too!!!
Then I bought my T20, the battery was dead, but the Laptop's still running like a new one!!!
Thinkpads are the best! ;)
Alex - January 16, 2006 5:08 pm
Great review. The ThinkPad T20 actually bears much resemblance to my ThinkPad 600E. I was wondering if you are familiar with the ThinkPad 600 series and if so, if you could do a followup post comparing the key differences in form-factor, features and functionality between the ThinkPad 600 series and the T2x series.
Clark Perry-Bater - January 21, 2006 8:57 pm
Hey Nick, Thanks for the great review of the Thinkpad T20. I have one, and I think it's great too. Just one major problem - it power-on button has been acting up lately, not turning the computer on. It usually worked after a few hours, but in the past few days it won't power up at all. I've tried everything, removing all peripherals as suggested by the IBM/Lenovo website, but nothing has helped. I think it may need a new keyboard, since the power button is integral to the keyboard. Any ideas? Thanks. Clark
repair laptop man - June 4, 2006 6:20 pm
Yes, as a repair laptop man, I am truly said ibm thinkpad T20 T21 T22 T23 is good design, but ibm thinkpad T30 run faster and now ibm thinkpad T40 T41 T42 is even better than ever, my first laptop is compaq, first dvd-cd-row come out, cost me over $3800 for PII dvd-cd-rom, second one is dell inspiron 3800, it is good but it is not light weight, dell latitude is better machine, then I got the sony viao pcg-370, it is come with dvd/cd-rw, it is thick, next one is toshiba portege 4000, it is small and lighter laptop, but serve me very good, and now the later one is ibm thinkpad T40, go to customer field all the time with me. please to using T42 next month, have a better video card 64mb. keep tune for update. Please email me if have any questions about laptops?
JAK - August 8, 2006 1:50 am
Good review. I actually bought an 800mhz T21 just earlier this summer as they are going CHEAP around here (I bought mine without battery for $100) and I needed a semi-fast laptop for college this Fall. The first upgrades involved more RAM, a 40gb 5400rpm hard drive and a working battery and now this computer outperforms my P4 desktop. While the case isn't as solid as some of my previous computers (ThinkPad 600E, Tecra 730CDT), it's still very stable and solid and the travel weight is very minimal. My only complaint is that every so often, I have to remove the keyboard in order to bend it flat as it seems to bend and warp over extended periods of time and heavy typing. It's also notable that it's common for first generation T series computers (T20-T23) to have weird blemishes and patterns in the screen after years of use so watch for that when buying.
Derez Lusk - October 4, 2006 2:55 pm
I bought my stepdaughter a T20, I ended up replacing the hard drive, but my video, sometimes it goes white, then returns to normal.. the review did mention weak video as far as resolution, but can I change the video card or is it built into the motherboard ?
skankykiwi - October 30, 2006 7:51 am
Good review. The T21 I has is bullet proof it has been dropped more time's than I can remember has a split case. It's even been underwater(fresh, while off). The only complain I have in it's 5 years of service is that it's as noisy as all hell. I also have a T41 which is a beast as well. One hell of a lot quieter too. Lets just hope it lasts as long as the old 21 does.
Cheers,
Matt.
steve - New Jersey - December 21, 2006 11:00 am
Excellent review, couldn't have mentioned any of it better myself. I have a T22, got it on ebay for US$222 just over a year ago. This thing kicks ass, it's durable as hell (Similar to you, mine fell from a desk onto a concrete floor after I got tangled in a jungle of wires, but not for a presentation, I use it to perform ghostcasts on client computers in a local daycare center), the design is timeless, some people think it's ugly, I think it's ingenious, very balanced and proportional. The keyboard is amazing, the trackpoint to my preference is better than a trackpad any day, speedwise it isn't bad my T22 is a 900 mhz p3. As you mentioned, one thing that sucks is the video memory, 8 MB just doesn't cut it and being stuck at 1024x768 isn't very fun either.
Another drawback is the heat this thing emits, holy hell, the little p3 in this thing gets hot enough to fry an egg on.
I also have a t23 but what really sucks about these computers is if you set up a bios password and forget it, it's damn near impossible to reset it, and such is the case with the t23 so it found itself donating it's battery, keyboard, and LCD screen to the t22 =)
Cheers,
Steve
Gutek - January 21, 2007 7:48 am
Does it have a port for SD Cards??
Mike Maitreyan - March 8, 2007 1:24 pm
Nick:
What would you recommend as an LCD screen protector for my T20 [14.1"] screen. I've looked at several websites (Compusa, 3M, staples ergoind.com etc.) Looks like theyre all expensive and the adhesive plastic tabs to fasten them with make me feel doubtful about their effectiveness while using the laptop.... any thoughts ??)
Mike M.
chad rogerson - April 1, 2007 11:43 am
what is the difference between a thinkpad T20 and T22? I bought a refurbished Thinkapd and on the front it says T22 on the little clear plastic plate next to the volume control. Also, I am thinking of selling it but want to be sure of which type it is before I advertise. But on the back, next to the battery it says T20. (the processor speed is 900mhz)
Thanks very much
Chad
Mike Gauthier - April 2, 2007 1:06 pm
Chad,
The T20, T21 and T22 are all basically the same computer. The T21 and T22 have slightly faster processors and slightly different components but pretty much all the parts are interchangeable between the three models. It sounds like your refurbished model is a mix of two or more Thinkpads.
If advertising, I'd list your model as a T20 and list the specific features it has.
The T23 is again, very similar to the other T20 models but there are some minor physical design changes inside the case and some parts are not interchangeable.
JAMES - April 10, 2007 12:53 am
HOW ABOUT SHOWING THE COST OF THE LAPTOP COMPUTERS YOU ARE SHOWING!I NEED A BALLPARK FIGURE ON THE,MACHINES YOUR ARE SHOWING. WE ALL NOT URI GELLER YOU KNOW!SGN.MR.JAMES,OUT.
VHUNG - April 13, 2007 1:22 am
170$ now, cool!
Mike Gauthier - April 14, 2007 5:06 pm
JAMES,
We are not selling laptops and the price of older laptops changes so frequently that any price listed here will not be accurate. Your best bet for a ballpark figure is to check eBay.
stefan - May 6, 2007 7:21 am
Hi there, can anyone tell me if the current range of PCMCIA cards will allow me to convert my T20 to USB 2. I've probably not explained very well but you probably understand me. The problem I have is that my Desktop Mobo packed up on me and I want to be able to access the data on the 2X 120 gig HDD that were in it and I would like to do it with speed and not at USB 1.1 speed. Thanks Stefan
stone henge - May 24, 2007 8:37 pm
can i replace a t22 screne with a t21 screen, if so how do i do it, if you know of a way please send it to my e-mail adress of : stonehengehog@comcast.net.
thanks, stone henge
JAK - June 4, 2007 12:59 am
Mike,
The T23 also features a different motherboard chipset that supports the 133mhz front side bus, have two USB ports and run on mobile Tualatin core PIIIs (as opposed to the mobile Coppermine in older T2x laptops).
Stone Henge,
As long as you have the correct cable, the screen swap will work. The 13", 14" XGA and 14" SXGA+ screens each had their own cable. The T20 I have now is actually using an LCD pulled from a 390X that had a dead motherboard.
DR B.K.VERMA - August 13, 2007 8:52 am
sir,
my problem relates with starting of my thinkpad t-20.since last 2 months there is some problem with my power button.some times it gets started & some times it doesn't start at all.local service engineer is attributing this problem related with battery.my battery is 3 yrs old.he says since the battery is old it is not able to supply supply required 10v of power requered for the motherboard.i ma in a fix.pl reply
Oxi - September 2, 2007 4:18 pm
great review, i just got this t20 5 weeks ago, got it from a neighbors backyard sale selling stuff from their "long gone" kids, the younger one left his t20 behind when gone to college in LA, dad called him 3 years later ask him he was gona throw some of his leftover belongings on the next yard sale and he said GO AHEAD, so i got it for 80 bucks since the old man knows me for years, came with everything except battery and charger which i got from ebay in 3 days, the kid upgraded it with XP professional, 384mb RAM, and a 30GB hd and OMG like 10GB of porn, kids this days!. Overall, i was very impressed being the first time using an IBM thinkpad (i come from using sony & toshiba), so besides the unabilty to upgrade the video quality/resolution, i think, for its age and current price, its one of the best used laptop alternatives and one of the best built laptops ever made, i 100% recommend this at any time for first time users to old nerdy farts.
Geeman - September 24, 2007 8:31 pm
Can anyone explain to me how to charge the T-20. Yes plugging it in does work. I've returned/replaced the battery 3 times to find it still cannot take a charge. Is the little battery inside tied in with the big battery? Does anything else need to be done to make it work away from a power source?
Mike - October 17, 2007 11:33 pm
hey guys,
my question is how do u upgrade the T20's USB 1.1 to 2.0? i've tried upgrading the drivers and everything. if anyone has a idea how to upgrade the firmware on the USB 1.1 to 2.0 for faster speeds.. please email me :)
Thanks
Mike
JohnyQ - November 21, 2007 5:54 pm
Purchased 1 year ago an IBM T23 via ebay for CAD$ 499 (with 512MB ram, PCMCIA WiFi card, docking station and original IBM carying case). Purchased later for CAD$ 20 an Ultrabay battery (good for an extra 4 hours of battery power) and for CAD$ 19.95 an IBM USB floppy drive). Total cost: CAD$ 538.95. Best deal I ever made. Love the notebook. Runs pretty much anything I throw at it (Windows XP, Linux, IBM OS/2). Not a gaming machine though. After all, it's a corporate notebook.
JohnyQ - December 17, 2007 6:22 pm
BTW, the link is for the IBM Thinkpad T20, 21, 22 and 23 and includes the take appart section. Cheers.
Canadadry - January 21, 2008 11:41 pm
ThinkPad USB 2.0 CardBus Adapter makes it easy to connect your ThinkPad to USB 2.0 enabled peripherals
tri - March 18, 2008 12:53 pm
solution notepad off, power no on.
kalas - March 22, 2008 12:35 pm
my laptop locked with password IBM T20
an i forget the password
so please could you help me
Thanks
joey - April 7, 2008 3:44 pm
ibm thinkpad t20 700mhz doesn't always power up.
Does the power unit use a sequential powering up
method or does the hard drive prevent from turning during powering up the system.
Aug - April 14, 2008 5:16 pm
I won one on Ebay $207. I thought I slightly overpaid but after it arrived.....WOW. This is one awesome laptop. Nothing compares to it.
Kyle G - August 9, 2008 11:38 pm
I Got a ibm t20 from a friend and updated the Ram ammount to 512mb and the hard drive to 160gb, i also bought a new battery because the one i had was shot...im still looking for a solution for usb 2.0 PC-card...Overall, great pc (i have dropped it many times and bumped it many times ). PS=orgional Hard Drive IS VERY LOUD
Chloe - August 20, 2008 10:16 am
Hi,
I've recently purchased a LAPTOP IBM T20 30GIG 128MB from ebay. It came with a PCMCIA WiFi card already installed. The laptop itself works great and i'm really pleased with it except when i connect to my internet with the wireless, it connects abd just says Acquiring netwrok address. If i try going on Internet explorer it says i'm not connected to the internet. My other laptops work fine and connected fairly easy when i brought them. Any advice on what i can do? It would be very much appreciated.
Thank You
asfuc madic - August 29, 2008 2:46 am
what does the weird button under the left right clicky thingies do
Matiu - September 11, 2008 9:21 am
I got an IBM T20 from an inlaw on Feb. and works really good, but now have a problem with virus, I used Kaspersky anti virus but cannot work well in it and after a while trying and trying to remove it from the controll panel but can not, any help on here is very much welcome.
Mat.
Jimmy - September 13, 2008 12:29 pm
Matiu, what virus have you got? what does it do and have you tried running trend micro housecall???
just google 'housecall' and see what comes up. it is an online thing and needs to install a kernel first, sometimes you need to leave it overnight but it works really well.
erika - October 19, 2008 9:31 am
Please help me!
I've just bought a think pad t20. the problem is that it doesn´t accept any mp3 or pendrive. I would like to know if anyone could help with this... It only accepts the pen drive model "data traveler"... but my sony mp3 is not accepted by the computer...
juan - February 1, 2009 2:20 am
help with usb 2 drivers or sil.for my ibm t22 please
amy - February 13, 2009 6:19 pm
i just bought one for £80! BARGAIN!!
Donna - April 7, 2009 12:27 pm
I have a T20 with 256 memory and 30GB hard drive, but the computer is just so slow. Is it worth it to invest in more memory and can I upgrade the hard drive. I love this computer but I feel like I'm sludging along with the hour glass winning on all sides. I took to Staples for tune up and they said to add PC100 memory to 512. Is that difficult to replace. I'm not that savvy inside the computer. I also would like to know if I can increase the hard drive. Norton and Windows takes up so much space. Please help!
Olatunde - August 7, 2009 5:37 pm
Hi
I've got an IBM Thinkpad T20, I've had it for 6 to 7 years but about 4 years ago it packed up.
When I switch it on it boots up and I hear it revving away (the normal humming noise a laptop makes) but the screen does not come on. I have tried plugging it to another screen thinking that will work but still no joy.
Please does anyone have any idea on how I can restore my t20 screen.
Thanks
rio rivelino - September 6, 2009 12:17 pm
Please....
My IBM Thinkpad T21 was locked by password when turn it on.
I don't know what the default password. I already reset by opened cmos battery, but still no action & still protected by bios password. I tried to input key of password what i got from internet, by still same problem.
A.V.(Mike) Maitreyan - September 10, 2009 2:24 pm
I've recently been having problems with the power on/off switch on my 9-year old T20 . Im running Windows 2000 and the hardware is Model 2647-95U. It seems like if I let it sit for a while it comes back on. Any comments why this may be happening and if it can be fixed.
Also how do the new Lenovo thinkpads T-Series, Xseries compare with the old IBM T Series ?