ThinkPad T30

IBM ThinkPad T30
An US-spec IBM ThinkPad T30 laptop
ManufacturerIBM
ReleasedMay 8, 2002
DiscontinuedJanuary 2004
CPUIntel Pentium 4-M 1.6–2.0 GHz
Memory256–512 MB SDRAM (PC2100), expandable up to 2GB
Connectivity2x USB, serial, parallel, S-video out, infrared, VGA, Ethernet, modem, audio and microphone jacks
Made in

The IBM ThinkPad T30 is a laptop computer manufactured by IBM.

History

The ThinkPad T30 was announced by IBM on April 24, 2002, and was released in the United States on May 8, 2002 with a base price starting at approximately US$2,500. It was discontinued in January 2004.

Hardware

The ThinkPad T30 came equipped with a Pentium 4-M CPU using the Intel 845MP chipset. Stock processors ranged from 1.6 GHz to 2.0 GHz, with later BIOS and embedded controller upgrades adding support for processors up to 2.4 GHz. 256 MB of PC2100 memory was included by default, with support for up to 1 GB in a 2x512 MB configuration. As higher capacity PC2100 modules became available, up to 2 GB of installed memory could be used.

This model was the last IBM ThinkPad with a battery placed on the bottom of the chassis, the first 14.1-inch ThinkPad with a 1400 × 1050 screen option, and the first T-series ThinkPad with an optional touchpad.

Graphics were provided by an ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 video controller with 16 MB of graphics memory. External video output was officially limited to 1280 × 1024 due to a weak TMDS transmitter, although when docked, 1920 × 1200 was achievable using a DVI connection. Available features included the embedded security subsystem, a 20, 40, or 60 GB hard disk drive, and an Ultrabay Plus slot for removable media drives (DVD/CD-RW) or an additional battery. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity was optionally provided with a Mini PCI card.

The T30 is suffers from a well-known issue where the solder joints for the RAM slots crack due to their location unsupported on the bottom of the laptop. This eventually renders one and then both slots unusable, causing the computer to no longer boot. This issue can generally be remedied with a reflow of the RAM slot's solder joints, or temporarily by pushing on the RAM slot to reconnect the cracked joints. This issue also effects the earlier T20 series, but is less common. IBM ran an out-of-warranty repair service for this until mid-2005.

Reception

The notebook was favorably received by TechRepublic; and the ZDnet praises the good performance and relatively compact case for a NetBurst-based laptop. PC Magazine editor Bill Howard rated the laptop with 3 out of 5 stars.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Howard, Bill (October 15, 2002). "IBM ThinkPad T30 reviewed by PC Magazine". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on December 12, 2003. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Littman, Dan (September 10, 2002). "IBM's ThinkPad T30 series: A real class act". TechRepublic. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  3. ↑ "ThinkPad T30 Has Connections". Forbes. April 23, 2002. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  4. ↑ "IBM Takes Mobile Computing To The Next Level". Cisco. April 24, 2002. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Bucknall, Dominic (July 22, 2002). "IBM ThinkPad T30 Review". ZDNet. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  6. ↑ "ThinkPad T Series – History and Development". Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. The real game changer was in fact the roll-out of the ThinkPad T30 in May 2002. This T30 had a choice of specifying the Intel Mobile Pentium 4-M processor to as much as 2.4 GHz running together with the Intel 845MP Mobile Chipset.
  7. 1 2 Speir, Michelle (December 8, 2002). "ThinkPad T30 scores high for security". FCW. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Upgrading the IBM T30 Thinkpad". Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Computer memory upgrades for IBM ThinkPad T30 Series (Type 2366) Laptop/Notebook from Crucial.com". Archived from the original on March 14, 2006. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  10. ↑ with DVI throughput Problem with DVI throughput - ThinkWiki[user-generated source]
  11. 1 2 "Problem with failing memory slot - ThinkWiki". www.thinkwiki.org. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 "IBM ThinkPad T30 - MacDat". www.macdat.net. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
  13. ↑ "T30 memory slot problem - Thinkpads Forum". forum.thinkpads.com. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
  14. ↑ "IBM ThinkPad T23 - MacDat". macdat.net. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Thinkpad T30 memory slot failure – Jonathan Fors (Etnoy)". www.omskakas.se. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2026.