IBM ThinkPad T20 series

IBM ThinkPad T20 series

IBM ThinkPad T20, the first of the series
Manufacturer	IBM
Introduced	2000
Discontinued	2003
Processor	Intel Pentium III
Frequency	650 MHz - 1.20 GHz
Memory	64-256 MB SDRAM (PC100 on T20/T21/T22, PC133 on T23)
Ports	Serial, Parallel, VGA out, USB, PS/2 Port, Ethernet, RJ11 (Modem), IBM docking port, CardBus, S-Video Out, Line-In/Line-Out/Microphone

The IBM ThinkPad T20 series was a series of notebook computers introduced in May 2000 by IBM as the successor of the 600 series and the first model of the T-series which exists today under Lenovo ownership. Four models were produced, the T20, T21, T22, and T23;^[1] the series was succeeded in May 2002 by the ThinkPad T30, but was produced until July 2003.

Features

The T20 series was the successor of the 600 series, adding new features such as an S-Video output, Ethernet port, and the UltraBay 2000 hot-swappable bay. The graphics card was upgraded from the 4MB NeoMagic 256ZX which was used in the 600X, to an 8MB S3 Savage (16MB on T23 models) which was capable of rendering 3D graphics in hardware. The ThinkPad T23 was also the first ThinkPad laptop model to offer an optional WiFi connection via a Mini-PCI card and wireless antennas built into the lid on select upper-end models.

The T20 series originally shipped with either Windows 98, Windows 2000 or Linux, with later T23 models shipping with Windows XP; all T20 models were capable of running Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, OS/2 Warp 4, or Windows Me as well as various Linux distributions; additionally, the T23 was capable of running Windows Vista or Windows 7 with at least 512MB of memory.

One common problem of the earlier T20 series was a hardware defect where the machine would suddenly stop working and only blink the hard drive and power indicators, rendering the machine unable to power on (known as the "Blink of Death"); in addition, on some T23 models, the rear memory slot may fail rendering the machine only able to use up to 512MB of memory rather than 1GB.

Models

• ThinkPad T20 - First model shipped, featured a Pentium III at 650, 700 or 750 MHz, all with SpeedStep technology. This model shipped with either a 13.3" XGA TFT or 14.1" XGA TFT display, and shipped with an external floppy drive, a swappable CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and a choice of a 6GB, 12GB, or a 20GB hard drive. The T20 also had optional Ethernet (consumer installable via mini-PCI on all models), one USB 1.1 port, and an S-Video output as standard features, and shipped with 128MB of RAM (upgradeable to 512MB using PC100 SODIMMs)
• ThinkPad T21 - Featuring an upgraded Pentium III processor at either 750 MHz, 800 MHz, or 850 MHz, the T21 featured either a 13.3" XGA TFT, 14.1" XGA TFT, or a new 14.1" SXGA+ TFT display (exclusive to 850 MHz models). This model shipped with a swappable CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and a choice of a 10GB, 20GB or 32GB hard drive. The T21 features either a mini-PCI modem card or an Ethernet/modem combo card, one USB 1.1 port, and 128MB of RAM standard (upgradeable to 512MB using PC100 SODIMMs).
• ThinkPad T22 - Featuring an upgraded Pentium III processor at either 800 MHz, 900 MHz, or 1.00 GHz, the T22 featured either a 13.3" XGA TFT, 14.1" XGA TFT, or 14.1" SXGA+ TFT display as standard. This model shipped with a swappable CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, either a 10GB, 20GB or 32GB hard drive, and 128MB of RAM standard (upgradeable to 512MB using PC100 SODIMMs).
• ThinkPad T23 - The final model of the T20 series, featuring the new Tualatin Pentium III-M at either 866 MHz, 1.00 GHz, 1.13 GHz, or 1.20 GHz (all with SpeedStep technology) and either a 13.3" XGA TFT, 14.1" XGA TFT, or 14.1" SXGA+ TFT display as standard. This model shipped with 2 USB 1.1 ports rather than only one, a 15GB to 60GB hard drive, a Mini-PCI Modem or Wireless card (on select models), a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW or combo (CD-RW/DVD) drive, and either 128MB or 256MB of RAM standard (upgradeable to 1GB using PC133 SODIMMs).

References