LGR - Unboxing a Brand New ThinkPad 380ED!

just watched this now lol a little late but it made me wanna check out the thinkpads I have sitting around that were given to me a few years ago since ones also a 380 (380z as it turns out) and the other a 755cx! I love pulling em out from time to time... so chunky and charming

dai!!

Envy. I have a 380XD and a 760... and one other of ancient vintage with a Japanese keyboard. Forget the model tho!

DeepestBlue

Yes indeed, seems there's a new release every year so it's hard to keep up honestly! Looks like some solid updates with this one though :)

LGR

Did you see this Oregon Trail remake? Sounds baller. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/12/996007048/no-bows-and-arrows-and-no-broken-english-on-the-updated-oregon-trail

evistre

I showed both the batteries and their status in the video, but: The CMOS battery was preinstalled and dead, the main battery was wrapped in plastic separately from the machine and worked.

LGR

That is in amazing condition. Many thanks to the Patron who let us all experience this. One question I had, was the battery still installed when you opened up the cover?

SuperTekBoy

These mint condition, never opened old tech always fascinate me. I would love to also run into one in the near future!

Only in photos! Those look beastly.

LGR

Old IBM stuff is the best. Have you ever seen a 755c with docking station? It has stereo speakers, optical drive and an ISA Slot. I still have mine.

Big thanks to the guy who shared this machine! I love old thinkpads.

You gotta love IBM packaging. So professional, so IBM. Ahh, the Dexter style gloves are back. I have to be honest, they look weird on screen (must get wood grain surgical gloves).

Deckard Games

Beautiful! I have a 380ED as one of my dos gaming machines. A perfect little beast and so nice to see a brand new one!

Mat Cooper

I'd have to agree there 👍

LGR

Nor have I, it's surreal to see!

LGR

Viewer discretion most definitely advised

LGR

Aw thanks :)

LGR

A video masterpiece (as always) .

Ashley Harp

Warning: Not for casuals. Explicit PC-enthusiast content.

Tossabaddle

Definitely not, it's wild that any have survived this long intact at all. ...now watch someone in the comments say they found an entire warehouse

LGR

Excellent, same as the one I showed at the end of this episode! Easily one of my favorite laptops, it's ideal for software through 1998 👍

LGR

I'd agree there. I gave my dad an X1 Carbon a while back, and while it's very well-built overall I wasn't entirely pleased with the keyboard compared to those from years prior. Solid, but could use a bit more "thok" when bottoming out

LGR

That they are. I'm glad Lenovo keeps at least *some* of the overall aesthetic with newer ones, though I'd welcome an even more strict return to the mid-90s chonk

LGR

Thanks again for sending this over, it was an absolute pleasure!

LGR

SAME. Hope someone puts out some recreations, I can think of many uses

LGR

Wow! I mean, if there's any company back then where I'd expect that kind of care it'd be IBM. But that's still mighty commendable service. Get whatcha pay for.

LGR

I've got the complete hard disk contents here, might help in the meantime https://archive.org/details/thinkpad-380ed-hdd

LGR

1997 truly has a distinct aroma, ahh

LGR

I play parts of them frequently while testing random old hardware like this! Can't recall the last time playing them through completely, it's been years

LGR

Ha! I've bought some gray market IBM nipples from China actually. Pretty good on price but I always try to find legit nips when I can

LGR

1997, right? Really was a total crapshoot buying a new machine, especially when it came to gaming things were moving so darn fast

LGR

That was a real treat, can't be many left in their boxes.

Matt Tester

All of these old ThinkPads have a rectangular indentation on the front of the case. Most of the time people think its a blank. I did too until I picked one up off ebay that actually had someone who had ordered their nameplate and put it on.

polymatt

Nice machine. Had to pull one of my old machines out to double check. Looks like I have an XD, the next model up, with a faster processor, and a usb port.

Reed Hansen

Silly question, but where would the "custom nameplate" go if you ordered one?

Eric Siegel

I love the giant "Pentium MMX" and "Windows 95" labels!

Eric Siegel

That's so familiar with me since my wife had one when I met her like 20 years ago. I had to support it for several years. LOL!

Now I'm imagining some blackmarket dealing in laptop nipples. Well, better that than real ones...

Akselmo

It's up! https://archive.org/details/thinkpad-380ed-hdd

LGR

Love the murder gloves! Also, curious when the last time you sat down and fully played through something like Duke 3D or Commander Keen was? You look like you’re still pretty sharp! Even playing with “the nub”.

JennaKay

Will you be uploading the fresh image backup to your Archive.org account?

Dan Milner

man, imagine spending that much on a laptop and it can' t even play Pod smoothly, smh my head

SupaPhly

ThinkPads er the best. They are so well made. I have an X30, an X60S and an X220. No later models because the keyboard is not as good on the later models after X220.

Lars Hammer Andersen

In my opinion these ThinkPads have such an appealing design to them. Very timeless in a way.

Alyxx the Rat

That blue windows 95 sticker omg I need one (or several) hahahah.

DFawlt Uzr

I was in high school when these came out. My dad had an older one and I remember playing Doom for the first time on it. This was fantastic and definitely better than I could have done myself. This was a crazy find and such a cool time capsule. Thanks again!

polymatt

Oh god what a treat! I have NEVER seen an old ThinkPad so clean :O

Nathan (PixelPipes)

ahh thinkpads. my favorite pc laptops

Jacob Nelson

My first laptop was a 385CD. I still have it, and even powered it up after replacing the clock battery. It was like a time capsule! I wrote my first two books on that, and even took it to Costa Rica. The day before my flight, the screen died. I called IBM in a panic. They sent a courier to my door within an hour, fixed it, and had a courier deliver it the next morning before my flight. No fee. And that is why, back then at least, nobody ever got fired for buying IBM!

Robert Jon Mudry

Ah that's beautiful. I got a 380ED myself, so neat to see how it looked new back in the day when it cost 100 times what I paid for it. I was always curious what that indentation on the front was for. Shame the restore disc was damaged, would have loved to bring mine back to "stock".

Yoshizard64

Amazing! Really enjoyed watching that, I could totally smell it.

yyzkevin

Flerbnerp, heh. Yes.

LGR

did i hear that right, your alexa is nicknamed "flerb nerb"?

james fonda

Absolutely. Each one is potentially once in a lifetime, it's exhilarating!

LGR

There’s something so special about finding new old stock tech after all these years. Truly like finding buried treasure, except the treasure is nostalgia.

Joon Choi

Haha. Complete with face-melting montage, that would've been appropriate

LGR

You should have put the Ark of the Covenant theme in the background when you've turned it on for the first time!

Frederic St-Georges