Thinkpads Forum

Hello fellow tech enthusiasts,

I'm on the lookout for IBM ThinkPad PowerPC models 820, 850, or 860. Whether you have a complete unit in working condition or just parts lying around, I'm interested in either. I'm working on a restoration project and am in need of these specific models. I have a 850 that wont star anymore. Tried everything you can imagine, no leds, beep, nothing...

I'm prepared to negotiate a fair price based on the model, condition, and completeness. Please let me know your asking price.
If you have one of these models and are considering selling, please contact me. You can also reply to this post with details and photos if available.

Looking forward to hearing from anyone with these vintage machines. Thank you!

Join the club!

Same here. I had an 850 back in 2008 and I regret selling it.

As luck would have it, I have just come into possession of an 860 in very good condition. No PCMCIA cards, and missing the external port covers, but otherwise complete. It's also missing the IBM logos, and has a large "Engineering Test Bed" label stuck to the bottom, and given that this is in Austin I'll wager there's a good chance it originated from an IBM lab here in town. The battery is dead and there was no power adapter, so I have no idea if it will actually fire up or what OS may be on it (though it's likely AIX if my previous assumption is correct.)

I plan on tinkering with it for a while - currently on the lookout for a 4-pin hex power adapter - but I'll be happy to sell it on to a fellow enthusiast eventually.

Count me in, man! Sounds like a weird and wonderful testbed.... Good luck. I think I have a bunch of those power adaptors but the shipping would probably not make it worth it when they're reasonably common.

No one selling in 2026 ???