IBM ThinkPad 390 Series
The ThinkPad 390 Series were a series of mostly Pentium II-based consumer laptops that were first released in 1998. The series is comprised of the 390, 390E, and 390X. The 390 released first, then the 390E, then the 390X. Each following model was pretty much just a spec-bump of the previous. This rule can be applied in general with many IBM laptops from this time. An "E" is better than one with no letter, and an "X" is better than an "E".
Specifications
| Spec | ThinkPad 390 | ThinkPad 390E | ThinkPad 390X |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | November 1998 | March 1999 | September 1999 |
| CPU | CPU Type: Unknown - Intel Pentium MMX @233MHz - Intel Mobile Pentium II @233 or 266MHz | CPU Type: MMC2 - Intel Mobile Pentium II @300 or 333MHz - Intel Mobile Celeron @300 or 366MHz | CPU Type: MMC2 - Intel Mobile Pentium III @450 or 500MHz - Intel Mobile Pentium II @400MHz - Intel Mobile Celeron @400MHz |
| Chipset | Unknown | ||
| RAM | Type: Unknown Standard: 32 or 64MB Maximum: 256MB | Type: Unknown Standard: 64MB Maximum: 512MB | |
| Storage | 2.5" IDE Requires Adapter: Yes Standard: 3.2 or 4.3GB | 2.5" IDE Requires Adapter: Yes Standard: 3.2, 4.3, 4.8, or 6.4GB | 2.5" IDE Requires Adapter: Yes Standard: 4.8 or 6.4GB |
| Display Options | - 12.1" Active Matrix LCD @800x600 - 14.1" Active Matrix LCD @1024x768 | - 12.1" Active Matrix LCD @800x600 - 13.3" Active Matrix LCD @1024x768 - 14.1" Active Matrix LCD @1024x768 | - 12.1" Active Matrix LCD @800x600 - 14.1" Active Matrix LCD @1024x768 - 15.0" Active Matrix LCD @1024x768 |
| Graphics Chipset | NeoMagic MagicMedia 256AV (NM2200) VRAM: 2.5MB | ||
| Audio | NeoMagic NMA2 | ESS Solo-1E (ES1946) - Stereo Speakers - Microphone | |
| Main Battery | NiMH or Lithium Ion | ||
| CMOS Battery | CR1220 Lithium (Socketed) | Proprietary Lithium | |
| Power Supply | Barrel Jack | ||
| Media Drives | Ultrabay FX (3 Spindle) - 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive - CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive | ||
| PC Cards | 2x PCMCIA/CardBus Slots - ZoomVideo Support | ||
| Networking | Modem | ||
| Other I/O | - 1x Parallel - 1x Serial - 1x VGA Out - 1x PS/2 - 1x USB 1.x - 1x S-Video Out - 1x Line Out - 1x Mic In - 1x Line In - Infrared | ||
| BIOS | IBM BIOS | ||
| Pointing Device | TrackPoint | ||
Resources
| Link | Details |
|---|---|
 |
IBM ThinkPad 390 Drivers |
|
IBM ThinkPad 390E Drivers |
|
IBM ThinkPad 390X Drivers |
 |
IBM ThinkPad 390 User Manual |
 |
IBM ThinkPad 390 Hardware Maintenance Manual |
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IBM ThinkPad 390E Hardware Maintenance Manual |
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IBM ThinkPad 390X Hardware Maintenance Manual |
 |
IBM ThinkPad 390 Product Brochure (Japanese) |
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IBM ThinkPad 390E Product Brochure (English) |
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IBM ThinkPad 390E Product Brochure (Japanese) - Missing pages 3 and 4 |
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IBM ThinkPad 390X Product Brochure (Japanese) |
 |
IBM ThinkPad 1992-2001 Personal Systems Reference (PSREF) |
Common Faults & Maintenance
Hinge Failure
The way the display hinges mount to the base on the 390 Series ThinkPads is comedically poorly designed. It relies on a tiny thin piece of the bottom case plastic to hold, which it doesn't of course, and then the hinges will eventually break free from the base and the screen will try to fall off. This sort of thing isn't too unusual to see on laptops from this time, but being THIS bad, and these being ThinkPads, it's something very worthy of criticising.
That aside, these laptops appear to be reliable.
Gallery
