ThinkPad 770
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Predecessor | IBM ThinkPad 760 |
| Founded | October 1997 |
| Defunct | May 2000 |
| Successor | ThinkPad A20m and A20p |
| Products | Laptops |
IBM ThinkPad 770 represented a premium laptop lineup from IBM, designed specifically for business professionals, enterprises, and advanced users. Manufactured between October 1997 and May 2000, this series followed the 760 within the ThinkPad 700-series and was eventually succeeded by the ThinkPad A20m and A20p models.
Features
The initial releases came preloaded with Windows NT4 or Windows 95, later transitioning to Windows 98. These laptops incorporated IBM's Ultrabay II, allowing users to swap out drives such as CD-ROM, floppy drive, or an additional battery.
A significant innovation of the ThinkPad 770 was its status as the first notebook to provide a DVD-ROM drive option alongside a USB port and support for AC-3 audio.
The earliest 770 models were equipped with an Intel Pentium I CPU running at 233 MHz, upgradeable to 266 MHz. Subsequent versions featured mobile Pentium II processors, with some enthusiasts managing to install processors up to 850 MHz thanks to compatible socket designs. Screen resolutions ranged from 1024x768 in most variants to 1280x1024 in later editions. Graphics performance was driven by Trident Cyber 9397 video chips, with memory capacities varying from 2MB on the base 770 model up to 8MB on the 770X and 770Z models, depending on display resolution.
Models
- IBM ThinkPad 770 – Debuted in 1997 featuring either a 200 or 233 MHz Pentium MMX processor, equipped with 32 MB of RAM, and shipped with either Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0.
- IBM ThinkPad 770E – Released soon after, this model included a mobile Pentium II processor clocked at 266 MHz and discontinued the availability of the 13.3" screen.
- IBM ThinkPad 770ED – Closely related to the 770E but enhanced with a DVD-ROM drive capable of MPEG-2 decoding for DVD playback and increased default memory.
- IBM ThinkPad 770X – Upgraded to a faster 300 MHz Pentium II CPU featuring an AGP graphics bus instead of PCI; came standard with 64 MB RAM and offered Windows 98 or NT options; introduced a larger 13.7" LCD panel with a resolution of 1280x1024.
- IBM ThinkPad 770Z – The final iteration in this series, similar to the 770X but powered by a quicker 366 MHz Pentium II processor that included full-speed cache.
Model comparison
| Model | LaunchDate | DiscontinuationDate | StartingPrice | DisplayVariants | ResolutionOptions | Processor | Memory(Standard - Maximum) | GraphicsChipset | AudioChipset | StorageOptions | AdditionalDetails | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSTN | TFT | |||||||||||||
| 770 | Oct 1997 | Sep 1998 | ? | − | 13.3"14.1"Color | 1024x768 | Pentium I - 200 or 233 MHz, 66 MHz bus, MMX, 512 KB cache | 32 - 256 MB SDRAM (83 or 100 MHz) | CYBER9397, 2 MB SGRAM, PCI 2.1 | CS4237B | 3.2GB - 5.1GB HDD options | UltraBay II
Infrared Ports (2x), USB Port (1x), Docking Port, Li-Ion Battery | ||
| 770E | Apr 1998 | Dec 1998 | ? | − | 14.1"<smal l >< sup > Color </ sup ></ small > | Pentium II - 266 MHz, 66 MHz bus, 512 KB cache | < small >< sup >32 -288 MB SDRAM (83 or100 MHz)</ sup ></ small > | < sup > CYBER9397E,4 MB SGRAM,PCI2.1 </ sup > | < sup >5.1GB HDD option(s) </ sup > | |||||
| < small >770ED </ small > | < small >< sup > ? </ sup ></ small > | < small >< sup > − </ sup ></ small > | < small >< sup >14.1"</ sup ></ small >< small > Color </ small > | < small >< sup >64 -288 MB SDRAM (83 or100 MHz)</ sup ></ small > | < sup >8.1GB HDD option(s) </ sup > | |||||||||
| < small >770X </ small > | < small > Oct1998 </ small > | < small > Jun1999 </ small > | < small >< sup > ? </ sup ></ small > | < small >< sup > − </ sup ></ small > | < small >< sup >13.7"</ sup ></ small >< small >14.1"</ small >< small >< sup > Color </ sup ></ small > | < sup >1024x768 /1280x1024 </ sup > | Pentium II < small >< sup >-300 MHz,66 MHz bus,512 KB cache </ sup ></ small > | < small >< sup >64 -320 MB SDRAM,66 MHz </ sup ></ small > | < small >< sup > CYBER9397DVD,4-8 MB SGRAM,AGP1X </ sup ></ small > | < sup > CS4239 / CS4610 </ sup > | ||||
| < small >770Z </ small > | < small > Feb1999 </ small > | < small > Dec1999 </ small > | < small >< sup > ? </ sup ></ small > | - | Pentium II < small >< sup >-366 MHz,66 MHz bus,512 KB cache </ sup ></ small > | < small >< sup >128 -320 MB SDRAM,66 MHz </ sup ></ small > | < small >< sup >14.1GB HDD option(s) </ sup ></ small > | |||||||
Reception
In December 1997, PCMag honored the ThinkPad 770 with their Technical Excellence Award.