Other business laptops are also welcome in /tpg/ (e.g. Dell Latitude/Precision, HP EliteBook/ZBook). ---- If you're looking for purchase advice, READ THE BUYERS GUIDE FIRST. Then post, stating budget and requirements (e.g. size and performance). Don't buy anything OTHER THAN T, X AND W/P SERIES if you want the Real ThinkPad Experience™
Recommended models: T420 - 14", normal size X220 - 12.5", lightweight ---- Why ThinkPad? (also applies to other business laptops) >Used machines are plentiful and cheap. >Excellent keyboards - tactile feel and quiet. >Great durability: chassis uses a magnesium rollcage for structural integrity, with high quality plastic body panels. >Utilitarian design: e.g. indicator LEDs, 7 row keyboard layout on older models. >Docking stations that easily turns your laptop into a desktop. >Easy to repair, upgrade and maintain thanks to readily available service manuals for every model. Spare parts are easy and cheap to obtain. >The best trackpoint (that red thing in the middle of the keyboard). Great for those who type a lot or hate swiping their fingers all over a touchpad. >Excellent GNU/Linux & *BSD support. ---- Used ThinkPad Buyers Guide: ktgee.net/tpg
You should be fucking ashamed of yourself, fucking fag.
Xavier Foster
How the fuck are they relevant?
Ryder Walker
I'm really looking forward to buying a thinkpad with that EPP discount, but I'm afraid when it comes time to purchase, it'll be gone. Someone tell me if this is something I should be concerned about, please.
Anthony Jones
Is there something I could put in my ExpressCard 34 Slot? Like a SSD or USB 3.0 slots?
Blake Harris
>external GPUs >pay 75% of the cost of a laptop for some hacky slow as shit solution
Jack Flores
Candy bars
Nicholas Cook
Just got a T530
>> i7 3rd gen >> 16gb ram >> 180gb. Ssd >> excellent condition p >> $400 American shekels
Did I dun goof?
Alexander Wood
ordered this ebay.com/itm/131796981697 emailed seller about no os "yes it comes with coa but it did not install" lets hope it aint fucked up
Angel Sanchez
I've finally got the hang of drawing and shading on the adhesive-less IPS X61t I bought for fifty burgerbucks in 2014... After trying to replace it. Issues I hit after using the X220t for two days: >Accuracy issues on edges, everyone knows this one >Weak magnet instead of latch, would be fine if not for the swivel hinge, which makes the machine feel "slackjawed" while it's shut. >No increased resolution available, though the displayport is a fantastic asset >The IPS panel provides great color, but has absolutely abhorrent image retention if something onscreen is still for too long. Not good if you leave chat windows open, and certainly a pain in the ass when trying to clean up your sketches. >Power consumption sometimes causes the battery to die sooner than the X60/X61 tablets! While it is faster, the issue persists even if turbo mode is disabled in the advanced BIOS settings. The slice is an option, but the six-cell battery protrudes enough to be a nine-cell thanks to an odd design. Both of the batteries in the test were genuine and still at 99% design capacity. >The machine's build quality, other than having no latch, is outstanding. However, the process of swapping the WLAN card uses about five times as many screws as in the T420. >Stylus randomly stops working for a couple seconds at a time. Extremely cumbersome to draw lines.
My purpose here isn't to rant or demonize this machine. I just want to ask: Does anyone with a 200-series tablet have these problems too? I've been reading through the German ThinkWiki and see something about the hinge's footprint on the display bezel being "keystone-shaped".
From what I remember, the T430's firmware is more stingy with modified BIOS and Hong Kong batteries. No issues if you can get OEM batteries cheap and don't need a WLAN whitelist removal. If you're like me and dual-boot OS X with Debian, I'm guessing it wouldn't turn out well.
Jeremiah Peterson
I've never used an eGPU myself, but I'd like to ask if it's a complete fucking asspain to have the VGA driver for a desktop card installed on a laptop whilst only using such a card sometimes. I'm guessing it'd be a complete hindrance to portability, needing to switch kernel-mode drivers to "undock" the machine.
Jose Kelly
>USB 3.0 ports If they're that big a deal I have an expresscard USB 3.0 card for my T420. It's not a huge deal though as I rarely end up using it.
Gavin Sanders
Off the top of my head, the only thing ever requiring USB 3.0 is the Macbook Air external optical drive. I have absolutely no idea why you'd need to use it unless you have an X-series without a dock and no way to dd the disc onto a flash drive.
Robert Bennett
Yeah I have an external 2.5/3.5" HDD dock for my desktop so If I want to transfer a large batch of files to my thinkpad i just pop the SSD/HDD out and transfer things that way. Or I do a network transfer.
For me personally USB 3.0 is rather useless on a thinkpad. Though obviously im sure others would use it all the time.
Jason Wood
What are some useful Express card add-ons?
Colton Harris
expresscard to PCI-E for eGPU is pretty neat, but more of a science experiment than a real full time use project.
Jace Walker
hey faggets
I'm about to buy a used 14" thinkpad (T430). Thing is, that most used 14" laptops have 1366x768 resolution. Do you guys think suck a low resolution is fine for a 14" lap, or should I spent ~100€ more for a 1920x1080 panel?
Colton Miller
T430 keyboard makes me cry dragon tears.
T420 is last good T series.
I have 1600x900 on my T420 and think 768p would be too small. FHD would be better than 1600x900, but it's a pain in the ass getting 1080p working on a T420.
Joshua Garcia
Seconding the last line. 1600*900 is good on a 14", but 1366*768 is kind of crap on almost anything over 12". I wish more models like the old 1400*1050 X60t existed. I would kill for an X201 with 1920*1200 or 1680*1050.
Mason Moore
Where do you guys get replacement screens? I'm interested in t410 wxga+ screen, but 80$ (with shipping to Europe) plus taxes from ebay doesn't sound to compelling.
Parker Gonzalez
What's up with AMD Neo-based Lenovo X100e's?
I see literally dozens of ads selling broken X100e's on local classifieds. Is this model particularly faulty? I've been eyeing one for ~$60 as a second Thinkpad.
Jayden White
>Though obviously im sure others would use it all the time. Yeah I use it all the time. I had a Toshiba laptop with just USB 2.0 and it really started to frustrate me. I often download my torrents with my laptop running Linux then transport them to my desktop which runs Winblows
Jayden Powell
Yeah, next time I'll put it in there as well, although it doesn't seem to work for most people
William Hall
Is your router in your house just not very good?
I get ~500mbps over wifi and 1gbps on ethernet for local file transfers.
I have ~5TB of anime and another 2-3TB of Movies and TV that I regularly put 100-200GB worth at a time on my Thinkpad and then remove when i've watched. I do it all using network file transfers generally.
Hunter King
Just looking at the hardware that you got and what you paid for it you did well, but considering you'll never need 16GB of RAM and it has the inferior keyboard you should've gotten a T520 with similar specs for less
Samuel Turner
Nice price, I wanted to order that one as well but unfortunately they don't ship to the EU. I hope for you it works >Seller refurbished: An item that has been restored to working order by the eBay seller or a third party not approved by the manufacturer. This means the item has been inspected, cleaned, and repaired to full working order and is in excellent condition. I think you'll be fine
Logan Gutierrez
I get like 500 KB over wifi and 10 MB over ethernet, so yeah, it's shit Are you the guy who had 18TB in storage?
Matthew Foster
Yup.
Sounds like you might want to upgrade your local network.
Or just buy a crossover cable and directly connect your thinkpad to your desktop for file transfers.
Leo Kelly
>Sounds like you might want to upgrade your local network. The area I live in has shitty ISP's so shitty routers as well or I have to seriously overpay.
>Or just buy a crossover cable and directly connect your thinkpad to your desktop for file transfers. Yeah I think I'm going to buy one of those, but then is USB 3.0 useful especially, rigth?
Brayden Hill
I've only found USB 3 to be useful for making a USB ISO or for installing an ISO from USB.
Speeds that process up a good deal. Besides that I rarely use it though.
USB 3.1 with the Type-C connector could change things though.
Adrian Collins
Latitude E7470 or XPS 15?
I can get the Latitude significantly cheaper
Aiden Perry
Considering both can come in a wide range of specifications you're going to have to be more specific.
You've told me basically nothing besides mid sized recent laptop. I need specs if I am going to give you any sort of actual comparison.
Jonathan Hall
Well, USB 2 has around 30MB/s speed while USB3.0 has around 100-120MB/s speed so it's a big improvement for me anyway. Would you know if it's possible to write from Winblows directly to Linux? That way I could skip the external HDD and speed up the process even more.
Thanks for the tutorial but when I try to set a smbpasswd in linux it tells me "Failed to add entry for user linux."
Ian Cooper
are you adding the password to a valid user?
Levi Reed
nvm the first error, it ask for a password when I try to mount the folder >As you can see in the screenshot, we were prompted for the root password of the Linux machine, and then the password for the ‘geek’ account on Windows. I have no password set for my account on windows but I can't enter nothing either
Isaiah Martinez
Hmm i'm not sure, I can give it a go later when i'm home but both my machines have passwords.
Leo Scott
Anyone with X100e?
Christian Clark
I want to buy a T420 in September but I need more specifications because my shopping websites are shit ( Czech Republic doesn't like to sell thinkpads) and Google doesn't do it: >Does it have a CD drive >Expandable RAM and which type >Win7 >Graphics (just very light vidya) >In-built programs (PowerPoint, Word, Zoner Photo Studio etc.) That's all for now I guess. I couldn't find the guides that much helpful with this, sorry. Also, the Lenovo shop said they sold out last time I checked.
Benjamin Parker
ddr2 laptop (forgot what the dimm is called but its standard ddr2 laptop shit)
they come with 7, mine was professional refurbished and i got free win10
get the one with the nvidia 4200m quadro or whatever
its not by any means a gaming machine, but i can play CS:GO and kerbal just fine on my laptop
>built in programs its a fucking thinkpad, all you're getting is windows and some shitty lenovo tools
it doesnt' include any of that bloat shit, not even the shitty word trial, go buy word for $6 a month if you need it
PS: t420 is no longer in production find a used one
Jonathan Long
What's wrong with the keyboard of the t530? Can I replace it?
Christopher Wilson
Okay, thanks. I'll start looking for one soon.
Luke Wilson
No, but I got a x130e laying around :3
Adrian Thomas
How many ThinkPads do you own, /tpg/?
Cooper Ward
>get gtx580 for $60 >egpu adapter for $70 >ATX PSU for $5 >get 80% the performance of a 580 on a desktop
I thought /tpg/ was all about being smart with your money and knowing to buy used.
Aiden Howard
For folks having experience with T430 and T440, is there difference in battery life and heat, considering that t440 went with ultra low voltage processors?
Grayson Ross
New 420 buyer. What are some reccommended upgrades from stock?
Austin Howard
Two, five laptops total. All loonix.
Cameron Garcia
The keyboard layout is shit, also the keys themselves feel different. >pic related Top keyboard is of a T530, bottom one of a T520
I know you can replace it on the T430 so you probably can too on a T530. Something like 5 keys aren't functional then though
Jacob Ward
SSD, more ram, possibly a screen upgrade if you're truly worthy of this thread.
Anyway, anyone who pirates their OS doesn't deserve a ThinkPad.
Dominic Sullivan
>keys themselves feel different
it's exactly the same scissor mechanism underneath the new keycaps
Mason Flores
Just got my T420 in, shit's in mint condition. I was expecting a FEW scuffs for the price, but i'll take it.
Need to do a screen upgrade though.
Jeremiah Butler
The surface is different
David Taylor
How much did you pay for it? You also need to upgrade the OS I see
Zachary Lee
Specs? Price?
Eli Peterson
>inferior keyboard here we go again...
XPS is consumer line, but if you can get ProSupport you shouldn't have problems. The XPS lacks Ethernet port but it has Thunderbolt/USB type C, while the Latitude has 3 standard size USB 3.0 ports and DP out but no Thunderbolt. Make sure to get the Latitude with WQHD screen. I find the E7470 keyboard layout even worse than the ThinkPad one.
Ayden Ortiz
>i5-2520m >4GB RAM >768p >320GB HDD >W7 pro $80
They had it listed with the 900p panel and 8GB of RAM, so I told him knock $100 off for lying or i'll give a negative review.
Ryan Ross
Might be a dumb question, but how do I determine if my T420s has Nvidia Optimus?
Just did a fresh Arch Linux install, I'm not sure if I should install bumblebee or not.
Hunter Fisher
How shitty is the screen of X301, compared to T420 or T430 900p screen? Thinking of buying one, if I come across something decently priced.
Cooper Stewart
Nice jewing, very good deal though
Wyatt Stewart
because ThinkPads usually come with 7, 8 or 10 Pro(or Home if you configure them), not Ultimate.
Jackson Perry
Fuck em, shouldn't have lied. They even listed a model number of a 900p version.
The model sent however was totally different.
Hudson Ramirez
I just got the P50 Sup Forums did I just get memed on?
William Reyes
I fucking hate it when people list items wrong on purpose
Thomas Martinez
He could've bought it, couldn't he? (don't ask my why you'd do that but it's a possibility)
Kevin Butler
Good on you. I bet they got away with it many times.
Camden Mitchell
Exactly, that's why i dont feel bad at all about getting it for this price, it's a fucking bargain only because they fucked themselves out of the real price by lying. List it for $160 or 170 and dont lie about the specs and it's basically in line with normal pricing.
But mark it $10-20 higher and lie about it? fuck em.
That's why I didn't offer to do a return cause they'd have just tried on someone else probably.
It's a shitty laptop TN panel like all other shitty laptop TN panels.
Adrian Reyes
Kek
Josiah Sanchez
Like a pirated iso from KAT is just stupid, and lots of people don't trust tool kit. So, bad in general.
Asher Peterson
Does anyone else remove the badges from their keyboard bezel? I think they ruin the aesthetic.
Joseph Sullivan
You mean the Intel and Windows stickers? Yeah, but I just ordered a Linux Mint sticker, kinda hope it'll look good, otherwise it was $0.90 well donated.
Also, I'm still looking for an answer to this
Cameron Jones
I only remove them when the product is still new. But as we get used equipment, removing them will only leave a "blob" in the bezel.
Benjamin Diaz
If you own a ThinkPad X220 or a ThinkPad X220i or a ThinkPad X220s or a ThinkPad X230 or a ThinkPad X230i or a ThinkPad X230s it seems like a good deal. I can't tell you what you should do and not do, though.
Xavier Richardson
It's strangely 20$ cheaper (10$ if you include shipping) than all the other ones on Ebay. Maybe it's fake, I dunno.
i've never used a thinkpad tablet, so i don't know if the damage near the hinge will make it wobbly or if it's just a aesthetic concern, in which case it isn't a concern.
i'm also looking at x220t's. i need a tablet laptop so i can get back in my draw game, but i heard x220t has horrible digitizer malfunctions. thanks guys.
Hudson Hughes
pic related
Daniel Stewart
>9Cell 44++ Original Batterie Lenovo ThinkPad I think that if it turns out to be fake and you open an ebay dispute you'll get your money back. The incorrect spelling of "Battery" worries me though. It's also fishy that they didn't put it up like "Original Lenovo Battery" But like I said, I think the title is misleading enough that eBay will believe that you thought that it was real
Sebastian Brooks
I believe the i7s on the x201t are all under-volted. There's one i5 that's not. Screen should be simple to replace with a 30 dollar one stripped of parts.
i was looking at this, seems a good deal for the model. and i thought undervolting was a small concern for i-cores. (i only hear about it as a problem for x200 s really)
Jacob Collins
Can't really tell but if the hinge were actually damaged it would be the two posts that screw into the bezel or the base that screws into the motherboard tray. Whatever they are trying to show you in the picture looks to be cosmetic only.
Ayden Hall
You know how the Fn key and CTRL key on Thinkpads are in reverse order compared to most keyboards?
Have you gotten used to having Fn on the corner or did you swap their functionality in your BIOS?
Personally I swapped it, I'm too used to the corner of the keyboard being CTRL.
Jaxson Cook
It was a bit weird at first, but I've gotten used to it in a week or so. But now I have another keyboard that has the reverse layout and I can honestly say I prefer the one on my ThinkPad. Don't know why, I never expected that to happen. I guess the logic that "FN-CTRL > CTRL-FN because it preserves the usual layout" made sense in my brain subconsciously.
