/tpg/ - ThinkPad General

Previous thread: IRC: #/tpg/ on irc.rizon.net

Other business laptops are also welcome in /tpg/ (e.g. Dell Latitude/Precision, HP EliteBook/ZBook).
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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
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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.
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Used ThinkPad Buyers Guide:
ktgee.net/tpg

New guides by xsauc:
dankpads.com

EPP discount for new ThinkPads (USA & Canada only, usually 15%+ off):
pastebin.com/DujvzEzU

ThinkWiki - Info on ThinkPads and running GNU/Linux on them:
thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki

ThinkPad service guides w/ tutorial videos:
lenovoservicetraining.com/

ThinkPad wallpaper collection:
imgur.com/a/NlepZ

Other urls found in this thread:

m.ebay.com/itm/9Cell-Battery-for-Lenovo-ThinkPad-X230T-Tablet-0A36316-0A36317-0A36285-42T4877-/201392457166?hash=item2ee3ed05ce:g:OZMAAOSwHnFVrmTs
twitter.com/SFWRedditGifs

Going to throw linux mint on my new thinkpad and abandon windows.
What's the difference between KDE, XFCE and MATE?

KDE is very windows like
Xfce is what I use, it's very lightweight
forgot what MATE was, but it wasn't very interesting

I'd either go for cinnamon or Xfce but I recommend trying them all to see what suits you best

also, if you go for Xfce install nemo filemanager, a lot better than thunar

>I'd either go for cinnamon or Xfce but I recommend trying them all to see what suits you best
This

Also agree that graphical Xfce system management tools can be a little lame.

What's the X220 like in terms of heat? I like my laptops cool and quiet, would the X220 disappoint in that department?

IMO Linux Mate, install Ubuntu Store, Chrome, hardinfo, Wine and you should be good. I am just basing off my clients/customers who want "a computer that just werks".

I'd also wager trying different distros, I started with Ubuntu years ago, liked Xubuntu, currently run Mint, Netrunner, + whatever is released on my ThinkPads.

For normal use, it shouldn't be so bad, unless the laptop has been abused prior, it should run cool.

expect 40-50c idle and 65-85c under normal load. 90-100c when you start doing anything intense. It also starts to throttle itself by that point.

If you get the i7 its even worse.

Ouch. Guess I'll take the thing apart as soon as I get it and clean + replace TIM straight away.

How's the X220 Tablet? Compared to a regular X220?

Did I fuck up buying a w520 with a 1600x900 screen? I do graphic design.

You can upgrade to the 1080p screen if you think you'll need it. Shouldn't be too expensive.

>tfw fell for the meme and bought an first gen Helix, i7, 8GB RAM, 180GB SSD with 1 year warranty for $320

What am I in for?

Successfully done the following on my T420s
>swapped genuine TN panel with Alienware
>replaced hinges
>setup a working eGPU with a GTX 460SE

AMA

IPS/10

Reliable place to buy LP125WH2-SL-B3?

What was the monitor upgrade like? Noticeably better?

The display lock on my x60t stopped working today. Where exactly is the "spring" mechanism that makes the lock slider stay in place?

Even then, mine has a fresh application of Noctua TIM. I'm lucky to see anything under 40c unless I check the temps literally as soon as I load into windows, or if I have ambient temperatures around 5c

Solved it: There is a small spring on the keyboard bezel which is attached to the bezel and the slider.

mediocre

Hey guys been looking really hard into a tpad any suggestions all I want It for is my anime addiction light gaming and hdmi so I can watch anime on TV.

HDMI is only on newer Thinkpads, which are way overkill for what you want. Just pick up a cheap-ass T410 and get a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter.

how much did it all cost?

Just checked out those adapters do they look ok in a hdtv. I've read alot of tpad generals and I always see the 420 one recommended care to explain please I'm new always had a desktop with w 7 but wanna experiment with like Ubuntu or mint.

dport and hdmi are electrically compatible. there's no signal difference.
linux works fine on all recommended thinkpads.

Thank you kind one. Tommorow the hunt begins on ebay.

As someone in the market for a x220, what would you guys look for and at what price point?

Slept through one with an i5 2.6ghz , 4gb and 128gb ssd that went for 140 the other week. Feel like a fucked up on that one.

Sold an IPS X230, 320GB HDD, 8GB RAM, whatever i5, it had a somewhat broken palmrest and shiny keyboard for $250 locally w/ AC adapter (had it for $320 on ebay)

But for you, eh, other deals will come, but that was a nice deal you fucking dumb fuck.

>mfw this W530 has uneven backley keys

Wow very nice user
What would you say is a total decent cost for a alienware screen and getting a 900p cable
as in what did you pay?

This coming from a guy who bought a T430s for $165 w/ $70 IPS mod chip and $95 E7440 FHD IPS screen.

I want to sell this POS for $700, I know i am asking for too much,

I wouldnt think so, 900P panels I've come across are nice.
This FHD panel on the W530 has a problem, it is blue and it has vertical lines visible, its sad.

Well I made it out alive and well.
He turned out to be super cool guy that made a living fixing computers out of his cubical sized apartment.
The x300 is in VERY nice condition,works great, now all I need is a battery and a 1.8" SSD.
also
>who needs a backlight when you have a frontlight

>but that was a nice deal you fucking dumb fuck.

Sure am. Not sure if I'll find someone else dumb enough to have their auction end at 4am on a fucking weekday though.

Is Linux battery life much better than Windows 10 on T420/X220?

Do those bulk X220s on ebay come with mSATA SSDs or are they full 2.5"?

no, its a little bit worse.

Is there a preferred replacement keyboard for the T420?

Including the Clit Mouse sensor and parts

I have read varying information supporting certain manufacturers but no one seems to agree

Is the T420 keyboard the same as the T430, T500...? Because most seem to advertise multiple on ebay

I want to put a quad core CPU in my T430. I'm looking at the 35w models over the 45w. Is there anything I should consider? Do I need to upgrade my fan to make up for the heat increase?

You're good, the T430 can easily handle a 35w cpu with no cooling upgrades.

Keyboards are all the same across T, W, and X series of a given generation, with exclusions for certain unique models like the X201, X301, and the W701. **10 and **20 keyboards are effectively identical and can be swapped effortlessly. **30 generation introduced the controversial chiclet layout, but should be electrically compatible with a T420. Unsure about physical compatibility, you have to make a couple changes to the T430 to implant the T420 keyboard but I don't know about the other way around. Older generation keyboards are not electrically compatible, nor are newer keyboards from the **40 generation and on.

Glorious. The T430 is coming in the mail, I can order in a 3632QM before that arrives.

Then it's a keyboard replacement as well as a T420 screen bezel, because I must always blaze it. Looking really forward to this.

>controversial chiclet layout
I take it this is not generally considered superior to the XX20 version?

Anybody know if a A21e Thinkpad would be worth anything? Can't really find any for sale online.

No.

The X series before the X200 had a unique keyboard each generation. Most of the T and W series pre-chiclet used the same keyboard from the T60 on.

It only sways left, I believe only space for one hdd and it can be hard to get the tablet features working with linux.

Thinking of just going balls deep and upgrading my T420 to max specs. i7-2630qm ($90 Ebay), 16gb ddr3 ($40 microcenter).

Should I bother? I mean I already have an i7-2620m and 4gb ddr3. What things can I add to my T420? I already have a 9 cell battery, ssd primary, HDD secondary. Maybe an msata ssd? Are those known for over heating or no?

Same with sticking an 8 thread i7 in my laptop compared to my current 4 thread. Will heat prove to be a problem?

Shit's fucked cunt.

the memory will make some difference. Nothing else will really.

What's the screen res?

Absolutely upgrade the ram. 8 is good, but each man uses their laptop differently and I'm sure you have a legitimate need for 16.

Glad you're not dead, sicko.

didn't think so. Plus 4 threads is more than enough for what I use this laptop for. Maybe I'll just go for 8gb of ram. I can get my hands on another 4gb stick for $10.

Curiosity sake, how are the new thinkpads? The T460 primarily? Build quality, etc? While my T420 is trucking along nicely, longer battery life would be nice and the Skylake based shit seems to get great life. Not to mention the 1080p screen, USB 3.0 etc. I know that Sup Forums totes that the thinkpads of old are the only thinkpads worth owning, but has anyone gone hands on with the new stuff yet? Would it be more worth it to go Dell Precision/Latitude?

Was tempted by the X460 honestly, but decided to buy an X62 mobo instead.

my T420 was one of the rare few on ebay that WASN'T broken and had a 1600x900 screen. And yea the 16gb ddr3 would help with the multiple VM's I have to run for some of my classes. Windows Server 2012 with Active Directory installed using 2-3 other Windows 7 based VM's as dummy clients for testing. Which is why i was also considering the 8 thread i7 because moar coars is moar better for my uses. Just worried about heat as my 4 thread hits 75C under moderate load as it is even after re-pasting with IC diamond paste.

What, you want you fan screaming REEEEEEEEE to go from 75C to 60C, when both otherwise get the job done equally well?

I don't even turn the fan on on my ThinkPads until the CPU hits 65C.

:^(

nigger don't play.
link me.

I'm the dude who had a Chinese friend grab one at exactly the right time. I was both lucky, and paid more than I should have for it.

The nb51 folks are still saying they'll eventually ship overseas. Unlike the T50 they actually made a full run, it just sold out already.

son of a bitch god damn.
What are the odds that they would actually produce to meet demand?

X220 vs W510?

2 completely different machines man. What are your needs? Power or portability? Not to mention different processor families. First gen i5/i7 chips ran hotter and used more juice than 2nd gen. The W510 would be slower than the X220, lower battery life, and run hotter.

Not to mention the W510 usually comes with dedicated Nvidia chipset in it. So battery life would tank a bit more.

I dunno. I was skeptical they'd ever get to full run.
But the dude doing it wants to make money, seems to me like the first run was a success, so I expect there will be more because there's more money to be made.

5.56x39 vs 7.62x54?

Pretty much this, the X220's sandy bridge is a higher velocity package, but that W510 is huge.

I want to watch movies (on both the laptop and output to television), browse web, play some older games (new vegas, civ 5, etc) and maybe do some programming

they certainly should. they would probably jack up their margins too, if they're smart.
The problem is that if there's more money to be made elsewhere, they'll use the capacity they're using here,there. I don't think that's a huge problem in China, though, so we should be fine. I'm staying hopeful.

>The problem is that if there's more money to be made elsewhere, they'll use the capacity they're using here,there. I don't think that's a huge problem in China, though, so we should be fine. I'm staying hopeful.
The design work was a huge investment. That's done. I works. It makes sense they'd just pump out more.

How bad is the bubble problem on X61 Tablet SXGA?
I can buy one in my area and it has some small bubbles on the top part of the screen.

>How bad is the bubble problem on X61 Tablet SXGA?
>I can buy one in my area and it has some small bubbles on the top part of the screen.
It's bad, nasty, and will only get worse.
The adhesive is a form of pine tar. Ever get pine tar on your car? Then tried to get it off? THAT.

Only thing you can do is get one that isn't seeping yet, rip open the lid, and seal the screen preemptively with something like silicone. If you don't, you're asking for all the sticky without any of the tentacle pron.

Fugg :D

Don't know if I want to spend an extra $150 for a T520 over the X220. Can you put a FHD IPS in the T520 without ridiculous hacks? Because it seems the best you can put in the X220 without silly nonsense is a 1366x768 IPS.

Thinking of getting a 9 cell for my X230t. Are chink batteries safe for use?

m.ebay.com/itm/9Cell-Battery-for-Lenovo-ThinkPad-X230T-Tablet-0A36316-0A36317-0A36285-42T4877-/201392457166?hash=item2ee3ed05ce:g:OZMAAOSwHnFVrmTs

>Are chink batteries safe for use?
Most yes, though they all use crap, recycled cells.
That said, I've opened some that were housefires waiting to happen. No joke, I've pried open batteries that had been arcing internally because insulation rings between cells cost money :-P

It's a 12.5" screen, why would you want to go for any higher resolution on that is beyond me. PPI is high enough, battery life isn't ruined/doesn't run too hot either.

I like a slightly higher PPI than that, but user has a point. Also, the lower the PPI, the brighter the screen. All the Thinkpad screens of the era are dimmer than they should be.

Fuckin this, I always see guys wanting 1080p and shit on a little screen when 900p 14 inchers are really tight pixel densities.

huh, apparently linux can use the shitty internal speaker on my optiplex that wandgos couldnt.

Anyone plays games on their T420? What do you find playable with the HD2000?

>thinkcucks defending shitty screens

Yes, significant upgrade but it's no IPS mod. While the viewing angles are still garbage you will benefit from more true colours, deeper blacks and less white flush from tilting the screen side to side.

Screen panel was around $70.
Hinges were $20
eGPU was around $160

Mine was already the 900p so I didn't have to purchase the cable.
I purchased the screen from Laptopscreens.

Why don't you like your T430s user? I was thinking about upgrading to ivy bridge and do the keyboard swap for better power consumption. Is the 1080p IPS not good?

Nice, I actually just pulled the trigger on a perfect condition T420S (i7-2620m/4GB ram/NVS4200m/128GB ssd), should arrive next week.

Already ordered the FHD mod kit as well, now all that is left is choosing a new panel and finding a good deal on a 3 cell bay battery.

>breathing intensifies

I thoroughly enjoy my T420s, coming from a X220 I found the bigger screen and extra screen resolution so much more manageable. As well, the weight of the T420s is the same as the X220 with 9 cell.

Post a pic when you get it, I wanna see this motherfucker.

What's that tiny computer on the keyboard?

Nice deal user, glad your safe.
Enjoy the Kodachi ThinkPad.

Eh, layout you'll get used to.

>sold out again
I really hope they aren't underselling the things.
Post more photos, whore.

I don't mind the bubbles but there is a pixel grain that is not fun to deal with.
Its slowly seeping out, probably would be worse if I daily'd it.
Need to wipe out W10 and bring that thing back with Xubuntu or something...

RBS from TPF is selling an X60T Panel for a good price... though its gonna need some work it sounds.

Battery is busted on it, and I was buzzed at the time of posting so I made it sound worse than it is.

Nah the screen is beautiful, just dunno if my mobo is bad or if Mint is being a bitch (SD card reader doesn't work on my SDXC, DVD burner doesn't read disc and sometimes doesn't burn correctly)

nice

the guy I bought my T420s from is apparantly someone who erases old PCs for BIG companies and has hundreds, maybe even thousands ThinkPads stored in a warehouse
he also has hundreds of monitors and other laptops. he sells everything for almost nothing to Egypt and China or some other 2nd world country
He's really nice, if I ever needed parts for my ThinkPad I could always drop by

I just bought a T420, did I do good /tpg/ ?

Sure.

Anything I should know before deciding between a t420s or x220.

Someone also told me that neither x220 or the t420s run usb 3.0 natively, which makes the speed boosts trivial. y/n?

Ohh baby

Love my t420. You did great, and you'll be back for another one soon enough.

lol want to ask him if he has a t420s he'll sell me?

Donor x60t board S O O N.

Can I take a motherboard from a x60 and put it in a x60s without any problems?

You lucky bastard

Have fun with it by the way

Is there a new or recent 15" thinkpad with caps/num/scroll lock lights other than the p50/70? I don't want to buy a used machine.

I doubt it. Even if it did fit, you'd only succeed in dying in a housefire. The X60s has thermal problems as it is, and it uses a low-voltage processor. You really think it's a good idea to put a full-voltage processor in there?

They both look flawless aside from light scratches on the back that can only be seen in the right light and looking for them

Installing windows on my the one in giving to my mom

For mine in going to take my first venture into Linux still don't know the distro

Xubuntu just werks.

What do you mean thermal problems? I allways thought that they both had the same chassis. My goal was/is to get my x60s running a 2ghz processor so I can watch high-def videos.