/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:

amazon.com/Replacement-Capacity-Battery-ThinkPad-Compatible/dp/B001250KX4
batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries
thinkwiki.org/wiki/Install_Classic_Keyboard_on_xx30_Series_ThinkPads
overclocking.guide/thermal-paste-roundup-2015-47-products-tested-with-air-cooling-and-liquid-nitrogen-ln2/12/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coreboot
twitter.com/NSFWRedditImage

First for Linux Mint

What's the proper price for a new 9 cell for X220? Should I be wary of "genuine" ebay batteries for ~65$?

$65 sounds about right if they're coming from China. I paid $100 for mine to get it domestically.

China is my only option, so I'll go with that.

I bought this for ~$34 in Feb 2011 for my T60
amazon.com/Replacement-Capacity-Battery-ThinkPad-Compatible/dp/B001250KX4

It still has half charge capacity I usually keep it plugged in but it gets cycled to about half charge at least once every 3 days. Its survived a drop right on the battery even though it cracked the case open its held together with electrical tape and still going strong.

Have any of you considered buying a shitty knockoff battery, switching out the cells for decent panasonic/sanyo cells, then 3d printing a replacement battery pack shell?

I'd do it myself, but too poorfag

This is so dumb I just can't.

my nigga

still looking for an answer

Guys, quick, I'm about to pull the trigger on a x260.

Is Linux 100% supported on this machine (as in no hacks required for it to work out of the box)?
According to the Ubuntu Certification page, hibernation doesn't work (no big deal). But the Arch wiki says the fn keys don't work either. Is this true?

The main reason I'm going for this one it's due to the screen size, I like compact laptops.

What do you say? Should I do it?

I'm a bit skeptical about the specs tho.

I do want the IPS panel, because I've never owned one before. I don't know if I want the HD or FHD. What would you pick? I spend a lot of time in front of the computer, so I do want to invest in something comfortable.
I don't care about the back-lit keyboard, smart card reader nor fingerprint scanner.
I don't care about RAM since I have 16GB of meme RAM lying around, and I plan to slap it in it. Same with the hard disk.

But the CPU is a whole new story.
The i7 it's a bit pricey. Then again, I don't think I'll be buying a new computer any time soon, so maybe it'd be wise to invest in this one?
The 2 i5s seem OK, but compared to the i3, the only relevant feature they have is the turbo-boost and a bit faster clock speed.

Besides the usual computer usage, I program a lot, and run a couple of VMs. I don't play games. What's the best choice for my needs?

on full load the CPU in my T420s reaches around 92 C. This is pretty hot. I know the T420s gets hot pretty easily, so is this normal for a T420s or should I put some new thermal paste there?

just get an X220, new thinkpads suck

depth of discharge is important, don't run it down to 0%, maybe 20-30% max

batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Mine gets to about these temps under CPU load
I also have the nVidia GPU and when it is also running, the CPU will exceed 95.

I think it's the endemic to the case/cooler design.

Get FHD IPS, backlit keyboard and 72Whr 6 cell without a doubt and use the EPP discount.

I'd imagine something like Fedora would be good for the best hardware support at the moment (given that Skylake generally needs a bleeding edge kernel atm).

Think about a T460?

How to get screen rotation on my x220t when I flip it into a tablet?
It's all I need to finish my total linux conversion and be happy.

I'm using my x220 between 50% and 70% and do a full 0-100 cycle every month.

>If at all possible, avoid full discharges and charge the battery more often between uses. Partial discharge on Li-ion is fine. There is no memory and the battery does not need periodic full discharge cycles to prolong life.

Is it safe to say that Lenovo is the best very low budget Android mini tablet brand?

>Think about a T460?
Never thought of it, but I'll take a look at it.

Thanks, user.

Thanks, I was doing that already

according to upower my battery is on 92% of the original

Lenovo is already a chink brand, so just go chink domestic market products

sometimes you need to do a full cycle, otherwise the battery meter (witch only does estimates) gets fucked up

Sounds right. I shelled out $75 for a new in box 4 cell flat pack.

My 20w T420 charger has exposed wire right near the bit you plug in to the laptop and it's hard to cover up.

There isn't enough amps for it to kill me, right?

Has nothing to do with the amps, the thing charges with around 14-20V, so it wont kill you, wont even feel it. It's like touching a car battery

>Is Linux 100% supported on this machine (as in no hacks required for it to work out of the box)?
No

Best alternative with good support would be X230 with IPS and SSD, it also has 2 DIMM slots!

does the x220 have 100% linux support?

Yes. I'm posting from Linux on my X220 right now.

Yep.

>(You)
how performant is youtube or presentation related stuff on it? flash etc are pretty taxing normally, right`?

Flash works flawlessly. HD videos run smoothly.

sounds awesome. prolly gonna buy an x220 for university then.

X230's GPU is much better than X220's one.

Indeed it is. I find the X220 more than sufficient for my personal needs (Shit, I can run Civilization Beyond Earth).

But if I don't want to game with it it's not really worth the shitty keyboard, right?/

Just got my T530.
>> I7
>> 16gb ram
>> 1tb & 180 GB add
>> 1920 x 1080

I don't see all the fuss about the keyboard. Sure Prnt Screen and few other keys are placed inconveniently for no god damn reason. But other than that this little machine is nice.

K suppose I can see why folks like the 14inch screen though.

you can just replace the keyboard, and it's not really shitty as is
deffo get the x230 if you can find one near the price of the x220, it also runs cooler and gets better battery life.

It's only shit if you're a fan of the old layout. Tactile-wise the 230 keyboard is perfectly fine.

There are ways to get the X220 keyboard working fully on the X230 of you're intrepid enough.

Is there a decent guide to get it FULLY working?

thinkwiki.org/wiki/Install_Classic_Keyboard_on_xx30_Series_ThinkPads
was posted in the last thread

>just wanted to post that

Also, I can play GTA:SA on my T420s so I'm happy as can be, but the CPU reaches a maximum of 91 C. Is that going to wear my TihnkPad down a lot?

Is the Lenovo ThinkPad 13 Business Ultrabook worth it? Buying an ~$1000 ultabook

Repaste.

If you don't care about money, it can be difficult to tell if something is "worth it."

I have entered a programming course and I need a nice laptop for that and I can get T420 4180-CA3
for 240$.
Specs:
Intel I5 2520M
500GB HDD
8GB RAM
1600*900 display
Should I buy it?

How hard is it to replace a CMOS battery?

Will do, thanks for the advice

Piss easy.

Is this worth the price on craigslist? $85 for a good condition thinkpad t400. I'd probably toss debian on it or something if I bought it.

according to this test result Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is the best cooling paste out there at the moment. What do you guys use?

overclocking.guide/thermal-paste-roundup-2015-47-products-tested-with-air-cooling-and-liquid-nitrogen-ln2/12/

>150 GB Ram
Holy shit

And people STILL keep trying to tell me SSD isn't a meme.

My Noctua paste just ran out, I have an extremely old unopened tube of MX-2 which I will use next time something needs repasting.
differences are so small that how well you apply it probably matters more

How I can disable intel AMT on my lenovo x220i?

I can click thinkvantage button on startup and there will be "ctrl+p" option for intel AMT setup.

In this setup options I have not got nothing for disable, only few low configurations.

So, is it possible for disable?
Also, when will be libreboot for lenovo x220i?
I am feeling not comfortable, when I am out of basic privacy.

>how well you apply it probably matters more
Yeah, I thought so as well. Is it difficult to do with ThinkPads?

You can't totally disable it so far as I know, but there are BIOS settings that supposedly stop it from actually being able to do anything.

No.

Nah. Really the worst bit of it is that you don't know how well you did until after you fire it up, and with laptops it's extremely annoying to pick everything apart again and reapply if something went wrong.

>reapply if something went wrong.
Would 1 gram be enough?

Does NumPad work?

I have absolutely no idea how much you should put on in grams, but it sounds like that would be too much.

I have not got in bios any menu features for AMT disabling. is it ok?

It's the smallest amount I can buy, I'm just worried that I'd need more than 1 tube if I fuck up only once

I do. Perhaps we're running different versions, try updating to the latest BIOS.

that shouldn't be a worry

More than enough. You can paste 6 machines with a gram.

I've tryed, but all is the same.
Do you have x220i?

No, just a regular X220.

anyone have any experience with newegg refurbs? The x220 looks like it's at a pretty good price.

They're fine, if a bit pricey.

Alright, thanks. Ordered it, should be here tuesday or wednesday

Is it possible to buy old models, but new devices of lenovo thinkpad in canada or usa? Just for note, it will be interesting for me.

Yeah, if you're lucky you might find one on ebay. Seen a T410 still in box go for around $700

how much is x220?
I've taked mine used with 400$, now it costs here ~250 (rub is falled down, so in Rub it is more higher, than was, but in USD it is more cheaper). New device looks like impossible thing here for old models. But I like old design, x220 is perfect for me. I really like it, I just want to pick out all preinstalled backdoors like intel AMT, want to have libreboot...

You can't have libreboot on a X220. The last thinkpads that could have it was the **00 series

I'm thinking of either getting a T400 or X200 to intstall libreboot and gentoo
I need to git gud at linux first though

There will never be libreboot for thinkpad newer than 2008

I like x220, but thinking about x200 only by libreboot reasons. I also like linux and like gentoo, but now I am under ubuntu. I've comppiled gentoo with manual kernel for x200i, so it was good, but right now I need debian based envirounment for my job, but gentoo will be ok as well, i need to think what will be pretty for now, anyway with AMT vulnerabilities I am like without clothes... so ubuntu is ok.

>manual kernel for x200i
for x220i, of course

Yeah I'm on mint now but I kinda want to have the full linux experience. Is it difficult to install gentoo?

You can use coreboot, but not libreboot on an X220.

it is not too hard, but you should to know some basics. just try read gentoo handbook first, installation part, portages and so on.

For manual kernel you can find .config on thinkpadwiki, for example, so it is not too hard, but will not be easy.

I recommend you look into Funtoo. If you can follow a guide, it's not difficult at all. There's a wealth of information.

what is coreboot? much more better, than basic bios? Without backdoors? with opensource and so on?

Thanks, will do both!

thank you for coreboot, will try to use it for my devices.

It's funny, because this is exactly what people here were saying about the X60 in relation to the X220 back in 2011.

The xx30's keyboard is really not all that bad, the bad one is the xx40 and later. The function keys are really the epitome of asinine, pointless design, even if you are a business-oriented Windows user like most people who order Thinkpads new.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coreboot

No problem.

yes, but the X60's hardware is so outdated nowadays it's not something to recommend anymore. The least shit thinkpad nowadays is a **20. I still have a thinkpad from 1994 and I have to admit: those brits know how to build a high quality computer contrary to the chinks

This, I suggest a T400 and up because it's 64 bit, has LED screens, and the penryns can go up to 3.06GHz.

x220i is the best for today.
Any macbooks are sux.
New thinkpads are so ugly and uncomfortable

I'll need a new laptop for a software engineering school this september and I'm looking at the T460. Could older gens do the job for the 5 years i'll work on it ?
Other laptops that are more gaming oriented seem to have better specs for the money.

I just got Gentoo set up on my X220--in fact, this is my first post from it. The only annoying part I had was with setting up the UEFI bootloader and finding the right device drivers for audio to work. Been a really fun, enlightening experience so far. 10/10

to clarify, the UEFI bootloader was painful because I'm retarded

>your first post from your first gentoo installation is directed to me
that's a lot of honor, user

I'll look deeper into it after this semester (only one more week to go)

T400 is a really nice laptop. GPU can struggle a little bit with some web pages but it's otherwise really fast with a nice hard drive.

I use a maxed out one as my main laptop.

I actually have a 600X, and I am constantly fucking amazed at how much better it is, as a machine, than the modern offerings. In particular, I can't believe that the TN panel on a computer first introduced in fucking December of 1999 is brighter and has better viewing angles than the T440, which supposedly has 14 years of progress on its side.

I think the T410 is a better choice for most people than the T400. Still has the 16:10 screen, only now it's in the centre and the keyboard isn't as mushy. The first Nehalem processors were also just such a quantum leap over the Peryns that you may as well pay the extra $20-$40 to get one.

True, those Arrandales are really good