/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", ultraportable
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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:

download.lenovo.com/parts/ThinkPad/p50s_frubom_20160119.pdf
twitter.com/NSFWRedditImage

Kind of pissed. Fell for the ThinkPad meme and got a P50s.

Love the device and it performs great, but it's been just over a month and the fucking screen bezel is already coming off, so I have to get a replacement. Will Jewnovo ship me a new one before I have to send mine back? Otherwise I might just request a refund and buy something else.

Ideally I'd like to know how I can just fix this myself with some sort of safe glue?

Pic related, but obviously not my device.

download.lenovo.com/parts/ThinkPad/p50s_frubom_20160119.pdf

It's not listed as a customer replaceable part but phone them up and explain

...

just got a barley used p50 with the 4k screen, i7, 32gb ram, 4gb quadro m2000, 256gb ssd + 2 tb HDD for 1700 dollars. The previous owner was not too good with computers and unplugged the trackpoint while installing ram (also had no idea what a trackpoint was) but I got that worked out.

pros
>desktop class preformance on adobe apps
>gpu runs better with the apps than a gtx card
>Very easy to take apart
>built like a tank
>gorgeous color and clarity
>touchpad is silky smooth
>great keyboard with numpad
>instant startup

cons
>the increased color space takes a little getting used to. it feels way over saturated at first.
>the viewing angles on the screen suck. you have to be right in one spot to avoid any gamma shift but it's not noticiable when you're working.
>screen also takes some work to calibrate and disable the shitty auto gamma correction that's default
>display cover gets fingerprints very very easily but they come off with a microfiber

I work on adobe apps for a living and needed to replace my desktop. so far so good. the screen is a total cock tease though. it's awesome but the viewing angle gives me a little buyer remorse for spending top dollar on it.

How's the battery? I chose the P50s over the P50 strictly because of the battery life.

with all powersaving features off it's about 5 hours and running premiere pro that goes to 3.5 hours.

Yikes that's actually terrible :X

Though considering the 4k screen not too terrible. Why would you want a 4k in a laptop though? Doesn't it look ridiculous unless you scale everything up (at which point why even have it)?

>Yikes that's actually terrible

It's a mobile workstation you idiot, it's not going to get X260 levels of battery life.

need that color space. 4k is more than just resolution. it looks pretty good at 200% scale. I'm not fooling myself that it won't be a plugged in 90% of the time kind of machine just needed a desktop replacement for travel

no shit sherlock, that's not an excuse for putting a 6-cell instead of a 9 with NO other power options inside of a workstation laptop. A few generations ago we had workstation laptops with over DOUBLE the battery capacity (188Wh with dual 9-cells), now we get jack shit when it comes to power options on mobile laptops across the board.

WTB new slice batteries

Is it true that the x220's screen is too small for studying? Gonna start CS in university soon and most people tell me it is too small.

>using a mobile workstation on batteries

Enjoy your shitty performance.

>what are batteries for?

yes

Sup Forums meme'd me into getting one and it's collecting dust as we speak

don't get a laptop with a screen smaller than 15 inches if you're 6'2 like me

If you're doing any serious work, keep it plugged in.

...

Well what if I'm 5'4 like me?

Aren't those going for obscene amounts of money?

And isn't that second display total absolute useless shit?

Jesus christ that thing looks like it wants to die.

> 5 hrs
Was this with the 6 cell or 9 cell.
Gonna pick up one myself in August during the sale with edu discount.
Can't use corporate discount coz I'm not American.

P50 has no 9 cell option.

as a fellow fuccboi I'm telling you that you want something even smaller

Oh goddamnit. I guess 5 hrs 4k display is going to be good enough considering its removeable- a rare feature of laptops that aren't business notebooks.

more stupid questions: Do you notice any PWM flickering at lower brightness on the 4K display? How is the screen bezel? There was a guy in another thread complaning about the screen bezel going off

T420
>i5,8gb, factory 120gb ssd,9cell,upgraded screen,nvidia chip,wwan, Webcam,fingerscanner.

Thank you guys for making me fall for the meme. Bought it last year for 230. Love it, added a USB 3.0 expresscard and it's essentially perfect.

different model

I'm getting an old T42 for cheap.

Am I fucked?

You're buying the wrong laptop if you want good battery life.

>Running windows on a Thinkpad

How many of you actually go beyond 128gb of data?

I just bought a 128gb ssd and I'm not sure whether or not to return it and get a 240-256 for like 1.7x the cost.

I'll be using my T430s as a Linux shitposting and rice machine, running Ubuntu and with windows in a VM to run office, Photoshop and a couple of other bits....

All my media will be on my microserver at home.

I'm running Windows 7, a windows 7 VM, Adobe CS6 Master, some games, office, and seasons 1-4 of GoT on my 840 128 GB and it's only taking up 77.4 GB, so yes, you can do a lot on a 128GB SSD.

The T430s supports two drives at once.

Yeah but I'm considering using the bay for the battery desu

Honestly, the ultrabay battery is not worth it at all.

Picking between T440p and T540p. Similar specs, both are dual-core i7-4600M.

Can anyone elaborate on the differences between the two? As far as I can tell it's just the keyboard layout and screens, anyone have experience with either?

Also I'm planning on replacing the trackpad with from a *50 so that should be a non-issue.

I got x220. Is it possible to change keyboard for a one in the pic (long, one row enter key) if i got different one? Is it possible to replace wifi module or network card?

Any X220 keyboard will fit any X220.
There is a wifi card whitelist. You can flash a modified BIOS with the whitelist removed if you wish to use a card not on the list.

As for card, im just wondering if i should/could replace it to get different mac than previous owner.

I don't see why that would matter.

Really?
T430s didn't have a 9cell option and I get 2.5 hours tops on my used battery....

Hmmm. The ultrabay HDD can only be used for boot right?

Guys I'm torn between a P50 and a T560. Help?

No, you can use the ultrabay drive for whatever. I've owned an ultrabay battery in the past, they hardly hold anything. It would be more effective if you bought a new pack to replace the one you have.

Oh ok. Thanks senpai.

Would you recommend me buy legit original, or are compatible packs just as good?

Personally I would recommend the real deal. I've bought both before, and Lenovo's packs are vastly superior.

Thanks senpai.

Any time user.

P50 has nicer available options (Xeon, IPS panel).

>tfw new desk
>tfw mini dock on the way

Going to get a nice big monitor on an articulating arm next

what battery life are you guys getting out of a T420 with linux?

What is the name of those kind of squishy rubbery things that are on the bottom of the computer and that prop it up?

Feet?

those are your dyel legs user.

So, my T61p died recently, and I'm thinking of getting a T420 because it's cheap and the specs are neat. Should I get it? What would my fellow Sup Forumsentoomen say would be good?

>not using the best modern OS

tbf you can always buy another battery for 75 dollars

You'd still have to turn it off/hibernate to swap the batteries.

Meh. I have 2 batteries anyway just in case I haven't charged my laptop and I have to rub out to a meeting or whatever.

Changing isn't much of a problem unless you're in a habit of wanting 10 hours of uninterrupted solid work every day of the week.

>Rub out

That was an unfortunate typo.

The T420 is the shitty cheap consumer laptop of /tpg/-approved Thinkpads. You should only really bother with it if you can't afford a T/W520 and can't live with older Thinkpad specs.

>stating budget
400-450€

>requirements (e.g. size and performance
17' monitor
mainly multi media, streaming movies

sometimes old games like Medival 2, COD 4, ...

Did some research I thing HP Pavilion 17-gXXXXXX might fit.

What RAM stick is the best buy for the T420? I'm currently on 4GBs and would like more.

would it make sense to use my tp on AC when at home and only plugging in the battery when I'm out of the house, so as to preserve it?

Where do you think you are retard?

Some models will throttle if you do that without a sufficiently powerful charger. Just use Lenovo Power Manager or tlp to set charge thresholds.

Will the dock overheat my x220? The lock blocks the fan

But does the lock block the dock?
and no, it should be fine. Also,

In a place full of faggots?

>chinkpad engineering

>using a dock
what is this meme

I got Android 6.0.1 running on my X201.
Its decent.

Are there any cheap ways to get replacement spring for the T420's ultrabay lock?

Dock is good for connecting multiple monitors on the rear instead of connecting it spaghetti-style on the sides. They just went full retard on blocking the airflow

>Used machines are plentiful and cheap.
Cum scales and chips, no way
>Great durability: chassis uses a magnesium rollcage
I don't play football with muh laptop
>...keyboard layout on older models
Older what ? Get the fuck out of here!
>Utilitarian design: e.g. indicator LEDs,>Docking stations>Excellent GNU/Linux & *BSD support.
Most laptops.
>Easy to repair, upgrade
Video tutorials on yt galore.
>The best trackpoint
>muh plastic red dot
You're a fucking moron!

T420 is really good but it will be a step down in many regards when coming from a T61p

Actually some versions of the dock don't block the fan. P/N 45N5887

The only one here who wants a shitty consumer laptop is you which means there's only one true faggot here

Is a T420s with i7, 8 gbs ddr3 ram and hybrid hdd/ssd good for 365€?

For what purpose

Buying a i5 laptop from 2011 that in a refurbished state costs as much a s a new 2016 i5 laptop BRAND NEW!
FUCK ALL YOU FUCKING DEMENTED ZOMBIE MORONS!!

No, but it's decent so pick it up if you really want one

You do realise that a 35W i5 from 2011 performs about the same as a 15W i5 from 2016 right? And that there is more to a good laptop than just the spec sheet?

No purpose, just wanted to see if it could work.

if the brand new laptop is utter shit (which probably is) it isn't that far fetched and has nothing to do with zombies.
Don't be a nigger and post the brand new laptop you are talking about that you think it's a good buy and help that user asking.

Fair enough, I wouldn't want to use it for any duration of time but it would be a fun project I guess

>T420
is old as shit, the tech is old as SHIT!
Buy a nice NEW i5 laptop that doesn't get hot or it's heavy as shit and it's from 2016 for Christ's sake!

Dude it's cooler, consumes less power, is more compatible, it's more EFFICIENT !

It's not,asus!
And the tech is 2015/2014 but still!

The only reason you could possibly need anything more powerful than a T420 (as a portable machine) if if you play videogames, in which case join the rest of the manchildren in Sup Forums please.

Please do show me the laptop rivaling the T420 for the same price with the same quality and do remember that the only real improvement over the last mobile CPU generations was the GPU improvement from Sandy bridge to Ivy Bridge

What laptop? If you would show us then maybe we would collectively stop masturbating to Thinkpads

still talking out of your ass and using CAPS like you are a 12 year old german kid smashing a keyboard.
Post the laptop you are talking about, instead of spouting shit from your mouth go ahead and enlighten us. There has to be a good buy for a good price that works better than buying the T420. Go ahead user.

I think you are randomly clicking posts to reply, I never talked about Asus, just pointed out that people bitching about stuff they don't understand can't come up with a decent example and help others out. Toxic pieces of shit.

Laptop Asus X556UA i5-6200U

It could be, google services work but you can't sideload apps onto it though.

>Sandy bridge to Ivy Bridge
Haswell broadwell skylake
2016 morons!

Show me this new i5 laptop you can buy for $180. The T420 may be a shit Thinkpad, but it wouldn't be recommended if its price/performance ratio weren't truly unmatched.

>U
That U means it's undervolted and therefore the actual performance is significantly worse then that of a third or even second generation CPU running at 35W

Refurbished at 300$

That's actually pretty cool, I might need to try this out myself

>Buy a nice NEW i5 laptop
Yeah for double or triple the price
Even a celeron is €300+ where I live
>get hot
I don't have this problem
Even then laptop fans are a thing
>heavy
you must be a dyel apple faggot