Does the Thinkpad T420 still hold up in 2016?

Does the Thinkpad T420 still hold up in 2016?

Why do you thinkpad Sup Forums?

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support.lenovo.com/pl/en/documents/pd024289
forum.51nb.com/thread-1699442-1-1.html
reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/4xyxmt/51nbs_x320x330_coming_available_today_thread_4/
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i just bought mine for 170 for school
i think its a fine laptop

>Does the Thinkpad T420 still hold up in 2016?
Depends on what you're using it for. I don't see why it couldn't, especially if you're handy enough to get a 1080p screen in there.
>Why do you thinkpad Sup Forums?
I got mine for F R E E.

I bought one just the other week, seems pretty good

Pop an SSD and 8gb-16gb of RAM in it and you're future proof for life.

Really, do laptops ever need to be more powerful than they are now? Everything on the web is done server-side these days, programs like libre office aren't going to get much more bloated, so unless you want to do something heavy like play vidya or render video or something (in which case you should get a desktop anyway) , a T420 should do you just fine

I've never owned one but I got the opportunity to use a few before.

If you're looking for a cheap laptop, they're pretty great. Good keyboard, solid build quality, and meh specs. They probably aren't the best for media (most people on here find them useful for coding), but I'd say yes.

I've had mine for about a month and it's the best for everything I need it for.

use mine all the time the screen resolution is eye cancer though

>buy T420
>have to reseat RAM at least once a month
>disk drive pops out constantly until I want to use it then it refuses to open

Other than that though it's solid as fuck as long as you don't need to do anything too intensive which you shouldn't be doing on a laptop anyway

My T500 is still good in current year, and it has a simple Core2 duo.

I've had mine for about 5 years. Only problem is that the dvd drive popped out from dropping it once and I haven't felt like getting the 5 dollar replacement latch to fix it. Battery still lasts around 8 hours with the 9 cell.

typing this on a x200.. t420 is high spec.

The motherboard accepts Ivy Bridge CPUs just fine with a BIOS mod (coreboot), meaning you can upgrade the GPU to HD 4000 which helps it just an honestly obscene amount. This same mod also removes the BIOS whitelist, meaning you can just pop anything in the PCIe slot. Also it (the laptop) can run OS X with 100% hardware and software compatibility (the stock wifi card won't work but you can get one that works well in OS X for like $10) but it feels a bit sluggish without the HD 4000 graphics upgrade.

I currently use the T420 as my daily computer on the go and I have absolutely no problem with it, I wouldn't use it at home as a replacement for my desktop but it works perfect for small odd things on the go.

>1366x768
No

Can you upgrade the dedicated GPU in a t420?

Op here, all of that is good to hear. I just bought one for $130 with Windows 10, i5, and 4gb or ram. I will be upgrading to ssd and 16gb of ram.

>T420 with Win10

The system is supported less with Windows 10. Example: You have more granular control over the power setting with Windows 7.

T420 is newer than most laptops

but like what others have said it depends on what you use it for and what you want out of it.

however the longer you keep tech the less resale value it has in the long run.

Get 1600x900 model, friendo

It's a fine laptop, and it becomes blazing fast if you put in a SSD

But I don't see why people go for the T420, I prefer my x220 which is literally the same sans weight. I don't give a shit about the smaller resolution.

Because my t420 with 16gb ram, msata ssd + 2 hdds and aftermarket i7 2720qm offers enough performance and storage for me.

Also with the docking station + eGPU setup i can gaymen without issues.

You can replace the CPU on it?

Also, I thought Lenovo was a shit company and Thinkpads were generally shit after IBM sold it?

Yes, the t420 uses Socket G2 and the x220 has a soldered cpu.

However the heatsink wasn't designed for a quad core CPU but i haven't had any issues with it.

Everything IBM has touched turned to fucking gold after they let it go.
See; Hitachi HDDs

>coreboot

But muh games

For the price it is good but if you have a grand to spend stuff like the XPS 13, surface pro, ultrabooks in general is much lighter and has a higher resolution screen

Fucking same here. No problems and is comfy. Buy whatever works

Still use mine sometimes, nothing wrong with it at all, I just don't like it much because 16:9 thinkpads are unwieldy trash.

Get a T430 and drop a T420 keyboard in. You get Ivy Bridge instead of Sandy Bridge, a much better iGPU, more battery life, and USB3 out of it. It's the same in all other regards.

I always wondered if it's possible to mod the bezel to put a 16:10 in. I mean, fuck, there is so much wasted vertical bezel space

Some chinks just recently managed to cram the XPS 13 screen into an X220, maybe a 16:10 T420 is next??

Thinkpads didn't go all the way off the cliff until T440, pic related

Not quite. The settings just have been moved from the Lenovo Power Manager program to the Lenovo Settings metro app.

It's bullshit if you don't wanna deal with apps, but apps can be sideloaded without using the windows store at least

Holy jesus that is beautiful

Aren't you just better off getting a T430?

Nope, it's part of the motherboard. One reason why getting a T430 is the better choice.

20/30-series bezels really are fucking disgusting, but it's really the whole ensemble that I don't like.

I still unironically use a 600E with NT4 on it for light productivity work and despite being in the same size bracket it feels so much more compact and portable (not to mention having barely any bezel in comparison) while the widescreen models are just so... fucking wide, for whatever reason I find them bulky and annoying to carry or pack, and they feel like they waste so much space, especially when I'm using it in cramped quarters like an airplane or a car.

I'm posting from one

I put in an 8GB stick of RAM, and installed Xubuntu and haven't looked back.

Have you heard about the X62 project?

Some chinks developed a 5th gen Intel motherboard to replace the X62's motherboard so you can have a tasty high-res 4:3 IPS display with modern hardware

That sounds pretty neat, the X60 series was pretty nice. I'd actually probably still be dailying my '61 if I had a battery worth a shit for it.

is that shooped???

it's bretty good except for the screen
and it runs hot

I'll be getting the slice battery soon

No, but you can run an EGPU through the expresscard bay.

>disk drive pops out constantly until I want to use it then it refuses to open

Ayy mine too. Wtf.

That sounds so damn good holyfuk

obviously

Why did Lenovo think it was a good idea to throw away the iconic keyboard? That one looks like a turd.

not obviously, chinks make fucking awesome modded thinkpads and i thought that was one of those.

How about a T61

Is it worth even looking at?

Only if you can't afford any better.
I mean, it's usable, but if you want to browse facebook, for example, it will be sluggish.

it's laying around here, thought i'd repurpose it and show it some new light

In that case, have fun with it! If I were you, I'd install something like Lubuntu on it.

>disk drive pops out constantly until I want to use it then it refuses to open
It's the optical drive with me.

Replace the optical disk drive with additional battery. Why do you even need it?

>thinkpad
>any year

>not thinkpad
>any year

If you are a poorfag and you hate yourself and like buying used shit. I can't even use 1920*1080 screens they look awful to me I can't imagine using a thinkpad daily without wanting to pull my eyeballs out.

> Why do you thinkpad Sup Forums?
I don't, but I hope I will be able to resell a few.
Also bought a T430 as a present for my friend's wife.

Whoa, that sounds cool as fuck, any links?

I won't link you to Amazon, because fuck them.
support.lenovo.com/pl/en/documents/pd024289

Mine ejects constantly also
I think the button is just super sensitive and in a bad spot

Slap it with an SSD, maybe get a screen replacement and you are good to go.

It's real.

forum.51nb.com/thread-1699442-1-1.html

The keyboard is objectively the least terrible of all the changes.

And you can buy one very soon.

Full laptop, an X220 or X230 with this mod, for $430 or $530

reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/4xyxmt/51nbs_x320x330_coming_available_today_thread_4/

happens to everyone, it's a known common issue. get a battery or SSD there instead

what? the old keyboard was amazing, you could actually do work without feeling like a cripple

why is x62 and the like so expensive

ok I am completly fucking new to thinkpads

Need one for a libreboot, Which of these has the best features and/or can be upgraded?
>X200, R400, T400, T500,

I'd go T400, more portable than a T500 but can still take a 2nd hard drive.

t400

Fucking yes.

I use mine for general browsing, office shit, and even some light photoshop. I am running an SSD, but it's great. I would want to run anything too demanding on it, like Solidworks etc, as it'd be pretty slow, but as a general laptop it's perfect. Far better than any modern low end laptop costing much more. So good to type on.

Bought a new old stock x220. Put more ram and SSD in it. Runs run adobe CS6. It's a dream. Before __30 you can get aftermarket batteries much easier, too.

>2016 buying a laptop with 1366x768 really?

1440x900 X201s master race

900p t420 here. comfy af

disable it in bios you faggots

It depends on your needs. It would fulfill mine for sure.

mah nig

My T410 has 8GB RAM and an SSD... it runs fine.

i use a shitpiece 222 and it's fine op

a lappy is a lappy

stop being a lenocuck

The old keyboard was better for sure, but acutally using it the newer keyboard, you'd find it has actual better actuation somehow

It looks like chiclet shit but the travel distance is even longer I think, it's great to type on

Its only downfall is the 6 row layout

What I mean is it has upsides, while pretty much every other change in T440 and up is objectively worse with no benefits

What are some good newer thinkpads, gents?

>coreboot
whatcha mean, what does coreboot do?

>literally a chink

I'm typing from now as we speak!
Things I like:
1. battery life is pretty great
2. it's really reliable as far as cheapo laptops go
3. With an ssd, its very quick and can handle a lot (I can play certain games, albeit a bit choppy)

Things I don't like:
1. The DVD drive pops out all the time
2. Resolution isn't terrible but definitely annoying if this is your primary computer

Very great machine for the price, I would definitely pop in an SSD

Bought an X201 for $25 at a local uni's surplus sale. Popped in an SSD and it's been one of the best and most dependable laptops I've owned.

It's a chinknovo design defect, the eject button is ridiculously sensitive and located in a position that's ridiculously easy to touch no matter what you do
He refers to the optical drive
If you have a model with Nvidia graphics you can get a eGPU that can drive the internal screen and external at the same time, if you have Intel then you can't drive the internal screen
BIOS replacement, obviously Windows doesn't support it despite Coreboot being intended to work with Windows too
>maybe a 16:10 T420 is next??
It would require the LVDS-to-eDP board, which apparently got discontinued, and a 16:10 screen which probably doesn't exist

>$25
you son of a bitch

It will work for everything sans mpv with high settings, gaems, and really heavy browsing or anything that you should do on a workstation

Can I use mpv with x220, x230 or am I forced to use mpc

You can use mpv, opengl-hq should work up to 1080p25,but you might drop frames on1080p30 unless you use opengl-hq:no-deband,also display-resample won't work fine on Windows with the X220, but it should just werk on *nix and with the X230
MPC-HC will just werk on any of them, but madVR performance will be abysmal on the X220

>that's ridiculously easy to touch no matter what you do

Mine randomly fires up as if I inserted a disk.

>tfw you really want a T420 but you probably wouldn't use it because you're always at home

Same here.

>burning desire to spend money on thinkpad

I've been using one for four years.

CPU is still overkill today, and since I don't play games the HD 3000 suffices. Linux compatibility is perfect. Keyboard is great. Build quality is good.

Screen is fucking abysmal. The laptop is chunky as hell. Headphone jack is on the wrong fucking side.

I use a T430 as my main machine. And I'm lovin' it.

Didn't they also remove the magnesium rollcage?

1366x768 is pretty nice on a 12.5" screen like on an X220.

Still using T510 for 5 years, destroyed few ProBooks and one EliteBook in the meantime.

Do i get an L460 or an older lenovo for uni?

I dont mind dishing out more money if it means my computer wont be a bottleneck to my productivity.
I live in norway, so my commute can be fairly cold if that matters.