/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
xsauc buyers guide:
dankpads.com
EPP discount for new ThinkPads (USA & Canada only, usually 15%+ off):
pastebin.com/ULHCY5ch
Helpful links and resources (Wiki, lookup tools and wallpapers):
pastebin.com/DYjEnVq1

Other urls found in this thread:

ocsnext.ebay.com/ocs/sr?query=1735&st=7&topicName=Item+isn%27t+as+described
twitter.com/NSFWRedditImage

I'm interested in this Thinkpad. It is in mint condition, except that sticker spot visible on the photo. Can it be removed?

rubbing some hand sanitizer on the back for about 30 minutes, then just kinda using it for a week and the spot should be completely gone

I got my thinkpad in the mail about a week ago and opened up the bios to be greeted by a Computrace warning. Am I boned? The Thinkwiki doesn't even have a page on it.

Also, I've found an option for "Intel AT Module" but I can't find anything on the internet about it. Is it safe to just disable it?

Call the Computrace people and get them to take it off
On top of that, send a complaint to eBay and PayPal stating that the seller sold you an item that is listed as stolen or missing, and demand a refund. You can possibly keep the machine AND get your money back

The matte finish hasn't been worn of there because there used to be a sticker.
It will bother you, but it'll be like that for a long time.
Just like removing a Windows XP sticker on a Thinkpad, it'll stay.

Just wrap it up! ":)

>A31p
>1600 x 1200 FlexView IPS
>1.7GHz Bentium 4
>2GB DDR RAM
>ATI GPU with an O Ring to help bind to the heatsink
>DVD on the left, numberpad on the right
>Windows XP Black Edition 2016
>WiFi being a bitch at the moment
>best speakers from any ThinkPad ever

Not really, just ask the person you bought it from, it can be removed because the IT department of the original place may of written it off.

T42p with a dirty IPS panel :(

Obligatory shitposting

WE ARE GONNA BUILD A WALL!

My school has a laptop program and I just got a P50 is it a good reliable computer?

Is the T460 a good buy? I know it has a chiclet keyboard, but for any people who use modern redesigned ThinkPads.

Been using my X220 as my main school machine. Gotta say Sup Forums, y'all were spot on with this machine. It's been exactly what I wanted.

Currently running with a 256gb SSD and 8gb of ram. All told with a spare 9-cell came to $280. Couldn't imagine getting a comparable machine anywhere else for that price.

Post an imgur gallery of your IBM/thinkpad wallpapers m8.

how do i get used to the clit
how do i operate it
it feels so unresponsive, then suddenly overresponsive

How does the newer keyboard (>T430) FEEL compared to the

thanks for the suggestion, I called 'em up and apparently their hotline is closed, despite being open 24/7 M-F. feelsbadman.

Holiday weekend i guess. Call on tuesday.

T430 vs E6430, which has the best battery life? Is there anything major that the thinkpad has that the latitude doesn't? Currently have a 8470p and battery life is complete shit, I'm lucky if I can get 2 hours out of it with a brand new battery. So I'm gonna sell it and get one of the aforementioned laptops.

Disable the trackpad for a week and you'll never want to use anything else again. Failing that, try the other cap styles to see if you like them better than the default soft dome. Variety packs are cheap as hell on ebay.

Just go straight to eBay complaint and PayPal complaints
ocsnext.ebay.com/ocs/sr?query=1735&st=7&topicName=Item+isn%27t+as+described
Do these steps

Force yourself to use it more. 1 of 2 things is happening, either you're not used to the kind of pressure that's needed to use the clit mouse or you've got a turd one.

It took me a bit to get used to it, felt like responsiveness was all over the place. Now it feels like second nature.

Get a soft rim trackpoint. Much better than the default one.

anyone have any experience updating a thinkpad to windows 10?
will power manager still work as well as win 7?

I want to get an IPS screen for my x250, but I'm worried about the warranty as there's still almost 3 years left. Do I lose the warranty if I replace the screen myself even if something unrelated fails? Do they check for that shit?

Why should i buy a thinkpad

Has anyone tried installing chromium os on a x61?
I'm about to get a cheap one

Will lelnovo release a 14.1" P series model next gen? I dig the P50 so much but 15.6" inch is just 2big4me

>tfw OP copied my fuckup by putting a blank line between the text and the dashed line
>tfw I have altered Sup Forums history
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Should I put Xubuntu or Fedora 24 on my x201?
The only linux I have experience with is fedora 23 on live USB on a shitty old Dell. I didn't like GNOME at all desu.

Arch or Antergos.

>muh rolling release

First thing you do when you're new to a general is to read the OP.

it's one inch bigger you fucking manlet
that's not that big of a difference, especially for the p50 that's already a decently sized laptop
cheap (if you buy older than 3 years)
reliable and durable
lots of parts available for pretty cheap
the keyboard nipple is amazing once you get used to it
and they have great keyboards.
I knew something was wrong with the spacing.
if this thread 404s before somebody makes a new one then I'll have to copy the correct one
Personally I'd go with pretty much anything ubuntu based.
Ubuntu and it's derivatives make it the biggest distro, so any linux software is pretty much guaranteed to be on ubuntu.
I liked antergos the little bit I used it, but from what I've heard it still has all the issues that arch is known for

but it dont play gayms

>arch
are the memes true
also, will muh steam work on it?

faggot has asked for the wisdom of the /tpg/ Monks concerning the following question:

I've got my heart set on a ThinkPad, and I'd definitely go for a cheap/second hand one if not for one of my requirements (I've been happily using the pic related piece of shit for a while now).

I want to do UE4 gaymedev stuff on it. I've skimmed through the buyers guide, but it only applies to sensible individuals that don't want to burn money. I want a gosh darn swell laptop that will eat that shit for breakfast, and that I can happily use for many years to come. Money isn't an object.

Anyone have experience running cutting-edge stuff on the latest models? This might really be the wrong place to ask, but you're better at this than I am.

No really special requirements apart from that, obviously if I can get away with a high-end T series, then I'd prefer that over some $4500 workstation replacement. Lower weight would be cool, but I'm pretty fucking jacked. Really, it should run cold(ish), come with 16GB of RAM if possible, 8 will do (fuck Visual Studio), and a decent CPU/GPU.

Antergos then if you don't want the autismal installation.

thinking about getting a X201 for normal use but can thinkpads run gayms like csgo\gmod over 60 fps?

From my experience a t420 with intel hd3000 can't, your options would be a t420/t430 with the nvidia gpu.

x201 can't even run those games at 30 fps
you'd need either a t420 with dedicated graphics, or a t430/x230 with the igpu to do that

I found my X200 that I bought around a year back and now it won't charge its battery. Before I start spending dosh could it be the battery that needs replacing or the cable?

Can I replace the t530 keyboard with a non chiclet one?

Look at what other people use to do what you want to do. Then reread the guide and find out where that hardware can be found.

People have been doing DEV work (yes even for "cutting edge" shite) on shittier machines than you realize. If you let the machine get in the way of your work, you're never going to get anything done. Start doing the work on what you have, and then figure out where your shortcomings are.

The consumerist "i need to buy things to do my work cause reasons" needs to stop.

Quick question.

I'm installing Linux Mint on my new T430 and I'm a complete beginner to Linux. Should I encrypt the installation and set up Logical Volume Management or is that overkill for me?

well replacing the cable isn't that hard, and is dirt cheap
so I'd start there.
also try reseating everything
yes, you need to patch the embedded controller to do so.
If you do it please tell me how it went, I plan on patching mine soon
don't encrypt, and don't bother with lvm on a laptop.
also make a separate home and system partition

>56397257
Please.

Oh, man I'm a retard.
Let's try again:

To be completely honest, it depends on price and the specs. If its a good deal I would say spring on it, but you local craigslist / ebay may have better options.

>don't encrypt
wat

Why wouldn't you?

135 canadian dollars for this, touchpad is fucked apparently, though that isnt much concern.

processor i5-2540m 2.6ghz base
4gb ram installed
1600x900 display
nvs 4200m gpu
No hard drive or rails - but can show laptop is working

Or


processor intel core i5-2540M 2.6ghz base sandy bridge
4gb ram installed
1600x900 hd matte display
320gb blank hard drive

for 170 Canadian dollars. would be used for school and general travel/browsing.

What you think g/

I'd take the second one because i don't want a dGPU and an eGPU is a way better alternative but that's just my opinion.

You could use the hdd as secondary small storage too.

what should i get my bachelors in?

i am thinking medical imaging technology (xray tech), or informatics (a blend between comp sci and business management)

thinkpads are cool

Become a certified ThinkPad connoisseur.

Seconding for the second one, mainly because it doesn't come with a dGPU.

>
Thinkpad newfrend here, why all the hate for the dGPU? I was thinking about using it for a little cheeky gaming and data visualizations for school

First because fuck those other guys, the nvs card's great.

How long does it usually take for factory defects to show up on a new laptop?
Want to replace the screen but that will void the warranty so I need to make sure it doesn't have any defects.

More power consumption, better than the hd3000 but still not that great and imo playing on the move for small periods of time is stupid. Furthermore if you want to game a stationary eGPU setup will actually play medium-heavy things and it's upgradeable according to what GPU you buy.

Then again it's my opinion and yours might not be the same.

So, I was looking at buying a ThinkPad T400. Ideally, I want to libreboot the device, and use it for smaller games, like 7kaa, and for a business laptop.

I just checked some prices at amazon, as I don't want to make a PayPal for eBay. I might check craigslist.

Questions are, is 125 dollars a good price for one of these? It has 4gb of ram, which I hope to upgrade to 8. It has a 250gb hdd, which I may eventually upgrade. Is libreboot difficult? I read something about a BeagleBone Black for like 45 bucks. Is that part necessary to flash the rom? I will probably change the wifi to atheros. Is there anything I need, or should know about the laptop or librebooting? Is this a good deal? What is the battery like on the T400?

Thank you in advance.

So long as the trackpoint works, touchpad can be swapped easily.

Its inevitable
Also posting what kind of laptop you have COULD help us, because maybe there is a common problem that certain model has been reoccurring.

Swap the screen, its real easy to swap it back.

It's a X260.
There's a warranty label on the screen. Can't replace without breaking it.

warranty is a meme

Are there IPS screens x201t's? I have the one that only works with the wacom pen

I guess you're fucked then
>two lid screws
>4 screws holding the lid
>store lid in a safe space
Dunno if you need to switch out the ribbon cable
But honestly stick with using a shit screen, and when your shit gonna get defected, get a refurb defect while you're at it.

Is it worth the hassle of trying to replace the cells of my 6 cell x220 battery or should I bite the bullet and get a new one? My batteries at 64% charge and it's becoming a pain

Might as well try and then buy a new battery if it fails.

Replying to last thread.

>Did they have backlit keyboards?
No. I didn't know that was an option. I might replace the keyboards, although the Thinklight works well enough for now.

also something most people dont know is that the backlit kb's arent antimicrobial so they feel different and wear down faster. I prefer the thinklight and non backlit keyboards.

because it absolutely destroys your read write speeds
and if you fuck up your install it makes it a lot harder to get your data back
you can completely turn off the dgpu if you don't use it, and even if it's on but in the idle state it doesn't use that much more power.
also egpus are finicky as hell, and not recommended for new users

If I buy a touchscreen T450, can it be upgraded to a B140HAN01.3, or must I purchase a non-touchscreen model for display swaps to be possible?

T420 with i5 and eGPU, anybody has any experience with that? Was it hard plugging shit and making shit work? Did it thermal throttle, can you run casual games? Incase you are wondering why can't I purchase a desktop, no space in my house, and I still want to spend my free time having fun.

>self validation in the same post as a request

Bought a T420s today. What upgrades does /tpg/ recommend?

Can I just pop a new 7260 AC (Rev 2) WLAN card to replace the 7260 N card in my x240, or will it get blocked by the BIOS whitelist?

if there's an x240 that supports the 7260 then it will work

>X61T SXGA keyboard dies of electrical failure after 9 years
>frantically order a replacement for $10 on ebay
>turns out to be NMB keyboard
Try striking the keys on one of these things after touching the keys on one of those fucking Best Buy/Staples 2010-2011 laptops with the weird ridges on the sides of their keys. It's like using a typewriter compared to shoving your hand into a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal.

> those fucking Best Buy/Staples 2010-2011 laptops with the weird ridges on the sides of their keys.
you mean a chicklet keyboard?
and chicklet keyboards can feel just as good as non chicklet keyboards.
hell they tend to feel better because there's generally a lot less flex in them

>tfw the keyboard in my X61t annoys me
Its a bit mushy and the small keys annoy me because fat sausage fingers.

evey time i try to update my nvs 5400m's drivers it fails, any idea how to fix this?
I tried safe mode, running dgpu only, and safe mode dgpu only, but it fails each time
t430, win 7 64 bit, nvs 5400m 1gb

Just bought an i5 X220 tablet for £170 ($226). How bad did I do?

T420 i7 here, yes, no, of course.

I spent 260 on mine. USD
Had a shit battery too.

pretty good and sexy.

any carbs out there? Picked up this for $900
2560x1440 IPS touch
8GB
i5 5300
256 SSD

never owned a thinkpad so don't know if this is just one of the meme models, bud the build quality is solid a shit, keyboard and touchpad are incredible.

Is 900p enough on 14" for school/uni/work use or should I aim at a 1080p one? 1080p mostly only leaves the X1C and t450s, 900p opens up a wider and cheaper range.

Get a T520 and be a bad bitch with a big laptop if you want 1080p.

Bumping my question.

get a thinkpad 13

that looks horrible user. i hate the sharp edges. I would've gone with X260/270 if its even out yet.

How long until the 2016 X1 carbon gets a price drop? January?

In the meantime, keep it offline.

Just bought a x61 for 80dlls and a w520 for 280, did I do good?

Anyone know anything about modding BIOS to remove the WiFi whitelist? I want to change my E330s card but got no idea on how to bypass it

Is a X230 with IPS for $300 worth it? I'll replace the keyboard.

T430s, is it worth 399€? 12 month warranty, i5, 240GB SSD, 8GB RAM, no DVD Drive instead it got a second battery and the HD+ 900p display. Comes with QWERTZ keyboard so no need for me to replace it.

No.

is $80 a fair price for original new 9 cell X230 battery in europe?

Can I upgrade the screen in the T530? I got one with 1366x768 resolution because I'm a Jew but I'm already wanting the higher res.

are there any affordable ultraportables with quad core processors?

I'm scared that dual core on x220/230 will seriously strike my performance

Hypothetically speaking, the Elitebook 2560p is socketed so you could put a quadcore in there. I highly doubt it would be anything but a housefire-tier disaster, since it's a 12" laptop and was never designed for a quadcore.

T430.
>Is there anything major that the thinkpad has that the latitude doesn't?
Much, much better trackpoint, NVS 5400m 2GB option, second 9cell battery option, battery reset procedure via power manager. You can expect your T430 battery to last 500-600 cycles because of that. E6430 usually completely dies after 300 cycles.

What do you do that you need an aultrportable quad? Anything requiring a quad core would be better with a desktop. Get your head out of your ass.

Well it would be portable and durable facebook machine and i'd want to play few old vidya and factorio