Other business laptops are also welcome in /tpg/ (e.g. Dell Latitude/Precision, HP EliteBook/ZBook). ---- 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 ---- 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. ---- Used ThinkPad buyers guide: ktgee.net/tpg
whats a list of good PC Cards that can get some use in today's day for my T400
I already got a 3 Port USB 3.0 Express 54 for the top port coming in tomorrow so now i need the extra slot filled.
I was thinking maybe a smart card reader but not sure if its good for anything other than security (can you even use it as an encryption key for booting/loading a hard drive?)
Wyatt James
I have a two-part question. My T420 died today after literally falling into a lake. Here's the question:
My T420 was starting to feel old anyway.
Is there any way to get the T420 keyboard onto a T440-450 or w/e?
If not, are there any more powerful Thinkpads with the old keyboard?
It's such a nice keyboard. I'm not sure if I can stomach buying another 420, but it sure is hard to move on. I'll look into your link.
Grayson Taylor
Is it best to buy a thinkpad with the best screen/processor and cheap out on hardrive and ram, then upgrade both of those after?
Cameron Wood
Any thoughts about the Thinkpad yoga 12 with a digitizer?
Caleb Anderson
T400 or T420?
Jose Nguyen
I want a thinkpad but I'm a bit scared about getting scammed. Aside from what's in the buyer's guide, what else should I check on a thinkpad? I've been reading some stuff about loose hinges and bad wifi receivers and hard drives that fall out.
Julian Bell
Has anyone gotten a thinkpad from newegg? Specifically from the pc rebuilders and recyclers? Do their bios come unlocked?
Ayden Diaz
>My T420 was starting to feel old What was wrong with it?
Noah Sanders
So while using my x230t (and charging) windows suddenly went "no battery present", disconnecting the power cord let me use the battery normally but connecting it again would make it disappear again.
This is pants on fucking head retarded, battery info states it's in good condition, and the BIOS recognizes it. Trying to charge it while it's turned off would make the orange led flash a couple of times and die. I tried all kinds of combinations of resetting power and reinstalling the battery drivers in device manager. Returning the BIOS to default didn't help it either.
Any ideas? This has been a pain in my anus for a while.
Just buy it on ebay and if they don't give you a functioning system, return it.
Austin Jones
If you're usig ebay just pay using paypal, 99% of the time they side with you. Just read descriptions.
Dylan Sanchez
X1 Carbon a good ultrabook for software development (real-time embedded systems)????? or should i go for something with a bit faster cpu
Jayden Wood
Got a t430 with nip keyboard, 3320m, 1600x900, 8gb 1600mhz, hdd, apparently previously used by a careful Nipland OL because everything's still shiny and solid.
Did I do good Sup Forumsentoomen?
William Turner
Sorry forgot, price was $240
Planning to throw a 250GB 850 evo into into main slot and move the existing HDD into a caddy.
Christian Anderson
I feel like getting a 4:3 laptop.
What do you guys think of the X60, X61, T60, T61, T61p?
Ian Cruz
From that lot, the T61 is the best. *60 are older and the T61p is a bit riskier, at least if you get one with the nvidia card.
Daniel Jackson
>Those extra keys. Oh man I would be spoiled by all those modifiers.
Logan Flores
If I get one with a IGP will it be ok?
Brandon Thomas
Anyone have an X230 Tablet on Windows 10? The top of my tablet screen goes all fucked up on me for some reason--putting the pen in that area puts touches below a certain threshold, and moving vertically in that area moves the cursor horizontally under the threshold. I don't get it.
Jace Young
Try calibrating it my nigga
Dominic Thomas
My wife is now using the T61 I bought one year ago, and it's doing fine with her facebooking and tumblring, etc...
On the other hand, it crapped out a little with flash on linux while I was using it so...
Samuel Anderson
Tried multiple times; even the calibration screen has that issue.
Bentley Hughes
Tried that multiple times; it does it on the calibration screen, too.
Noah King
If you program be rdy to seppuku, jap keyboards have differnt locations for + -, extra keys etc. If they didnt they would be a weebs wetdream
Ethan Kelly
>Nipland OL Did you sniff and lick the keyboard?
Ryder Rivera
Can't you just change that in the system settings?
Jordan Brooks
>Get a x220 a few days ago >Seems a bit slow >Temps are at 80-85 when the cpu is at 20% load That can't be safe, right? What do I do? Fan seems to run normally.
Evan Ward
Do Precision E6500 and such have good screens? They have good resolutions (fhd and higher) and are really cheap, but what about quality of picture? I had Latitude E4310 with 768p screen and it made my head ache. It had rubbish screen.
Connor Cook
Fuark, now I want to do that.
Gavin Robinson
Thoughts on Precision M4600? Anyone know how well it stacks up in GNU/Linux? I found a very good deal on one with 12 GB of ram, a 256 GB SSD, i7, etc for under $300USD. I have used the laptop before, so I know how it performs in Windows, but I'm not sure whether it will be fully compatible with Linux?
Hunter Russell
>he fell for the meme send back if you still can its the only way
Luis Rivera
Clean it thoroughly and apply new thermal compound. Takes 5 minutes and is to be expected of a few year old laptop
Thomas Jenkins
This. There's no way in hell I'm keeping the Jap layout. Even after the remaps I'm not sure if I can adapt to the retarded Enter key and short as fuck spacebar (map those 2 moonrune keys to space too maybe?). I'll just give it a try. Worst case scenario, Jack Ma can give me that US keyboard.
Not worth the risk of licking some otaku's cum senpai.
Grayson Garcia
I bought a Elitebook 12.5" Should I install arch Linux directly or?
Justin Fisher
If it is your first time using Linux, I suggest NOT using a graphical installer for Arch, IE Antergos or Manjaro or Architect. You will learn far more by just installing it by hand.
Joseph James
It's not the first time, my main desktop got Arch Linux. I just wonder if there's a reason to save Windows. I only have a 128GB SSD so I quess I will only use Linux.
Eli Clark
1 thing is weird 'y' and 'z' are on the wrong places. And I wonder what keyboard layout I should use.
Ryan James
My trusty ol' X200s is slowly dying. I found a used X230 with an i5, 8GB of RAM and 128GB Samsung SSD for 250 bucks. Great condition too, saw it in person. Should I take it? How's the X230 anyways, the keyboard is cancer but I want just OK performance (better than the X200s anyways) and some good battery life.
Dominic Lopez
Hey guys I am using a t420 and overall i am really happy. My wificonnection sucks tho so I assume it's because of the wificard. any suggestion which one to buy? I am from pooreurope btw
Gabriel Robinson
>$370 >1.9GHz no
Gabriel Howard
Where do i get a X1 Carbon 3rd gen battery for replacement? Even the official lenovo site doesn't have it.
is it non existant?
Noah Hill
Are crucial SSDS a meme?
Landon Price
Did other user get his nip keyboard from ali yet? The wears on mine are starting to set in and just look like a well worn keyboard, still contemplating buying another eventually...
J E A L O U S
Anthony Hill
ThinkPads are a meme, you're a meme, I'm a meme, everything is a meme.
Evan King
I just want to keep the memage pure What RAM is the biggest meme?
Ian Lee
If you know somebody with the same laptop, try their battery and see what happens.
Asher Martin
then go with kingdian ssds + nobrand china ram
Adrian Sullivan
I'd like to get the weeb keyboard but i got so used to the meme arrow key for toggling the microphone on and off.
I'd miss my dedicated shitposting key.
Jacob Robinson
I could get a used x220 for $170, then throw in a $30 mSATA SSD. The only thing I'm worried about is the battery life, and Newegg sometimes has similar x220's for the same price but refurbished, so I'm assuming they're better quality. Should I wait or take the used one now?
Easton Jones
Just got my t420 and it worked fine yesterday, but now 6 keys are dead. (Y,U,H,J,N,M), the keys left off the trackpoint. Any idea how to fix or what caused this? am I fucked? Tried booting in both linux and w10..
Samuel Ortiz
right*
Joshua Nguyen
have you tried rebooting? What OS?
Adam Ortiz
had the problem in the preinstalled w7. Formatted and installed w10, no problems for a few hours. Suddenly the keys were dead when I woke up this morning. I have W10 and Fedora atm
Chase Young
update: the trackpad just stopped working.
wtf is going on? is my computer short-circuiting?
Matthew Anderson
My kingshit SSD has been serving me well. My RAM is also from some unknown company, but it's 'murican.
Caleb Edwards
Replug your keyboard and see if that helps.
Adrian Kelly
>My kingshit SSD has been serving me well I'm running a mSATA Kingdian ssd and yeah, it's good.
Ethan Reed
Same here. Mine's a KINGSTON_SMS200S.
Matthew Cook
Kingdian != Kingston
Charles Rivera
Ah. I see they have a similar reputation anyhow.
Jordan Barnes
i've read the buyers guide for used thinkpads in the op, but when it says $170-$210 for a t420, what sort of specs will that have? like 4gb ram and 500gb sata?
Levi Ortiz
Depends on the seller of course but just buy the cheapest one, everything is upgradeable including the CPU.
Two 8gb sticks are cheap too.
Robert Diaz
Best place to get X230/T430?
Jose Lee
depends on how much you wanna pay/what you can find on ebay/craigslist also if you're gonna get an x2n0, you have to be sorta careful opening it. if you open it and close it from the top the shitty bar things will get wibbley wobbley and might break off
Levi Lopez
Anyone want to compile a checklist of things to look for when buying second hand Thinkpads? We can add it to the guides listed in OP eventually
Here is what I have so far:
-Enter BIOS, make sure that it is not password locked, if there is a screen prompting for a password then it is password locked and you will not be able to change all settings
-In BIOS, make sure hardware matches the seller's description (core hardware is listed in the BIOS)
-In BIOS, make sure that computrace and anti theft is disabled
-In boot utilities run simple hardware diagnostics if available (newer models will allow you to check the health of memory and storage)
-Boot the device and check that inputs like buttons, touchpad, and keyboard are working properly (make sure they are not disabled in the BIOS before claiming something doesn't work)
-Check physical condition of the item and run a test on ports if possible
-Check if the COA is still on the laptop if planning on using it
-Plug the laptop to a power source or unplug if running off a wall socket to check functionality of battery and power input
-Inspect the screen for dead/stuck pixels or any other screen damage
If anyone can add or correct to this, feel free to do so.
Jayden Gutierrez
Mine's been fine for years. You pretty much gotta drop it on that part of the lid.
Cooper Gonzalez
In the X models, check for cracks in the chassis around the HDD socket.
Aiden Cooper
How do I check if a thinkpad yoga s1 has a digitizer or not based on the MPN? I can't find the MPN information anywhere online.
Austin Green
trackpad working again. replugged keyboard, dead keys still persists.
Brayden James
It may be time to buy another keyboard. Fortunately for you, they're cheap.
Adrian Diaz
wtf did i do wrong?
I bought an i7-2720QM for my t420 to replace the i5-2520
when i dropped the chip in and started it up, nothing happens.
The powerbutton flashes a couple times then just stays on.
Somethings the thinklight comes on in this process.
the display never turns on (even through DP or VGA)
Is the CPU dead? Or did i fuck up the install?
On a side note the i5 runs a lot cooler with artic MX4......
Xavier Bennett
this is probably just a super coincidence but the last processor i bought new was dead
Brayden Cox
how did the thinkpad react?
I mean i'm sure thats what i've got, but before i go through the bullshit process of returning it (amazon) i figured i should probably make sure its dead.
(he claims its tested, but i had to clean paste off the CPU, it sadly wasn't new, BUT he's still willing to do a return (probably because he knows he didnt test it))
Caleb Lopez
Does it work with the original CPU still? If so, your new one may be DOA.
Anthony Fisher
nothing worked the green light on the outside would blink a few times, but nothing else ever came on
Brayden Lee
Added to the list, thanks
Christopher Wilson
yes thats why i mentioned >On a side note the i5 runs a lot cooler with artic MX4......
I let go a huge sigh of relief when i dropped the old CPU back in and it booted up.
"sweet" same shits happening, ill send it back tonight.
Josiah Roberts
but not after realizing i did literally a perfect paste drop, like so fucking perfect only like .5mm was squeezed out on the sides.
it was depressing having to wipe that away....
Ian Hernandez
For X220 and X230 (maybe others as well): Check for white spots on display - more visible when a light image is displayed. These are caused by too much padding behind the display pressing against it. When you slightly flex the whole panel these spots will show up and change colour.
It's also fairly easy to check remaining battery capacity.
Julian Wood
Went to a swap meet and found a T60 for 20 bucks and my friend told me to get it. Installed xbuntu on it, and found out its battery is dead, so getting one in the mail soon. What else should I be doing with this thing?
Owen Miller
Throw out that old piece of garbage.
Jeremiah Green
obvious libreboot is obvious
Jose Powell
Not him, but t60s work pretty well still
Ayden Foster
Got my x230. The hinge is too loose. There's this white spots in the bottom right of the screen. The touchpad is also behaving weird even with the drivers properly installed. Should I get this replaced or is this okay with used laptops?
Samuel Myers
Ya got slightly fucked.
Isaac Adams
Folks who do thinkpad+external monitor, how do you position everything. Is your thinkpad off to the side with the monitor in front of you? Are the two angled at each other? Is the thinkpad in front of you and the monitor off to the side?
Christopher Flores
i got completely fucked like that too recently, but ill get a replacement. tons of white spots, plastic part of top cover breaking off. guy who sold me sells many thinkpads in many priceranges that depend on condition. i paid for "near perfect" and got lowest tier with shitty ass everything. either a mistake or he tried to screw me and hope i wont notice.
Wyatt Gonzalez
>is this okay
its not okay at all, not even trolling. it isn't the end of the world, but you got sold an item that the seller likely knew had defective parts.
a touchpad/palmrest assembly is $10 dollars on ebay for a t430, so x230 shouldn't be so bad.
you will have to replace the screen, white spots don't go away. those are dead pixels.
it sucks you got screwed, but don't worry too much man. thinkpads are very easy to service yourself, there is full documentation on lenovo's website, and they even have videos on taking apart and replacing parts
Oliver Howard
dock off to the side with my laptop closed and dual monitors in front of me (one directly in front, one to the right.)
Jack Miller
My T61p started to make a loud noise. It does that right after boot or in windows. It's louder than anything else. I can hear it from the other room. It seems to stop when I pick up the laptop and move it around in air. What is it? Fan or speakers? It can't be BIOS or HDD if the Windows boot correctly, right? The laptop doesn't have a screen. It uses VGA by default. Even when it's screeching I can still hear other Windows sounds.
Connor Taylor
Fan.
Brandon Sullivan
Nah, man, it's pretty fucking far from okay. My X200 was in much better condition, your X220 must look like almost new.
Austin Perry
how is this bullshit plastic strip covering top part of X230/X220 lid is called? how do you search ebay for it?