/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:

aliexpress.com/item/Express-Card-54mm-to-USB-3-0-x-2-Port-Expresscard-PCI-E-to-USB-Adapter/32644315893.html
twitter.com/NSFWRedditVideo

>try to hide scratches and markings on the lid with stickers
>it looks like shit now
fug

Well xx20 series are for museum pretty much. Why bother

>laptops that can be used for EVERYTHING except gaming (W520 can game)
>museum pieces

t430s best thinkpad

>tfw my museum still outperforms current low/mid end laptops
>add a desktop gpu and it can play modern videogames too

>sandy bridge cpu
>tn screens
>not for museum
Poorfag keep telling that to urself.

>tn screens
>implying

Has anybody ever tried installing OpenSolaris/OpenIndiana on an x220? Did everything work?

I want to buy a Libreboot T400/X200.
Has anyone here bought one? Which is better? Would I have too many compatibility issues with external hard drives and other input devices?

T61 keyboard feels great. This screen though. 1280x800 is suffering on 15''

just got a t61 for $45. should i flash the bios or just get a factory atheros card for linux support?

How big of a difference does 1600 by 900 make versus 1366x768? Not sure if it would be worth upgrading screen

Worth it.

What's the highest resolution X-series that can be found for under $300?

A lot.

you can probably find a 1440x900 x201s for less than $300 pretty easily (if there are any listed)

there's also the x61 tablet 1400x1050 IPS

>mfw my T60 survived a 3-foot drop onto concrete today with barely a tiny scratch on the bottom

X200. No discrete gpu = less butthurt and free software bugs. Weighs less, has no bezels around keyboard cute dock station with stereo speakers
It has Express Card slot, so you can put USB 3.0 card for external drives.

Enough to be worth it. The 14" 1366*768 panels are generally known to be particularly shit

Should I salvage my old T520? It's been running strong for the last 4 years, but has gone through a hard drive and is killing the second one currently.

the poor old beast is dying and I almost want to let it rip in peace instead of helping it out

Is it better on the 12.5in screen?

I can't say in comparison, as I just have a x201. They are tolerable, but I am craving more.

Can I take the bluetooth module from a t420 and put it inside an x220t?

>using antiquated memes

T400 only because of the non soldered cpu so you can upgrade it to something like a T9900 or P9700.

don'trespondtotripfags.jpg
Off yourself

Hello I work for lenovo.
The retro thinkpad has been finalized.
It'll feature a stunning 16:9 display, our thinnest Island Style keyboard yet for max portability, and for that retro flavor we have added lambs at the top as an alternative to backlit keys! Additionally we'll ad a colored thinkpad logo! However, we will only sell 1000, so be ready!

How do I make my trackpoint go faster around the screen? Messing with Mouse settings didn't do anything, nor trackpad settings.

On Windows:
>control panel > mouse > ultranav > trackpoint settings > trackpoint sensitivity

On Linux i don't know, the slider in settings never worked for me on xfce or kde

I'm on Fedora.

>the slider in settings never worked for me on xfce or kde
the linux experience kek

is it? looking to grab first thinkpad desu

got it because it was a good deal. Go with the t430 non-s if you want a bigger battery and non soldered cpu. Go with the t430s if you want to upgrade to a 1080p panel (non-s have issues). depends what you want from a thinkpad desu yo

should buy
I like accuracy

I want a laptop to try out my first Linux experience(s)

With that, I would like the highest resolution I can get, be able to run Firefox, Microsoft office (is this even possible on Linux btw?), foobar, and ace player. That's literally all I need. SSD is a bonus too and portability is also a bonus

T430s is what I was considering because it's slim and can probably do all that for a relatively decent price

Its actually a very nice mouse.

Should I buy new hinges for my R60, or should I just let it die? I still like using it, but is it really worth it?

want to buy a t61p because of the 16:10 screen and 8gb ram support. Do all of them come with the dreaded nVidia GPU? How is the battery life on them for general web browsing and general school workI've seen answers such as 4-6 hours. Are /csg/ batteries a good idea to get in case the batteries are dead?

>Do all of them come with the dreaded nVidia GPU?
All T61p models do, yes. They aren't all suicidal, but the safe units are quite rare.

>How is the battery life on them for general web browsing and general school workI've seen answers such as 4-6 hours
Not even close. My non-p Nvidia T61 barely gets 3 hours out of a good genuine 9cell. My Intel T601F can pull 5 hours tops. The T61p's more powerful GPU will utterly devour battery life.

Overall you should just get a T400 or T/W500 instead. They're still 16:10, 8GB DDR3 is much cheaper than 8GB DDR2, and they're far more reliable machines than T61s.

cheapest ThinkPad with a decent panel and >= Sandy Bridge?

x220 IPS

good try


normal price in europe ? and for x230 ?

I'm seeing T/W500 models on craigslist for cheap, thanks for the suggestion.

Do I need a new battery? Just got this used from Ebay.

Can get about 4-6 hours of power.

I use that mouse and it's pretty comfy.

It doesn't have amazing precision like gaming mice sensors but it's definitely not bad.

I think it's a good buy user.

>Can get about 4-6 hours of power.
battery life looks good to me fampai... but...

>Model 45N1176
>for Lenovo Thinkpad X121e X130e X131e X140e
baka desu

hey, I love my x131e. Cheap, small, and cozy.

Just installed a USB 3.0 card in my X200.
Speed test (some seagate external hdd):
2.0: around 35r/25w MB/s
3.0: ~115r/106w MB/s
> some people buyX230 instead of glorious X220 just because of this

I need to do this. Thank you.

which one did you buy?

I just swapped out the inverter inside my x220 for a new one. Previously no status lights lit up. Now the accessing disk and bluetooth one work but the wifi and the sleep and battery ones don't work. Any ideas?

I bought into the meme a while ago but looking to upgrade my T60. T420 or X220? They're about the same price here.

How big a difference is there between the LG genuine IPS panels and the ebay equivalent models? is it worth the 130 difference in price between them?

aliexpress.com/item/Express-Card-54mm-to-USB-3-0-x-2-Port-Expresscard-PCI-E-to-USB-Adapter/32644315893.html
It doesn't need external power for most devices.

How small can i get an X220 and eGPU setup capable of running in a closed in space such as inside a macintosh plus shell?

for x220?

iirc the x220 ips screens are prone to developing white spots + have incredibly bad ghosting
the x230 ips screens are a newer revision with those issues fixed; basically a drop-in repacement

probably not worth $130 more, but you should try to get the newer revision/part when possible

idr all the nitty gritty deets off the top of my head. you'll need to research yourself fampai

hey Sup Forums - my current macbook crapped out on me and i'm the market for a "new" laptop
i'm gonna go with a refurbished thinkpad, i just don't know what particular model/series to look for - ideally i want something that balances portability, durability and battery life, that i can find secondhand at a decent price
i need at least 3+ hrs battery life and the ability to run ableton or traktor live - i know ben ufo uses a thinkpad + traktor for djing so i know its possible
is it recommended to buy refurbished over new?

I'm looking for a thinkpad that has a 1080p ips, and will stay in date for a 3 -4 years
>is the L460 any good, am I better off buying used or a different series?

Also what are your thoughts on the feel of the "newer" keyboards

I'm not much of a help but ben ufo is ma boy.

woiiiiii lads we goin to fabbers or what??? looooooool dan

Thanks! X200 looks like the way to go.
But in short, what are the relative advantages of upgrade my T400 to a T9900/P9700? I am not really an expert on the matter.

> L
Kill it with fire. Go for T or W.

X220. You can even install OS X on it. Battery life is good - about 1 hour per battery cell (under Linux, but windows/os x should be ok too), go for 9-cell battery if you need a lot of autonomous time.

A bit offtopic here, but which is better for a X, two SSDs or HDD+SSD?

My T420 doesn't recognise my external DVD drive as a boot option, but it has no problem booting from flash sticks. Any way to fix this?

That's literally on topic

I've used both

mSATA + SSD:
Pros:
Much faster read/write speed not just for your OS but for all your files
Useful if you do heavy editing or if you need to be able to read/write files faster on SSD or do a lot of editing or copy stuff with usb 3.0 or whatever
a little lighter, probably also negligibly longer battery life

Cons:
Way more expensive per GB

mSATA + HDD:
Pros: much cheaper per GB, can have terabytes cheaply

Cons:
slower read write speeds
slower copy paste from USB
Drive will turn itself off to save battery so it can be annoying to have to wait a couple seconds each time to reopen stuff on that drive if you've not been using it. This is especially annoying in windows search as it'll freeze for like 3 seconds as it boots up the HDD to search it too, if you've not had it being read for a while, but it is still rather minor


If you shitpost, watch taiwanese handpuppet videos, and do light gaming, HDD is the better option I'd say

Unless you do a lot of actual work that requires heavy editing or constantly copying over raw/large files, you don't really need a second SSD

If you're a richfag though just get a humongous mSATA and a humongous SSD and you can't go wrong

I'd pick the t420 only because of the higher res, triple drive and non soldered CPU.

Well a better cpu obviously, better cooling too and the hardware is the same if you pick the model without the dGPU.

>trash-tier TN panel or trash-tier resolution?
Build a T601F, you'll be so much happier.

Can a x131e run an m2 ssd?

Got it for free and considering upgrading it to sata ssd if possible looking towards adata 64/128 Gbs

Only thing that sucks is that it is the chromebook edition but was wiped so I just installed win 7

Thinking after my basic classes in college I'll install lubuntu on it

Dual core celeron 1.5 ghz

I disasembled T60p to oil fan and then assembled eveything. Now i have screen leds lighting but no image. Anyone knows WTF it can be? I chcked screen connector and it seems to be ok. I killed gpu somewhat???

double check screen connectors to mobo and screen and then check if your ram came loose.

Just installed Gahnoo on my X200. I have mouse wheel emulation on my Trackpoint, but it's slow as fuck. How do I speed it up?

i did it 4 times
still blank as before

I am sure you get these questions every day, but here it goes:

Should I rather get a T420 or T430 and replace the keyboard? It will run linux - compiling, programming, ssh to servers, driving 3D printers and other machines, presentations, rtl-sdr client and more. I am looking to upgrade it with an ssd.

I have heard the T420 has a DDR3 interface compared to T430's mSATA, but 430 has USB3 and better internals. I amn ot sure wheter replacing the T430 keyboard for the one from 420- is going to work or not.

Any suggestions?

ah and i didnt put yet screws back, I mean screws from bottom of case, screws on motherboard are all screwed

X220 or T420?

i want one that can run with 16 gb of ram and can possibly dual boot windows and linux but preferrably just linux.

Do you want a 12 incher or a 14 incher?
The X220 may have a better screen and slightly better battery life.
The T420 has ultrabay (so you can run mSATA+2 SATA) and might have NVIDIA graphics.

>might have NVIDIA graphics

elaborate? how good are these NVIDIA graphics? (i'd use it to play quake and such.) How do I know if the TP has the NVIDIA graphics?

Not very good. It's a CAD optimized GPU, the NVS 4200M. You can check the benchmarks if you want.

If you're not playing anything too modern, the regular Intel HD 3000 will be more than enough to run it to begin with.

just zandronum and xonotic, which arent really intensive on resources.

maybe some early 2000s stuff like fable, halo and such.

The Intel one will be fine for you, then. Less energy consumption, less fiddling with drivers and one less component to fail.

>good try
this will be reality though

I had the FAN ERROR problem a while ago, got some chincese replacement, which works, but I can hear some whine the new fan when on idle/low revs. I drilled the back of the original fan and added some mech. oil. Should I try to disassemble again everything and try the old fan, or it would stick again and give me fan errors ? anyone done this ?

pic rel

is it possible to swap a T430 CPU?

...

Which one should I buy a t420 or t430? The t430 has better hardware but I dunno about the keyboard. Also , I looked for the 15.6 version (t530). But no one talks about it, is it good?

>It doesn't need external power for most devices.
Would it work with a portable external hard drive?

I want to throttle the CPU on my x220, I want to make it go to 1ghz or less in order to consume less battery life while I am mobile.

How would I go about doing that? OS not relevant I'll use whatever necessary.

How do I make my trackpoint go faster around the screen? Messing with Mouse settings didn't do anything, nor trackpad settings.

>mfw holiday deals
Do I get a P50 or wait until the new series?

>only 120MBps read
>cant boot off it
no thanks
yes
the t530 is basically a bigger t430 that supports quadcores ootb
I'd go for a t430 if you care about performance at all.
hd 4000 throttled down to save power is a LOT nicer than hd 3000

see >bettrr internals
wut, aside from usb3, the shit keyboard layout and ivy bridge instead of sandy both are the same thing so pick whatever.

If you're using Windows, limit the maximum cpu usage in power options.

Increase the acceleration in control panel, mouse, UltraNav, trackpoint settings.

What about the keyboard? Is the newer one worst or better?

layout is worse, but it's not that bad
it's layout is still better than most other laptops
but typing on the keyboard feels far better.

is the hd+ display on the t430 comparable shit to the 1440*900 one on the t410?

>tfw playing Warcraft 3 on my T420 all comfy on my bed
Sure I have a gaymen PC, but god damn is this nice.

I wonder hot the fuck people use laptops in their bed. Even using my phone is uncomfortable. Do you lay in bed or what?

haven't you heard of the standing bed ?

How*