/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/JVwVGVTW

Helpful links and resources (Wiki, lookup tools and wallpapers):
pastebin.com/DYjEnVq1

Other urls found in this thread:

www3.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-5th-Generation/p/22TP2TXX15G
twitter.com/AnonBabble

First for I decided not to upgrade my GPU and instead buy one of these x220 machines

Second for T410 masterrace

I'm curious

What makes it better than the T420

Better aspect ratio and the best Intel Core iX series microarchitecture around (Arrandale)

so nothing. thx

Does anyone here have a thinkpad with hackintosh on it, and only 4gb of RAM? Does it choke a lot?

What's ExpressCards SSD good for when you can't even boot from it?

>EC SSDs can't be booted from
Do you have the drive formatted right? If so, give proofs.

Just found a IBM T43 for 25 bucks
Should I get it?

It's a collectors item at this point, don't expect anything special

Will it do for my first thinkpad and first time messing around with linux?

As I implied, don't expect anything special. If it's gonna be your first thinkpad, I might advise against getting it as it's pretty underpowered in the realm of thinkpads.

Get something like a refurb T410 (my first Thinkpad) instead, they're like $150-$180 on ebay.

It doesn't show up in BIOS.

$350AU for a t430 180ssd good?
I'm sorry for such a novice question.

No. Offer 300 for it, and if he doesn't accept don't buy.

IS IT FORMATTED CORRECTLY.
BOOT A LIVECD WITH GPARTED AND TELL ME IF IT IS MARKED AS A BOOT DRIVE.

I've dd the mSATA drive to it.

Well, sucks to be you. Boot from something else and use it as mass storage.

You mean you can boot from expresscard SSD?

>buy office surplus T42 a year ago for $20
>ebay ad claimed it was in working condition but sold as-is
>lies
>no response at all. try all the usual tricks to get it back up and running without digging into it
>have to dig into it. try to remove and reflow motherboard
>fan heatsink screw is stripped to hell. spend hours trying to extract screw and succeed
>reflow in oven
>put back together and still absolutely nothing

Not sure what the issue is. Sunk so much time into trying to revive this shitbox I feel like i need to finish it. Thinking of either grabbing a T43p motherboard from Italy to swap in or get a working T42/T43 and max it out 2005-style. SXGA+ 15" IPS and a 2.1 ghz Dothan.

Also, why the fuck are working T43ps still $300+? My X61t was only $200.

see

Should I buy chink batteries for a t430?

There's tradeoffs between buying a chink battery and a legit Lenovo battery, usually in the capacity department. Expect about a ~35% reduction in capacity when comparing Chinkshit and Lenovoshit

Middle of the road provided it's in good condition

kteegee says $250 USD, so I'd say to offer ~$225 USD for it

Really anything before the xx30 series is a collectors item now. Probably not a good idea to make a purchase 5 generations back by now.

T410 is my primary shitposting machine.

I stand corrected. If you use it sulk around on Sup Forums then it's the best option that exists today.

Wouldn't processor, screen res and egpu/igpu be deciding factors also?

if it's an i5 3rd gen, has 1600x900 and has the 5400M gpu I'd take it for 350. Any of those missing and yea, 300 or leave it

>no chinkpads with 1080 display below 300€

end this suffering.

>has 1600x900

Is this a good alternative to the 1366 shitscreen? I'm the user that's been going around looking for a laptop for image editing.

you can use it for ssh but I would only but it if it has has the higher res screen.

It's just as shit for colors and viewing angles, you just get a more respectable resolution. You have to go big if you want a decent screen.

>laptop for image editing.
Look for a w530 w/FHD. The displays you'll find on the t430 are terrible for color intensive work. The AOU displays shipped with those get good viewing angles, but not what you see on good IPS displays. The color coverage is leagues better than the t430 panel, but not up to the coverage offered by modern professional displays.

In all honesty, professional image editing on a t430 is a sad prospect, you would have to claim that the image quality doesn't matter.

It really ramps up the price, though. I'm looking at prices 400€ minimum. I guess quality is expensive.

Especially since I didn't spend but $80 on it

Look around of a T440p or T440s with the FHD IPS. I believe it was the only x1080 screen installed on those models.

They used to sell eDP conversion boards to install that screen in a t430, but I don't know if they are still available, so be wary of that idea. Other than that, if you get a t430, you're always going to be stuck with a notoriously shit display.

The t530 has an AOU FHD display, but you would have no way of knowing what model of AOU display is installed from your average eBay listing. Some of the t530 w/ FHD used cheaper AOU displays than found on the w530.


For your health.

Looking through the archive it serms that many people here don't like Fujitsu, why? I was looking at their Lifebook tablet convertibles as an alternative to my x230t. They seem to have better battery life at least, and possibly higher quality IPS screens.

Nothing is worse than the 1366x768 screen
Worst case scenario is the 1600x900 screen is just as bad colour/viewing angles wise, but it's a higher res so it's only better, not worse.

For image editing, it's okay but not the best, i wouldn't use it exclusively if I were doing professional image editing. Best to get a monitor with better colours for home use, or put in a better panel (there's some panels that fit it and have better colours and viewing angles, but this just adds to the cost, and if you need very good colours and can't do your editing properly on a less-than-ideal screen, buying the lower res screen is still a decent idea if you're gonna buy a better screen anyway)

>T440p or T440s

xx40 models don't have discrete trackpoint buttons, which can be a bother, but for how much you gain over the t430, it would be worth it to use what's on there and upgrade it when you have a few extra bucks.

Also, the "s" build of any model will be slimmer and more portable, at the expense of battery life. The "p" distinction is usually the same, just given a better options list than base when you order.

>there's some panels that fit it and have better colours and viewing angles

What are these? As far as I knew I've only seen people but tn panels from the X1 and the IPS from the t440. I've seen the t420 take FHD displays as well, but there are often issues and not generally recommended.

>xx40 models don't have discrete trackpoint buttons
they can if you swap in a xx50 model trackpad

>The AOU displays shipped with those
Not that user, just curious on this.

>One of the following TFT displays:
> 14.0" HD (1366 x 768) (200 NITS)
> 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) (250 NITS)

There are only one kind of 1366 x 768 and one kind of 1600 x 900 displays on T430's, or more?

There's a certain alienware model with a screen that can be easily swapped into the T420 for better colors. m14x r2 or something like that. The only downside is that it's a glossy panel.

Glossy panels are a turnoff for me.
So is 16:9 but I deal with that.

Notable clarification. I was alluding to by saying to upgrade it later. t450 trackpads are only about $30 or less and fix what Lenovo did in the generation directly after.

>Not that user, just curious on this.
Further clarification, AUO*** made the FHD displays for the W530. They also made the T530 displays, but there were different models that made their way into production, and some have been problematic/disappointing to some.

Good point. I've heard a decent bit about this, but haven't tried it for myself.

Price check

>T530
>i5-3320M
>8gb ram
>320GB HDD
>15,6'' 1600x900
>with docking station

Yet again, I forgot the fucking price.

300€, shipping included. Remember, europoor here.

Offer US$300. Don't go higher than US$330. Full stop.

here.
That's a solid deal. Pull the trigger on it.

Oh, so by "those" you meant W530 not T430
>Look for a w530 w/FHD. The displays you'll find on the t430 are terrible for color intensive work. The AOU displays shipped with those...

Would it be possible to swap the keyboard on a T440 with that of a T450?

Probably, if you try hard enough and have a workshop of basic electronics shit

I got a P50s because muh nvidia m500m. How fucked am I? Should I sell it now?

It's a new machine, so not really. s models are a bit dumb in the way that they sacrifice battery life for a slimmer profile.

Okay, I wasn't sure the difference between the p50 and the p50s, but the s was cheaper. Now I know why. If the T460 had a gpu, I would have gone for it.

The P50s is just a W550s refresh where the P50 is a major overhaul.

Related, but am I stuck with the stock screen? The t440 is my old work laptop that I got for 125

Google "T440 replacement panels" and go for one that looks good. Or, you could try your hand at adapting some IPS panel from an older thinkpad to T440 connector, though ymmv if you take the latter road.

Both the W530 and T530 had AUO displays. The AUO B156HW01 V.4 is the display you want, other models may be found in the T530. Don't forget that you are likely going to want to install a different color profile. The factory profile is lacking. Keep an eye out for if it has the color calibrator installed as well.

Look for the serial and model numbers on auctions online and enter them in the Lenovo Support search if you're looking for specific hardware. It tends to be more of a suggestion than a confirmation in some cases. IBM/Lenovo had different manufacturers for most parts, and in some cases, FRUs.

Why do you want to swap the keyboard? Is it broke? If it is, replace it with the same keyboard and install the t450 trackpad.

>Am I stuck with the stock screen.
No. Get a T440s FHD IPS screen. There are several guides on how to do this.

Thanks. Trying to find one where there are no dead pixels in the description

someone changed the hinges on t430s ? They are considerably looser than on my t410 when picking it up for the display, altho the laptop's body should be lighter, but now as i think of it - the battery is in the outermost ... Could this be it ?

Ordered a T60p today to make a Frankenpad, got a T61 mobo going spare. Not done one before so this is gonna be fun.

Hinges are easy, you just gotta mind the cables.

What display is on the T60p? And what mobo did you get? The nVidia boards are a minefield.

200€ for a 900p T430 in good condition.
Yes or no?

14.1" SXGA+, not IPS but still nice. I have multiple boards of the same type available, the one with Intel GMA.

Got my lets note today, doesn't seem to have much problems on linux.
Probably won't be able to get the modem working and the physical wireless switch only turn off the bluetooth.
Touchscreen works and the hold button to disable physical buttons to use it in tablet mode work, which suprised me.

Hit the fucking jackpot on a refurbed P50 in the outlet

Saw some reddit post about it and so I checked and they still had em. Xeon processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 4K screen and M2000M for $1250

Feels comfy. Hoping it wasn't a pricing error and my order gets cancelled

Holy fuck.

What does Sup Forums think of E560? Was looking for a laptop with a medium graphics card and no kaby lake cpu.
Personally I'm pretty happy with it, runs games up till ~2015 and has a good battery life.

I have no use for a laptop at the moment.
But should i get a thinkpad just because why not?
I know of a place that sells refurbished thinkpads for pretty cheap i think.

Anyone know where I can get a fully functional (with or without OS, i don't care) X220 for under $100? I've seen em for as low as $120 but maybe I'm not looking in the right places

Nice older Thinkpads are already getting more expensive as people catch on. The same thing happened with many computers such as the 12" Powerbook G4.

I broke my keyboard for the X220 where can I get a cheap one? I need it delivered to Ireland

Just got a T430i for 120€. Going to upgrade it with an i5-3320m and maybe an SSD that I might have laying around.

Pretty good price in euroland, I think.

Why didn't lenovo but a full sized SD card reader into their X1 Carbon?

because lenovo is jewish.

Buy the USB3.0/thunderbolt dock, silly goy :3

>X1 Carbon

Overpriced

Because
>muh thin and light

Buy a real Thinkpad next time.

There are other thin laptops with full sized sd card slots so what is their excuse?

So you're telling me that now stinks has webcams on it...? hmm

...

Yeah, but those laptops are slightly less thin and weigh slightly more.

In this market it's all about saving that last 0.1mm

The HP offering (the middle one) is the superior option.
X1 carbon is shit.

9470m > X1 carbon > dell piece of shit

www3.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-5th-Generation/p/22TP2TXX15G

I don't need it... I don't need it

Can vouch this is a great panel although it needs calibration out of the box. Probably the best tn i've seen.

>still has RJ45
Good.

How much would you pay fore a librebooted T400? (500GB HDD, 4gb RAM, Atheros 802.11n chip, 1440x900)

$100

100USD max if condition is good

Nice poor man's Macbook Pro lol.

Disregarding the keyboard layout and slightly inferior trackpoint, it absolutely destroys the X1.

>Panasonic Lets Note Kaby Lake refreshes
>16:10 12.1" notebook with blu ray drive
>still only available in Japan
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

>that trackpad

Import now for only 87235283458962 dollars.

Why do the fucking japanese keep their best toys japan-only? Computers, electronics, cars, even fucking watches.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

What is the most current vision and when is the newest vision cumming out?

yes, that might be better than the first gen x1 when it came out

x1 gens 3-5 have each been the best respective portable laptop of the year of their release