/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).

>New to /tpg/ or looking for purchasing advice? (hint: use the advice request template, it makes life easier)
pastebin.com/nBqTEbHn

>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 HP Elitebook (2570p, 8770W, 2170p), Dell Latitude/Precision (E6430, E6440, E7440) and P, T, X, and W SERIES if you want the Real Business Experience™

>Recommended models and mod guide:
pastebin.com/jVSuE175

>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

Hey, xsauc, wherever you are, do you still have your s70?

Would you be interested if I shoved a thinkpad pen up my pooper and took a pic?

not really

yes

Buying a T420 today. I can't decide between one with a i5 2.4ghz or one with a i7 2.7ghz.

Last Thinkpad I had was the i7 and it practically caught on fire and bricked itself one day, so I'm hesitant to get the same specs again and have the same thing happen. Can the T420 really support the i7?

I'm running a T420 that I swapped out the processor in with an i7-2720QM. It had a dual core i5 that was slow as fuck before that.

eh
both are the same unless you swap it like

How do I find a T430 with an HD+ instead of a standard HD display? Most refurbs I see have an HD display, but several reviewers have said they've gotten ones with HAD+ displays.

HD+, no HAD

Just bought a used w520 with 32gb of RAM. Going through with a processor upgrade to 2960xm with a 55w heatsink as well. Any other good upgrades?

Thanks, that pretty much confirms what I had read. Just going to go with the i5 and replace it if need be in the future. I have an SSD and 16GB RAM anyway, no need to quibble.

So I need a laptop that will hopefully last me all four years of college, and I was thinking a t470 would be great. Is it okay for me to use the employee perks link in the OP? Or am i gonna get sued or something. Also, general thoughts on the t470?

Time for some thinkpad pron

...

Yo fuckers. This backpack. Good or what

Are there any other brands to consider outside of thinkpads. I am looking for something like a t420 but if there are similar laptops I would be willing to try them out. I want something that is easily upgradeable.

if the laptop sleeve is padded then it's good, if it's just a flimsy sleeve like most other cheap backpacks then it's shit, that is how I judge them anyways

literally in the OP

>Recommended models and mod guide:
What a piece of shit pastebin
>no mention of c2d era quadcore mod
>no x61 or T60 or T61 mods
Recommended? More like plebemended.

Updated it yourself then shitlord

nice user

>literally in the OP
I saw those and was curious if there was any more.

I own 2 T400s I'm gonna libreboot the one and core 2 quad modify the second

you haven't read the links in the op.
no stop being a faggot and read them.

Anyone replaced a T430 screen with a replacement/compatible grade Alienware screen?
If so, how was it, and if not, do you think it will be a bad move?

Poverty thinkpadder here, only have a T61 with the crapout nvidia.

I'm absolutely fucked on cash right now but I think the gpu is going, where do I go from here without leaving the master race?

Never come back if buying laptops with dGPU was a good idea to you since you bought one.

It was a gift for university back in the day, I didn't have a say in the matter. Everything was aces for years anyways, until the gpu died and I had to swap out the mobo because you can't take the damn gpu off.

If this one dies and I replace it will be the fourth goddamn mobo this goddamn ship of theseus has gone through.

You could've replaced the mobo with the non-dgpu one.

I have an in with the tech desk at the uni, they give me essentially free replacement parts but they're all from the same config they sold back in the day. So I just burn through shitty dgpus but as a side effect I never get a better machine. It's a dangerous place to be.

Im having a really hard time finding a cheap T430 or X220 which are highly praised by Sup Forums.

Are there any other ThinkPad models that are approved by you guys? Im talking T61 etc etc.

The machine would be running on linux and mainly used for programming, studying, films and browsing.

T61 are ok if not dated should you have the 15" version with flexview screen, otherwise its resolution is rather lacking for watching anything. Also avoid models with the nvidia gpu because they have soldering defects that cause the device to fail once it shits itself.

Unless your import tax is overpriced third world tier you should just get a T420/430 off ebay.

how long does your memepad's battery last on idle?
thinking of getting one

Budget: infinite
Location: doesn't matter
Size: big
Performance: good
Other requirements: nice keyboard

P71
W701ds

My X230 lasts seven hours with a 6cell, ssd, 12gb of RAM, and Winblows 10

I can't decide between crux and slackware.

>t430
>can barely run for 5 minutes under stress without throttling
>praised
this piece of shit throttles worse than my macbok from the same year
and my macbook has a quadcore cpu and a gt 650m

>enjoy my thinkpad very much
>have no reason to take it outside

>not taking your thinkpad where ever you go
Why?

i just got a cheap third party car charger for my t420. i hope it won't fry my laptop, i'm already emotionally attached to it.

Guys there has to be some kind of software that I can use to change the order in which batteries are used on laptops. I want to buy an ultrabay battery to extend my usage but I heard it goes to that one first and then goes to use the main battery which is bullshit.

something is wrong with your thinkpad then retard

YES DO IT

what could he possibly be doing?

I've had an x220 for a while now but thinking of moving to a T440/450 thoughts?

Checking his email, looking at inane websites people send him, telling people that having kids isn't important, looking up parrot porn, trying to convince people that necrophilia is okay... Who knows.

I have a T430 with i7 and Nvidia GPU. It has plenty of processing power for me so I wouldn't really need a new one, but I googled and found out that there's really no IPS screens available for that model and the default screen is pretty bad (1600x900 though). From the newer generations, which one is the least crappy compared to T430? I like the keyboard and sturdiness and everything. A longer battery life would be a great bonus. Are the newer models so bad that it's better to wait for the retro Thinkpad first?

change your paste/fan
nobody said thinkpads dont require maintenance

I mean assuming youre not shitty bait as usual

>being this fucking autistic
wew you fit in just right you faggot

if youve got the HD+ screen just get the alienware screen
its the closest thing to ips

Can someone give me some details about the TP customization? I understand its very easy to work with and I am thinking of getting an x230t.

How easy is it to switch / add an SSD or change battery's on such a device?

G40 fag here, any of you lot mind being my tech support for my T42?

I borked the install on accident trying to remove a second half baked installation of windows XP. So i went to just install XP sp3 again.

So standard fresh XP feel, nothing extra on there, literally just the bare essentials, not even MSpaint on the bitch. I move my wifi adapter drivers over and they install just fine.
Except that when i look into the network connections, the hardware isnt there. Doesnt show in the taskbar, doesnt show in the control panel. Device manager says its working properly.
What do?

If i can get wifi i can fix everything else.

Any suggestions?
Im going to try installing lubuntu 12.04 (because of PAE reasons, ill upgrade) and see if that can at least let me shitpost on it. But i want XP for autocad and a few other windows only programs i use

Do i get it guys? I only need it for college work, streaming movies and stuff but I want it to last a long time.

The T430 screen is apparently one of the worst Thinkpad have made. The 1366 x 768 screen will be difficult to replace with something better but for an i7 and 8GB ram it could be worse.. though certainly better

needs ssd but it should be powerful enough and last a few more years comfortably (except the battery probably)

Do you know a better alternative for a similar price?

How much should I pay for an X220 battery? $100 for OEM on Amazon sound right? I read not to buy them secondhand.

For the UK, that is a good buy i'd say. Best similar option is an X230, but I've never seen one listed which is more than the i5-3320m

they're like $70 on amazon

>get used t510
>replace battery with a (((genuine))) one from amazon
>6 months pass
>unplug my laptop just now, 100% charged
>spend 13 (thirteen) minutes watching a youtube video
>goes down to 25% or so battery
>a few seconds later
>drops totally dead with absolutely no warning

Should I just kill myself?

The macbook pro with retina display does not have this problem.

L-l-ll-L-L-LEWD!!!!

DELET THIS!!

already have
twice

probably was a new (never opened) battery that just sat there doing nothing and the cells died.
t420 uses the exact same screens
and the stock t520/30 and x220/30 screens are just as dogshit
only the screens on the w520/30 and ips model x220/30s dont look like dogshit

Not sure on X230T, but I have an X230, and changing the HDD to an SSD took literally three minutes. There's a port on the side you pop open and slide your SSD into after removing one screw. So easy.

Changing the RAM is similarly easy, though I think there were three screws.

SUPER easy to customize.

oh, and you also just pop the battery out like you would from a remote or something. so easy.

I scored a working complete T520 for $90 shipped on ebay. keep looking.

just got a t410 with 8gb ram for 30 euros (34 dollars)
how did I do for a eu

got a x230t (i7 version though) with classic keyboard and 500gb ssd ask away

I come from the other /tpg/ ( ), I think we have more in common than just a name

we should be friends

Be warned, the X230t doesn't accept a 9cell battery IIRC.

That GPU you like is going to come back in style

did you flash the embedded controller to make the keys work properly?

I bought it from a seller that didnt know this was not the original keyboard. I asked him things but he thought I was just saying random things, sadly. but I mentioned it to let everybody know it is possible.

if you think about doing this to a x230t hmu before doing it please.

I got an standard x230 I'm intending to mod

Do they not care HOW evil coop escaped out of a federal prison?

Ok, so what's the deal with Intel 530/535 SSDs?
Anyone had issue with number of NAND writes being 8x higher than host writes?
inb4
>go to ssd general
530/535 can be found in thinkpads, so that's probably the best place to ask

How much did you pay / how much should i pay for a battery and new SSD?
Im buying mine 2nd hand from a guy who says it saw 2 years of mininal use, how does the Laptop hold after 2 years performance and battery wise?

What should I look for when I see the laptop? Major issues I should avoid buying it because of?

Would you guys recommend a w530 over a t430?
Never seen the w series mentioned here. I really loathe the garbage tn panels in the t series

yes, it's much more powerful and doesn't overheat.
Plus it has 1920x1080 option.

for a standard x230 is recommended. find a good guide the x230t brings some problems with it.

>how much did you pay
a year ago i paid 230 euros for a i7 x230t it had 4gb ram and a 320hdd

i think I overpayed a bit but overal been a nive experience

>battery
no idea how it was before I had it and on windows
I use gnu linux and it holds for a few hours while playing runescape.

>performence
althought the cpu runs hot sometimes the performence is great. and with the ssd its been a super snappy experience.

>what should I look for
screen burn in is what I have and hate
my screen also died like a week or 2 ago it works on startup but dies when the cpu heats up
the cpu is probably the cause of the defect

overal thought
only buy these if you need the touchscreen (i7 only works with stylus not fingers) or get a great ass deal
performance is good
batterylife has been okay for me

ssd prices are apart from thinkpads they are expensive nothing can change that sadly

i think the majority prefers the w520

I personally love the w series and have been looking for a w530 for a good while

Im getting it now for 240$, its pretty cheap for me seeing as Im buying it in Israel.

Im getting it since its the best specs for price I found on the 2nd hand market (i7 - 8gb ram) and its super easy to work with and change battery / SSD if I want to.

recalibrate the battery

Another question if I may.
The x230t comes with 320gb HDD, if I want to add an SSD do I need to swap them out, or can I just add another one on top of it?

I just want it for the Windows so itll come up faster, I'll use the HDD for storage.

So, why don't you own Thinkpad X1 Hybrid?
It has both i7 x86 cpu with 16GB RAM and dual core ARM cpu with 16GB ssd and 1GB RAM.
Don't you want to use two OS in the same time?

Is there a thinkpad peripheral that can measure the volume of my urine into a medical portable urinal?

First time I've ever heard of it
Sounds like a shit idea that cost a lot and did nothing

S O L D E R E D
O
L
D
E
R
E
D

So?
There is no ULV alternative to what you already have in this laptop, and the probability of RAM failure is close to 0 anyway.

>on top
no it takes 1 drive you van cheat more drives into it but that requires a dock

yes you can get an mSATA SSD

you really should just ditch the HDD though

recommend me laptop for gamedev!
14"-15.6"
less than 500€

help

Budget: $~700, however i am lenient if it's a good deal
Location: USA
Size: Using it for school, so portability helps!
Performance: using it for programming, so only processing power is important. Very likely no games
Other requirements: Maximum portability if possible. I have a desktop at home, so I will not be needing to use it off campus

Budget: Up to 700$ but the less the better
Location: Poland
Size:I don't really care much
Performance:A good i5 (I'm afraid that i7 will eat up too much power when unplugged), at least 8GB ram and dedicated GPU (for some normie games so I think that 2GB card will suffice).
I want it to be shitposting machine that will last 5 years at most. I don't really care much about resolution, it can be 1366x768.

Just got my boss a Thinkpad X230.

>go to meeting with boss after finishing book
>going to brag with my 220
>"user, that's a nice laptop, how much?"
>"Not for sale, why, you need a lappy?"
>"I am going on vacation and I need something for work while I'm away. My only laptop is 15 inches and it's almost 6lbs"
>look for refurbs for 30 secs
>go there
>buy

My boss told me he had one in the past and loved it, but it got slow. Too bad he hasn't got it anymore, I could breathe some new life.

Who did you convert to the TPG cult today, guys?

What does the e at the end of certain Thinkpad models mean?

it-bazar.cz
gigacomputers.cz

Divide price by 7-ish (if I recall correctly) for Zloty

X220, can recommend
>12.5in screen
>with largest battery 8 hours no prob
>8GB possible RAM (got that, dunno if more is possible)
>i5, 3.1GHz
>used it for ffmpegging a 120min movie, does it at 1.6 the speed of the movie (hardcoding subtitles into MP4 file)

All around great laptop. I use it for translations, so zathura+WPS side-by-side and it's like Greased lightning.

do you think the t470 is worth upgrading to?