/tpg/: ThinkPad General

IRC: #/tpg/ on irc.rizon.net

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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 SERIES if you want the Real Business Experience™

Recommended IBM models:
X60, X61, T60, T61, 860, Transnote, PC110

Recommended old models:
X200, W500

Recommended modern models:
X220 - 12", 768x1366, cheap and light
T420 - 14", 900x1600, easy to obtain, ideal size, socketed CPU, Ivy Bridge installable after Coreboot flash
T520 - 15", 1080p, Quadcore-CPUs
W520 - 15", 1080p, Desktop Replacement, 32GB RAM possible, USB 3.0

Last good models:
X230 - 12", USB 3.0, IPS option avaiable, classic keyboard installable
T440p - 14", last ThinkPad to have replacable CPUs, 1080p IPS displays avaiable
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Why ThinkPad?
>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

New guides by xsauc:
dankpads.com

ThinkWiki - Info on ThinkPads and running GNU/Linux on them:
thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki

ThinkPad service guides w/ tutorial videos:
lenovoservicetraining.com/

ThinkPad wallpaper collection:
imgur.com/a/NlepZ

ThinkPad BIOS splash screen collection:
biosimage.booru.org/index.php

Other urls found in this thread:

51nb.com/benzhanshiye/2017-06-08/83668.html
ebay.com/usr/plainname?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
archive.org/details/x201_bios_mod_flash_usb.img.7z
download.lenovo.com/eol/
twitter.com/NSFWRedditGif

What sort of aftermarket upgrade options exist for the x200/x200s? I love my x200s, but I feel like giving it some love.

Any screen mods? Does 51np make a replacement mobo for this model?

Just bought a x240 for this reason. Terrible screen.

How does one find a legit 1080p screen upgrade for a T420 without being chinked?

The viewing angles are pretty garbo, I agree. Such a tiny and light laptop tho...

Fuck I meant T520

aesthetic

FML

Just replaced the wireless lan card on my T460 in order to get wifi on my Hackintosh but now the T460 won't boot anymore and it just gives 1-3-3-1 beep sequence

What to do?

are there any scripts that script dock behaviour?

Help me decide /tpg/. Now using a T400, core2duo P8700 (2.53 Ghz), 4GB, 320 HHD. I'm looking for more snappy response, the boot times yes, but mainly the time it gets from opening programs to when you can start working. Eclipse with lots of plugins, 2-3 browsers, etc. I run automated tests, eclipse runs instances of browsers, runs tests and closes them.

Should I get an SSD (samsung 850 evo 500GB).

Or upgrade the machine? Been considering a T440p: i5-4300M (2.6 Ghz), 8GB, HDD. If I go here no SSD for a while.

Is there a way to get digital video-out from an X61, or is VGA the only option?

Need some info on this myself. Just bought my first X200 after owning a T420s for about a month.

You're better off getting an X200 with displayport on the dock.

The best aftermarket upgrade for an X200 is libreboot. It will double your vRAM capacity and let you add any wifi card you want, such as an atheros AR9380.

For me it's the x201

>touchpad
>not libreboot-compatible
dropped

Why would anyone buy this over an X200? Are you retarded?

Well they are planning to make a Mobo for the x201 but it probably will fit inside an x200
51nb.com/benzhanshiye/2017-06-08/83668.html

Get an SSD for now, continue using the T400 then later down the road you can consider upgrading to a t440p when they will be cheaper and you can take the SSD out of your T400 and slap it into the T440p.

That is a Ram or Mainboard failure issue. Have you tried removing it and removing cmos battery then holding power button with the battery removed?

why is x200 better?
t. x201 owner

I already tried to remove the ram and put back on but it didnt work. It beeps the same error even without RAM. I did take the CMOS battery off but I didnt press the power button after that

What do you think would be the best external GPU to pair with the T420?

>no shitty trackpad
>libreboot

Not him but you can replace the wristrest with the X200 one

I like my trackpad thank you very muchly
libreboot would be nice I admit

>LOL bro, linux is much faster than botnet 10.
>using winshit on a thinkpad

>tfw windows 10 gets me at least twice or three times as much battery life than ubuntu on my x230

>tfw used to get the same
>tfw quadcore lost me hours in ubuntu, barely anything in Windows

>just get a non-touchpad palmrest
>freetard tranny shit lmao

Windows 7 vs 10 in terms of battery life?

Don't care about >botnet

I've got an x200 with the dock, and I have the dock hooked up to my 2560x1080 monitor. Can recommend.

windows 10 is better battery life-wise, unless it constantly does updates and fucks the disk up

What's wrong with HAVING a trackpad? It's not like you lose something. You still have the buttons and the nipple.

What's the hype around thinkpads? Their design is horrible by today's standards.

Are the colored-plastic ThinkPads coming from
ebay.com/usr/plainname?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
From lenovo or are they aftermarket?

How so?

I think I'm gonna go with the ssd then, cheers.

If the guy using his thinkpad outside the 251 offices sees this, write Sup Forums on the whiteboard outside the offices

>in this moment I am euphoric

Hi again. The user who did the bootable USB X201 (and other thinkpads probably) BIOS flasher here.
I uploaded that archive to archive.org like someone suggested; I also emailed the thinkwiki maintainer (I think; it was hard to tell due to the munging if I got the right address) and haven't heard back a week later. Someone told me to add it to the wiki; can anyone help me to register?

BTW the flasher is at archive.org/details/x201_bios_mod_flash_usb.img.7z

For anyone who wasn't here a week or so ago, it's got the modded X201 BIOS ROM with the whitelist removed, and it's packaged up with FreeDOS and Lenovo's own bootable CD's flasher program (the DOS Phoenix BIOS flasher). I did this because I don't have windows and I don't have an optical drive for my X201. And even if I did have an optical drive, the original BIOS modder who did the whitelist removal did not include the DOS flasher or anything besides the Windows flashing program, and the original Lenovo bootable CD has an autoexec.bat set up so you can't make it flash the ROM of your own choosing.

Always good to see nice clean Model M's.

Are your status LEDs deleted or did it come like that?

On the Model M? Came like that. I borrowed it from my IBM 3161 terminal since i rarely get a chance to use it anymore and it's the best feeling of all my M's.
On my thinkpad? I electrical taped over them because they're too bright with the lights out.

Your palm hits the palmrest or the buttons, and even if it doesn't you have to hover over it uncomfortably or else disable the touchpad and live with the bump under your palm or the buckling of the buttons under your palm's weight.

>by today's standards.
And I'm glad that's the case, glued and soldered non-repairable ultrathin shit for homosexuals belongs into the trash.

*Palm hits the _touchpad_ or the buttons

Do any of you know of the issue where the laptop constantly turn on/turn off the screen?
I can force the screen on again by moving that mouse.
But it will turn off after 1-2 seconds.

It's like my laptop is broken, but it's definitely some software issue, maybe even a virus/malware. Because the laptop is fine when it asks for password at the BIOS during start up.

OS?

My guess in any case is the lid switch is gone bad, putting your computer in sleep mode because you didn't disable that and manually suspend your computer.

Windows 8.1.

The Power option is configured so closing my lid does nothing. At least it shouldn't do anything.

I remember dealing with this a year or two ago. It's some sort of software issue, maybe even a setting, either in windows or Lenovo tools. Sorry I can't be more helpful but you can probably google an answer.

Ebay

Win 10
Better better battery options also more optimized for ultrabooks and tablets so better battery

@62496633
Shit bait

I just tried with an external monitor, same issue. It's some sort of software signal that tells the screen to shut down after 1 second no matter if my laptop is idling or active.
It's definitely malicious.

I can restore it to factory settings, but this really sucks because it's difficult as hell to evacuate my Data when the screen can only flash on 1-2 seconds at a time.

Weird. I can counter the problemby holding down left mouse button.

Maybe it's just a Microsoft screw-up. No malware can be this incompetent, this is definitely smelling of microsoft.

Redpill me on the W530, I can get one with a quad core i7 for 400 bux

What laptop, then?
I'm a linux user so I've not had to deal with that one, but I might be able to figure something out.

How long usually new thinkpad battery last over 80% capacity?

it's heavy
it's 15 inch
it's a thinkpad
it's a quadcore
it costs 400 dollars
it has an i7
it is black
it can be upgraded to 1080p
it works
it's big
it is still relevant

Can you get ANY more generic?
How many cells does the battery have? Is it one with good cells from the factory, or a cheap shitty knockoff?
What laptop is it?
Do you mean hours of operation, or hours since installation?
Do you plan to let it sit unused for any length of time?
Do you charge it to 100% or try to keep it closer to 35-65% of capacity (better for battery in the long run)?

got an SSD in the t400 and installed windows 7 with the key it came with. now what? It's just a laptop :(

It's some really old model, I'm actually not sure because the stickers are all gone.

Anyway I figured out a temporary bypass and I'm just going to factory reset the thing.

Well, if you showed us a photo some autist would be able to tell us.

>it can be upgraded to 1080p
>it works
>it is still relevant
good, that's all I needed to know. I think that one comes with 1080p btw. I need it for Civil 3D and can't really afford a 17'

There are so many battery sizes, no one can possibly answer this.

>Now what?
Install an OS that isn't shit.

x230 so official 9cell or 6cell battery.

>generic

9 cell up to 8 hours from my experience

A while.
I'm not in the habit of running a stopwatch to see how long it takes my battery to deplete, but I can say that my X201's 9-cell battery is still lasting at least 5-8 hours after three years of use

OS/2 here i come

mader

I'm think about buying t420, but still kinda on the fence whether its worth it or not.
>14" (1600 x 900) 16:9 Wide
> Intel® Core™ i5-2520M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.20 GHz)
>4GB DDR3
>320GB SATA
>NViadia NVS 4200
>Camera: 1,3Mpix
>DVD-RW
>USB - 3x, 3G slots- 1x, Display Port ( equivalent for HDMI ) - 1x, VGA - 1x, Card Reader- 1x, FireWire/1394 - 1x
>9 months warranty
>220 euro
>pic related

Planning on using it for school.
How would that handle 3ds max, solidworks, autocad, AE, photoshop?
Is the nvidia gpu listed above better than Intel® HD Graphics 3000?
Two different machines both with same specs beside the gpu, the nvidia one is 20 bucks more expensive.

Also how is t420s compared to t420?
I'm looking at this t420s and im not sure which one would be more worth it
>Intel® Core™ i5-2520M Processor 3M Cache, up to 3.20 GHz
>RAM 8.00 Gb Ddr3
>14.1
>Nvidia Quadro NVS 4200 M ,intel 3000 and resolution at max1600x900p
>250Gb Sata 7200
>batery above 4.40 hours on Windows
>Camera,HDMI,3G,WIFI,2USB3,Vga,Card Reader,DVd RW.bluethoot
>6 months warranty
>210 euro

>it is a battery
>it is in a thinkpad
>how long will it last?
This does not specify anything about what model, what battery, or anything else remotely useful.
He could be trying to get 10 hours of charge out of a Thinkpad 380 running OS/2 for all we know.

pic for t420s

Lol, I thought about mentioning OS/2 in my post. Linux or OS/2 is what I meant. Linux if you want to get SOME shit done, OS/2 if you just want something interesting to play with.
It'll do alright. Nvidia would probably be better, but IDK if the T420 had problems with ROHS solder breaking connections with the GPU like some older laptops did.

>t420
* a bit heavier
* non soldered upgradeable processor
>t420s
* can't use a 9-cell battery
* cpu soldered to the board
* has a FHD IPS kit that works if you manage to get one

The word you're looking for is "vague", not "generic"

>not owning a reflow station
joke's on you lmfao

Thinkpad is generic for a broad range of machines made by two different corporations over two decades. Go fuck yourself, you knew what I meant.

i'd rather pay an autist like you to do it

actually i'd like to find someone with one, making something retarded like an x201 with an XM processor would be cool

>an XM processor
that's a socketed processor moron
also I don't have a reflow station, all I have is banter

ur mum is a socketed processor m8

where is the user manual for t400 not that autistic service manual. lenovo likes to hide t400 shit for some fucking reason

kek

they hid X201 stuff recently too saying it was "EOL" and therefore go fuck yourself if you try to look up your serial number.
download.lenovo.com/eol/

it took me like 30 minutes to realize there is a tiny switch for the wifi. Fuck me right lenovo

>IDK if the T420 had problems with ROHS solder breaking connections with the GPU like some older laptops did.
not sure what that means, does the gpu disconnects on its own or what?
so the t420 is overall better, but heavier which is for the table to worry about

>Last night I James Bond Hamburger your sister
???

Some old laptops (especially around 2007) would have the lead-free shitty solder crack and the GPU would have connections with the motherboard broken.

in the end I saved some money and bought a x200 for 129€. it has 4gb of ram and I'll swap the hdd with a 120G ssd I have somewhere. since I got a x200 is it really worth it to flash the bios with that libreboot thing?

Is any Thinkpad with a more modern GPU than the 730m in the "affordable" range?

is it possible to get 15" UXGA IPS screens for the T60 anymore? there seem to be a couple on ebay, but they do not appear to be genuine lenovo parts.

or - is the 14.1" T60 with the SXGA+ any good?

can that be repaired? can i fix it somehow?

It actually means I bondburgered your sister

It's not as bad as what your mom did.

>your mom likes to dog tree my dick

I don't get it.

>Your mom likes to Hamster Broccoli my dick
???

hey my T530 has an issue with the fan, are there multiple model types for the fans or is there one universal type?

>dog

>Your mom likes to gerbil broccoli my dick
what?

there's an igpu and a dgpu version for most thinkpads, installing the dgpu version might reduce temps a bit if you use it with an igpu-only setup