Old Thread: If you're looking for purchase advice, state your budget and requirements (e.g. size and performance). >>Don't buy anything OTHER THAN IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T, X, and W/P Series if you want the Real Business Experience™ >>Other business laptops are also welcome in /tpg/ (Dell Latitude/Precision, HP EliteBook/ZBook).
Recommended IBM models: >600 series, IPS T4x or 755 series Recommended modern models: >X220 - 12", 768p, cheap and light >T420 - 14", 900p, widely available, socketed CPU, Ivy Bridge installable w/ Coreboot >W520 - 15", 1080p, Desktop Replacement, 32GB RAM on quadcore models, USB 3.0 >T440p, T540p, W540 - last ThinkPads to have replaceable CPUs, IPS displays available, chiclet >P series - reminiscent to old build quality, top-of-the-line specs, better than most current mobile workstations, but very expensive.
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 (most models), upgrade & maintain thanks to readily available service manuals for every model, spare parts easy & cheap to obtain >The best TrackPoint, great for those who type a lot or hate swiping their fingers all over a touchpad >Excellent GNU/Linux & *BSD support
Hey, I wanna buy a MacBook. Never used a Mac for more than a few minutes, would like to have one to dick around. Something Intel, and that can take a somewhat modern OSX.
no way, look at that massive chunk of plastic missing. Huge crack.
Keyboard is worn to shit. Trackpad worn to shit.
SSD is probably worn out with like 5% health left.
Dont buy this.
Juan White
He owns a bulk amount of them, I doubt I'd be getting the one pictured.
Christian Lee
that laptop is worth $100 in that condition. It might get $120 from an idiot on ebay.
Charles Barnes
>nice condition
Um the keyboard is terrible Trackpad is terrible case is LITERALLY broken! lmao
worthles
Christopher Gomez
If I were you, I'd find a cheaper x220 (possibly even a x230) and just buy the ssd separately.
It would definitely be cheaper.
Levi Reyes
oh you will get that or worse
Kevin Thompson
...
Jonathan Nguyen
this unless its a t440s, spend a bit more for a nice clean one. They are good laptops.
Ryder Baker
What about replacing the panel? Is it worth it?
Ryder Rogers
...
Thomas Morales
this reaction pic is so fucking funny holy shit
Austin Turner
I'm glad you enjoy it user
Caleb Lopez
I never went about replacing mine, but I assume that if you really care about it, then yeah, it's worth it.
Caleb Thomas
IPS looks great, but TN can still be *good enough* if you're just browsing, typing, etc. despite all the bitching tpg does about it. output to your tv or monitor if you gotta watch a movie on a nice display
what i'd do is get whatever x220 or x230 i can find that's cheapest and in best shape, live with the TN but keep an eye out for a cheap IPS replacement down the road
Landon Morris
how long do the touchpads (the black one) last on T430s before they start going on all shiny and smooth from wear?
Jaxson Jackson
I'm looking at the pics and I'm not seeing that "the case is literally broken"... You mean the crack above the mic mute or what?
Matthew Wright
They'll last forever if you don't use them.
Ayden Mitchell
they last forever you you don't use them in favor of the superior trackpoint. kidding aside it takes a few years, and it's just a sticker on top that can be peeled off and replaced whenever you feel like freshening it up
Noah Scott
don't buy a fucking x220 for $285 you mong
Adrian Evans
The stick is shit. I always peel mine off anyway.
Thomas Kelly
kinda worried guys, just got my T430 early this week.
when i was using it last night a few times this white pixelated line showed up vertically on my screen. It'd disappear after a few minutes, but it was still bothersome. any ideas?
Dominic Richardson
try reseating the display cable
Mason Williams
this
Pay $100 for a base x220 (better condition too) and upgrade it...
Grayson Williams
how do i trackpoint? i try navigating with it and it seems awkward
Levi Wilson
Threadly reminder to blacklist idab and T440s
Brayden Stewart
git gud
Caleb Ramirez
Why are you being rude? What have I done wrong? Be nice and spead love, not hate.
Owen Roberts
Disable the trackpad in your bios. You'll get used to trackpoint after an hour.
Jackson Anderson
Any processor recommendation for moderate productivity? Does model of i5 really matter too much?
Grayson Richardson
not really. for dual core mobile and ulv, there's like a ~10% spread between the base i5 and the top i7 within a given generation. quad core mobile i7 is where things get interesting but it's probably overkill for regular laptop usage
Anthony Cooper
The default processor should be good enough for most tasks.
SSD+8gb of ram should be enough for just about anyone looking to increase the speed of their x220/x230.
Kayden Lee
basically a 2520m/3320m/4300u will do you right. 3320m is probably the most "optimal" power/price choice
Hudson Martin
dunno about that, x230s have been rising in prices and rapidly at that in ebay for some reason. decent specs selling for $250 easy nowadays
John Morgan
yeah its some bullshit i agree. must be those reddit fucks caught wind of the keyboard swap and decided its the cool new model so they're overbidding like idiots
>tfw 2570p poster was right
John Anderson
i7 for mobile gayming and VMs i5 for regular internet browsing shit
Ayden King
I told you this will happen, and it's in your best interest to mention 2570p in /tpg/.
Anthony Hughes
What should I check when buying a used Thinkpad IRL?
BIOS lock and battery wear level, anything else? How do I check the battery, assuming the Thinkpad is running windows? Lenovo Power Manager if W7, Lenovo Settings if W10, or is there any portable software for that too?
Brandon Anderson
that said, i'm still seeing a few around $150, just without bullshit "upgrades" to drive the price up: >old half-dead 120gb ssd just to say "has an ssd!" >"8gb ram! a single 4gb stick we pulled off a dead unit worth an extra $50 on the sticker value, right?" >"ips screen!" *$150 markup because fuck you*
Juan Nelson
disk wear, AT/computrace status
Luis Wilson
check battery with any linux distro that has a live usb boot. just run "inxi -B"
Jaxon Lopez
even the 4gb/no hdd/no battery/no ac adapters x230 are selling for 130-150 bucks regularly in auctions. buying everything to make it a functioning laptop would bring you up to 300, 400 if you want the IPS screen upgrade
Austin Howard
what is the GOAT finger placement for using the trackpoint? I'm a righty
Julian Bell
I'm not the same guy that posted the link. I'm just saying I can't see the massive hole in the case everyone else seems to see so easily. The side of the lid is just the paint peeling.
Kayden Ortiz
home row + left thumb on left left and right thumb on the button for scrolling
Luis Lewis
left button*
Ryan Long
/comfy/
Justin Nelson
If I install coreboot and an ivy bridge processor in my t420 can I fix the spectre/meltdown security exploits?
Carson Cooper
You've been told multiple times already that you won't be able to apply the patch to your BIOS if running coreboot
Caleb Jones
I'm getting my hands on a HP EliteBook 2730p as a trade for a shitty pos tablet because it has locked bios
Are Core 2 Duo laptops still viable in this day and age when it comes to playing 720p/1080p videos and normal web browsing?
I plan to primarily use it for note taking, word processing, drawing and watching anime
Dylan Powell
Do I get a mint condition x230 for $150 cash tomorrow? 4gb ram. i5
But battery is shot.
Austin Clark
Oh my bad. Battery works fine for $150.
Ryan Rodriguez
install a SSD and you'll have no issues with 1080p video. I don't have one (yet), and I can watch 720p jewtube videos with almost no frame drops
Isaac Green
I just bought a T460s i5 6300u 256 SSD 8 GB DDR4 FHD for $455.00. Seller only uploaded three photos, but it looked pretty clean, espically the palm rest which I feel is a decent indicator of how much use it has seen. Hoping for a decent battery. Did I do good? Worth it to go to 16 GB?
Leo Nelson
Don't they use a fuckin tiny HDDs in them though? Or do they support mSata SSDs?
Carson Baker
yes, it uses 1.8' drives. no idea about mSATA ssd's though.
>AT/computrace status even if it's enabled, it can be disabled fwir, amirite?
>just run "inxi -B" this thing doesn't tell me anything about the battery on my current non-thinkpad, why is that? will it actually tell me something on whatever thinkpad?
What I bought: >x220 in good cosmetic condition >Regular TN panel >4gb RAM >320GB HDD >Functional battery $175
What improvements should I consider? Here's my plan: >add another 4GB RAM >throw in an SSD
John Collins
don't fall for the ssd meme. just upgrade to a 750GB hdd, or 1tb
Logan Lopez
How is it a meme? Unless the 2nd gen i5 will somehow bottleneck the SSD, I've had wonderful results with SSDs in my desktop.
Jack Nelson
SSD's are a bit faster than HDDs, but have way less memory and are a lot more expensive.
Easton Sullivan
I won't be storing much on the laptop itself, so faster load times would be a QoL improvement.
Brody Anderson
Is there a way to make my non backlit ansi keyboard backlit using my backlit iso keyboard? Both are x230 keyboard
Non backlit Ansi + backlit Iso = backlit ansi?
Grayson Powell
no
Brayden Perez
What's the oldest Windows that an X61 can run without going into drivers problems?
Windows 2000 maybe?
Brandon Watson
I took meant -b, because picrelated. how do I get them arguments?
Chase Turner
maybe you have an older version . i think i remember "-M" working a version ortwo back
Levi Parker
Getting about 3 hours of battery on this used T420. The model # of the battery is 42T4763, which I'm told is 6 cell. Seems like a budget battery so I'm not surprised by the lackluster results.
Any suggestions on a 9 cell battery and what kind of battery life I should expect from an upgrade? The official batteries cost more than I paid for the entire unit.
Jack Carter
Is the T430s with i7-3520m still good for programming and general use in 2018?
Carter Stewart
it'll be fine
Henry King
>HDD or SSD why not both?
mSATA for boot and programs and 320GB HDD for storage
Logan Harris
>older version. nope, I installed inxi just now.
by the way, what is this "date" here"? would be a bit odd if it were the date when the laptop was first turned on, because it's from 2010.
Juan Russell
Isn't mSATA limited to SATA II speeds?
Robert Harris
Anyone use TLP battery charge thresholds? Are they applied at the hardware level meaning if I dual boot with Windows 7 will it have the thresholds applied?
Kevin Williams
using HDD limits you even more
SATA II is fine
Parker Morris
sata2 is still pretty fast for every day use. you probably won't tell the difference >inb4 that guy who always jumps in to say sata2 is too slow every fucking time this is brought up
Kevin Carter
Get the SSD and get an mSata SSD as well. Totally worth it.
Carson Parker
werks in solus. maybe its a plugin the ubuntu build doesnt have
