/tpg/ - ThinkPad General

Old Thread: PSA: filter idab.

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 not welcome in /tpg/ (Dell Latitude/Precision, HP EliteBook/ZBook).

Recommended freedom models:
>T60, X60; X200, T400/500
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

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

>Used laptop guides by xsauc:
dankpads.com
>ThinkWiki - Info on ThinkPads & running GNU/Linux on them:
thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki
>ThinkPad service guides w/ tutorial videos:
lenovoservicetraining.com/
>EPP discount for new ThinkPads:
pastebin.com/JVwVGVTW (embed) (embed) (embed)
>BIOS logo booru:
biosimage.booru.org/

Other urls found in this thread:

store.vikings.net/libre-friendly-hardware/the-server-1u
download.lenovo.com/eol/
twitter.com/AnonBabble

recommended non shit new tech?
t480s has no WQHD in aus also, why?

X1 carbon is now ddr3 soldered trash?

>
repost

no

>is 280-ish too much for a T440?
it should be OK, depending on specs.
>Also what is the difference between a T4xx and a T4xxp?
T4x0 use soldered ULV processors, (u suffix) optional dgṕu
T4x0p's use standard voltage laptop processors, quad-core capable (m, qm suffix) dgpu. soldered cpus since T450p/550p

LPDDR4 doesn't exist yet, quit yer whinin'

Thanks guys

...

X230, temps while browsing shit in firefox are around 52*C. Worth cleaning the fan and reapplying thermal paste? It kinda looks like a huge pain to disassemble so far

Pls

What does tpg think of the x201?

im still have doubts getting a used thinkpad
how powerful is i5 4300u?

why is that man flipping off that poor x280?
so rude

user who was complaining about hinges a couple of days ago here. Welp, after arrival of the new hinges and disassembly, I found the real problem with my wobbly lid. Pic related.

I assume there's nothing I can do about that, right? Other than replacing the entire metal body.

it's normal temp, not to worry about

Best X series, faster than X200

I wish my temperature would be in the 50's while browsing Firefox on my x220

Here's what it looks like with the hinges inserted back into their place, by the way. As you can see, no way to screw them in from the back.

Another concern is, given this, are the bottom screws likely to wear out from the constant wobbling?

so my space bar broke on my T61 and i took the opportunity to buy a UK layout keyboard, which means so far this cheap laptop has had:
>9 cell battery
>SSD
>new keyboard
>possibly a new screen
if i decide to sack it off and get a T430 what parts can i migrate over? the SSD is a given but will the battery fit for example? What about the keyboard?

>would be
ja wohl

I just migrated battery, keyboard, palmrest and screen between X220 and X230. Some things required a bios patch (keyboard and battery). Since those are X not T double-check but generally it should be almost the same.

But those were my X220 temps, I was told X230 had better thermals

My stickers just arrived. Should I put them on my T420, or X200s?

Not free as in freedom, and slower then a x220. Desu.

Someone just bought X220 that I was planning to buy
I really need a laptop
I hate my life

Baka the x220 and x230 are very similar
The t61 and t420 are not. Ssd will Cary over none of the other stuff will.

Oh whoops I thought it was between T420 and T430. My bad

After about an hour of messing about with washers and foil, I gave up. Magically, the hinges aren't wobbling anymore, despite is having reassembled everything exactly the way it used to be - but I don't know how long this will last.

How do I re-install the Windows 7 that came pre-installed on my x220 on a different hard drive? I tried going with a fresh install of Windows but it's not agreeing with my system.

To be more specific, I installed a version of Windows 7 that didn't have the drivers necessary for my ThinkPad to run properly.

download the lenovo system update software, it will install all your drivers

I tried putting the System Update software on Lenovo's website, but when I tried to run the .exe in the Windows 7 I installed, it rejected it telling me "This update is not relevant for your computer" or something along those lines. More or less, I have the wrong version of Windows 7 installed.

What I'm looking for now is the Windows 7 (With Lenovo's drivers pre-installed) that came with my ThinkPad originally.

Just install the drivers individually.

That's not going to work. The version of Windows I have was pre-installed specifically for my ThinkPad and the generic install of Win7 I pirated won't let me do anything because it's just the operating system with no drivers to make anything actually work.

I'm swapping out the SSD I just bought for my old hard drive and I'm going to try and create an image to restore my system from there.

Put my old HDD in and am creating a backup system image like I should have done in the first place now.

T420

Guys, I have a T420 without the lid frame. Am I able to replace it with an T430 lid frame?

Hey guys, bought a T60 with IPS FlexView but it has yellow tint on the sides of the screen, the middle is white and the bottom corners are hot.

Is this normal?

>no freedom models
Op is a colossal faggot again.

Check if the FRUs are the same. If not, then you'll either need to modify bits and pieces or it can't be done, so more research is required. If it's the same number through then it's the exact same part

user is a faggot himself. user feels bad.
The OP post still looks different, though.

X220 ded, he served well.

I am about to upgrade one of the ram modules on my T440p does it matter if I pick a different manufacturer from the other module?

No it'll be fine

x200s

What ThinkPad does /tpg/ recommend as a media server? Just 1080p.

store.vikings.net/libre-friendly-hardware/the-server-1u

Only server available with libreboot

where to buy thinkpads in UK? maybe you burgers just get better deals, but on our eBay it never seems like you're getting a great deal (so many 'refurbished' eBay shops.)

ship from usa, buy charger

Do thinkpads smell funny to you? I can't get that smell off.

buy a new casing (and potentially a new keyboard) and don't buy your machines from a guy who doesn't smell like cheeto dust and despair in the future

Help, should I return it? Or ask a part of money back?

Sounds like the CCFL backlight is going bad. There's a guy who makes LED conversion kits that you should look into.

Is x230 still OK? Is the keyboard good when it comes to typing? I really want to buy a good, portable machine, but many people told me that x230 is good, and others told me that Lenovo fucked this up.

It's fine, at worst, or better than the X220 in every conceivable way, at best.

Not my pic, but you can kinda see it on the right, the yellow tint over the gray... But mine is much worse, it's on the sides, top, bottom, only a square like 40% of screen size has a normal color.

And on the yellow parts themselves there are little normal color spots (1mm diameter) , so the shade is not consistent.

honestly, unless you are not a tp (wannabe) purist, x230 is THE daily driver to get.

The keyboard is the only drawback and it's replaceable.
It's better than the x220 in every other way, and usually the same price if not cheaper without the meme tax.

Replaceable with what?

can you tell a difference between pizza and triangle?

what the fuck

I'm thinking about getting an E475. What's the battery life like on that thing?

Hi all,

Curious for your recs. I'm stuck deciding between the X220, and the W520.

Both have the dope old keyboard which is a real pleasure to type on in experience. It seems like there is a not insubstantial difference in capabilities. X220 ought to be fine for most things, but I do some light gaming occassionally, which is pushing me towards the W520.

How would a very heavy instance of Doom (1993) i.e. with modern wads hold up?

I want to libreboot my X200, since it could boot a little bit faster. I've read the libreboot manual, but it seems a little confusing at times. Anyone done the deed and willing to share their story? I have a BananaPi Pro lying around I could use (iirc it can support the shit flashrom does).

x230 still has a better keyboard than most of its competitors. It's just that it sucks compared to previous gen TP keyboards.

IBM Thinkpad keyboard
Pre-X230 Lenovo Thinkpad keyboard
X230 and newer keyboard
All other laptop keyboards

I have a t420 and was wondering if its possible ot use a docking station WITH an egpu at the same time through the express card slot.

What I'm asking is can I have the t420 on a dock with a egpu hooked up?

I plan on using the laptop with a dell u2713hm was thinking about picking up another monitor for portrait mode.

I tried out the t420 with the dell u2713hm yesterday using display port and it feels slower than my other laptop(hp pavilion dv6 that is dying, I'm trying to replace with the t420).

Has anyone else had issues with a 27 2560x1440 monitor hooked up to their t420?

dude
i got ebay specifically to get an x230
2 perfect machines got fuckin bid sniped within 24 hours
i want to die as well.

more like this

pre-2000 laptop keyboards (both thinkpad and not)
Ibm thinkpad keyboards
pre-x230 lenovo thinkpad keyboards
pre-2010 mainstream keyboards
x230 and new keyboard
all other laptop keyboards

download.lenovo.com/eol/

HMM and User Guides. Link should be added to sticky because HMMs for Pads are god tier (and have useful info like what screws go where).

So x230s are just x220s with better specs but a less-amazing keyboard.
What about x240's?
Also, Microsoft-Refurbished Lenovos: Alright? I guess opinions on refurbished in general.

what is the absolute cheapest model with a FHD screen? no matter how old

X240 is a complete redesign. Keyboard can no longer be swapped for the classic keyboard, processor is much weaker since the line switched to ULV, RAM is now single channel IIRC. It may only support 8Gb RAM max, and they made the thing fucking gray instead of black.

On the plus side, it can have a FHD IPS screen without modding.

LIBREBOOTABLE X220 WHEN!?

I bought like 2 used palmrests because the touchpad of my T420 stopped working but none of them work. I enable it in the BIOS but when both the trackpad and touchpad are enabled neither of them work. Trackpad works fine alone.

Is my motherboard's touchpad connector bad or I'm just having bad luck getting palmrests?

Fuck thinkturds. They are garbage. So sad to watch so many fags cling to this crap.

What's a good bet for a ThinkPad for around $500? So far I'm thinking t450s or x250?

Can anyone with a W520 recommend a place to buy a replacement AC adapter? I got gipped and the seller sold me the machine with the 90W adapter from the newer lenovo models that doesn't supply enough power to keep the machine running while plugged in. I'd prefer the 170W one if there is a good place over the 135W since there seem to be mixed reports of that one working.

Have never been a laptop person, but need one this year.

Is the upcoming ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6th Gen) worth buying?

I like the size and weight and the 16GB/1TB SSD.

I am trying to decide between those two as well.

Anons who have/had W530 what are you guys doing with it? I thought I needed all that power but it just turns into a youtube and watching anime machine.

I know this is b8, but i need
>Portability+ (12 in screen or under)
>Price ($225 or under)
>Performance: slightly above potato status (Smooth web browsing, Discord, and video playback from External HD.)
Find something better than a ThinkPad, and we can chat

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


-These are all really old models, heavy and slow. Can you recommend any models that are actually fast and slim

Anyone know where I could buy a Thinkpad 700 c

p51 or p50
full spec it costs alot but is amazing, i have the full spec p51

T25.

t25 is a t470 with overpricing, quite literally. It is a wimpy dual core with only a GTX 940m
it is totally not worth buying just because it has the old keyboard and colored logo.

dualcore trash

please help!

It's not old, not heavy, not slow. It's pretty fast and slim. As was requested.
> overpricing
It costs like just like T470. Configure it and compare yourself.

>t25 starting at $1899
>t470 starts at $880
did you even check

get a used p50

I said configure it. Starting price doesn't matter.

anyone?

I've fixed a number of Thinkpads with JB Weld. They sell it Autozone.

What do you guys think of the carbon x1 ?

shit

You tell us. Most people itt have 5+ years old laptops.

X201 and X220 ISO keyboards had shitty tactility compared to X40, X61s and X230.

Late IBM/early Lelnovo keyboards are god tier of laptop keyboards.

hawt

I want to have your babies xsauc

What's a good price to purchase an x201? Is it suitable for school?