/tpg/ - ThinkPad General

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 welcome in /tpg/ (Dell Latitude/Precision, HP EliteBook/ZBook).

Recommended freedom models:
>>T60, X60; X200, T400/500
Recommended modern models:
>>X220/X230 - 12", 768p, cheap and light
>>T420/T430 - 14", 900p, widely available, socketed CPU, Ivy Bridge installable w/ Coreboot on T420; Classic keyboard swap on *30 series
>>W520 - 15", 1080p, Desktop Replacement, 32GB RAM on quadcore models, USB 3.0
>>T440p/540p - Last Thinkpads with soc64674917keted processors, easily replaceable trackpad
>>P-Series - 15'' and 17'', up to 4K displays, 64gb of RAM, Xeon processors.

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

>>Hardware Maintenance Manuals (HMM's) and Windows drivers for legacy devices:
download.lenovo.com/eol
>>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
>>BIOS logo booru:
biosimage.booru.org/

Other urls found in this thread:

wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/fprint
thinkwiki.org/wiki/Batteries#LiIon_Battery
thinkwiki.org/wiki/TFT_display
ebay.co.uk/itm/Modified-Thinkpad-X60s-model-1702-5PG/282833867400?hash=item41da365288:g:AVEAAOSwLwBadY1l
twitter.com/SFWRedditGifs

What will run TF2 at 60fps and isn't made of chinkshit?

Is updating the thermal paste on an x220 cpu worth it or is it just a meme?

waste of time/money
one thermal paste application lasts fine unless you have shit thermal design and incompetent assembly

In my opinion, formatting the OS (in wangblows) could save you some pain.

Reposting since last thread died

Then what’s the best way to keep the x220 cool? Mine is overheating and I’ve alreasy cleaned the area and inspected the fan. A cooling pad?

in the case that it's overheating then I would go for a thermal reapply since that's really the last thing on your list before you accept it for being an overheating piece of shit. There is always the chance that someone screwed with the application or it degraded quickly.
You really shouldn't need a cooling pad for an ultraportable.

Twice handmedown Y500.

Depends on what games you are going to play.
Docking station is nice if you have a lot of peripherals and have to take plug/unplug them often.

How do I change the BIOS splash screen? Im on a T60 running Libreboot

Most demanding tgi ga are gonna be MHW and FFXV Windows edition, besides that nothing that hard to run, Dark Souls, Overwatch, Maybe MGSV/Survive. Maybe even want to emulate some stuff like xenoblade.

P51 should be able to run all those games, don't know what quality.
Since gaming is not the primary purpose, unless you really want all the newer stuff you could make do with older W or T models.

How come xx30 series can hold up so well even after 6 years?

Because Intel CPUs haven't gained more than 15 to 20% IPC in the past 7-8 years. Most of the performance gain has been due to clocks past Haswell. And, also, power improvements.

Thermal paste is worth doing, just don't be autistic about it. 2011 was 7 years ago and chinks are cheap.
>He can't compile a rom image.

REEEEEEEEEE

30 series probably
Maybe 20?
How demanding is TF2 nowadays anyway?

Depends on your temps
If you're running too hot on idle, as in over 55 degrees while doing absolutely nothing not very intensive tasks
Then you repaste
Other than that it's a waste

x230 is running it kinda fine I bought one for me and now I got 2nd for my boi so we can play together and we got like 50-60 in dx9 on low settings.

Convince me not to get the T480 (20 hour battery life, quad core, option for 5tb hdd + nvme .2 using adapter, non-shit screen).

I always clean all tech I buy used, so just do it.
They just do I'm using x230 and it's just working, but I also have x61t it's fine for drawing, but other thingies nah, also it needs an ssd.
isn't it with like core i7U ? also shit keyboard and touchpad, probably with 1366x768 screen

When buying a replacement charger, you just have to make sure the tip, volts and amps (watts) match the one you're replacing amirite? Different model numbers should not matter.

>core i7u
new 8th gen core i5u and i7u are quad cores, meaning i5-7440HQ and i7-7700HQ performance in a 15W package
>shit keyboard
keyfeel is much better than most oldpads, layout may be bothersome to people who are used to usual thinkpad layout
>shit touchpad
Who gives a shit? The main point of having a thinkpad is the trackpoint so you dont have to use a god awful trackpad (which all trackpads are).
>1366x768
only on base model, upgrade to 1080p IPS is only 50$

that's right

x768
>only on base model, upgrade to 1080p IPS is only 50$
That's actually pretty reasonable 2bh. Does it necessitate a bunch of other add-ons though?

No, display upgrade requires no other upgrades.

Big issue is thermals, we haven't yet good reviews, so we'll see how good or horrible the thermals are. If it's real bad, it's not much different from a high clocked dual core previous gen ThinkPad.

If they're fitting these 8th gen cpus in tablets with just a moderate amount of throttling, im sure the much beefier cooler in the series line will handle just fine at cooling these new cpus. Especially when T470p come with quad-core and use very similar coolers to the non-performance line T470.

>tfw I just added a fingerprint reader to my T430

Got sick of entering my password after every sudo, and the timeout extension option is as good as just using the root user in a public area.

now cia niggers have your biometrics user

Maybe they can get me a job

Do fingerprint readers allow the OS to access an image of your fingerprint, or do they just send a signal to the OS saying it's the correct fingerprint?

how do you use it in linux?

image or never happened

I tried to install a 1.8" SSD in my T440p but it didn't show up in the bios. I used the 1.8" to 2.5" adapter that works fine in my T510.
What might I be doing wrong?

Haha, yeah, fuck CIA niggers. Haha, I hate them. No CIA niggers here. Haha. Keeping an eye out for them. Haha.

fprint, anons. Install it.

wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/fprint

If you want to use your FR on e.g. "sudo cat killme.conf", then add auth sufficient pam_fprintd.so to /etc/pam.d/sudo as well.

If you just want it to occur on user login, then add that line only to /etc/pam.d/system-local-login.

If you want to scan all your fingers for the CIA, then do for finger in {left,right}-{thumb,{index,middle,ring,little}-finger}; do fprintd-enroll -f "$finger" $USER; done. That's a slight edit of what you see in the wiki page and actually werks.

its cheap and if you know what your doing it can shave some temps. also this shit does wear out over time. simply fact of life when solder aint your TIM

X230 is just X220 with upgraded internals and the new keyboard though.

The new keyboard is also higher quality for typing than X201-X220 models I've had even though the layout isn't as good. I've only used ISO models so there might be quality differences compared to ANSI models. X61s is the newest model I've had that had the real GOD TIER keyboard.

Personally I think X-series peaked at X41 in terms of quality and after that it has slowly declined hitting the low point at X240 and then recovering a bit. Waiting for the X270 to get sub €300 until I upgrade.

...

Does anyone have modern T series Thinkpad (T440+)?
Would you recommend it?

...

I use the t420 + ssd and it's great for me.

What will be the best thinkpad for $350 (Either comes with SSD or a cheap one can be had to make total price $400)
>Browsing internet and youtube
>Fast to do menial tasks, no encoding or rendering
>Better keyboard preferred

Has anyone got an X1 carbon? Should I buy one?

Does the X series get significantly hotter than the T series?
Also, should I go for a *30 or a *40 as my first thinkpad?

I love my T400 but when I whop it up out for presentations and in meetings you can visibly hear my colleagues rolling their eyes and I'm pretty sure one of these days someone is going to mention how badly it reflects on the company or some shit, so I need something that's a bit more modern, shiney, and just all around doesn't look like I pulled it out of the garbage two decades ago.
Does anyone have some recommendations for solid business laptops?
HDMI out and a solid CPU are absolutely required, I'd like it to be 15" as well, SSD or at least space to add one would be nice too. Everything else is just a bonus.

If you have no strict requirements, definitely xx20 or xx30.

It's mostly just going to be youtube/shitposting machine, so I don't have stricts requirements. I'm leaning towards the X because it's more compact, but the T might have better thermals and has a higher res screen.

I've also been eyeing the e6220 and the 2170p. Those are both kinda cute too, but I don't know much about them.

what the fuck are these bezels?

about to do the 900p screen upgrade for my t420 with a 30 dollar c-shit display. Is worth it? How can I tell if the display is legit?

they have their own secret OS hidden in all your modern devices

>It's actually bsd

What kind of pricepoint should I go for for a X230 or T430 in the EU?

I'm assuming I need to go for bidding auctions on Ebay if I want a good price, and ignore the buy now listings? They mostly seem to be german resellers that overprice their stuff.

Considering falling for this meme. What is the highest capacity battery i can buy for these machines? Is it tied to a specific model? Where can i can it cheap?

I have 2 choices:

Option 1:
Dell E6440
i7-4710MQ
8GB RAM
500gb HDD
1600x900
$580

Option 2:
Dell E6440
i5 4300M
4gb RAM
128gb SSD
shit tier 1366x768
$295

Any advice on which one to get? I'm leaning more towards the i7 since I'll be using the express slot with a GTX 780 Ti for gaming.

I will be getting an external monitor as well, but I like the 900p screen on the first option too.

Any advice on which to get?
>inb4 thinkpad

Already have t430, x220 and t520

Option 2 is a much better deal.
You really don't need a super high resolution on a 13" laptop if that's your concern, especially not if you want to use it for """gaming""".

>t61 works fine with win7
>tried installing win10 on it
>freezes at windows loading screen randomly
>try with win7, installs fine, still freezes randomly after post
>same with any distro
>run memtest and chkdsk, looks fine

what do?

Just checked with the seller of option 2, it has 900p panel as well.

I looked on CPU Benchmarks, i7 overall 25% better than i5.

Do you think having true 4 core CPU will benefit in games?

libreboot doesn't compile from source right now
you probably want to see if you can just modify it in the chip, but there's no guarantee it can be bigger (or smaller). for that you want to play with cbfstool, which you can get from coreboot's git in build/util.
or, just build coreboot without blobs. i don't know what the situation is with libreboot, but i know for a fact that with coreboot on a t400 you can run seabios and get into most operating systems with no vgabios, no ME, no microcode updates, and reverse engineered gigabit ethernet configuration. the only thing proprietary running on my t400s is the embedded controller firmware.

x220 with FHD mod.

Wait isn't the source on the libreboot site...

Tbh I've only compiled coreboot.

I knew it was something unix like, but has it been cracked?

xx30 series with the Comanglia scripts or any Thinkpad + eGPU really

they have old versions of the source that might compile, but i know for a fact that their git does not compile right now. that is what i was referring to.
ich9gen DOES however compile (manually, you go in the dir and run "make") from libreboot's git, so that + coreboot is all you really need.

tired of carrying around my T420 everywhere. almost sprained my wrist trying to hold it one handed.
what is a good lightweight alternative to my T420?

Post your wrist so I can get an idea of what to recommend

why

Christ, user, you need to work out or learn to hold a laptop one-handed like a non retard

You have a cute hand, user.

thanks user i love you

Would the mSata from an X1 3rd gen work in an X220?

What a shit community. What is the point in having this general if none of you talk to each other? Mine and many more anons get their questions ignored.
>hurr durr just research
>read the op
Then your shit thread is pointless. Fuck you.

i'm sure they are busy user. today is Monday after all. give them some time to help us!

Is there a particular reason the t440p is reccomended in the OP, but not the regular t440?

If an Ebay seller lists an item with an "HD LED" screen for the *30 series, would that be an IPS screen or not?

Hello 4channel.
I just got this pristine x220, is there anything I should or should not do before I coreboot it?
I guess I might reapply paste since I'll open it up anyway..

It still has a socketed CPU which is upgradeable to a quad core rather than the soldered ULV CPU that the T440 and T440s have.

Make a backup of your current BIOS and clean your workspace.

Thinking of getting a T450s off of ebay for about 500 to 550 pounds. Any tips?

There are 9-cell batteries for most models, specially for the older ones.
>thinkwiki.org/wiki/Batteries#LiIon_Battery
Check FRU here:
>thinkwiki.org/wiki/TFT_display
In terms of Thinkpads, T/X models use display port instead of HDMI, but there are adapters.
E-series have HDMI ports, but they are shit laptops.
Latitudes and Elitebooks have HDMI ports.
T440p/maxed out T430
Any X-series should be fine, even an X1 Carbon.
I'm not sure if it would work at full sata 3 speeds
Fuck you.

I just saw the Thinkpad v110 on amazon and it costs only 272 €, it is good??

are you retarded
just use su

why would someone do this and should I buy it
ebay.co.uk/itm/Modified-Thinkpad-X60s-model-1702-5PG/282833867400?hash=item41da365288:g:AVEAAOSwLwBadY1l

Thanks, y-you too

what do I do if my lcd cable keeps deattaching?

What should I be paying tops for a "like new" i7 x220?

Buy a new one

E545 with A10-5750 4c and Radeon HD8650G apu

Plays CS Source at 50 to 60fps so TF2 should be okay

Update the EC to newest version as you cannot run the Lenovo updater if you have Coreboot installed.

It only supports SATA II but it should be fast enough for most.

Thats not a ThinkPad, retard.

pretty neat.

Not at all.
All LCDs are LED nowdays and at least 720p.
People just put that to entice other buyers.

Isn't it a long mSATA card?

X1C3

Which one is the better option:

x280 w/eGPU
t480s w/dGPU

I prefer the t480s and would like to get the dGPU to play some pirated games, but it's pretty expensive so I'm thinking about getting a x280 and getting the eGPU down the line. I like the eGPU because it can act as a dock whereas for the t480s, I would have to get a dock separately if I wanted one.

>ThinkPad is with the courier
I can only get so erect

thanks user

how do i disable the lid close sensor on x220. It's faulty on mine and its putting my laptop to sleep every second.

Someone redpill me on the Thinkpad 25... I've got a desire to get one....

lol who the fuck bought it. its too pricey. you can simply buy a newer pad and remove the screen + add antenna

that's just retarded

Just a T470 with the classic keyboard layout. Costs around $200 more, but it comes with some goodies.

Managed to fucking break the part that keeps the lid closed shut before you flip the little switch on my T420. Don't think I can fix it without ordering something, but would it be technically possble to rig it up, of course far away from any sensitive components, to stay shut with magnets? Surely this would be easy to achieve, but I'm not sure about the precautions I should consider

How do you guys go about connecting your thinkpads to TVs and other sources? I was going to stream movies on my living room but noticed my X230 only has VGA and mini-DP. Do I need an active adapter to get DP to HDMI? If yes, will a cheap one give me a shit image?