/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 socketed 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:

youtu.be/FNuotRFDH7c
giocc.com/custom-bios-splash-screen-for-new-thinkpad-series.html
twitter.com/SFWRedditImages

This might seem like a stupid question, but is there a way to add another Ultrabay (for a hard drive/optical drive) to the t420? I know for the x220 you can add an Ultrabase, giving it a second bay.
Is there an alternative for the t420 besides an external drive?
And the stupid part - can you just plug an Ultrabase (modified for shape) into the bottom of a t420?
My end goal is to have an internal SSD, HDD, and optical drive on the same device/extension.

>SSD, HDD, and optical drive
You can do that with an mSATA SSD next to the RAM under the T420.

>My end goal is to have an internal SSD, HDD, and optical drive on the same device
The simplest way might be to put a hard drive in one day, an optical drive in the other bay and a small SSD in the MSATA slot

Is this, dare I say it, the best thinkcat?

This one's pretty high-tier too...

Death of an era edition.

Thanks, I'll look into it. Seems like a good solution.

I bought a T430 in very nice condition, seller didn't even know it was 1600x900 , just didn't come with a HDD/SSD sand and charger, while it's very nice id honestly rather have a x230 or x240 , which would be the better choice and if i were to sell this T430, how much could i get away charging for it , id sell it with the charger obviously

As soon as I bought my new x230 docking station dual monitor stand and a second monitor, the laptop starts shiting itself, I don't feel it as snappier as before, also the temperature is always >60°C. Even tho I have a SSD and a mSATA. What the hell. I should have save the money for a t440p.
I bought the laptop 1 year ago.

Adding on, what will i miss from the T430, of i get a x230/x240

Man, that's a nice kitty.

What is a modern version of the x220/x230? I already owned an x220 for years and am getting an x230 in a week so please I know how good they are.
>what I still want
small and light 12" size
easily upgradable including ram (not soldered in)
removable battery
dockable
>what I want in the form of modern laptop
IPS screen (or whatever a nice modern screen is. Only ever had tn panels)
Thunderbolt 3
modern low voltage cpu (i5/i7)
cpu runs pretty cool
>what I'd love but resigned myself to not be able to get
7 row keyboard
>what I also want but unsure if possible (optimistic)
good modern linux support

Am I dreaming boys or does such a thing just not exist? Maybe it does but I have to pay through the nose for it in which case I'll wait a few years for it to hit x230 prices

Thoughts on x250?

>X230
Don't recommend this garbage.

Check for virus or any unkown process running backgrounds. Repaste and clean the coolers and fans. This is all I could help you

ThinkPad's use Intel.

T25 but it's not as good for the price I think

Is the T42 powerful enough to do some programming on the go? I've found one for around 40 bucks.

i finally got around to fixing the "4" key on my x220. the white clips where broken and i got bought a key from ebay for $4. my x201 also had a broken alt key, a plastic tab was broken on the key but the white clips were fine so i used the "4" key from my x220 on it.

Bump on this

Hi Sup Forumsuys
I have been rocking my X220t for quite some years now, but I'm now thinking about getting a 1080p (or more) ThinkPad

What would be the best model to look for to have a 13"ish tablet laptop with at least a 1080p screen? (I don't have an established budget for now)

A 1080p-modded X220

I accidentally left my t440p in my bag while it was running for about 90 minutes, and it started cooking itself while inside. When I pulled it out, the chassis was painfully hot to touch, and CPU/mobo temps read in the upper 90s. It's cooled down for a while now, and everything still seems fine. Is there any chance of permanant damage/instability over time?

>cpu runs pretty cool

x230 runs cool and quiet as fuck compared to my similar by specs panasonic.

I didn't find a way to mod an X220 tablet to have a full HD panel, and I like tablet PCs

Upper 90s is fine, as long as it wasn't there for like an hour or more. Even then the CPU would still likely be mostly fine, although there'd be a bit more cause for worry.
What's more worrying is everything around the CPU - not every component is meant to go that high. There might be possibility the mobo might end up going bad.

Still, everything is more than likely fine.

Are the Yoga models worth getting or are they just a surface pro with lenovo branding?

>mobo might end up going bad
>Don't having a clue on topic but still having opinion

Well, it was there for over an hour. I've ran some diagnostic tests on the cpu, and all seems good so far. The heat was mostly on the left side, where the CPU and SSD boot drive were located; the right side remained relatively cool to touch.

> I've ran some diagnostic tests on the cpu, and all seems good so far.
You'll be fine. Remember that CPUs have throttling and emergency shutdown nowadays. My X220 would run around 100-105°C under certain loads, never had an issue (until the screen croaked but that's unrelated).

Nothing happened man.

High temp for brief period of time is nothing.

If it was days or months battery would degrade and lcd could start delaminating.

Keep my laptop in trunk of a car, it can get insanely hot during summer like you can't even hold it in hand how hot it is. It may refuse to even start at first but never had lasting issues from it.

How much should I sell my X220 Tablet for?
It has an Intel Core i5 2520M processor, 8Gb of Ram, a 250GB Kingston SSD and 2 original batteries which last 6/7 Hours each. It's also in mint condition without damages or missing stylus.

1 swedish crown.

So this second hand thinkpad I bought has a Conexant 20585 SmartAudio HD driver from 2012 installed and the sound quality is absolutely horrendous. What are my options for replacing it?

Install Gentoo

Fuck off I've had a shitty night and I've run out of alcohol.

Just do a fresh install of whatever OS you want to use, never ever use the OS already installed on second hand computers

Then google " drivers" and grab the audio driver from Lenovo's official website

Thanks user. I'll give it a try.

E6440 bro
Another question
Could I theoretically fit a half size msata in the WWAN slot and a full size in the regular msata slot?
Cause if so this thing can take 4 storage devices.

It's the e470 any good?

Installing a GNU/Linux distro mighy help you though since it isn't Windows.

I have an X220 right here that I want to get rid of in pretty decent condition. I was thinking since I have both licenses for W7 and 10, to sysprep Windows 10 and maybe find a way to create some sort of recovery partition to make it a good deal for the non-tech savvy.

Would you recommend otherwise? I want this to be attractive to more than just people looking for thinkpads.

Got those whiskers nice and white for you

Best for writing/editing test?
Budget under 1k$

Edge series are shit

What are the pros and cons of a cheap chink battery from ebay? Thinking of getting a 9 cell for my t420.

larger screen if you get the x230, and if you want to upgrade the cpu is soldered on in those x models

Lads, I want to go back to GNU/Linux on my T400, but screen tearing while watching videos and browsing with Chromium. Is there any solution to this?

*Screen tearing turned me back to wangblows

Fellas, the T420/T430 FHD kit finally arrived.
Which panel should I buy? Anybody had success installing one of these?

youtu.be/FNuotRFDH7c

How do I change the default "Thinkpad" boot splash logo? I've removed all verbosity from my boot and would like to replace the default splash with something smaller.

Is getting a T410 a good idea?

Newbie ThinkPad user here, how do I change the bios splash on t420 running Linux?

Is it possible to switch my W530 1080 FHD screen for the W701ds dual screen for maximal autism?

giocc.com/custom-bios-splash-screen-for-new-thinkpad-series.html

Install coreboot.

Hello nice thinkpad anons. I'm looking into getting a new laptop and the thinkpad models have really caught my eye because they seem to be really cheap

That being said, what is the absolute maximum performance wise I could get for a used $400 thinkpad?

Thank you very much.

i have a E531 and i'm happy with it
i'd love to have a p51 tho

Any additional service guides out there besides the ones OP posted? My 420 has been having issues with even starting to boot. The power LED would just flash every few seconds after pressing the power button and no boot, and recently it shutdown with no bluescreen and then wouldn't post, just flash the power, bluetooth, speaker mute, and thinklight lights before seeming to shutdown and do it again. I didn't see anything in the service manual to help with that directly.

Running Linux.
Is this the only way? Fairly complicated just to change a logo.

>Running Linux.
always have a windows back up user

3 MORE HOURS TO THE END OF THE BID FOR MY NEXT X270 OMG CANT WAIT OMG OMG

W530

There's an x201 with 8GB of RAM and an 80GB SSD for $175 on craigslist. Worth it?

Do at least a bit of research, W701ds is 17" and your W530 is 15"

Battery? I'd so go for it, but that does sound like a lot for murica prices

no

If I remember correctly, official .exe bios update allow you to change your splash screen

If not that, I'm at least sure I changed it from windows on my X220t and my X200t

How do you deal with scratches and imprints on that soft thinkpad cover?

Hi guys, My FHD modded x230 is having issues with the screen and I believe it is due to a faulty eDP cable. Does anyone know where to find a new one like this?

pic related

bumping this question

T440p with an i7

Does this only work on XFCE?. I'm more of a Mate/Cinnamon guy

How usable is a X61? I could get one for 40 €.

when you let your mental illness override your common sense you make threads like this

How much do T430's sell for, I'm gonna sell mine (1600x900 model) and get a x230,

I see no reason why you couldn't, but I haven't done anything with the WWAN slot myself, just the one msata.

Specs? How the condition?

I literally just went to Fry's to get a router and ended up buying a T430 for $230. Microsoft certified refurbished, great condition. How did I do?

T420 with 6GB RAM and 160GB SSD for $200. Deal or no deal?

Awh yes you guys, I installed MacOS Sierra on my X220. Is this the best setup or what?

Condition is pretty good, the speakers dont work for some reason and the battery only holds 20 minutes of a charge, i re applied new thermal paste though since i thought it would need it and replaced the charge port because it would make popping noises when i plugged it in (god knows what the user before me did with it)

CPU- i5 3320M
RAM- 4GB
Didn't come with an SSD/HDD

Just got a R500 with docking station for free
Only flaw is that a bios password is set that i don't know

give it back, Jamal

Get a gateway

won

good4u

How much would you pay for this thinkpad? Or think it would sell for?

I should have included the specs. i7, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD.

Redpill me on ThinkPad 510i

>optical drive
Why not add a floppy disk drive while you're at it?

i know u envy my new x270
stay mad boi

Is it possible to put an IPS screen on a T/W530? As long as I know there's no fhd IPS screen that fits properly, but the TN display is awful

There is this wide gamut display which is ips v4 somethign, but it's like 130 USD

The 1080p TN screen is better than the IPS screens used in later generations. Don't just blindly eat up marketing memes.

Get one from a W520 or W510 though, they're all compatible with each other but some later 1080p W530s used a shittier panel.

Yes I know, you are talking about the ???.v4, (I don't remember the model atm), a TN fhd with 95% gamut. I already have the v1 model which is not so good at colors and viewing angles are really bad. I'm afraid that putting another TN screen wouldn't be an improvement: honestly I don't care about colors, but I need proper contrast and good viewing angles

Interesting, thank you user

Are there any lines on softrim (concave) trackpoints for current models? I just got a t470 on clearance and the default soft dome just kills me, but the softrim I stripped from my t430 is too tall.