/tpg/ - ThinkPad General

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).

Libreboot-compatible models:
>>T60, X60; X200, T400/500
Modern models:
>>X220/X230 - 12", 768p, cheap and light
>>T420/T430 - 14", 900p, widely available, socketed CPU, Ivy Bridge installable w/ Coreboot on T420; Old keyboard swap on *30 series
>>T/W52/30 - 15", 1080p, DTR, 32GB RAM on quadcore models, USB 3
>>T440p/540p; W540/1 - Last Thinkpads with socketed processors, easily replaceable trackpad (W541 doesn't need trackpad replacement)
>>P-Series - 15'' + 17'', 4K display, 64gb of RAM, Xeon CPU option. Expensive. Bad stock cooling reported by multiple owners.

Why ThinkPad?
>>Used machines are plentiful and cheap
>>Excellent keyboards - tactile feel and quiet
>>Great durability: 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/

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Other urls found in this thread:

discord.gg/SnMqrjE
discordapp.com/invite/mGWNsaN
support.lenovo.com/se/en/solutions/pd013449
forum.notebookreview.com/threads/thinkpad-keyboard-identification.634208/
ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T450s-14in-256GB-Intel-Core-i7-5th-Gen-3-2GHz-8GB/253485193638?epid=1671443624&hash=item3b04e519a6:g:YlUAAOSwKnFaYEu5
twitter.com/NSFWRedditImage

i am a fairy

second for thinkcat

Attached: ThinkCat21.png (475x472, 445K)

specs?

>1001 wines
>1001 songs
fuck off

There's a chat for ThinkPad owners

>>Join both chat below, they're both linked/partnered
>>TPG chat by xsauc (dankpads guide): discord.gg/SnMqrjE
>>TPG /r/ chat: discordapp.com/invite/mGWNsaN

Heh. The race to making a new thread asap and then forgetting including basic stuff like linking to the last thread.

fuck, i just realised it. Sorry.

Obtained this x230 with Liteon keyboard
it feels quite good, now im left wondering how much better the x220 keyboard is
also best x220 keyboard manufacture is?

You can't edit it?

most people say NMB

can't say for sure, I use NMB but haven't used any of the other 2 supplier for keyboard

nope. A new thread has to be made from scratch, and ask a janny to delete this one

depends on which keyboard you prefer desu. I actually came to like the chiclet keyboard better through use.

NMB is the one to the left in this list right?
support.lenovo.com/se/en/solutions/pd013449
also thanks

forum.notebookreview.com/threads/thinkpad-keyboard-identification.634208/

so it would be fru 45N2211

What manufacture do you have on your keyboard?

elitebook 2570p for £93 with a core i5 3360m and no wam?

Get it, assuming you already have extra cash for RAM

Snatch it my dude

>45N2237, ebay 85usd.
its worth it right?

>discord
no Fuck OFF with this gaymer shit
either join the irc or telegram group

no

I got mine from Navimove (35usd on ebay last I checked) and it's the NMB fru


Telegram link/invite?

my keyboard was manufactured by ALPS

>have been using 1st gen X1 Carbon as main laptop for 5 years now
>bought a cheap X201 a few years ago to use as a travel / backup laptop but never actually did anything with it
>recently got the X201 out of the closet, dusted it off, tossed in a new SSD and 8GB of RAM to use it for a work laptop

Holy shit this thing is super comfy. I'm not too wild about the screen but everything else is great.

t.me/thinkpadgeneral

this is now a thinkcat thread

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>checking the two listing sites I know about from ireland
>gumtree and donedeal
>input thinkpad
>xx30/xx20 prices are double, close to triple what they should be
>silly prices on shitty machines
>100yurobucks for an r60e
Are irish the blacks of europe? Do they just go, ah I wouldn't mind having 100 quid to get wasted today, wait there is a 12 year old centrino duo laptop in the attic, I'll just chance my arm and list that on gumtree.

Is there money to be made disassembling used/non-functioning laptops and selling the parts?
I'm looking to repair my hp probook 6475b but just the parts cost more than it's resale value, but I can't really sell it without fixing it (broken bezel/back cover)

>discord

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Yes, usually the RAM and HDD sold fast enough. The other parts is kinda pain in the ass though. I even sold my shitty busted laptop with broken screen and cracked case for cheeky 20 bucks since I just want to get rid of it.

In the market for a laptop, ive got $500.
What are the cons for these machines?

They are old, slow, and make people think you're an autist.

not my cat, just one from my collection

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Is that a Spanish keyboard?

I think I'm just gonna keep is a stationary reserve laptop. $20 wouldn't even pay for shipping

I think it's Japanese.

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Most models only have Intel GPUs available so if you're into gaming or video editing or anything else that you need a slightly higher end GPU for then your model selection will be a lot more limited.

Other than that they're generally great machines for the price. Spare parts and accessories are still easy to find even for thinkpads that are 10 years old at this point. You could get a nice T450s for under $500 that has an i7 and an IPS screen:

ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T450s-14in-256GB-Intel-Core-i7-5th-Gen-3-2GHz-8GB/253485193638?epid=1671443624&hash=item3b04e519a6:g:YlUAAOSwKnFaYEu5

Cute! Saved!

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I watch my tv and movies on my laptop. How would the gpu handle that?
Also how about thinkpads vs the dell and hp machines, whats the difference there

TV and movies are fine, my 1st gen X1 Carbon from 2012 can play and stream 1080p content without any problems and it has a relatively weak "ultra low power consumption" processor.

Not sure on the dell and hp machines, all I have experience with are the thinkpads.

Anyone here tried to modify a T60 keyboard for external use through USB?
Seeing how high the prices of standalone trackpoint keyboards are I thought of doing a mod with a cheap aftermarket ThinkPad keyboard. If anyone is interested in the idea then I'll link some guides I found.

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Trying to find out if my t440p could run an egpu setup but I can't find a definite answer any of you guys know anything about it? Pls help

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I'm trying to get used to the trackpoint
What trackpoint are you using and why ?

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One of my thinkpads has the bottom/middle button and the other one has the right one. I prefer the one on the right over the one in the middle.

Think on thinkcat.

Ok
Thanks for your help

not really the best model for egpu since it doesn't have tb or expresscard

I'm aware of that but there's m.2 adapters, I'm just not sure if Lenovo has both slots bios whitelisted or what kind of functionality is wired to them the wwan m.2 slot could be USB/sata

how well does osx high sierra work on thinkpads (namely t420)?
the t420 I'm eyeing has 16gb ram and a core i5 2.5ghz so running it won't be a problem at all. my question is how well osx "plays" with thinkpads (touch gestures, trackpoint, etc)
the reason why i ask is that i don't see much online for thinkpads and osx. i was starting to think that thinkpads aren't meant for hackintosh.
yes i know im a fag. along with the t420 i have a dragon dildo and a gallon of twink ass certified lube on the way, but damn if osx isnt comfy

What's the most modern thinkpad I can have that is free from being spied on. Specifically Intel ME. A T500? What if I dropped an older non botnet cpu into a newer thinkpad? T430. Possible?

>hackintosh
when will this meme end?

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You can install coreboot with me_cleaner on the T430.

I have an Elitebook 2570p who was working minutes ago.
I was wiping its hard drive. I left the room and when I came back, the laptop was turned off. Now it doesn't power on. If I plug the charger (an original HP charger for this notebook) the power led blinks white every 0.5 seconds.
What do?
Its the motherboard fucked?
I don't have a tester

did not know about this. Thank you. I thought I was doomed to forever use t500 or earlier. Well thats what stallman said anyway.

It's not 100% free but it removes most of the botnet.

Can you open the machine? Its probably a battery issue.

Src: hp tech

Well I don't have any torx screw at hand.
Tell me more.

Do a power drain. Remove battery. Power unit with ac adapter. Remove/power down. Reinstall battery. You should be able to tell whats wrong after.

It doesn't power on :(

don't worry the novelty wears off about 3 hours after a successful install for most people and it's replaced with win/linux

t. hackintosh tryer

If the unit doesnt turn on, youre gonna have to open it. Do the steps with the battery. If it proceeds to boot to display image, see if you can run hp uefi diag tool. Press f2 at boot. Then you can run system tests.

Ok. Followed power drain and still doesn't want to turn on.
So I guess that I have to open it.
What follows now?

currently using 2 x230's, one i5 for bed and an i7 at my desk

should i upgrade? and to what

thoughts on the latitude series? currently looking at a nice used 7280 for around $500 to treat myself

Wait, is the battery removable. Or is it internal?

If it is internal, then you havent performed a power drain.

Im guessing you dont have POST, correct? If this is true, and the battery is external, my guess would be a bad mb. But really you need to open to be sure.

See if you can properly reinstall the battery if it is internal. If that allows booting, then i would replace the battery.

glad to hear it. now don't ever desecrate a thinkpad ever again

Its external lad. I have a 2570p.

I think you are pretty much set. Does the i7 dock into a dedicated ethernet, monitor, keyboard, and mouse? All I can think is maybe in the future one of those powerhouse thinkpads but your setup sounds comfy.

Sorry mate. It sounds like a failing mb. Its sometimes hard for me to remember model names and the layout of the unit. We shorten these model names to single words like "Cherry" "Oldman" "Dasani" just for simplicitys sake. But i would definitely open the unit to be sure.

>Does the i7 dock
I have the comfy nonretarded dock so the only things plugging into the laptop itself are the usb 3 hub and the epgu

i also have the swappable dock drive so i can use a 5th hard drive or a dvd drive

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Is it the one that blocks the vents? Or the flat plate you drop into (dont know the term) also whats the 2sb thing next to the two usbs on the hub

it's the one with the same footprint as the laptop. noting is blocked

i have 2x 4tb hard drives and a 2tb travel drive

I honestly don't see how you can upgrade this setup. I would keep this and just slowly add thinkpads I was interested in as a hobby.

How on the custom BIOS 1.43 for the x220 logo change? The old guides do not help, the new guide only works with the official BIOS update and the logo changes, but I can not do it on the custom. WINUPTP Error "Flash Module can not be found." The utility process has not completed "

Install coreboot.

>buy x220 for 100 bucks on local ebay-like site, except this one is shittier
>this is actually good
>reviewing the purchase
>wrong shipping adress
>oh shit gotta change it
>the mobile app doesn't have the option to change the shipping adress
>message the seller
>"yeah, no problem. Ill just cancel the purchase and make the listing again, you buy it again and put the correct adress this time
>i wait
>he never puts the listing again

I fucked up, x220's listed for sale go for 200+ bucks on my shitty country.

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What is a price I should offer for an X1 carbon gen 3?

Got giddy on Ebay 20% off everything and bought too many things.
>8 GB RAM & 120 GB SDD for my x200
>t430 with 8 GB RAM, 120 GB SSD, and 2.40 GHz i7 for $220 after tax + shipping

How did I do on the t430? Should I just send it back and upgrade the x200? I like the weight of the x200 I just also feel like I want to be a little more future proof. Could set up a webserver or something with the x200 but I'm not convinced.

>a fucking t430
OH NO NO NO

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Is it normal for the last 10% battery of my T400 to take 1 hour to charge?

>t430

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aside from the keyboard(which is easily replaceable) what's wrong with a t430? if anything, the t420/x220s are memes

Not them but you could have bought a T440p instead a T430.

For my main computing I prefer coreboot. I don't need much for my main computing all I do is code, view webpages, pdfs etc. Firefox is starting to eat into the resources of the old x200 but maybe all I need is a ram upgrade. Anyone in here still using a x200 for their primary computing? If not anyone using an old one for anything else? Part of me doesn't feel too bad because the x200 has well payed for itself since I bought it in 2011.

>firefox
>not using comfy w3m

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How much RAM you have in the X200?
T400 has been working for me but i am also thinking about upgrading, even with a X9100 and 8GB RAM it feels like it is starting to struggle with some stuff.

Also the screen is starting to get a yellow tone and is not as bright, would changing the CFL backlight fix this? what kind of tubes T400 use?
Also how is the X230? i can find them for the same price than X220.

Why older ThinkPads, like X40 or older, can't be flashed with LibreBoot or CoreBoot? Besides "nobody cares about those laptops"?

Only 2 GB in the X200 at the moment. Pretty stripped down though, other than Firefox I only have Xwindows and dwm plus a few terminals at any given time. I do my development/compiling through SSH primarily.

I just noticed that I actually fucked up and accidentally got a T430U though so I think I'm going to return that for sure. Can you coreboot that thing? Upgrade the CPU?

Is there any hint how to detect truly original chicklet keyboard on aliexpress shop? There a lot of refurbished and OEM stuff, but I want exactly genuine one with backlight, might be anyone have direct link on it

My current one (promoted as original) have some matte coating on keys to prevent glossy effect, but that crap so easily scratches even with accidentally touching with a fingernail

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Best place to get genuine new replacement parts for thinkpads? Can't find genuine new X301 batteries on ebay.

Also, is it possible to coreboot/libreboot a X300 or a X301?

I have a T440. How well will it run Morrowind (via openMW)?

It shouldn't be a problem right?

>he lists it again
>I buy it before you

Bought a x230 with 6-cell battery that is at 86% of base capacity.
I get about 4.5 hours of life both on win10 and ubuntu with xfce. Does this sound right?

A T440 will have no problem with morrowind or even skyrim, I used to run max payne 1&2 on my X220 at 1080p 60fps high settings with no problems whatsoever and the X220 has a much weaker gpu than a T440.

the T440 has no GPU

the T440 is crap

it can barely run counter strike go at extremely lowest settings

it will run morrowind but definitely not skyrim

So I just got given an A31. Anyone know where I could find a charger cable for it in Australia?

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>has no gpu
a integrated gpu is still a gpu
>will barely run counter strike go
because its way too bloated as a game, while counter strike source looks almost as good and will run at 100+ fps on my X220
>T440 is crap
i agree with you on this

Will changing the battery to new restore original working time? I want to buy used X230, only for pycharm and internet, I need at least 3hrs of working.