/tpg/ - ThinkPad General - ThinkPilled Edition

Previous 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).

Libreboot-compatible models:
>T60, X60; X200, T/W400/500
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/

Attached: tfw thinkpilled.png (512x512, 142K)

Other urls found in this thread:

discord.gg/SnMqrjE
discordapp.com/invite/mGWNsaN
amazon.com/gp/product/B0085MPIG6/
support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/hf004122
microcenter.com/product/488374/IdeaPad_320_15_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Grey
gumtree.com.au/s-view-details.html?adId=1177321646
gumtree.com.au/s-view-details.html?adId=1178119446
twitter.com/SFWRedditImages

first for collection of two dozen $100 thinkpads

>finally got a ThinkPad again
>it's a Lenovo

>tfw got rid of my IBM Thinkpad back in 2006

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third for JEB!

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What is the best one for gaming. Budget $800

>Discord server for ThinkPad owners
/TPG/: discord.gg/SnMqrjE
/r/thinkpad: discordapp.com/invite/mGWNsaN

P50 probably

Consider eGPU on an older ivy bridge system.

Otherwise K2000M equipped W530 or one of the W540/541 (not sure what gpu this one has)

I wish the T420 could use an ultra bay battery

Are the unofficial 9cells all bad? No official 9cells for x230t

sadly no

it can't?

ultrabay batteries have a small capacity and are poorly optimized anyways, they don't provide much extra life and they do not last long overall

only the T420s

FUCK OFF WITH THAT DISCORD FUCKING SHIT, THAT SHIT IS FOR GAYEMERS AND SOYBOYS, kepp that shit of Sup Forums why the fuck do I have to register just to post a fucking message

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This desu. The ThinkPad is an American icon. Tragic that they sold it to PooNovo

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works for me

I upgraded my t540p from i3 4000m to i7 4700mq at last and everything works well.
This cpu is not overheating my laptop, I love thinkpads so much.

Should I upgrade backlit or I look for FHD IPS ?

Also interested in this.

Boi how? Teach me desu

Are there any pricing guides out there to compare used models? I'd like to know what the appropriate pricing is for different builds/models etc to avoid overpaying

i am also wondering this. my x220 battery holds absolutely no charge and I want something with 9 cells

there are multiple options for this, the most convenient is expresscard but the bandwidth is limited, or you can use the internal mpcie (usually for wwan) which is more hassle to access but has higher bandwidth

My X220T is coming the day after tomorrow, can't wait to read manga on it.

Goodnight thinkfags.

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don't you mean doujins?

well, the non-tablets have official 9-cells... so you shouldn't have that problem.
I got one of these last year.
amazon.com/gp/product/B0085MPIG6/

If you watch it for a while it will sometimes go below $60. Just double check that the seller has good reviews.

oh also when it arrives make sure the date on the box matches the date on the battery and that it isn't an old battery to begin with

ALSO check that your battery isn't up for recall, because if it is then Lenovo will just send you a new one for free..

support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/hf004122

I have an Asus R510D would a w530 be a decent upgrade

>amazon.com/gp/product/B0085MPIG6/
Thank you so much, I'll have this bookmarked. My birthday is Friday and I think I'll have enough money to treat myself.

checking this now

SHIT i wanted a free batter >:(

anyone know libreboot x220 status? was supposed to come at end of 2017

The LG Gram is the new Thinkpad of Sup Forums.

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I have a t400 and the screen is trash, I was thinking of replacing the screen with the a newer one. Are the x220 and t420 screens better if so, should i just get one of them.

Any reason why most of you run on i3-i5 instead of i7 with less than 16gb?


Was it based on price or choice? Stupid question but I'm curious to know why

for one, everyone here bought their thinkpads secondhand so they didn't get much of a choice

and two, a majority of the i7's are dual-cores like the i5's so the performance gain is very small to begin with

power consumption I would guess

Lol fuck off Linus.

It would be amazing if they made an X280 with a Core M, mountains of battery life.

So, is the AMD series (A-series) any good?

Keep the shilling in your own thread.

Fuck off autists

Biggest fucking fag on Sup Forums. And literal fags post their shaven legs on here.

Wrong thread subhuman

>autist calling anyone else a subhuman
ok

What's a good but not so expensive 16gb ram for my X230?

>$999
>U processor
>onboard graphics
Uhh, I can get a laptop with a 1060 for that. Why would I pay more for muh thin if it ends up saying LG on it and doesn't impress the imaginary audience I think cares about my taste in electronics.

>installing Mint on my new x220t

Mods please ban this fag

Where's the trackpoint

They're dual cores so you're basically overpaying for a name
And most of us don't run VMs so 8 is enough
Nope

Yeah but wait for raven ridge
>when's that?
Q3

Trick question
All ram is expensive

is there any way to be safe from buying an used memepad from the internet?? beeing eyeing some x/t*50 models on the mexican equivalent of ebay, but i am afraid of it coming with a locked bios or otherwise.

what am i risking if i get ine with a bios password in it, am i fucked or can i just cruize by fine with windoze?

is it enough if they show me pics of it booting into windoze or should i be wary otherwise?

there's x250's popping up there for 300$ and im inda salivating for one.

Buy from bulk sellers if you can
Use the stupid fucking Mercado libre cards just in case

Interested in getting one of these since the brand has a charm. Always wanted to try getting into linux too. My uses are limited since I have a desktop. Finances, casual gaming with older titles (eGPU with my spare 1050 gtx maybe), & every day activities if I'm away from home. I'm primarily interested in the X200/220 T400/420 and I had some questions:

Which one would be the best in all aspects? When I ask this I mean which one has the most available spare parts on market including batteries & accessories, the easiest to find in good condition, and best overall feel & look. What is the most I should pay for that particular model?

Also is libreboot a must?

Got my X230T for 200 bucks on Mercado libre just a week ago. If the thing comes with a locked bios then ask for a refund and return the laptop.

I've been gaming on a W530 (i7 3840QM and Nvidia K2000M) recently and it works very well. Was going to add an eGPU but it's actually good enough as is.

Can you still buy these? If that reddit faggot middle man selling them is still here I want to buy one.

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If you want to get rid of the hardware whitelist and add 3" to your epeen then yes

Get the official ones. I've tried so many fake chink ones and they are all a waste on money.
If you want advertised battery life(8-9 hours) legit Lenovo batteries are the only way to go.

My current laptops specs are A10-5750M with a dedicared HD 8600M its kind of a piece of shit would a t520/t530 be a decent upgrade or should i got for the W520/30. Also how hard are the keyboard replacements on the xx30 series laptops. I can't handle anymore chiclet cancer.

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I bought this thinkpad T460 on ebay for 400 dollars. Didn't come with an OS or an external battery, but works and looks brand new. The laptop even smelled new. I just put an OS installer on a USB drive and installed the OS. The laptop has an internal battery, so I'm in no need for an external drive. Good purchase?

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Can't get a good X220 Tablet on eBay, what other model tablets should I look for? Preferably under 300$.

I'm looking at some HP Elitebook 8xxx workstations on eBay but they don't list which dedicated GPU is onboard. Is there a way to check with serial/product numbers? The HP support site just says the numbers listed are either associated with more than one result or nothing at all. The additional Product Number it asks for to differentiate results isn't found by the tool.

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Usually not fatal but I get ~2 hours of battery life on my chink battery on my T61p.. it's enough to get me through a class or between classes if an outlet isn't near by. I rarely am away from an outlet so it's w/e

Didn't know that, thanks for letting me know. I'm kind of disappointed as well, thought there were more options to efficiently run i7 fully. I've been curious about the think pads now but not sure where to begin.

Listed links mention a W530 model that's supposed to be the "best" of the current Lenovo brand line which are sorta pricey but I also see plenty of the T4__ line as well. Which one should I be looking into?

What does Sup Forums think of this deal?
I want to put Arch on it btw.

Lenovo Thinkpad T430 Business Laptop computer Intel i5-3320m up tp 3.3GHz, 8GB DDR3, 128GB SSD, 14" HD LED-backlit display, DVD, WiFi, USB 3.0, Windows 10 Pro (Certified Refurbished)
$300

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p50 owner here, it games like shit. workstation gpus =/= gaming gpus

Unless you're doing some really demanding work like virtualization of multiple machines, I would say any dual core i5 is enough to get done stuff.

Found it.
>partsurfer.hp.com
Plug in the serial for specific unit part list.

I suppose youre right, thanks. Ill start off on the T4 line then move on to the other models during my search. Any specific one you might recommend? I see a lot on the X__ line mentioned here, Im assuming this is the current model?

T Series are the "standard" size laptops, and if you are not sure what you want, go for one of this series.
X Series are the smaller, and sometimes lighter laptops. If you want a smaller footprint, get one of this series.

Take into account that x220/t420 were the last thinkpads with the classic keyboard, and the last ones that can be equipped with Libreboot, if I'm not mistaken.

>16Gb DDR3 in 2013 - $190NZD
>16Gb DDR4 in 2018 - $350NZD
FUCK THIS GAY EARTH REEEEEEE

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Should I buy a t420 i5 with nvidia VGA for 255 freedom buck?(converted from my local currency)

Someone help!

It has 4 GB RAM and the usual HDD btw

Which Carbon generation is the one to avoid? 2nd gen right?

I'm thinking of getting it over a T440P due to being lighter and newer. The T440P would be cheaper though.

yes get a W or T 520/530 and replace 30 keyboard w/ 20 if needed.

At least in NZ we aren't struck too hard if at all by the retarded GPU pricing. It's only Jewsung and their price-fixing that affects us.

And we get this

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I can get a new non-business craptop for ~$400 and it'd have the latest i5 8250u quad core, 8GB of DDR4, a 1TB HDD, and Wangblows 10. Is it really worth it to spend that $400 on an older Thinkpad for the business experience instead?

Post link faggot

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Latest processors arent really that big improvements and you also get lack of build quality and customization.

Thanks again, really appreciate it. Spent the last hour browsing, might pick one up soon from the T series. That T420 model seems more of my liking

For example
microcenter.com/product/488374/IdeaPad_320_15_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Grey

Sometimes they go on sale for $399.99. HP, Dell, Acer, all have similar offerings.

I see some i5 T440p laptops for $200 and a few i7 ones for $300. T450s are $400. I'm likely to just install Looniks anyways over whatever OS the unit comes with. Maybe a VM or two, no gaymen or anything too intense.

>its 30% off
Get a 30% sale on a ThinkPad and then come back, faggot

>he believes it's 30% off

Yes, for several months

You can't libreboot anything newer than a core2duo

I run i7 haswell quad core with 12 gb ram.

It cost me 330 euro for that.

But honestly I spend a lot using my x220 because it is comfy as fuck and it has i5 2540m with 4GB ram.

I think consumerism got over my head.
Thinkpads being a lot of cheaper I spend most of my money for upgrades.

>>tfw got rid of my IBM Thinkpad back in 2006
get another IBM thinkpad then. It's not like they're expensive

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Just got a ThinkPad T60 for $40 ($50 AUD), very happy.
> Looking for decently priced X60 or T60 for a few weeks
> Shortage of memepads in Australia (Queensland)
> Find one on Gumtree, $50, like new condition
> Drive 115 km from home to pick it up
> Lady says she has had many people messenging her about the laptop
> Explain to her why these laptops are so sought after
> Drive 115 km home feeling smug
Probably wasted another $30 on fuel, and about 3 hours, but whatever.

How many of you here are from Queensland Australia to make my memepads such a rare commodity.

Got an original, IBM only ThinkPad X60, for $40 (AUD). Unfortunately, it's the single core edition, might replace the motherboard. Now I just gotta wait until they become vintage, and sell for a $1000.

Bought a chinkcell for $35 on Amazon after my original started making a spooky hiss and I had to bury it in the backyard. System identifies it as the SANYO 42T4791 (for T420)
Getting around 6-7 hours for light duty tasks like web browsing, libreoffice or running youtube-dl in the background while notetaking during class. I do keep the nvidia card off when I'm not home, though.
All in all, would recommend. Bought one for my girlfriend's x220 and she's had the same experience.

What is a better purchase;

AUD$450
T440 - i5-4300u/8GB RAM/256GB SSD/1080p TN (no trackpad mod)
gumtree.com.au/s-view-details.html?adId=1177321646

or

AUD$400
T450 - i5(can't see on his image but I'm guessing 5300u)/4GB RAM/500GB HDD/768p TN
gumtree.com.au/s-view-details.html?adId=1178119446

Is it hard to apply thermal paste on the T440s?
Got a used one, temps are kinda higher than normal

T440
I'm pretty sure you can't get an extra 4GB of ram and a 256 SSD for 100ish dollarydoos

Check the hardware maintenance manual but going by screenshots, it should be very very easy

Anyone have experience with x230?

I plan on getting one for uni. It's the "i7" model.

I have a old gtx 690, want to try the eGPU thing as well.

T440 is nice, Only one ram slot though. You will need a 8GB dim to upgrade