/tpg/ - Thinkpad General

Previous Thread: 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 (check lcd), X60(s/t.), X200(s/t. -s requires soldering), T400(s), T500, W500.

Modern models:
>X220/X230 - 12", 768p, cheap and light
>T420/T430 - 14", 900p, socketed CPU, quadcore-compatible
>T520/T530, W520/W530 - 15", 1080p, desktop replacement
>T440s/T450s - best price/performance ultraportable
>T440p, T540p, W540/1 - last models with socketed processors

Upgraded models:
>X210 - X200/X201, i5 8250U quadcore
>X62 - X61, i5 5250U
>T70 - T60, i7 7700HQ
High-res IPS displays, USB 3.0, M.2 x4, mini-DP
forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=117


Why ThinkPad?
>Used machines are plentiful and cheap
>Excellent keyboards - tactile feel and quiet
>Great durability: magnesium rollcage for structural integrity, high quality plastic body panels
>Utilitarian design: 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 TrackPoint™, great for those who type a lot or hate swiping their fingers all over a touchpad
>Excellent GNU/Linux & *BSD support

Helpful links:
>Buyers guide:
dankpads.com/tpg/
>thinkpad-tech-tree.txt - a plaintext map of ThinkPad history:
github.com/Monkeyfume/thinkpad-tech-tree/blob/master/thinkpad-tech-tree.txt
>ThinkWiki - info on ThinkPads & running GNU/Linux on them:
thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki
>Coreboot compatibility list:
coreboot.org/status/board-status.html
>BIOS logo booru:
biosimage.booru.org

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lolis

The dvd drive in my T430 is fucked, it won't read disks and some times it opens randomly for no reason.
How do I fix it? I tried cleaning the lens but it didn't work.

so i wanted to create some portable linux server, headless debian running some services etc. i was thinking about some nettop pc, a router sized pc, but i still needed some portable screen and input. so i figured out that i could buy a 10" thinkpad with the same specs. turned out its the same price. so have anyone used thinkapd as a server? 24/7 dc connected, preferably closed lid

I'm using an i7 FHD T440p as router

x201 cutest thinkpad

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you sure do

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Is it really worth it for me to spend like 40 to 70 bucks for a dead x200 for parts so i can get the cables necesaary for a 70 to 100 dollar ips panel for my x201?

Thinking of getting a t60 and restoring it for fun, already have a laptop I use. Is it worth the ~$150 for all the parts etc just for fun?

Hello /tpg/
Recently I purchased two thingpads: a T410 for about 65$ (including shipping) and a X61 for about 56$ (including shipping). Both were without harddrives and I happened to have two SSDs laying around (128Gb and 256Gb respectively) that I put in. I have to replace the battery for the T410 but HOLY SHIT IT IS CLEAN.

Now, regarding the X61 (which I am actively using to type this) I have SO MANY QUESTIONS.

1) The screen can be spun around and flipped onto the keyboard, putting it into a tablet mode. I assume that this touch-functionality will work on Windows 10 but would it work on any linux distribution?

2) ThinkWiki tells me that some X61 laptops can be fitted with 8GB of RAM. How do I know if mine can? Is it worth it?

3) How is it that this keyboard is so different even from the T420?

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Do you plan on doing anything with it once you restore it?

i changed thermal paste for x230 and temps dropped
idle 60C->39C
load 91C->68C

uwu

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uwu i need to change mine out soon. Those are some nice drops

what should be the ideal temps for a T430? I usually get 44-47°C on idle and around 88-90°C on full load, is this normal?

What's the last good non-IME Thinkpad I can buy?

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I have 15 T42's what should I do with them? They are all in perfect condition and maxed spec's. I've had them sitting on a shelf since I took them from work when they were gonna throw them away.

i did the keyboard mod for x230 and the keyboard works fine,
but the green LED on the top-center does not turn on at all unlike in this pic

any ideas?

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tried to sell this thing for like two months without success so yeah
also the battery works nicely as a built-in UPS

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the power button LED i mean

Did you tape off the pins inside the keyboard? Try pressing down on the connector if you did. I had a similar issue with my T430 using a T420 keyboard, and after pressing the connector down it fixed it.

I love the thinklight and latch mechanism on the older thinkpads. I always felt so fucking cool whenever I opened my laptop and when I used the light. And above all else, the keyboards had amazing travel and just a nice feel in general for laptops.

But newer thinkpads are so much lighter, have much better screens, and have better battery life. The keyboard is still the best compared to other modern laptops, but that's not saying much. Maybe I'll regret it in a couple years when the battery struggles to survive, and it does suck that I can't burn dvds as conveniently, but shit, the x1 extreme is definitely worth it in my eyes.

Preserve them as best as you can, or just use some as torrenting machines. That's what I've relegated my old x200 to.

X230 comfiest thinkpad

Be honest, how many of you use the touchpad instead of the trackpoint?

>tfw X61 Tablet
what touchpad

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When I need to click something a lot, like when I'm training certain skills in OSRS, I just tap on the touchpad instead to preserve the buttons

I have it disabled in bios so not me

I could never get used to the trackpoint, I find it uncomfortable.
The touchpad is much faster for me, I use 2 finger scroll all the time. Scrolling with the trackpoint while pressing the middle button is cumbersome in comparison.

mine's disabled in the bios

when I was still a "kid" I liked using the textured trackpad whenever we went to the computer lab at school
But now I almost exclusively use the trackpoint

seriously, why couldnt i run it as server only? only con i see is that its bigger than nettop pc, but still, its only 10"
>display
>keyboard
>battery as ups
im going for it

get something ulv like an x240 for reduced power consumption

I've had people use my x200 and spent a good 10 seconds randomly rubbing their finger on the plastic underneath the trackpoint buttons where the touchpad usually goes.

1) Most of them don't have touch. Just pen input, which works right out of the box on Ubuntu. At least it did for me. If you have touch, and if touch would work on Linux, I have no idea. I'd say if you touch the screen and nothing happens on Ubuntu you don't have a touch screen.

2) afaik 8GB RAM should work on all models, only Lenovo lists 4GB as maximum. Honestly, 4GB DDR2 modules are expensive as hell and I don't think it's worth it. Not on a device THAT old.

3) How could the keyboard not be different? These things are 5 years apart. Besides, the keyboard can be different from one T420 to another T420 because the keyboards come from several different manufacturers.

thanks user got it working now
had to retape the pins
think i taped off a 4th pin by accident

It's been a pain in the ass to get working ram sticks for my sl410. Why is that?

personally I find the touchpad way too small and it never ever detects when I use 2 fingers or more and the rugged texture feels really weird
t. T430 owner

Man, my thinkpad has had so many issues with it's battery. Been kinda souring me on this brand.

The T420 has a single jack for both audio and microphone. If I plug in a microphone-only male jack, will the sound stop coming from the speakers, or it will keep the speakers on?

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Then buy a new battery. These batteries are CHEAP.

Probably just casual use and learning how to use linux, not for anything important unless I get rly adept with it

I have a good 9 Cell battery that's compatable with these laptops, which should I get?

Compatible with T410, T420, T430, T510, T520, T530, W510, W520, W530, L410, L412, L420, L421, L430, L510, L512, L520 and L530

One more question: I've only got 3GB of RAM and since purchasing 4GB DDR2 modules are not really an option, should I still go with a 64x or is it actually better in this case to have 32x?

In my personal experience, you should get a *20 at minimum. While the *10 modules may be cheaper, they have significantly less powerful CPUs.

x200s is the cutest thinkpad.

Atm, I'm using a t400 though.

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kill yourself

Yeah but how many do I gotta buyyyyyyy....

cringe fuck off and die

tripcode, is that really you?

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it'd stay on maybe auto but for sure if you set input to mic derp

>girl

Huh. So that's what kalyx has been up to recently.

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Yeah, that was Google's best guess. I certainly did not right "girl", as all I did was reverse-search the image.

yes :D
who is kalyx?

A klyx is a literal nigger though

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bumping for reply

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what's some cool stuff I can do on my laptop? I use it for programming, web browsing, listening to music and email/messaging. Maybe I'm just depressed but I feel like the fun of computing is gone..

>guy selling x230 and T60 for $35 each OBO
>1 hour 15 min away...
tell me I dont need it guys

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Already got a ThinkPad T430 and a X200t.
>>Other business laptops are welcome in /tpg/ (Dell Latitude/Precision, HP EliteBook/ZBook).
Eyeing a tiny HP Elitebook 2170p, anyone with any experience with it? Mainly for ssh/web stuff on GNU/Linux as an always-carry on-call machine. (The X200t is a little too big for me still.)

for that price it's a steal, you need it

>2019
>optical drives

what the heck are you even using it for in the first place

are you still here?

I'm having an easier time finding old X1 carbons than X220/X230's on ebay. In better condition too.

Thoughts on X220/X230 vs first and second gen X1 Carbons?

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Not him but i use my optical drive on a monthly basis to rip the audio CDs i buy to FLAC.
Some albums/singles are missing even on private trackers.

Not sure if you would have to, truly and honestly, spend upwards of 150$ on parts. Whether or not it is worth doing so is up to you. You could just salvage the components for other thinkpads.

I don't use it but I like to have stuff that actually works.

Remove it and get a hard drive caddy.

post more cute pics tripcode, do you have (((instagram)))

We need a Win2k general

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go for it and report back. Just realized he also took pictures of the dock for the x230. Ad doesn't mention it but it's an absolute steal if he throws it in

x1 carbon is old now huh

We need a cunny general

based

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you cant salvage an ips panel for the x200. you have to actually buy a third party one from china

as for the x201 you need the cable or two from the x200's that have a cfl backlight. you can buy the cables separately but theyre going for the same amount as a used x200 being sold for parts

I'd say go with 2x2GB if you can and then just stick with 32bit. x64 on 4GB is ass.

Someone has to do it. Based.

What does Jow Forums think of the 3rd gen thinkpad x1 carbon? I found one with a i7-5600u, 8gb ram and a 256gb ssd used for $350. Worth it for a daily driver?

fully inserted

hey, that's my pic

Anyone got any wallpaper recs?

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I changed the paste on my x60 and undervolted it:
33C idle, 50C on load. Shit is magical. congrats user

I feel the same way. I know the newer ones are better but I just can't let go of my x60 as my daily driver. I can't explain exactly why but I just get more work done on it that the x250 I have.

Based

Kalyx is a macfag.

Buy from other sites, retard, shit costs more but you get it in good condition and don't have to deal with all the bullshit.

My x230 literally had no paste left, it all ran off to the sides. Was causing random shutdowns.

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The paste is for filling micro gaps. There isn't supposed to be a thick layer of it between the two pieces.

if you could only own one thinkpad, which one would it be?

im going to be buying my first one (and probably only) soon. just going to load it with ubuntu, my emacs configs, and try to leave behind the win/mac stuff unless im working on a job that requires it. ill be doing somewhat demanding tasks (nothing more stressful than some Unity hobby projects) and my webdev stuff

recent experiences with both my mac and windows machines have made it clear that it's time to get a linuxbox and thinkpads sound like the best choice in case it takes a few dings while im parkouring up to my underage gf's window

>is it free/do i have plenty of spare money?
X1 Tablet 3rd gen.
>no?
SXGA+ X61 Tablet.

Next time use more paste.

Anyone ever tried installing DOS on one of these things?

That wasn’t my paste. Thats how it looked when I opened it up for the first time. I don’t think the guy i got it from did it either so my guess is it was original paste from the factory.

100% disgusting. Why are there so many traps in this community?

Anyone?

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What does Jow Forums think about Thinkpad 25 Anniversary Edition?

Sounds about right, I get around the same on Debian and I cleaned out the fans as well. I haven't really pushed Max load yet, so I can't tell ya. During games like Factorio or Rimworld, probably around 80 C

was browsing leddit

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I plug the mouse lol

first one looks way too new. maybe i should go with a toughbook?

What's the normal temperature of a T420? Some days ago, I tried to compile Chromium and the temperature was 92°C, so the processor started throttling. Is that normal? Right now, having three Firefox tabs open, the temperature is 40°C.

Seeking a good (debian based preferably) Linux Distro for my X220.

I used to main Mint on it and loved it but now that I have an actual tower PC for my main work I would like to have a side-one that just starts up really fast with long battery life so I can do banking stuff, note-taking, on-the-go fiddling etc

I think Mint will be too bloated for that, so what would be good and comfy?