Thinkpads are deprecated.

Well enough for a general overview

Might just want to add a note about docks

>>29350880 (OP)
Nobody seeking buying advice will read all that just for a buying guide about a single brand.

You need to make it more comprehensive and less wordy. It's not that fucking hard:
>T series for general shit
>X series for portability
>W series for workstation
>Everything else is shit.

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>>29350880 (OP)
Good guide, although I personally won't recommend a ThinkPad past the X200/T400/W500 series.

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>>29350933
But it's ThinkPads :3

>>29350924
Do they still make docks for the newer series (including X and so on)? What's the point, for a few extra ports, which I assume most newer T series have.

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Wooo, what a way to start the day!

>>29350880 (OP)
You might also want to mention stuff like how you can do your own maintenance on ThinkPads and not void any warranties.

Are there any Thinkpads that aren't ugly as fuck and look like they're to be used on a construction site?

I need a laptop for light programming and web browsing. Is an IdeaPad Z580 worth it?

>>29351026

Thanks for reminding me. I'll mention it in the newer version whenever I get the chance to make it.

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T400 reporting in.

>>29351044
That's like asking for a non-gay Apple product.

>>29351044
Look at this fucking faggot

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>>29351070
Overkill.

>>29351044
>>>/hm/

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You should add a section on defects to watch out for, like T4x board flexing or x61t digitizer issues.

>>29350880 (OP)
This is beyond retarded. The L-series is in no way inferior to T,X,W when it comes to build quality.

>>29351366
yeah the l-series (formerly r-series, bet op didn't even know) are perfect small business notebooks.

>>29351443
R series was the budget line, and so is the L series.

I'm stuck between choosing similar thinkpads, the only difference is that one has a 120GB SSD and the other has a 1TB HDD.
Everything else is pretty much the same, including the price. I'm only planing on using it for simple things like programming, browsing and such. So I was thinking of getting the SSD, but is 120GB enough space for everything you need?

>>29351488
What OS?

>>29351499
Ubuntu, most likely.

Was thinking of buying a T400 for $200~ and turning it in to my experimenting with linux machine

>>29351519

Yeah, go with the SSD. You can always put a 2nd HDD (assuming it's a T series) in one of the bays. Keep the SSD as the boot/program drive and the HDD for storage. 1TB drives are slow.

>>29351366
ahahahahahahaha
>L series
>good
please remove yourself from the gene pool

>>29351586
so any evidence why the aren't?

>>29351586
>L Series
>Thinkpad good
Ok yes they aren't thinkpad good but they still beat most consumer shit out there if only for the clit mouse
I have both a SL500 and a T60 and love both equally :3

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>>29351622
you poor poor man

>>29351361
or T61's w/ failing nVIDIA cards

>>29351723
What causes the failure?

>>29351712
i guess not. go on with your life being a 12 year old.

>>29351736
heat

I don't get the whole L series. It's like a T series size, but why is heavier? And how the fuck is it green?

I bought an R51 and it's docking station for $100.

feelsgoodman

>>29351753
My T60 averaged over 90C for months and my ATI card is still fine.

>>29351723

A shoddy soldering job by Nvidia, basically - when you heat the GPU up pretty high (gaming, basically) and then it cools down, then heats up again when you replay the game, and so on with the heating/cooling/repeat thing, over time the solder joints in the BGA socket develop microfractures (same principle in why sidewalks and roadways develop cracks and "potholes") as the expansion/contraction happens.

At some point those microfractures cause a complete disconnect on the given circuit or line because literally there's a gap in the circuit and so the GPU fails, the laptop doesn't power up properly, and you're fucked when it happens.

>>29351361
You can fix that by shoving something underneath the keyboard where the GPU is located.

How easy is it to fuck up your mobo with a heat gun reflow?

>>29351809
Pretty sure it's to do with solder / flex problems fucking up the board, that heat accelerates. There was a huge number of Nvidia cards that fucked up right? From HP and Apple as well

>>29351809

ATI GPUs never suffered from the heating/cooling issue, only Nvidia GPUs and only in one or two specific product lines of the Geforce mobile GPUs in Dells, ThinkPads, and HP machines, perhaps some others. Mainly in the 8x00 series of lower end graphics, might have affected some of the Quadros as well based on the same class of Geforce hardware.

ATI has never had such problems.

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>>29351782
p..please respond

>>29351828

Very easy, but the issue only occurred in some laptop lines made back in 2006-2008, and if you're still using one of those old machines for anything serious and it completely gives up the ghost due to an Nvidia GPU issue, you're way better off just getting a newer laptop instead of trying to get it functional again.

Use it till it dies, then move on.

>>29351875

Recycled parts is one reason.

this thread made me remember my first time using a keyboard

i learned to type on one of those

>>29351876
If I don't move it around too much, the GPU doesn't detach.

Which means that it's probably not gonna cease being useful anytime soon.

Looking at a T400, refurbished for 270 dollerydoos,

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8700
(3M Cache, 2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB)

4GB RAM
500GB spinpoint 5400rpm, would probably swap it for a samsung 830

14 inch screen
256MB ATI Radeon HD3470

Decent deal?

>>29351997

What's the resolution?

>>29351997

Where are you seeing that, if I can ask? That's a damned fine price for that configuration.

I have a T61 with the Nvidia GPU. It was manufactured after 08/08.

>>29352005
1280x800

>>29352005
Doesn't mention resolution unfortunately :(

Been looking for a thinks that works for cheap on eBay. All of them either go way above my budget or ar broken.
What's the best way to go about buying a cheap as fuck working thinkpad? And I mean really cheap

I want a laptop I can fuck about with and install different OS's on to learn how to use them without worrying about messing up an expensive piece of kit

>>29352037

Try to find out. It's still a good deal even if it's the lower resolution. You can check the configurations here http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:T400
You'd want the 1440x900 res.

>>29352027

Nothing wrong with that, it's my current resolution on my Latitude E6400 till the 1440x900 replacement panel gets here in a few days for a swapout.

>>29352060
T400 is $200-$250

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Is the outdoor screen upgrade on the X tablet actually usable in sunlight?

Damn I want one of these

Could I swap a T61 with a 1280x800 screen with a 1440x900 one ?

>>29352074
I said really cheap
What the fuck are you doing nigger

>>29352097

Every time I see that picture or any pic of the x230t and I see that PrtSc key there it's just so fucking odd, I'll never get used to that shit.

>>29352124

For a complete working ThinkPad that's in excellent condition and still a rather prized thing, that's a most excellent price range.

We're not talking about used Acers or Gateways, motherfucker.

GTFO

>>29352124
$200 is cheap unless you're like living on the street

>>29352067
It's 1440x900 according to the guy on ebay,

I'd mostly be using it for word processing, some autoCAD and for programming, pull the trigger?

>>29352131
I won't lie, the combination of square keys at the top and the U shaped ones really triggers my autism

What button acts as the Windows key, in Tablet mode?

>>29352178

Yeah, it's a bargain!

>>29352178

As long as the seller has excellent feedback and has provided good pictures and it's great shape as far as you can tell, I'd say definitely grab it, just CHECK to make sure it has a return policy just in case.

Read everything on the page twice to verify it has a return policy - if not then I'd pass on it. Can't ever be too careful just in case of a DOA thing - a lot of eBay sellers fuck people over without having a return policy or they put "No returns accepted" someplace it's commonly not even noticed.

If it checks out and you're happy with it, I'd say get it.

Is it true that there's a drain system in thinkpads that if you spill on the keyboard it will just trickle down and out the holes at the bottom of the laptop?

>>29352215
Yes, there are some YouTube videos that test it.

so since this seems to be fact collection for thinkpads, are the recommended series older IBM-only era builds, or are some of those going to be Lenovos too? I've still yet to get a straight answer on what the Thinkpad line has become since Lenovo took over.

Also, absolutely ANY information regarding the tablet functions and convertibility for the X series since that's not very common. I also see a lot of display customizations and variability between models; pro tips would help.

>>29352208
It's an ebay seller, but they're a business and it comes with 3 months warranty from them, picture is just a stock picture

>>29352215

Yep, but it's meant to be a somewhat casual thing in terms of spillage, like an honest accidental knocking over or tipping of a cup meaning you'd react by pulling the cup away as fast as you can.

It's not meant to say you can dump a gallon of soda or whatever on it, obviously. And even with the spill resistance it has natively, it's still possible to do actual damage depending on how and where the spillage hits and starts to seep into the housing.

>>29352166
>>29352159
I never said it had to be in perfect condition or of any high spec. Just something that at least works. I've seen them going for way less than that. You people are backwards if you think $200 is fine to just waste on something you're pretty much going to break very quickly

>>29351709
I also own an SL500 and I must say its far from being bad compaired to other laptops.

It is worse than the flagship tier ThinkPads tho.

You might want to mention that.

>>29352266
If you think messing up with OS installations is going to break a computer, don't even try to do what you are thinking of doing

>>29352266

The T42 series are dirt cheap. A bit old, but classic IBM ThinkPads.

>>29352236

Since the x(--)t series are the tablets, believe me, they get a shitload of discussion around here, especially the x60t/x61t, the x200t, and the x220t and the newest x230t as well.

ThinkPad threads happen at least two, three times a day, some don't last, others get hundreds of replies, just gotta be paying attention when they do.

Also, the forum at thinkpads.com is awesome for info and resources.

>>29352266

If your intention is to "break" a ThinkPad, you need to go to work for something like BlendTec or whatever as you don't sound like anyone that'll actually appreciate a ThinkPad at all.

GTFO, again.

>>29352266
The thing is that these ThinkPads aren't going to break quickly at all.
Just hunt around eBay from time to time and you'll might find something great for cheap.
I got myself a T40 with
1.6GHz Pentium M
1GB RAM
40GB HDD
1400x1050 LCD
Battery that still held 2 hours charge
And a UltraBase for only $65

>>29350880 (OP)
tl;dr

>>29351026
>black dot over i

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>>29352387

Good eye, Anon.

>>29352208
>a lot of eBay sellers fuck people over without having a return policy
I think generally Ebay tells them to fuck off, they favor buyers pretty heavily in my experience. Sounds like a good deal

>>29352236
Many of the favored Thinkpads were produced by Lenovo, under license. They'd still come with IBM badging (I think some had markings for both?). Lenovo have done some cool stuff like the roll cage, W700 DS, improved battery life etc. and some shit like the Edge, new keyboard etc. I don't think quality has gone down too much, but the new warranty provider is fucking horrible and they've been shit about fixing a few ongoing problems like X screens, fan noise etc

I don't have an X tablet, but I've heard good things. Just remember it's a fair bit heavier and a lot more expensive, so think about how often you'll use the pen

Does Lenovo have a Cyber Monday sale?

Thinkpad newfag here.
It seems the T, X and W models are pretty similar in build quality. Frankly, I just want a laptop to do normal tasks and maybe playing intensive games like bsnes with compatibility profile. Accuracy performance will be better, but I guess I need a high-end computer after all.

It's going to have Linux only. Maybe the T model is the best one for my needs?

>>29352502

Yeah, T series are the best all-round, which is what you seem to want.

Should I get a t530? It is well specced out and has better specs then a t430 of the same price but I'm a little concerned about portability. It seems very big. Any other t530 owners care to comment?

>>29352502

T400, T410 = 16:10 aspect LCD panels (1280x800 or 1440x900)
T420, T430 = 16:9 aspect LCD panels (1366x768 or 1600x900)

Just something to keep in mind, and there's always the T5x0 series as well I suppose but those are 15.4"/15.6" displays following the same stats as the T4x0 series.

>>29352524
Aren't they pretty much the same price for the same specs? Unless you want the pricy 1080 panel I'd go for the smaller

>>29352535
>>29352524
I barely care about 16:9 or 16:9. It's not like it's going to be a different user experience after all.
Thank you guys for your replies.

>>29352543
No, not as far as CPUs are concerned at least. I want the i7-3630QM which isn't available for t430. My t530 comes out around $830 with the desired features I want. The only t430 with a dual core i7 puts me over that price.

>>29352566

15" is big man. Only get a 15" if it has extremely high-specs (or any of the W series). I say go for 14".

>>29352592
So it's a T400 or a T410 what I need.

>>29352625

T400, T410, T420, T430, and the s/i variations on these.

They're all good. Note that the T400 doesn't come with an i core processor. Look here for complete available specs on which to decide:
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:T_Series

>>29352660
I have a question.
Why some T models are listed as Tx0, whereas some other are Txy0?

Just got a great price on a new Ideapad, 2.50ghz, 6gb Ram, 17" screen, NOT 1766x768 (thank god), and a $750g hard drive.

How bad did I fuck up?

>>29352683
The former is the old T going from the T20 to the T60
The latter is the T400 onwards which is newer

>>29352683

Tx0 are generally the older ones, when it was IBM or lenovo/IBM. I think the T61p was the first only lenovo named but IBM branded ThinkPad. After that, the went to the Txx0 model convention, which is completely arbitrary, but useful to know.

>>29352683
Previously Txx (as in T43, T60 etc) used the same number for different screen sizes.

The T61 was the last to use this system, then it jumped to T4xx (14 inch) and T5xx (15.6 inch)

>>29352683

Because the much older series was anything from the T21 through the T61 and anywhere in between, then came the T4x0 and T5x0 series still in production. Anything pre-T61 is basically to be avoided UNLESS you just need a basic machine to get the basics done (websurfing, documents, etc, not heavy gaming/processing).

>tfw you have to order a new keyboard for thinkpad

70 fucking dollars, thanks Dr.Pepper.

>>29352719
So they jumped from T60 to T400?
It seems some Txy0 models also has a small letter (i, s). From what I'm seeing, it's like a cheaper and more limited model, am I right?

>>29352727
>>29352738
>>29352740
Ah, nice to know.

>>29352741
The accidental damage for three years was $70 when I bought my Thinkpad, why didn't you buy it anon?

>>29352748
I'd like to know this as well

I know P is a graphics workstation type, T is tablet, and S is lightweight / slim

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>>29352748
Yeah they jumped to consolidate it a bit. You can't tell if it's a 14" or 15" with just "T61"
i is generally used in student/educational configurations
e is generally lower end
s is slim
t is tablet
p means performance(as per T61p. Not professional because IT ALREADY IS DOUBLE)
and as of lately, the u means anorexiabook

>>29352832
Thank you guys, now I understand the differences between all models.

>>29352703
>IdeaPad
>17" screen (Unless you don't mind big laptops)

Only fault is that it's an IdeaPad.

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T61p reporting for duty

How's the T430's Linux compatibility?

>>29352891
T61P is great until the graphics card fails... :(

>>29352902
thinkpads are generally very good.

Integrated graphics are always better unless you're going to load the manufacturer's drivers in *nix

Intel wireless cards are always better than the "Thinkpad" (broadcom) ones

>>29352926
yeah It happened to me, I get the Intel mother from a T61 and now is forking like a charm, but I miss those 256mb of video.

>>29352881
What's wrong with Ideapads?

>>29352936

Fully agreed with this, especially with the Linux issues with Broadcom wireless devices, which flat out sucks but it's not the fault of Linux, it's the fault of Broadcom not putting out a decent working driver, period.

But then again, if it's a ThinkPad, I would strongly suggest getting the Intel wireless cards anyway - keep the platform as pure with Intel hardware as possible and it'll work great.

Sorry, I'm an Intel fan, hardcore, always have been since the early 1970s and always will be, they've never ever let me down in thousands upon thousands of machines I've built by hand, hundreds I've owned myself, and Intel just fucking works.

"No, I don't work for Intel, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night..."

>>29353032
It's not ThinkPad.

>>29351000
Nah, most of the newer ones still just have a DisplayPort, a VGA, ExpressCard, and 3 USB ports. And one audio out 3.5mm jack.

>>29352936
All I need to know. I'll probably get one (or maybe a T530) with the HD 4000 IGP and Centrino blah blah whatever wireless.

>>29351000
They do still make docks; ThinkPads have 3 USB ports at the most.

>>29353060
>ExpressCard
Quick survey, has anyone here ever used it? I wouldn't miss it at all on the X series

>>29350880 (OP)
you have a typo in the first section, 4th ul point.
Should be "UltraBay", not "UlraBay".

Could you correct that and re-upload the guide?

>>29353130

I've never used one personally, and have a few machines that have such slots (currently this E6400). Honestly I wish it just had a classic PC card slot (PCMCIA) since those were actually more useful, got a few wireless PC cards that I use with BackTrack and my D630 which does have one.

Progress isn't always a necessity, nor even useful when it happens, and so far, the ExpressCard slot has never proven itself to be of any use to me at all.

I hardly think I'm alone there in that experience.

>>29353130
I use it constantly for my eGPU.

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>>29353284

You know, as soon as I posted that last bit I immediately remembered that in some instances people ARE using the ExpressCard slot for those eGPU purposes nowadays, felt stupid and didn't bother to delete/repost an edit.

Ok, so there IS one good use for an ExpressCard slot, but it's not necessarily for everyone obviously. Those that do make use of it are pretty hardcore about it too.

Pic relevant.

>>29353136
>autism