>https://www.bobble.tech/free-stuff/used-thinkpad-buyers-guide >99% of links are routed through google for no fucking reason bruh >the site has "Privacy" section >go there and get cancer instantly

OP should add https://1vyra.in/ as a way for disabling ME and unlocking xx30 cpu limits

>>39 Added. Feel free to post any additional resources and I will accumulate them in the OP. Anyone planning to use an x30 with an older keyboard should make sure they run a custom keymap, otherwise there can be voltage problems which can kill the keyboard.

Managed to dig an (non-tablet) x220 out of a boneyard for free Gonna see if I can scrounge some free upgrades. See if anyone is throwing-out a RAM stick. Will look for an old SSD to repurpose. Going to use it for days I have to walk a lot instead of my W-series.

>>11 Seems like the type of site that may have been better in the past. I skimmed through it and the guide seemed fine, if not a little consoomery but you're buying something so i guess that's to be expected.

>>50 There used to be an image guide floating around, but nobody has updated it in awhile. I mostly scrounge surplus sales and thrift stores for undervalued ThinkPads now, but eBay is the best place for a newbie who just wants to spend a fair price for a working product. That being said, my advice to friends I redpill is "check eBay for ThinkPads, don't spend more than $300". Usually works, although sometimes I have to scrounge for them or provide some models to look out for.

I bought an X60 a couple years back when I finally made my move to Linux for good. The biggest problem so far has been that every power supply I've bought has broken in under a year. Is there a way to get a decent AC adapter that will actually last as long as the computer?

>>63 Are you using first-party chargers or third-party clones? How are they breaking? Is the cord fraying?

>>10 My T430 is overheating when I run graphics heavy stuff. Mainly games. I'm looking into getting an external GPU, and a friend of mine is willing to give me his GTX 760 video card. Or at least that's what I think he said. I can never get my head around all these autist tier names for video cards. anyway, while playing a game I checked and it looks like my CPU is only under 60% load but my laptop gets hot as hell. So I'm reasonably confident that by offloading graphics power to an external GPU it should help me a whole lot. So, does anyone have any advice for me? is it a bad idea? I just hope that the T430+ GTX 760 combo will work properly. >>39 this is very cool. I have a T430 and would like to try this. unfortunately it is my only computer and it's very critical that nothing happens to it so for now I will leave it be. thanks for the link anon

>>67 Third-party stuff as far as I know. If genuine Lenovo stuff still exists, I wouldn't know where to find it. Usually, it seems like the transformer itself goes. One of them I squeezed a few more days out of by popping the transformer open so the cord could make better contact.

>>70 You can attach an eGPU via expresscard slot, or if you're using a docking station you can pass it through there. Be warned that Linux does not like to hotswap GPUs. It likes to load the correct driver and call it a day. What you can do is work out a system where you boot into a host install and then run your actual/gaming OS as a virtual machine where you pass the GPU through. Basically, the configuration is a little difficult the first time but you'll avoid the headache of having to reboot every time you want to add or remove the GPU. If you're just using it as a desktop replacement then it's not an issue, but if you were hoping to play games while traveling it's worth considering your config. As for GPUs themselves, I did some research on this myself (but never pulled the trigger because I stopped traveling because of Corona-chan) and you'll want to look at low-end modern GPUs. Basically the opposite of buying a ThinkPad. Look at like a 2050 or possibly even smaller. The performance for the price is good and you can sometimes find ones (maybe a couple years old, like a 1050) that can fit inside your pocket. Lots of power relative to size and energy consumption. I was looking for one that didn't require any external power beyond PCI so I could just plug and play, though. If you're fine with jacking into an outlet, there's enclosures to make eGPUs simple. >>71 Genuine Lenovo stuff still exists and you can find it on Amazon even. Just have to be careful which sellers you buy from because some of the Chinese ones put "LENOVO" in the title. Make sure it's from Lenovo themselves. I've never had an issue with the transformers blowing myself. Try a genuine charger. The good news is that chargers vary by wattage but are used by a wide variety of ThinkPads, so as long as the connector is correct (newer models use a USB-style, older have a round plug) then you're good to go if the wattage matches. If you're feeling brave, you could probably just pop it open and replace whatever blew. Capacitors are often the first component to go on any board, but also the easiest to fix.

>>72 thanks anon. >You can attach an eGPU via expresscard slot, or if you're using a docking station you can pass it through there. I planned to use the EXP GDC adapter as I've heard it's the best one to use, and I planned to use the expresscard slot. I wasn't aware you could use the dock with it, I only have some USB, DVI, and I think some displayports open on the dock. I was under the impression that you had to plug in to the laptop itself even with a docking station to connect an egpu. I am using it as a desktop replacement currently, I'm not terribly interested in an egpu when I take it anywhere. When I need to do heavy stuff it'll typically be at home anyway. I am looking into KVM. Don't know much about it but I'm interested in running Windows 7 as a guest but I'd like to try keeping it as "bare-metal" as possible as far as performance goes. But no issues here so far, I don't even care if I had to reboot. > Look at like a 2050 or possibly even smaller. Thanks for the rec's but those are a little too expensive for me. It looks like I can get one online for maybe $100, but my friend will give me his 760 for free, meaning my cost would just be the expresscard adapter. I know it's probably not the best card or whatever but my requirements are low, I just want my system to run some things at a low resolution without overheating all the time. So I figure I should be fine even with a modest video card. And since I'm getting it for free it's no loss and I can always move to something better anyway if I need to. as for the other guy I'm confused how chargers can fail so much. might be a problem with his house wiring, maybe. I don't know.

>>43 The x200 thinkpads are a nice line of computers, I really like their size.

>>84 I have an x200, it's the perfect size for a notebook laptop, easy enough to carry anywhere unlike my gaymen laptop and I can't get enough of this keyboard. I bought it refurbished for about $120 a few years ago, the fan died a few months back when I tried to compress my porn folder, as it was just too powerful to compress on this tier of hardware. Put a new fan in today and it runs like a dream.

I have a T430 with a shitty 1366x768 TN display, and I'd like to have an IPS panel. I already have the extra cable needed to connect 1600x900 displays. How are the LCD controllers offered on eBay? Is there a chance that the screen may have flickering issues?

>>218 I've had good experiences with parts from eBay. ThinkPad aftermarket parts are generally pretty good. Worst-case, if it does have issues, eBay's refund policy should cover you. They've gottem more aggressive about favoring purchasers.

>>218 i have one of those fuckin things in my t420 right now nigga

>>222 >>235 What IPS panel do you use for your T420/T430? Any dead pixels or any other issues with them?

Anyone have experience with third party batteries in the X220 and T440p? My x220 battery is dying and the t440p I bought has a dead one. Chink brands to avoid, or to try and grab?

>>311 i bought one from amazon (checked that the part number was listed in multiple places for the T420). other than the bolt holes being bent it was ok, no dead pixels. worked great with my chinese lcd controller board from ebay

>>39 >buying a keyboard even worse than a laptop keyboard

Update from >>218 I've installed a 1080p IPS panel on my T430, and it's certainly better than the TN panel. The only challenge was trying to install the controller board to the display. Not much info is there on how to install the board except leddit but here's some photos of the process that I did. Another concern that I had was if there's too much light bleed, but the panel that I bought was cheap anyway. The end result has some light bleed and one or two dead pixels, but it's only noticeable under high brightness. I only spent ~$90-$100 overall, and it's a worthwhile upgrade.

>>514 interesting. i put my LCD controller under the keyboard. it does make it bulge up but it's almost imperceptible. does having it behind the LCD panel make your screen bulge out at all?

>>520 The screen is not bulging out, although it's hard to tell. I didn't know that the board could be placed under the keyboard, either. Also, there's some IPS glow that's noticeable when adjusting the lid.

kind of wish a core duo / x200 could handle a 1080p60 decode let alone encode, such a shame it can't

>>525 I had to troubleshoot my audio jack (turns out it was never plugged into the fucking motherboard) and while I had it open I decided to stash my LCD controller behind the monitor as well, and it works great. Mine looks different from yours though; the cables that come off of the board are both 90° connectors and they are pointed towards the same corner, and also the cable to the screen itself is much longer. It was kind of a pain in the ass to manage the cables but after I got it stuffed in there it works fine.

So I recently got my hands on one of these cute little shits running a locked Vista Basic install. The CF-U1 was AFAIK the only ruggedized version of the extinct "palmtop PC" concept. Basically you have a full computer with standardized hardware running on an Intel Atom 520 and squeezed into an adorable little handheld unit with a thumb keyboard and a touchscreen. I love it. The problem is that I want to get Linux running on it, but the hardware configuration is just off-label enough that nothing wants to boot. The BIOS are unlocked so setting up boot order was easy, but I've tried liveUSB installs for all the "friendly" distros trying to get to a desktop. So far the best luck I've had was with Lubuntu 32 Alternate which managed to load to the installer screen, and Arch which got me to a command line that was seemingly unable to launch anything. Lubuntu desktop, Mint, Debian 9 and 10, and Red Hat all failed to boot with the classic "black underscore" screen. I considered going ahead with the Lu install but I'd really like to get in there and dump the old hard drive first and see what was on it before I reformat the whole thing.

Do you guys know how much do chinks charge for their X62s/X210s? Their website basically says >herro, because covod-19 will you get you tinkpad in months, thank you!!!!

>>10 Fuck, I'd trade my gf for the second image.

>>1195 What is the thing under the thinkpad? I want to know how badly I fucked up by throwing one out years ago.

>>1199 That's a SelectaDock. The reason it's so large is that it supports full sized PCI cards. They're rare but I don't think they're particularly valuable in general.

Thinking of getting an x220, but would it be worth it to get an x230 and mod an x220 keyboard into it?

>>1252 The X230 has a much better integrated GPU and USB 3. How much do you care about those things?

>>1253 I don't really care for gaming on it, might put low demanding 2D fighters on it (Soku, Melty Blood, etc.) just for the hell of it. I just plan on using it as a Linux machine to mess around on but also may need it for school in the future. An IPS display would be cool too.

>>1724 I really want a notebook that I can switch parts around now. I also really need to play Starcraft and Diablo again, goddamn.

found a thinkpad 240 with a celeron, such a cute machine, thing is smaller than an x60. doesn't have an HDD or power supply though. somehow there isn't any dust or hair under the keyboard

>>1778 Post some pics when you get it up and running. Let us know how it performs. What are you planning to use it for?

i own x260 and r400. i use x260 a lot when i'm on the go but i'm too lazy to libreboot my r400 so it just sits on my desk.

There is a criminal organization in Brazil using NSO Group's Pegasus to infect devices for hack for hire, to incite terrorism, blackmail people, produce illegal pornography and assist in assassinations. They also have other advanced malware, like UEFI implants and even persistent implants for Kindle and Raspberry Pi. Plus face/voice recognition on every camera and microphone they can get into, in public or private places. Brazil won't do anything to stop them. Only the FBI, CIA and NSA can stop them. There is also the possibility that they were engaged on the hack of Bezos' smartphone. If you know of any security researcher who wants to reverse engineer the exploits they are using, I am more than willing to help them. If you want a story about how they operate, I am willing to work with you to expose them.

>>1725 As a former owner of something like that, not worth it, a pain to use, really just a novelty. If you want to play retro games just find some secondhand CRT monitor and hook it up to your regular computer with a VM or something. I can't really think of anything that you can't get running completely fine on Wine, Wangblows 7/10, or a VM. >>1778 Lucky. Every time I see something like that someone else snags it up.

>>10 >Get any good deals lately? I recently got a XFR D630 for the low price of free. It has a functioning battery, 8 GB of RAM, and came with an 80 GB HDD with a windows10 installer on it (but it doesnt want to authenticate it, which is fine, Ill probably switch to linux on it soon anyway) This thing is a fucking TANK. Its my first tough book and damn, its just 6.5 pounds of magnesium and BEEF.

anybody here own a t430 i7 3612qm? looking to buy one with an i5 3rd gen and upgrade later down the road - wanted to get personal thoughts

I am more interested in the toughbooks but I don't know what would be a good model that doesn't break the bank. I have seen some WinXP era Toughbooks have the 1394 Firewire port but too little RAM.

anyone know if theres toughbook models with a trackpoint? or atleast a module for one.

>>4397 Usually I'd say that the 3740qm is the best price/performance for that era of thinkpads. they usually go for 75 or so bucks if you buy just the CPU, and they can rival some modern mobile chips in speed and processing power. if you've got the model without dedicated graphics you can buy the bigger heatsink that goes with the dGPU model for some extra cooling.

>>72 >or if you're using a docking station you can pass it through there is there a link to this? is it a mod or are there docking stations that come with expresscard/PCIe built in?

>>1819 Im not sure if you are the guy from the previous thread (months ago) but what is that command-line chatroom that ive seen people using? Is it a suckless version of a popular or a thing of its own

>>4814 You mean IRC?

>>4814 Telnet.

>>4814 You might be thinking of ircii which is an irc client that runs in a terminal.

>>4815 >>4816 >>4839 Thanks anons, i think this is it. The pic of a riced thiccpad that one of you posted was what turned me into linux and started a deeper interest in technology

Looking for a Thinkpad, primarily for ease of travel so it needs to be as thin+lightweight as possibl. Will run Linux. Minimum 8GB RAM, if I can install 16GB great. Internet Browsing, 1080p video playback, and i want to play some 3D games if possible like TF2 but not serious stuff unless the laptop can do TB3 eGPU. X240 + IPS is good choice?

>>10 I managed to find my old IBM T42. It powers on, but I only get a black screen from both the monitor, and the VGA output. The battery is dead, but the power cable works fine. Does it need a working battery to show a display? I could have sworn I've unplugged it before without issues. Before I spend money on replacement parts, what should I try troubleshooting? (I'd prefer not to spend too much in case there's more wrong with it than I realize. I just want to use it as a cheap 90s/XP-era gaming machine because it's available.)

Is there anything modern even close to what an old IBM Thinkpad was in terms of durability? Or is everything just cheap chinkshit nowadays? I got one years back used as a gift, but eventually I had to upgrade to something newer for work. I didn't realize how great it was until every laptop I've had since die on me within a couple years. I formatted it with some flavor of Ubuntu and gave it to my grandma at least, so it didn't go to complete waste, but I still wish I could have used it longer. I tried a Lenovo Thinkpad once, but it didn't feel the same.