My lappy has bitten the dust, and I’m in the market for a laptop. I’m thinking about going Thinkpad.

I only plan on this being for web browsing, text editing, coding, etc. Any gaming is done on my desktop.

What would be a good Thinkpad model? I do t mind getting an older/refurbished one. Haven’t been on the laptop market in nearly 8 years, so I don’t know what to look for anymore

  • Oha
    1•2 years ago

    got a t450s for 100€ and its pretty amazing!

  • @[email protected]
    9•2 years ago

    I got a used ThinkPad T480s and installed 40 GB of RAM in it for Qubes OS. It’s modern enough to charge over USB-C, so one plug for everything. I also have a MacBook I use for school and both are solid.

    • @[email protected]
      4•2 years ago

      Second for this. Got one myself. 1080p, USB C, upgradable ram, I replaced the internal and external batteries no problem. I stuck a second SSD inside last weekend and replaced the thermal paste in about 20 mins. If you like tinkering and being able to repair and maintain yourself it’s really great.

      Got win 11 on one SSD and Debian on the second and all running well.

      • @[email protected]
        3•2 years ago

        Wow I just learned I could put a second SSD in the WWAN slot! Sounds awesome for a dual boot setup.

        • @[email protected]
          4•2 years ago

          Yeah, was easy peasy. Bought the sad off eBay. Be careful which SSD you pick up only specific ones fit, I think there’s a thread on Lemmy somewhere. I used a western digital sn520 2242 m.2. A 256 one. I think 512 exist but harder to source.

  • DosDude
    11•2 years ago

    If you go web browsing and text editing just get a 2nd hand one. Most laptops can do that. I would just replace the HD with an SSD if it doesn’t have one.

    I have an old hp laptop of 12+ years. But hp is a bitch to replace the HDD. So that was an adventure.

    • potpie
      2•2 years ago

      I love getting years of good service from old computers, but I do want to add something: old laptop means old battery, and if they’re not producing the same form factor anymore, then even a replacement battery will probably be old stock that’s been degrading for years. Unfortunately I don’t know what company’s models have the best longevity here in terms of battery form factor.

      • DosDude
        2•2 years ago

        I agree. Though off-brand batteries can be a good replacement, if you find a reputable brand. I’ve replaced my battery with a bigger capacity off-brand battery, and it’s been working like a charm for 4 years now.

    • @[email protected]
      8•2 years ago

      Yeah I can explicitly not recommend modern HP or Toshiba laptops for reliability reasons. I’ve had serious hardware and structural issues with both. Also, in general 2-in-1s will break at the hinge in less time than other laptops. Lenovo 2-in-1s specifically have known issues with the hinge which can shatter the screen. If you want durability, go for a more traditional form factor with no touchscreen.

      Edit: oops thought you said 2-in-1

  • Lettuce eat lettuce
    12•2 years ago

    T480 is solid. I think those still had fully upgradable RAM slots, the T490 series started having soldered single slot so you could only upgrade one of them. T470s are starting to be a little long in the tooth, but still solid for the kind of tasks you are looking for.

    On eBay they can be had for $200-$300 depending on model.

  • @[email protected]
    3•2 years ago

    Can’t beat an X230 with an i5 for that use case, and you can still find them for around 100 bucks. Swap in an X220 keyboard, maybe a new battery, coreboot it, and in my opinion you’ve got the perfect laptop. I’ve daily driven that setup for the last 5 years and it’s been great.

  • @[email protected]
    4•2 years ago

    I’ve been on this hunt lately as well, but because I want to believe there could be a suitable option for a Linux tablet …

    Regardless, for just a new thinkpad the X1 carbon has remained a solid choice for all around work-flows (research, student, development, business, etc.)

  • @[email protected]
    2•2 years ago

    I picked up a yoga 6 on sale from Lenovo three years ago for about $800. SSD + ryzen. Works perfect on linux, the only problem was a faulty fan replaced under warranty, since then been great, could probably find a used one for pretty cheap

  • technologicalcaveman
    8•2 years ago

    I use a t480 for my carry laptop with Gentoo. It’s been solid. Replaced both batteries pretty easily, replaced thermal paste, and it’s good to go again. I paid about 160 got it. I had a t460 as well, but gave that to my gf. Either of those were good and not too expensive for a semi modern computer for general usage.

    • @[email protected]English
      3•2 years ago

      T480($145) + dual heat pipes upgrade($30) and it’s amazing. I never hear the fan unless I’m compiling something! Hoping one day a mx150 motherboard will be $150ish so I can play my favorite older games in bed

  • @[email protected]
    23•2 years ago

    T480 is the last good Thinkpad. Even T490 is a huge downgrade.

    T430 or X230 if you’re into modding. The opportunities for modding them are endless. Keyboard from xx20-series (best ever made for laptops), FHD IPS panel, re-celling the battery with 18650-cells, second storage drive with mstata mod… If I remember right, T430 cd bay can be replaced with secondary battery too.

    The old models are compatible with FreeBSD too.

      • @[email protected]
        2•2 years ago

        Just wow. Hopefully it works with T430 too, since it has so much more cpu power with quad-core i7-3612qm and runs much cooler than the stock dual-core i5 ever ran.

        Too bad I have no time or interest to tinker with these as much as I tinkered 5 years ago.

    • pizzaboiEnglish
      2•2 years ago

      My T480 does everything I need. Picked it up for $200 and spent another $100-$150 to get brand new batteries, a pretty good screen, much faster storage, and upped it to 24GB of RAM. Pretty awesome. Pop!_OS runs like a charm.