Which ThinkPad Should You Get? (And Libreboot notes)

I talk about the basics of ThinkPads, the main series and what the differences between some of the more common models are, including processor type and the ability to be Librebooted.
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[garchamp]

I bought a lot of untested Thinkpads that were absolutely not guaranteed to work, thinking that I could at least make one or two work. They all worked flawlessly.

[mr.jscomicscollectibles]

I found my Lenovo T61 ThinkPad in the trash in a subdivision I was working in. NOTHING wrong with it. I love rich ppl leaving me gifts 🤘🤓🤘

[jayspeer]

t4** are 14", t5** are 15", w700 is 17", x2** are 12"

[kabutoFPS]

i watched this vid before my first year of uni, that was in 2019, i bought an x220 used on ebay for 60 pounds, i still currently use it now at my current job, dual booted hackintosh, arch linux and sonoma MAC OS for IOS development, custom BIOS, 16GB of ram, express card for USB 3.0 / external GPU, new battery, new screen, new keyboard, modded USB c charge port, and it all still cost me less than the cheapest used macbook i could find and ive never been happier, if you're hesitant, and you like tinkering, just buy a thinkpad

[benjibat]

Hey Luke, nice meme. I don't know if you remember, but we talked in the comments a while back and I ended going with your recommendation and got a X220 and fitted it with SSD and such. It's been great and I wanted to say thanks for your help and all you're doing. Keep fighting the good fight!

[aaronlippincott]

1:52 "inchage" - when _size_ simply won't do

[kevinbatts]

I got the W510 I paid $200 for it in mint condition. It has 30 gigs of ram and am i7. It's a beast web surfing. Thanks for the excellent video.

[jcs]

Just bought two T430s Thinkpads for $100 each! i5-3320M, 8GB RAM & 128GB SSD. Amazing laptop! I plan to upgrade the chip & RAM over the next month on one of them, which has already replaced my 2013 Macbook Air 13, as my daily driver. Came with Windows 10, which I kept on the other one but I installed a distro of Linux on my daily driver. Really enjoying this machine!

[JohnvanCapel]

To be entirely fair, the chiclet keyboards on Thinkpads aren't bad for what they are. As far as chiclet keyboards go, Lenovo makes some of the best ones.

The real problem I have with modern Thinkpads is how much they're losing their edge over the competition. It used to be that Thinkpads were almost the only option worth considering for a business laptop, because the build quality and design was just that good. Nowadays they're really no better or worse than any other business laptop.

[SebisRandomTech]

I have an X230 with the X220 keyboard/palmrest, and an IPS display! It’s fantastic!

[Morpheusxa]

Well, I would say that the keyboard on the T430/T530 is still very good. It's not the old keyboard but it has a unique "premium/business" feeling, which in my opinion isn't tiring at all. The T430/T530/W530 still have the original sturdy build but after those it just goes downhill... I bought my first Thinkpad (T530) about 3 weeks ago and I got a really good deal (about 370€) for the best configuration (i7-3740QM, Nvidia NVS 5400M, 1080p display). This might sound much, but those old Thinkpads are really rare in europe and especially in Austria.

[GreenDragon]

I have a T430 a couple years ago, I upgraded my cpu to a Quad Core i7-3740QM and I'm more than happy with it

[Firebirdeo]

I've got a T530 and used to have an X200t I gave to a friend in need. Really great laptops, I love these things.

[Sosuke]

The 30 series (x230 t430 ...) are still a decent choice if you don't care about the keyboard or free software. They are really close to the previous series in terms of quality and with some tinkering it's possible to install the classic keyboard.

[Diggy]

I just recently bought the X260, and it's a pint-sized powerhouse. I've been able to edit music on the go with studio programs on it, and it holds its own. Boot up is fast (10 seconds), browsing is fast, and for a refurbished $100 laptop, it's a beast.

I also recently refurbished an E531, and I'm looking forward to giving it some extra hardware upgrades. I bought it without an HDD for $54, and I installed the SSD and OS, and replaced the battery. Runs almost as fast as the X260, and that's impressive.

[yade]

Man all these years later, this is exactly what I needed, last gen with the most perfect keyboard ever on a laptop + as advance a hardware as possible, X220 vs T420 it is. Thanks a lot.

[sebsus]

The T420 is 14 inches. IBM sold the ThinkPad brand in 2005. The X60 was built under lenovo. The chiclet keyboard was introduced with the T430/X230 generation.

[KennethScharf]

Lenovo went to the chicklet style keyboard so they could add back lite keys. Some reviews have stated that these keyboards were not that bad in their feel, but the layout was bad. In any case you can transplant an X220 keyboard into an x230, and a T420 keyboard into a T430. So I would suggest that the X230 and T430 are acceptable machines.

[basedpalestinian]

You are absolutely rocking it
ThinkPads AND Casio F91-W

[JDC]

I'm using a T440p right now, and its build like a tank!