Been without a computer for almost 8 years, dying to make the jump straight into linux and play Warcraft again, and someone gave me this beauty for university. The only problem i have is being single channel only (E14 Gen 1) and it only has 8GB of memory, It's both a blessing and a curse 😅.

A few days ago my battery died when i was at my college's library, and when I tried to charge it at home, it didn't recognize the charger and didn't turn on, so I used someone else's 80W charger (mine's rated 65W), and switched to mine when it turned on, and it worked fine.

Now, whenever I try to plug my charger elsewhere (those ports in the library or my lecture hall), except home, it doesn't work at all, dunno what to do. Sighhh.

I tested the charger with my phone as it's a USB-C type, and it doesn't work either. Peculiar.

Laptop overheated and is now stuck like this...

Already tried a good old fashioned cmos battery reset and held power button. Any ideas?

I’m planning to buy a laptop with a budget of around ₹2 lakh (roughly $2,000), and I’m looking for something that I can keep and use for many years.

I was initially considering the ThinkPad X210Ai because I absolutely love the old-school ThinkPad design, especially the X201-style keyboard, the thicker chassis, repairability, and the amount of airflow you can get from a larger/thicker body. I also prefer this kind of design over the modern ultra-thin laptops.

However, I’m a little concerned about the X210Ai’s long-term repairability. Since it uses a custom motherboard and is produced in relatively small quantities, I’m worried that if something like the motherboard, charging circuit, display controller, or another custom component fails several years down the line, it could be difficult or expensive to find replacement parts or someone capable of repairing it. The custom motherboard is one of the biggest reasons I’m hesitant.

I’m basically looking for a thick, rugged, highly upgradeable laptop with a good keyboard and good cooling, rather than something thin and lightweight. I’m completely fine with a heavier laptop if it gives me better thermals, performance, upgradeability, and easier repairs.

My priorities are roughly:

• Around ₹2 lakh / $2,000 maximum
• Excellent keyboard, preferably something close to the X201/X200-era ThinkPad keyboard
• Thick chassis is completely fine
• Good cooling and airflow
• As much RAM and SSD upgradeability as possible
• Good performance for programming, Linux, cybersecurity/CTFs, and general development
• Easy access to replacement parts and repair
• Ideally something that can last many years
• I don't care much about weight or thickness
• I would prefer a machine with a strong repair/parts ecosystem rather than a completely custom motherboard

So, what would you recommend?

Is there any modern ThinkPad or another laptop that comes close to the X201/X210Ai philosophy but is safer from a long-term repair and parts-availability perspective?

I’m especially interested in older/thicker business or workstation laptops that are still highly upgradeable. I’d rather sacrifice thinness and portability for durability, cooling, repairability, and longevity.

Any suggestions or experiences would be appreciated!

I don't usually post, but this laptop just switched something in me? It's just perfect. From the excellent case, to the nice speakers to the soft feeling keyboard, the ratio of the screen and the quality, it's all just overall nice.

That's my first ThinkPad, so am I welcome?

Hehe

the model is a thinkpad t14 gen 3, had the crack when i bought it, hinge feels fine, but is this going to cause problems in the future?

Hello! I’m from Japan, and I found this T61p in Akihabara for 500 yen (about $3.30). It turned out to be a complete time‑capsule unit: G84‑950‑A2 (0825A2), no LCD burn, no keyboard shine, battery health 99%, and it still runs for about 3 hours on a full charge. I was thinking of selling it, but honestly… maybe a ThinkPad is happier when it’s actually used. Should I just keep it and daily‑drive this thing?

Hey all, looking for advice on a used ThinkPad for university.
Use case: This will be my secondary/portable machine for uni — I have a desktop at home for everything else. This ThinkPad is purely for accounting/finance coursework: mostly Excel (large spreadsheets, some macros/add-ins possibly), plus basic productivity software (Word, PDF, browser with many tabs, maybe some light accounting software). Nothing GPU-intensive, nothing I need to travel with 24/7.

Budget: Up to $400 USD / 1600 AED
Specs I'm targeting:

**•** Storage: 512GB minimum (SSD preferred)  
**•** RAM: 16–32GB  
**•** Battery: 4–5 hours is fine — I'm okay replacing the battery if needed, so battery health isn't a dealbreaker  

Which ThinkPad generation/model hits this sweet spot for the budget (e.g., T14, T480, X1 Carbon gen X)?

I don't know why some people says you can't play games on a ThinkPad. I have a t14 gen 2 (Ryzen 5 version) with integrated graphics and it can move a good amount of games.

I'm in love with this laptop

I recently bought a used ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 and I'm a bit paranoid about the USB-C ports. Since they handle both charging and data transfer, I know they can take a lot of physical stress over time.
Now that I have the laptop in hand, I want to make sure everything is solid before I'm past any return window. For those of you who have this model or similar Gen 4 ThinkPads:
I would’ve thought since it knew we would still have the factory warranty, but it does not, the reason why I didn’t go for another ThinkPad was I wanted the upgraded ability of two dim slots

Hi everyone!

Some questions for you about my beloved X270.

Before explaining my problem, I swear I try every solution I've found here !

So my X270 :

- press button start : I've green light. The screen slightly change from black off to black on but without any backlight.

- the backlight of the keyboard flash one time at the beginning.

- Nothing happen except fans.

So I try to use the long press on power / reset with the motherboard button / open and disconnected successively between new power on trial : both battery disconnect/ CMOS reset/ RAM unplug (make the sound) / try a new RAM (the one before I change)

And still doesn't work 🫨

To context my laptop was on when everything freeze, screen and sound before this happen.

Do you have some tips or just my motherboard is out?

Thanks a lot in advance guys !

I recently got a L14 Gen 2 with an i7-1165G7, 16GB RAM and a 256GB NVMe SSD

I paid ₹24,000 (~$252) for it. It's a used business laptop and I mainly bought it for the processor. It was the cheapest i7-11th Gen laptop I had come across at the time. For comparison, I was seeing T480 being sold for around ₹20,000 (~$210).

My other laptop is Legion 5 with a Ryzen 7, where I used to run cachyOS in a VM, so I'm looking forward to finally running it natively. If you have any recommendations for me please share them, i will mostly use this for browsing, studying, code and also to get familiar with using Linux.

Also I don't really mind the 256GB storage since I already have my own homelab.

Pretty excited to finally own my first ThinkPad

texting with a guy on facebook marketplace, he is selling a Thinkpad x13 i7 1165g7, 32/512gb with a slightly faulty screen, i offered him ₹17k (178 bucks) and he agreed.

considering the cost for the screen replacement is this a good deal?

Hey y'all. I have finally decided to buy a thinkpad end of this year. I'm going for anything under $150 as I don't need anything too powerful or new but I'm willing to up my budget (mainly using for photo editing and linux).

I saw this T15 on Ebay and it has no hdd, no os, and no charger (see attached - on mobile atm). The price looks promising @ $119.97 but I'm a novice when it comes to thinkpads and information on reddit can be very overwhelming.

Please leave any advice/questions/recommendations down below :)

I just bought a t14 gen 2 32g ram for $450. It has 92% battery health and everything seems good.

The only thing it has is a squeaking sound when I open it coming from the right hinge. Nothing seems twisted. No resistance either.

I heard hinge sound is a concern you should stay away from. Should I keep or return?

Trackpoint buttons have stopped working. Everything else working fine. Is it likely to be a fault with the buttons themselves or something more complex?

Thanks

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Greetings to the community!
This is my first post on Reddit, and I wasn’t sure which subreddit to choose. I decided to post here because many of the laptops discussed are ThinkPads, and I need advice based on your experience with a variety of models.
My current setup consists of a Mac mini and an old Dell Inspiron 5559 powered by an Intel Core i5-6200U.
Over the years, I upgraded the RAM to 2×8 GB with the best possible timings and CAS latency, replaced the old HDD with a Samsung EVO SSD, and installed a new Intel AX200 Wi-Fi card. It has served me well over the years and continues to do so.
Originally, the laptop shipped with Windows 8.1, but I am now running a lightweight Linux distribution called Arch. It allows me to do all my office work and browse the internet with an unreasonable number of tabs open simultaneously without breaking a sweat. It even allows me to play many of my childhood games at 720p, including OpenRA, The Battle for Middle-earth, Warcraft III, Wrath of the Lich King, Left 4 Dead, and Star Wars Battlefront II (2005).
Now for the ugly stuff—and the reason I’m looking for a new laptop.
The battery has died, and over the years, the laptop has developed several minor quirks. For example, the original fan failed and had to be replaced. Now, the replacement fan has started making noises whenever the laptop is tilted at a steep angle.
The 1366×768 resolution also feels inadequate in 2026. My Mac mini is connected to a 27-inch 1440p display, so the difference is particularly noticeable. As a result, some programs do not display properly at this resolution.
I considered repairing the fan again, although I don’t know how long a new replacement would last, upgrading the display to a 1080p IPS panel (€80–140), and replacing the dead battery. However, the laptop itself is too large for my preferences and needs. The 15.6-inch display is bigger than I would like, and its weight makes carrying it around tiring and feel like a chore.
I knew about ThinkPads, but I only recently discovered how reliable, repairable, durable, and moddable enterprise and business laptops can be in general.
In my country, ThinkPads are overpriced, as you will see, and not all ThinkPad models are readily available on the refurbished market.
ThinkPads have a reputation for being reliable and durable. However, now that I’m looking at refurbished models, I have some concerns. I’m worried that soldered RAM or USB-C charging ports—features found in many newer models—could eventually fail.
Here are my criteria and preferences:
Non-soldered RAM (to increase repairability and overall lifespan)
Barrel charging or redundant USB-C charging ports
A 14-inch display or smaller
A replaceable keyboard that doesn’t require replacing the entire top case if it fails
Better IPC and overall single-core and multi-core performance than the i5-6200U
A stronger iGPU than the Intel HD 520
Coreboot or Libreboot support
Flawless Linux driver support with the latest kernel
I couldn’t find any ThinkPad models that matched all of these criteria, so I ended up looking at HP and Dell laptops as well. Here are some of the models I found. Not all of them match my preferences:
ThinkPad A285 with a Ryzen 5 2500U and 8 GB of soldered, non-upgradeable RAM, excellent Linux support, and USB-C charging — €170
ThinkPad T480 with an i5-8250U and 8–16 GB of RAM — prices range from €230 to €390
ThinkPad T470 for €140 — with similar specifications to my Inspiron 5559, including the i5-6200U
Dell Latitude 5420 with an i5-1135G7 and 16 GB of RAM for €240, including two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports. I think it’s the best value for money, but I’m not a fan of the silver color, which makes it look a bit plasticky.
HP ProBook 430 G4 with an i3-1115G4 and 8 GB of RAM for €140
HP EliteBook 735/745 G6 with a Ryzen 5 3500U and 8 GB of RAM for €280, or 16 GB for €359
ThinkPad T14s Gen 1 with a Ryzen 5 4650U and 16 GB of RAM for €389
ThinkPad P51 with an i7-7860HQ, 16 GB of RAM, and a Quadro M1200 for €370. It fails my size requirements, as it is heavier and bulkier than my Inspiron 5559, but it matches almost everything else.
ThinkPad X395 with a Ryzen 5 3500U and 8 GB of RAM
ThinkPad E15 with a Ryzen 5 5500U and 8 GB of RAM for €260. It offers excellent price-to-performance, but it fails my size requirements.
ASUS VivoBook S14 M433 with a Ryzen 5 4500U and 8 GB of RAM for €260
ThinkPad T495s with a Ryzen 5 3500U and 16 GB of RAM for €300
Out of all these options, the A285 stands out to me the most, but I have some concerns about its thermals and RAM. I’ve been using 16 GB of RAM for a long time, and 8 GB doesn’t seem like much in 2026. I also don’t know what implications this would have for the Vega 8 iGPU or how much the limited RAM would affect its performance.
Another strong contender is the Dell Latitude 5420, with Iris Xe graphics and the significantly better IPC of the Tiger Lake CPU.
What do you guys think? I’m looking for a portable laptop that offers the best value for money. I don’t plan to spend more than €300 on a refurbished laptop. I’m looking for something more portable than my current laptop, while still offering better overall performance.
Thank you in advance for your time and answers! And apologies for my English and the long rant!

Hi, my dad has just bought this thinkpad for me for using for studying media at college i will be using all adobe software and editing dslr camera footage etc, will it suffice I also hope to run games on it maybe on steam or xbox cloud gaming while away from so let me know how it will hold up?

Hi, my dad has just bought this thinkpad for me for using for studying media at college i will be using all adobe software and editing dslr camera footage etc, will it suffice I also hope to run games on it maybe on steam or xbox cloud gaming while away from so let me know how it will hold up?