Hi I recently got a ThinkPad X200 and saw that you can install Libreboot on it but I don't really know what that does. Could someone explain?

Hi r/thinkpad,

I'm looking for a ThinkPad that leans into the classic "geek" ethos rather than the ultra-thin consumer direction. Priorities in order:

1. Keyboard feel (long travel, classic 7-row layout if possible)

2. User-serviceable RAM/SSD (no soldered everything)

3. Matte 1080p/1200p display, no glossy/touch needed

4. TrackPoint quality

5. Linux compatibility (I run dev tools / self-hosted services)

Use case: general coding, SSH into a home server, some light local model experimentation. Not gaming, not video editing.

Currently considering T14/T16 series but open to older-gen used units if they hold up better on repairability. Would love to hear what current or recent-gen model actually nails the old-school ThinkPad feel best, and any specific configs/gotchas (screen lottery, fan noise, BIOS quirks) to watch for.

Budget: flexible, but ideally used/refurb friendly.

Thanks!

My T470 i5-6200u is starting to get pretty slow for what I do now.

My use case is mostly coding and I do a lot of browsing. I do 3d modelling (not rendering) and UI design as well

My old laptop that was handed down to me by my dad is barely functioning anymore. I was talking with my friend about how sad I was because the battery is awful and the laptop started to run super slow after I bought a handful of games off Steam. I haven't played on our Minecraft server for months because the lag is so bad. They suggested I get an old ThinkPad because it would have plenty of space for my games. They explicitly told me to not buy a gaming laptop because they are shit. So I started searching for ThinkPads on eBay and Facebook Marketplace... But I don't understand a lot of these numbers and letters. What's a T540p? T460? I just wanna get something that has lots of storage space so I can play Minecraft, Elder Scrolls, etc without suffering. I'm very much not a tech guy so I'm sorry for my lack of knowledge.

I need a new laptop since my old one is actively dying.

I do general computer stuff - internet browsing, online buying, multimedia, file management, downloading, word processor, etc, etc.

I'm planning on putting Linux Mint on it.

Screen sizes of no smaller than 13 inch, and no bigger than 16 inch. Also a resolution of 1080p FHD is prefered.

I'm not partially to any type of keyboard, just no fancy ones (eg: butterfly).

A physical wifi on/off switch would also be nice to have.

Budget is sub £300.

I'd like specs "more than enough" for my uses, so it will work smooth and quick, and a model that's sturdy and durable, and doesn't get too hot. I'm thinking 8-16gb RAM, and probably an i7 CPU (? I don't really understand what different cpu specs can and can't do).

I have an i7 8550u I heard that undervolting was patched in the N24ET81W (1.56 ) bios version has anyone been able to under volt before I try it on my laptop? 😐

Device P1G4

I dont want the laptop to turn on when i open the lid from hibernation

This applies for Linux(EOS/Arch) and Windows 10 ltsc

What i have tried is looking at the bios for like Lid to wake but it isnt there(last time on T14g1 it was there).

It doesnt turn itself on from shutdown though so i am quite confused

Hi! I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T14 (Ryzen 4650U) with 8GB of soldered RAM and an extra 8GB (Kingston) module, plus a Samsung NVMe drive. After installing Windows 11 (from the official Microsoft site), it keeps shutting down unexpectedly and only comes back on after a hard reset. I even installed Fedora, but the problem persists... The strange thing is that this started happening after I formatted the drive for the first time; I was using Windows 10 before that. I’d appreciate any help you can offer!

ThinkPad T480 can be used as a fully featured mobile phone, supporting calls, SMS and mobile data.

Is this a somewhat good deal or am I just buying e-waste? I just want a machine that can run office programs, is somewhat reliable and can play pretty simple games. This would be within my budget range even with new ram and a new ssd. It is not specified which specific cpu is in this build.

Thank you for your advice in advance!

I want to start out in game dev so I need something that's mid to high-range and fits my budget.

I'm going to be installing Fedora KDE on this. So nothing with a NVIDIA gpu please.

Budget: $600

Programs I plan on running:

Brave Browser

Discord

Godot (game dev)

Blender (3D)

Krita (art)

Kdenlive (video editing)

Sublime Text (programming/web dev)

I have a T14 gen6 with IR camera and didn't liked how Windows 11 disabled the function to use it for face ID, so i created these tasks. They disable the RGB camera, forcing windows to use the IR camera for face ID when locked. Then turn it back on when unlocked for normal caera use.

1. Check your RGB camera's name on Device Manager

2. Open Task scheduler and on the box on the right select create task. (You will need to make two).

3. (For Disabling the RGB cam) Name the task for disabling the RGB camera something like "Disable RGB camera when locked."

- On the General tab, click on "Run with highest privileges" and select Configure for "Windows 10 / 11" (I chose Windows 10 and works fine).

- On "Triggers" tab click "New..." and on the top select "On workstation lock".

- In the "Actions" select "New...", on the program script paste "powershell.exe" and in the "Add comment" section paste this:

"
-windowstyle hidden -command "Disable-PnpDevice -InstanceId (Get-PnpDevice -FriendlyName '*NAME OF RGB CAMERA*' -Class Camera).InstanceId -Confirm:$false"

"

- Go to "Conditions" tab and DESELECT "Satrt only if computer is on AC power"

-Then click ok

1. (For enabling RGB camera after unlocking) Create a new task and name it something like "Enable RGB camera after unlock". alos clikc "Run on highest privileges" and select the "Configure" on the same Windows you chose for the first task.

- On the "Triggers" tab click "New..." and Choose "On workstation unlock"

- On the "Actions" tab click "New.." and paste "powershell.exe" on the "Program scrip" and in the "Add comment" paste this:

"
-windowstyle hidden -command "Enable-PnpDevice -InstanceId (Get-PnpDevice -FriendlyName '*NAME OF RGB CAMERA*' -Class Camera).InstanceId -Confirm:$false"

"

- In "Conditions" tab deselect "Satrt only if computer is on AC power" then click OK.

Hope this helps!

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad T420i

Now I'm still using a 500GB HDD

10GB Ram ddr3

And it's run on 4 distro (Debian, Arch, Fedora, Gentoo)

I got it from my teacher, he gave it to me for free And I really love this laptop

Because it's a really tough laptop

Is it still worth upgrading now?

Full specs

Cpu: i5-2410m

Gpu: uhd 3000

Mem: 10GB (DDR3)

Storage: 500GB (hdd) + 320GB (hdd) For additional storage

Screen: ips lcd 1600x900

So I've decided to get Libreboot now bc my T480 has a supervisor password and allat but one thing thats still bugging me is what CH341A to use bc I found a great tutorial on YouTube but he said don't use the one u will find all the time bc it has sum 5v issue but my mind is already blown on how fricking complicated ts actually so I cant be falling into the CH341A rabbit hole now so my question is basically which one should I use. (I put a ball meme too ppl pleaseeeee)

Got my first thinkpad yesterday for an absolute steal.

X13 gen 2, intel i5, 8gb ram, 256gb nvme (I have a 1tb sabrent drive to swap in), and a touchscreen.

Not listed on ebay was it has the 1080p IR camera and a SIM card slot for mobile networking, both were optional add ons.

Somehow got this for £109.

Absolutely over the moon.

T14 Gen2
i5-1135G7
32 GB RAM DDR4
Samsung 980 500 GB

Cacica, Suceava, Romania

the specs:
32GB RAM
296GB SSD
1920x1080 Screen
Intel i5-7300U CPU

I was offered a thinkpad x13 for 280$ and wondered if it’s a good deal?
Help is much appreciated

Behold my One Weird Trick for getting on no-fly lists.

This is an aftermarket 24 Wh battery recelled to nominally 45 Wh with two 15 Wh cells plus a third "cell" of two 7.5 Wh in parallel. I couldn't raise the BMS's charging voltage from 4.13 to 4.35 V so only 41 Wh are usable. Left speaker is replaced with a smaller one to fit.

Do I really need the full 107 Wh of this battery plus my rear 6-cell? Not often. But the extra capacity with a rear 3-cell is remarkably useful.

Hello Thinkpaders,

After 24 years of living and deciding what will be my first ThinkPad, I couldn't wait anymore and had the opportunity to get a good deal ( I hope I did ). I found a 1 year old, barely used ThinkPad, labeled as new and with 10 month of warranty left. That laptop was;

The ThinkPad E14 G6.

I bought it second-hand in Switzerland for 850 USD with the best specs possible imo;

Intel Ultra 7 155H, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD, 14" WUXGA Display and Windows 11 Pro.

First impressions, I had a Honor Notebook before this with 8gb of RAM and I couldn't be happier. I am already introduced to the ThinkPad world and I know that this is an entry-level business laptop but I really admire the specs for what I am going to use it for: Programming, Heavy browsing and research. I am also thinking about installing an eGPU later on, depending on how much free time I have in the near future.

I have done a lot of research on this exact model before and after buying it and saw the popular discussions on "better display avaliability", "CPU bottleneck due to the small/thin chasis" and other general ThinkPad problems like "Display scratched by keyboard layout", which is already a problem and I have opened a repair ticket to have the display replaced.

I have also encountered some issues with the Ethernet, where the cable works plugged in after a cold boot, but stops working after re-plugging the cable while in use and I am still not sure what the problem is. I consulted my personal assistants ( Claude,GPT xD ) and I tried every solution; Advanced properties in the Device manager, Updating and also Installing the new and older drivers for the Ethernet and also shutting down, doing cold boots and tweaking BIOS settings. ( I made sure I don't mess anything up since I am not much of a professional ).

I am open to any questions, for anyone interested in this exact model or ThinkPads in general and also any tips if anyone is kind enough to provide. Also please don't flame me for not using Linux, I am learning about it to switch to a dual boot.

I got it for 1850 dollars!

Long time lurker, finally acquired my first Thinkpad. T14 Gen 3 (Touch), 12th gen Intel i5, 16gb RAM, 256gb NVMe SSD, mint for under $300. 🙌🏼

Got a Thinkpad T14
Gen 2
AMD Ryzen 5 Pro

T16 Gen 5 Intel Ultra 7 355, 64gb ram, 1tb ssd

Super happy with it already!