5 reasons why linux users love thinkpads 1. it works well on linux 0:51 2. it is repairable 2:54 3. it is cheap 3:29 4. the keyboard is like nothing else 4:07 5. durability 5:39
Notebook seller told me a very interesting thing, when somebody is choosing a notebook, you can never convince them to buy a thinkpad, but if person used thinkpad once, they will only buy a thinkpad and they will specifically come to you to buy a thinkpad and I feel like this is a sect. I am 16 yo and several days ago I bought my first notebook (thinkpad t495s). I was choosing very carefully and this machine is a very good one, I like it.
bruh, new thinkpads nowaday are to slim they just call it notebook :v, before 2018 its call bussiness laptop bro, just too overkill for 16yo school boy :v
@@nguyenloctuan713 idk man, seems okay to me, I am not into playing video games, I need a good laptop, that is light and have a big battery, thats all. For me overkill is if bought smth with rtx3080 for just coding.
I've had three Thinkpads, X220, T430, T480. The T480 was fine but it's screen had bad colour. That may have been a config issue however. The other two let me down. Motherboard fucked up on the X220 after a year. Hinge broke on the T430 several times and then the motherboard fried on that one too after two and a half years. Using a HP Elitebook now. Used for two years at the moment. battery life is average, and its screen colour isn't as bad as the t480's but still pretty shit. With some gamma adjustmests, it's atleast passable. it's the best laptop I've used. I doubt I'll be looking to Lenovo when I have to get another laptop.
I just want to say, this channel is not too big but your videos about GNU/Linux are probably some of the greatest and most interesting I have seen by far. Keep it up man, amazing work.
I’ve run Linux for over 15 years and everything you’ve said is right: that damn keyboard is GREAT! If you like the COMMAND LINE, typing, coding, etc. you MUST have a Thinkpad. It works PERFECTLY. My favorite is the IBM Thinkpad 240. I’ve been using Macbook Airs lately, as I got tired of ‘tinkering’ with the Linux OS BUT, with Macs, I still have access to a command line: UNIX is build in! I have the best of both worlds: a computer that ‘just works’ and access to the CLI. I’m happy (for now!)…
Thinkpads are sturdy companion ! In my professional live I had a bunch of thinkpad (from L-440 to a L-15 Gen1). One of the best thing across Thinkpad serie is also the keyboard. And yes the Linux compatibility is second to none ! Actually, my professional L-15 is a huge asset to my work : i can bring it everywhere (working in a big warehouse) : near automats, in patch-panels room, to access AD everywhere, troubleshoot issues on the go... Never disappointed. I even prefer it to my previous Elitebook :D Good video, keep on the good job !
absoltutely agree on the keyboards! a friend asked me for a laptop recommendation a few years ago. I suggested a thinkpad and when she got it she texted me to say the keyboard makes her feel like she's using a real laptop for the first time! it's that good.
the trackpoint and the support you get from the community as a normie are also life changing. I got my first ever thinkpad a little over half a year ago just because I needed one for school and the chromebook my school provided kept giving me problems and the little issues I have come across with this one I have fixed in a matter of hours just by asking.
Yeah, trackpoint is so frigging useful (especially combined with middle button on touchpad for scrolling) i don't understand why it's not on the other laptops as well, even new lenovo laptops don't have it as a rule. On the other hand, can't stand the Fn isntead of Ctrl.
Got my e840 thinkpad for 115 dollars on bidding and it rocks.. love the durability of it was epic. I do lot of installation and run linux base testing for the network and it finished the job beautifully.
As a Linux user for more than 15 years, Thinkpads have been my first choice, until the X1 I bought one year ago. From now on, I'll rely on Tuxedo and my older X270.
@@parabugi am interested in tuxedo infinity pro and I am worried about the fan noise. I ll do some data analysis and vis and ML on my freetime. Is it a bad thing on tuxedo? I mean the fan thing. I just can bear with my laptop now it is too noisy. I just put lubuntu on it, it seems better but after 8 years it may be time for an improvement.
I simply spent 100 euros for a refurbished T450 plus 60 euros for SSD and additional RAM (16 GB total). Currently on Mint Cinnamon and everything works as it should and snappy.
I love Linux and have used it for decades. I have an old Thinkpad whose original owner left for dead that got a second life as a Linux machine. I recently treated myself to a top of the line Framework 16, a machine made for Linux. I've never seen such a smooth install and it runs at warp 7. I have to say, though, that the Lenovo keyboard wins hands down.
yup libreboot runs on the x200. Fair to note though you have to flash the bios with hardware. But the legendary x61 is the last software flashable libreboot computer now to my knowledge.
I have two, a librebooted X200 running Linux Mint Xfce and an X220 on Windows which I use for work. I have had both from new. Both work brilliantly and I can see no reason to update for what I need. The x200 l use for my personal use. The 220 Is purely for work and it gets a lot of use in my job and has to take a knock ( I work on and Survey Marine Vessels). Simply would not consider anything else.
The only other option instead of a Thinkpad is a Panasonic Toughbook, I have seven Thinkpads and yesan X220 but my X230 whilst not the classic keyboard it can be adapted but the Core I7 variant has 2 native USB3 ports as well as being able to run a Sata 2.5" drive 512 GB Samsung 850 Evo plus a 256 GB Samsung 850 Msata SSD it rocks. I have 2 Toughbooks plus other Thinkpads, T470 with two batteries one internal one hot swappable external, X1 Carbon and X301 (Best Keyboard bar none) plus T440P fully upgraded full power Core I 7 Quad core T420S Quad core T430 etc Thinkpads are so good and repairable and upgradeable
Wow... I started getting into Linux a bit and then I suddenly got the urge to buy a laptop to put Linux on (it was a ThinkPad T480s). Did it, bought another one T460 from the US 6 months later cause it was like 55€ (the shipping and VAT cost more) and it just works it's amazing. I just automatically opted for Thinkpads, didn't even know why, it seemed appropriate
I think the main reason you can find ThinkPads cheap is not actually because they run slow on Windows. I would say the more accurate answer is because it's old stock from whatever company bought hundreds of them and then is phasing them out. They then get dumped sold for cheap in huge amounts to companies and then to you.
thx for giving me hope, yesterday i bought a ( second or third-hand ) Thinkpad, win 7 is on it. Tried to install ubuntu, didn't work after many attempts, but i will install win xp, then maybe dual booting linux, because of erxpirience ten years before i ve seen that it works very well. Will let you know if i reach my destination.
I noticed that years before using Linux myself: everyone slightly suggesting the switch from Windows to Linux mentioned having a ThinkPad at some point...
My T430 still runs like a champ with a custom minimal KDE install I did on Arch. Friends and family are surprised my 11 year old laptop runs better than their more modern laptops.
I’ve been using Linux on laptops ever since 2007. The laptop I bought back then came with Windows Vista……yeah it sucked! Linus fixed that and I used it for 14 years, just replaced it with a free to me Thinkpad T520, running Linux Mint!
I enjoyed your candid video. FYI Im using my T430S with pop!OS. I decided on pop because of the wifi works great on this older Thinkpad. I think the only reason I would go with like a new X1 carbon is for it being the best in my opinion. But this thing will not die. Thanks again sir. BTW I had installed Linux Mint but it didnt like my wifi. t would detect but would not connect. I gave up and went with pop!
There is a package I got working for Ubuntu. But it still works in different way that on Windows (slide instead of tap) and it's a bit hard to detect well.
The wi-fi card can be replaced on most laptops - at least the older ones. I do not even bother trying to make a not fully compatible card to run. Ebay is full of affordable wi-fi cards, which are usually way cheaper then my manhours messing with it. A distro with great hardware support is Linux Mint. I installed it on two or three Non-ThinkPad Laptops where I replaced the wi-fi card beforehand, and it worked right of the box. Mint improved the support for Fn functions and buttons over the years, and it works better then ever. Even the support for Nvidia GPUs improved a lot, but it's never 100% on any PC, I guess. What I want to say is that Linux runs on most Laptop as good as on a ThinkPad. This said, I am a ThinkPad fan, even though my P52 had in the beginning massive trackpad driver issues under Windows 10. It took Lenovo a few months to release a perfectly working driver. Other than that, it's a very reliable computer. One very interesting thing about ThinkPads is, that certain models are very popular in the Hackintosh scene. Unfortunately, this won't last forever, as Apple moves to Apple Silicon.
I you hit the main point about stinkpad, oops thinkpad lol, Old boxes are very available and since thinkpad was used so heavily on the business side theres are just more of them. That is more than likely why they are so repairable. I do have to say though, older dells and hps were rapairable and upgrable tool. Macbooks used to be repairable prior to them locking everything down. I can remember every laptop was open to ram and hardrive diy upgrades. You just have to careful what you buy as I think you can still buy new dell and hp laptops but they are normally in the business class. At least you could 3 years ago.
Generally when I'm looking for a new laptop, the keyboard is one of the things I look at as well. Although when I'm home, I use an external keyboard for it. The couple of newer laptops I have run Linux fine (an Acer Nitro 5 and an ASUS Vivo touch - both 11th Gen Intels). All the hardware works fine with Linux. The NVidia in the Acer can be a little bit of a pain, but Fedora generally runs fine on it with the propitiatory Nvidia drivers. The one big thing I've found with newer laptops (other than the Thinkpads) is it's very hit and miss whether you can upgrade anything but the HDD/SSD. Most seem to come with soldered memory and only one SSD slot (like the Vivobook). That's why I ended up buying the Acer Nitro.
I just got an E15 Ryzen 5 4500U and it's performing really well, installed Arch Linux with Hyprland and put my desktop configs on it. Really good battery life so far and I got it for $200
I bought the latest hp pavillion after release and installed fedora on it straightaway even after getting ms office for free for lifetime and also windows 11. It worked straightaway smooth right out of the box except for the fingerprint sensor.
The newone have a lot of issue and have to much soldered component. The aftersale support is crap unfortunately. Not a good deal anymore, it is a better plan to buy a specific Linux manufacturer who only make Linux computer (System 76, Slimbook, Star Labs...)
Main reason i got mine (T480s) was because it was actually fairly small and light. (not like those beefed up airplane takeoff sounding gaming laptops) I knew it wasnt gonna be some super performant beast with the latest hardware but that was honestly fine. I also really like how durable this thing is and it just makes it so nice not having to worry about it breaking because the engineers couldnt give a f##k about some random shit breaking in 1 week (true story).
You make really great & interesting videos, I'm glad I found your channel even though it's not that big yet, keep up the good work! 😊 As for the topic of the video, a friend of mine gifted me a used Dell laptop from 2018 and I guess I got quite lucky, everything works perfectly on Linux. Even the Arch installation with WLan wasn't problem at all. So I'm quite happy, especially because I didn't even know that such issues exist but hey, even if there would have been issues you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth ;D I'm curious if Linux would be usable at all on these new multi foldable "laptops" that were presented at CES a few weeks ago within a reasonable amount of time after their release as those look quite interesting for coding on the go 🤔
Same, also, a great upgrade is to actually coreboot it and slap a i7 35W QM CPU, did that with mine and it actually runs colder while getting double the performance it had, and SSD did a whole lot of difference since it has SATA III and its blazing fast
@@stuartgreen5631 also I really recommend using Coreboot 4.19 if you want to dual boot because newer coreboot versions didn't work for me on Windows, but Linux worked fine, also, I'm using libgfxinit instead of Video OPROM, works way better since it detects the HD 4000 iGPU without needing a BIOS dump, also the biometric sensor stopped working after I changed the CPU, but I really don't mind since on Linux it was very flaky, for EFI i really recommend MrChromeBox EFI, it's great, and also, for me, growing CBFS from 0x200000 to 0x300000 never worked so keep that in mind, if you try to grow it up and it doesn't boot at all, that might be the issue
Hahah, you're right! I've been using Thinkpads with Linux since I was only 57 or 58, so long ago that mine had a floppy drive! And, they've been dead easy to own and use.
@@thehaqq3540 Why is the price point and issue? They are priced very good. Its cheaper than macbooks and majority of windows laptops. The repairability will pay itself back in few years. Not every laptop works with linux with framework you have guarantee. There are less and less ports on new laptops and frameworks addresses this issue well.
told you i let you know, now installed linux mint, it runs very good on my think pad. btw i have the x40 from 2002 or something, bought it for 15 dollars without batery. 🙃
I haven't had any experience with Thinkpads but I used an Ideapad for 7+ years (z50-70). It is in a deep sleep now (screen malfunction) 😛. The one I'm currently using is an Asus Laptop, and yes, I'm on Linux (Ubuntu for work, Fedora for playing).
I run linux on a mac... I've used Thinkpads as well and really like them. This video is old so you probably didn't know about Asahi Linux at the time you made it. Thinkpads are far easier to repair but, they have terrible battery life. Also, if you install Macports you have a full Unix system with all the trimmings. I do miss the keyboard on my Thinkpad. But the deciding point for me is battery life.
I've had my t480s for about 8 or 9 months now. I love it so much I think im gonna upgrade, mainly because of the soldered RAM. Probably gonna get a p50 because that shit can upgraded into space, and its got a dedicated GPU which will be useful. Soldered RAM is the worst human creation.
I have a thinkpad as well and I thought the Soldered RAM was gonna be a issue as well. Its only a 8GB. I did some more research and found out that I can add more RAM with the soldered RAM. There is another slot for another RAM stick. I bought a 16GB and added it and now I have 24GB and it works great.
I like my thinkpad because... it is cheap, they are great computers, they are very linux friendly. Don't get me wrong, a macbook (especially the new Ms) are probably some of the best computers in the world of out of the box and their battery life and performance are beyond compare (have to use at work). But I love my X1 Nano and NixOS+Hyprland for myself. If I were to just get a computer that works and not worry about all of the fun and fiddling of linux, I'd get an m2 or m3 macbook and call it a day. It's unix based, it is pretty, it is stupidly good at battery and performance. For linux, System76 or ThinkPad or older macbook for hackintosh or Librem... but probably a $300 thinkpad.
@@omar3mad913 Currently I use a T480 which many feel is the last great thinkpad, and is a great value nowadays. Previously I have used T450, T420s, and T60 which have all been great but are older and less powerful. (The T60 although being ancient now still had the best keyboard of any laptop I've ever owned.)
New viewers who like me came here because they wanted to hear what he has to say about "Why Linux users LOVE Thinkpads" can save time by reading this, because it really is all he had to say about it: 1) They are good, tend to work with Linux. 2) They are repairable. 3) They are cheap, especially used ones.
I have never considered a Lenovo since the spyware incident. What’s to stop them from including a rootkit on a bios level? It’s probably ok these days but how can you be sure?
Lenovo hates linux though, linux is utterly unusable on my e15 gen2, there isn't even any usable mouse driver, sorry but I ain't gonna use the OS with the trackpoint BARELY working at all, it's a huge struggle to use it... Then there are completely missing drivers for all the fancy things like the finger print sensor and camera sensors
idk watching teardowns of recent thinkpads they dont sem that much better. i mean as long as you get something without soldered ram like its fine like idk i did my homework, picked up a 2022 victus 15 cuz it had upgradable ram, a half decent dedicated gpu (3050 ti mobile), feels pretty good it is plastic and may break eventually like i had an inspiron that crumbled to bits but the hinge is decent quality my biggest issue in linux has been getting sleep working. it bugs tf out when i wake it up. might be a duel booting thing, i have a small windows partion just in case some class im in needs windows software, might nuke it havent decided yet. it has a mediatek wifi card which means it jsut werks, never had a wifi 6 network to test that on but it gets decent speeds on wifi 5 networks, the gb ethernet jsut works, the usb just works, the display just works. freesync on the internal display is kinda broken unfortunately because its connected to the integrated gpu without a mux switch and idk if there even support for freesync when passing through video like that. one of the biggest non gaming benefits of a gaming laptop is the display. having a 120hz display for scrolling through stuff just feels good. not sure if any thinkpads have high refreshrate displays
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s are good computers due to: Adjustable RAM & SSD, good battery life with AMD CPUs, the best keyboard in the industry, solid screen display (1200p+ resolution), and solid web cameras (1080p).
Honestly. Nothing gives me more joy then putting Linux on Surface laptops. But Thinkpads are amazing. The Surface community is great. The laptops are good and the irony is funny. Thinkpads are reparable, durable, and compatible.
Bro, any Lenovo made laptop will brake on the screen-case union, and for same price you can get a really fine computer 2nd hand personally i love dell precision laptops, same to better hardware and better construction materials, easy to repair, and same form factor even with the trackpoint
For me it's the keyboard and touchpad. Given that I spend most of my day on the computer, having a great keyboard and touchpad is really important. That is why I am so saddened that lenovo gradually turned the keyboard and the touchpad to a shitty macbook clone. It used to be the best on the market with only Dell Precision at least coming relatively close, now it's just an inferior macbook. (Keyboard wise) I still love my T430 and I'll never forget the W520 and R400.
Mac users don't even think that they're "pretty". It's a status symbol. If it's not the status. It's a way of conforming to a norm. Which is fine. You do you, but they definitely set a precedent, and I'm definitely going to make a small note of character based on whether or not you're rocking apple in your free time.
I own a Thinkpad Edge. Ive had for several years, bought it used from a computer swapmeet vendor for $80.00. The version of Windows had expired so someone installed Ubuntu on it. I don't know why, but for some reason it did not run well. It was very apparent that the install was corrupted, so I wiped the drive and installed Linux Mint. What a difference a good installation makes. This laptop ran great. However, the screen failed so my only option was to use an external monitor, which I did until I replaced the hard drive (For a larger capacity one) and installed Ubuntu Server on it and now really don't need a monitor. I hope to replace the monitor some day and return it to it's original purpose, but until that day arrives, it's 'Serving' it's purpose very well.
T14 gen 2 was absolutely the worst computer I've ever bough and was unusable for the first 18 months since the Iris Xe drivers were unusable on both Linux and Windows: The computer crashed every 10 hours when doing WebGL development regardless of the OS. Moreover, the computer almost overheated when running even the simplest WebGL shit on it and the battery lasted at most something like two hours. In contrast, I can run several simultaneous WebGL applications on my MacBook Air M2 and the computer never gets even warm to touch and the battery always has lasted the entire day.
yup, ARM magic. I have a T14s Gen 2 (Ryzen) sitting in my drawer. I'm not even looking at that thing anymore. Every few weeks I have to take it out to charge the battery because for some reason it's always discharging, even when the laptop is off. In summary: this thing was more expensive than a MacBook Air M1, has a worse screen, worse performance, non-existing speakers (seriously, an Apple Watch speaker is louder and clearer than these, I tested), or microphones, trackpad is meh, port selection is meh (no ThunderBolt), fans spin from the lightest tasks, SSD runs at 60°C in idle. Yeah I'm not so convinced about the whole ThinkPad thing anymore.
So, i actually have an IdeaPad Flex 5. Awesome machine, runs Arch like crazy, the only issue is that the damn ram isnt upgradable. Everything works out of box, once you make sure the sof-firmware package is installed.
My love for think pads predates my Linux use. My Mom every 4 or 5 years would get a new computer from her employers and she would never use it at home. Think pad first then there was the integrated touch screen Dell and then finally just a cheap-o tower. If I remember right the fan unit c*** out And I couldn't find a replacement that wasn't just the entire motherboard. It was back in school so I didn't understand parts nearly as well but the point was that it was difficult. I think my mom eventually sold the think pad but I do miss the nubin. And I'll be able to justify buying a laptop in a few days Think pad here I come.
I recently got used Thknpad T490 It has some dissapointments, touch screen that I don't need, and lack of sim internet. Tried installing Arch, Installed EndeavourOS, works fine, but too often I'm hitting RAM max capacity. One fan is kinda not enough I'm afraid. With keyboard i dissagree. I see that a lot of people love those keyboards, I absolutely hate Fn placement, I put my Keychron K3P on top and i forget about that keyboard below.
5 reasons why linux users love thinkpads
1. it works well on linux 0:51
2. it is repairable 2:54
3. it is cheap 3:29
4. the keyboard is like nothing else 4:07
5. durability 5:39
mannn i hate old asus laptops, i tried inatall linux now it's broke, cant install bakc Windows xp
@@melomelo420 why not ?
@@melomelo420 it's very broke
@@kaasbaas9532 asus k50c doesn't install any other linux than q4os
@@williamwu3457 maybe out of rage from installing arch btw 😂 (I use arch btw so no offence to people who use arch btw)
Notebook seller told me a very interesting thing, when somebody is choosing a notebook, you can never convince them to buy a thinkpad, but if person used thinkpad once, they will only buy a thinkpad and they will specifically come to you to buy a thinkpad and I feel like this is a sect. I am 16 yo and several days ago I bought my first notebook (thinkpad t495s). I was choosing very carefully and this machine is a very good one, I like it.
I am the same Bro
bruh, new thinkpads nowaday are to slim they just call it notebook :v, before 2018 its call bussiness laptop bro, just too overkill for 16yo school boy :v
@@nguyenloctuan713 idk man, seems okay to me, I am not into playing video games, I need a good laptop, that is light and have a big battery, thats all. For me overkill is if bought smth with rtx3080 for just coding.
I wear Lenovo merch and have had 3 so far. Now that I'm thinking of it, this does feel like a cult.
I've had three Thinkpads, X220, T430, T480.
The T480 was fine but it's screen had bad colour. That may have been a config issue however. The other two let me down. Motherboard fucked up on the X220 after a year. Hinge broke on the T430 several times and then the motherboard fried on that one too after two and a half years.
Using a HP Elitebook now. Used for two years at the moment. battery life is average, and its screen colour isn't as bad as the t480's but still pretty shit. With some gamma adjustmests, it's atleast passable. it's the best laptop I've used. I doubt I'll be looking to Lenovo when I have to get another laptop.
In Chinese community, it's a known fact that Lenovo engineers use Linux themselves, specifically Fedora
Makes sense Lenovo is a Chinese company.
I just want to say, this channel is not too big but your videos about GNU/Linux are probably some of the greatest and most interesting I have seen by far. Keep it up man, amazing work.
Thanks bro I try :)
"Lenovo doesn't treat you like a kid, it lets you touch it"
- Mashed 2023
3:25 is the timestamp
That is what she said
1-Dirt Cheap
2-Linux users love to see an destroyed/old machine running linux like its on a spaceship
The End
Dell Latitude D430 user here. You have my upvote.
I’ve run Linux for over 15 years and everything you’ve said is right: that damn keyboard is GREAT! If you like the COMMAND LINE, typing, coding, etc. you MUST have a Thinkpad. It works PERFECTLY. My favorite is the IBM Thinkpad 240. I’ve been using Macbook Airs lately, as I got tired of ‘tinkering’ with the Linux OS BUT, with Macs, I still have access to a command line: UNIX is build in! I have the best of both worlds: a computer that ‘just works’ and access to the CLI. I’m happy (for now!)…
Thinkpads are sturdy companion ! In my professional live I had a bunch of thinkpad (from L-440 to a L-15 Gen1). One of the best thing across Thinkpad serie is also the keyboard. And yes the Linux compatibility is second to none !
Actually, my professional L-15 is a huge asset to my work : i can bring it everywhere (working in a big warehouse) : near automats, in patch-panels room, to access AD everywhere, troubleshoot issues on the go... Never disappointed. I even prefer it to my previous Elitebook :D
Good video, keep on the good job !
I like how you always have a neofetch opened in all of your videos lol
Fr lol I kinda feel like it's just a neofetch conky at this point
@@andresmessina9674 Lol
Idk it just looks nice
@@MashedLinux Lmao. More like you're saying "I user Arch btw" without actually saying it haha. Anyways keep the intersting content coming.
Its just he is using arch btw
absoltutely agree on the keyboards! a friend asked me for a laptop recommendation a few years ago. I suggested a thinkpad and when she got it she texted me to say the keyboard makes her feel like she's using a real laptop for the first time! it's that good.
the trackpoint and the support you get from the community as a normie are also life changing. I got my first ever thinkpad a little over half a year ago just because I needed one for school and the chromebook my school provided kept giving me problems and the little issues I have come across with this one I have fixed in a matter of hours just by asking.
Yeah, trackpoint is so frigging useful (especially combined with middle button on touchpad for scrolling) i don't understand why it's not on the other laptops as well, even new lenovo laptops don't have it as a rule.
On the other hand, can't stand the Fn isntead of Ctrl.
@@nonono4160Just in case someone wondering yes you can change it in the bios
On many thinkpads you can swap Fn and Ctrl in BIOS/UEF
@@johskar doesn't work very well and also you end up with castrated ctrl regardless. That was really dumb design.
I have 6 thinkpads including the 701C butterfly. They are truly things of beauty
"i fell for the meme" same. But my elecronic engeneer friend now respects me xD
Got my e840 thinkpad for 115 dollars on bidding and it rocks.. love the durability of it was epic. I do lot of installation and run linux base testing for the network and it finished the job beautifully.
As a Linux user for more than 15 years, Thinkpads have been my first choice, until the X1 I bought one year ago. From now on, I'll rely on Tuxedo and my older X270.
What’s wrong with it?
@@bkr_418 Any Thinkpad I bought before this one was fully supported on launch, but that's not the case anymore.
@@parabugi am interested in tuxedo infinity pro and I am worried about the fan noise. I ll do some data analysis and vis and ML on my freetime. Is it a bad thing on tuxedo? I mean the fan thing.
I just can bear with my laptop now it is too noisy. I just put lubuntu on it, it seems better but after 8 years it may be time for an improvement.
I simply spent 100 euros for a refurbished T450 plus 60 euros for SSD and additional RAM (16 GB total). Currently on Mint Cinnamon and everything works as it should and snappy.
I am running pop os on my hp laptop and it works really great out of the box.
I love Linux and have used it for decades. I have an old Thinkpad whose original owner left for dead that got a second life as a Linux machine. I recently treated myself to a top of the line Framework 16, a machine made for Linux. I've never seen such a smooth install and it runs at warp 7. I have to say, though, that the Lenovo keyboard wins hands down.
yup libreboot runs on the x200. Fair to note though you have to flash the bios with hardware. But the legendary x61 is the last software flashable libreboot computer now to my knowledge.
I have two, a librebooted X200 running Linux Mint Xfce and an X220 on Windows which I use for work. I have had both from new. Both work brilliantly and I can see no reason to update for what I need. The x200 l use for my personal use. The 220 Is purely for work and it gets a lot of use in my job and has to take a knock ( I work on and Survey Marine Vessels). Simply would not consider anything else.
The only other option instead of a Thinkpad is a Panasonic Toughbook, I have seven Thinkpads and yesan X220 but my X230 whilst not the classic keyboard it can be adapted but the Core I7 variant has 2 native USB3 ports as well as being able to run a Sata 2.5" drive 512 GB Samsung 850 Evo plus a 256 GB Samsung 850 Msata SSD it rocks.
I have 2 Toughbooks plus other Thinkpads, T470 with two batteries one internal one hot swappable external, X1 Carbon and X301 (Best Keyboard bar none) plus T440P fully upgraded full power Core I 7 Quad core T420S Quad core T430 etc Thinkpads are so good and repairable and upgradeable
Wow... I started getting into Linux a bit and then I suddenly got the urge to buy a laptop to put Linux on (it was a ThinkPad T480s). Did it, bought another one T460 from the US 6 months later cause it was like 55€ (the shipping and VAT cost more) and it just works it's amazing. I just automatically opted for Thinkpads, didn't even know why, it seemed appropriate
I think the main reason you can find ThinkPads cheap is not actually because they run slow on Windows. I would say the more accurate answer is because it's old stock from whatever company bought hundreds of them and then is phasing them out. They then get dumped sold for cheap in huge amounts to companies and then to you.
Exactly. My company just e-recycled close to 1k Thinkpad models (T480, T490, Carbon 6th/7th gens)
thx for giving me hope, yesterday i bought a ( second or third-hand ) Thinkpad, win 7 is on it. Tried to install ubuntu, didn't work after many attempts, but i will install win xp, then maybe dual booting linux, because of erxpirience ten years before i ve seen that it works very well. Will let you know if i reach my destination.
I noticed that years before using Linux myself: everyone slightly suggesting the switch from Windows to Linux mentioned having a ThinkPad at some point...
My T430 still runs like a champ with a custom minimal KDE install I did on Arch. Friends and family are surprised my 11 year old laptop runs better than their more modern laptops.
My T420s runs full fat Ubuntu 22.04. Upgraded the RAM to the 16GB maximum years ago, and using a Samsung 850 Pro SSD. It flies
I’ve been using Linux on laptops ever since 2007. The laptop I bought back then came with Windows Vista……yeah it sucked! Linus fixed that and I used it for 14 years, just replaced it with a free to me Thinkpad T520, running Linux Mint!
I enjoyed your candid video. FYI Im using my T430S with pop!OS. I decided on pop because of the wifi works great on this older Thinkpad. I think the only reason I would go with like a new X1 carbon is for it being the best in my opinion. But this thing will not die. Thanks again sir. BTW I had installed Linux Mint but it didnt like my wifi. t would detect but would not connect. I gave up and went with pop!
I appreciate it brother! Great to hear you like pop!
I am using Pop as well but the PopShop is absolutly killing me and lags like hell.
I love my ThinkPad T470p running ubuntu
I use a Thinkpad x280 with Linux mint and I have to say, it works amazing! The only problem I ran into was the fingerprint not working
There is a package I got working for Ubuntu. But it still works in different way that on Windows (slide instead of tap) and it's a bit hard to detect well.
The wi-fi card can be replaced on most laptops - at least the older ones. I do not even bother trying to make a not fully compatible card to run. Ebay is full of affordable wi-fi cards, which are usually way cheaper then my manhours messing with it.
A distro with great hardware support is Linux Mint. I installed it on two or three Non-ThinkPad Laptops where I replaced the wi-fi card beforehand, and it worked right of the box. Mint improved the support for Fn functions and buttons over the years, and it works better then ever. Even the support for Nvidia GPUs improved a lot, but it's never 100% on any PC, I guess.
What I want to say is that Linux runs on most Laptop as good as on a ThinkPad.
This said, I am a ThinkPad fan, even though my P52 had in the beginning massive trackpad driver issues under Windows 10. It took Lenovo a few months to release a perfectly working driver. Other than that, it's a very reliable computer. One very interesting thing about ThinkPads is, that certain models are very popular in the Hackintosh scene. Unfortunately, this won't last forever, as Apple moves to Apple Silicon.
I just bought a Lenovo legion and Linux has been great. Speakers don’t work but everything else have been a dream. Dual drive dual boot ftw.
I you hit the main point about stinkpad, oops thinkpad lol, Old boxes are very available and since thinkpad was used so heavily on the business side theres are just more of them. That is more than likely why they are so repairable. I do have to say though, older dells and hps were rapairable and upgrable tool. Macbooks used to be repairable prior to them locking everything down. I can remember every laptop was open to ram and hardrive diy upgrades. You just have to careful what you buy as I think you can still buy new dell and hp laptops but they are normally in the business class. At least you could 3 years ago.
Thank you for this video, seriously having an old outdated thinkpad is def a right of passage of any linux user
Generally when I'm looking for a new laptop, the keyboard is one of the things I look at as well. Although when I'm home, I use an external keyboard for it. The couple of newer laptops I have run Linux fine (an Acer Nitro 5 and an ASUS Vivo touch - both 11th Gen Intels). All the hardware works fine with Linux. The NVidia in the Acer can be a little bit of a pain, but Fedora generally runs fine on it with the propitiatory Nvidia drivers.
The one big thing I've found with newer laptops (other than the Thinkpads) is it's very hit and miss whether you can upgrade anything but the HDD/SSD. Most seem to come with soldered memory and only one SSD slot (like the Vivobook). That's why I ended up buying the Acer Nitro.
I just got an E15 Ryzen 5 4500U and it's performing really well, installed Arch Linux with Hyprland and put my desktop configs on it. Really good battery life so far and I got it for $200
I bought the latest hp pavillion after release and installed fedora on it straightaway even after getting ms office for free for lifetime and also windows 11. It worked straightaway smooth right out of the box except for the fingerprint sensor.
The newone have a lot of issue and have to much soldered component. The aftersale support is crap unfortunately. Not a good deal anymore, it is a better plan to buy a specific Linux manufacturer who only make Linux computer (System 76, Slimbook, Star Labs...)
Main reason i got mine (T480s) was because it was actually fairly small and light. (not like those beefed up airplane takeoff sounding gaming laptops)
I knew it wasnt gonna be some super performant beast with the latest hardware but that was honestly fine. I also really like how durable this thing is and it just makes it so nice not having to worry about it breaking because the engineers couldnt give a f##k about some random shit breaking in 1 week (true story).
You make really great & interesting videos, I'm glad I found your channel even though it's not that big yet, keep up the good work! 😊
As for the topic of the video, a friend of mine gifted me a used Dell laptop from 2018 and I guess I got quite lucky, everything works perfectly on Linux. Even the Arch installation with WLan wasn't problem at all. So I'm quite happy, especially because I didn't even know that such issues exist but hey, even if there would have been issues you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth ;D
I'm curious if Linux would be usable at all on these new multi foldable "laptops" that were presented at CES a few weeks ago within a reasonable amount of time after their release as those look quite interesting for coding on the go 🤔
Good insight
That keyboard sure is nice. Surely I'll will fall for the meme as well and get a ThinkPad down the road. 🤔
Just got a T420 and it has been amazing. So much better then the macbook air I was running linux on. Oh and the keyboard is amazing too!
Based product name
I have a T430 I had forgotten about. I had also forgotten its build quality which is amazing.
Same, also, a great upgrade is to actually coreboot it and slap a i7 35W QM CPU, did that with mine and it actually runs colder while getting double the performance it had, and SSD did a whole lot of difference since it has SATA III and its blazing fast
@@mjetektman9313 Excellent. I’ve taken a screenshot of your comment. That’s def a doable project.
@@stuartgreen5631 also I really recommend using Coreboot 4.19 if you want to dual boot because newer coreboot versions didn't work for me on Windows, but Linux worked fine, also, I'm using libgfxinit instead of Video OPROM, works way better since it detects the HD 4000 iGPU without needing a BIOS dump, also the biometric sensor stopped working after I changed the CPU, but I really don't mind since on Linux it was very flaky, for EFI i really recommend MrChromeBox EFI, it's great, and also, for me, growing CBFS from 0x200000 to 0x300000 never worked so keep that in mind, if you try to grow it up and it doesn't boot at all, that might be the issue
LInux has worked well on every Dell I have tried. Plenty of used Dell Latitudes on the market.
The old ones had the best keyboard and build quality
Hahah, you're right! I've been using Thinkpads with Linux since I was only 57 or 58, so long ago that mine had a floppy drive! And, they've been dead easy to own and use.
Newer thinkpads are getting worse but still older thinkpads are so good also hardware wise
what gnu/linux do you use on your thinkpads? what do you recommend for my t480? on my desktop I use opensuse tumbleweed with gnome
I use arch because that is what I'm used to. Just use any distro that you like. Doesn't really matter
i think the framework laptop is gonna replace the thinkpad as the community favorite laptop within the next few years
Not at that price point it won’t . Also very ugly
Not it won't. I want a gaming laptop at the same time. X1 Extreme Gen 4 fullfils my needs
@@thehaqq3540 Why is the price point and issue? They are priced very good. Its cheaper than macbooks and majority of windows laptops. The repairability will pay itself back in few years. Not every laptop works with linux with framework you have guarantee. There are less and less ports on new laptops and frameworks addresses this issue well.
@@HumanBeingSpawn What you want does not mean everyone else wants it too. X1 is not an gaming laptop you shouldve bought Legion.
@@kaeji_namitsua x1 extreme is a beast
told you i let you know, now installed linux mint, it runs very good on my think pad.
btw i have the x40 from 2002 or something, bought it for 15 dollars without batery.
🙃
I haven't had any experience with Thinkpads but I used an Ideapad for 7+ years (z50-70). It is in a deep sleep now (screen malfunction) 😛. The one I'm currently using is an Asus Laptop, and yes, I'm on Linux (Ubuntu for work, Fedora for playing).
I run linux on a mac... I've used Thinkpads as well and really like them. This video is old so you probably didn't know about Asahi Linux at the time you made it. Thinkpads are far easier to repair but, they have terrible battery life. Also, if you install Macports you have a full Unix system with all the trimmings. I do miss the keyboard on my Thinkpad. But the deciding point for me is battery life.
Holy shit! You into thinkpads too!!! 🤜🏻🤛🏻
I kid you not.
I've had my used Costco Thinkpad since 2012.
I've had my t480s for about 8 or 9 months now. I love it so much I think im gonna upgrade, mainly because of the soldered RAM. Probably gonna get a p50 because that shit can upgraded into space, and its got a dedicated GPU which will be useful. Soldered RAM is the worst human creation.
Except Apple now solders the SSD also that really sux
I have a thinkpad as well and I thought the Soldered RAM was gonna be a issue as well. Its only a 8GB. I did some more research and found out that I can add more RAM with the soldered RAM. There is another slot for another RAM stick. I bought a 16GB and added it and now I have 24GB and it works great.
I like my thinkpad because... it is cheap, they are great computers, they are very linux friendly. Don't get me wrong, a macbook (especially the new Ms) are probably some of the best computers in the world of out of the box and their battery life and performance are beyond compare (have to use at work). But I love my X1 Nano and NixOS+Hyprland for myself. If I were to just get a computer that works and not worry about all of the fun and fiddling of linux, I'd get an m2 or m3 macbook and call it a day. It's unix based, it is pretty, it is stupidly good at battery and performance. For linux, System76 or ThinkPad or older macbook for hackintosh or Librem... but probably a $300 thinkpad.
When you said normies used mac , I subscribed
"Lenovo...lets you touch it" -- Mashed, 2023
Dude you nailed it. Been using thinkpads with linux for years for exactly those reasons.
Which type of thinkpad you use?
@@omar3mad913 Currently I use a T480 which many feel is the last great thinkpad, and is a great value nowadays. Previously I have used T450, T420s, and T60 which have all been great but are older and less powerful. (The T60 although being ancient now still had the best keyboard of any laptop I've ever owned.)
I love my ThinkPad T430 with Kubuntu.
New viewers who like me came here because they wanted to hear what he has to say about "Why Linux users LOVE Thinkpads" can save time by reading this, because it really is all he had to say about it:
1) They are good, tend to work with Linux.
2) They are repairable.
3) They are cheap, especially used ones.
I have never considered a Lenovo since the spyware incident. What’s to stop them from including a rootkit on a bios level? It’s probably ok these days but how can you be sure?
Hey Mashed, do a video setting up a T500 with its' perfect Linux match. Especially show the OS Keyboard choice.
100% correct, I got a ThinkPad for $100 and it works perfectly for what I need it to be.
Lenovo hates linux though, linux is utterly unusable on my e15 gen2, there isn't even any usable mouse driver, sorry but I ain't gonna use the OS with the trackpoint BARELY working at all, it's a huge struggle to use it... Then there are completely missing drivers for all the fancy things like the finger print sensor and camera sensors
I have never had a problem with any Linux distro on my Lenovo T430 - t5 - 8gb love it
I run Linux on macbook air 2015. Other than occasional wifi issues, it is working good. I don't like MacOS and its ecosystem.
Great video, already subscribed. Huges from Brasil!
Welcome aboard!
idk watching teardowns of recent thinkpads they dont sem that much better. i mean as long as you get something without soldered ram like its fine like idk i did my homework, picked up a 2022 victus 15 cuz it had upgradable ram, a half decent dedicated gpu (3050 ti mobile), feels pretty good
it is plastic and may break eventually like i had an inspiron that crumbled to bits but the hinge is decent quality
my biggest issue in linux has been getting sleep working. it bugs tf out when i wake it up. might be a duel booting thing, i have a small windows partion just in case some class im in needs windows software, might nuke it havent decided yet.
it has a mediatek wifi card which means it jsut werks, never had a wifi 6 network to test that on but it gets decent speeds on wifi 5 networks, the gb ethernet jsut works, the usb just works, the display just works. freesync on the internal display is kinda broken unfortunately because its connected to the integrated gpu without a mux switch and idk if there even support for freesync when passing through video like that.
one of the biggest non gaming benefits of a gaming laptop is the display. having a 120hz display for scrolling through stuff just feels good. not sure if any thinkpads have high refreshrate displays
g'day mate. I decide to buy a Lenovo, but the connection.. is WiFi alright to use? I don't have enabled ethernet port at home
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s are good computers due to: Adjustable RAM & SSD, good battery life with AMD CPUs, the best keyboard in the industry, solid screen display (1200p+ resolution), and solid web cameras (1080p).
I would have swore I read thickpads on the title
I swore I read hickpads, I was like, whaaaaat? It's probably Tommy Tuberville's computer of choice.
I got a few months ago a Thinkpad x200 for a song and it works just fine. Xubuntu, 4gb of ram and a ssd just do the trick.
I tried a IBM A20m keyboard, it's feels mecanic, like in the old good times
Honestly. Nothing gives me more joy then putting Linux on Surface laptops. But Thinkpads are amazing.
The Surface community is great. The laptops are good and the irony is funny. Thinkpads are reparable, durable, and compatible.
Great laptops. ❤
Not just Linux.....we're, or at least I am, a fan of them in the Hackintosh scene too! :D
Bro, any Lenovo made laptop will brake on the screen-case union, and for same price you can get a really fine computer 2nd hand personally i love dell precision laptops, same to better hardware and better construction materials, easy to repair, and same form factor even with the trackpoint
For me it's the keyboard and touchpad. Given that I spend most of my day on the computer, having a great keyboard and touchpad is really important. That is why I am so saddened that lenovo gradually turned the keyboard and the touchpad to a shitty macbook clone. It used to be the best on the market with only Dell Precision at least coming relatively close, now it's just an inferior macbook. (Keyboard wise)
I still love my T430 and I'll never forget the W520 and R400.
I am just testing this ThinkPad keyboard.
Mac users don't even think that they're "pretty". It's a status symbol. If it's not the status. It's a way of conforming to a norm. Which is fine. You do you, but they definitely set a precedent, and I'm definitely going to make a small note of character based on whether or not you're rocking apple in your free time.
Nice bro, you use arch btw.
Are the thinkpad edge good?
I have it thinking of using Linux and gonna upgrade ssd and ram
I want to use it for light games
I own a Thinkpad Edge. Ive had for several years, bought it used from a computer swapmeet vendor for $80.00. The version of Windows had expired so someone installed Ubuntu on it. I don't know why, but for some reason it did not run well. It was very apparent that the install was corrupted, so I wiped the drive and installed Linux Mint. What a difference a good installation makes. This laptop ran great. However, the screen failed so my only option was to use an external monitor, which I did until I replaced the hard drive (For a larger capacity one) and installed Ubuntu Server on it and now really don't need a monitor. I hope to replace the monitor some day and return it to it's original purpose, but until that day arrives, it's 'Serving' it's purpose very well.
O and the thinkbook g2 intel also works well
T14 gen 2 was absolutely the worst computer I've ever bough and was unusable for the first 18 months since the Iris Xe drivers were unusable on both Linux and Windows: The computer crashed every 10 hours when doing WebGL development regardless of the OS. Moreover, the computer almost overheated when running even the simplest WebGL shit on it and the battery lasted at most something like two hours. In contrast, I can run several simultaneous WebGL applications on my MacBook Air M2 and the computer never gets even warm to touch and the battery always has lasted the entire day.
yup, ARM magic. I have a T14s Gen 2 (Ryzen) sitting in my drawer. I'm not even looking at that thing anymore. Every few weeks I have to take it out to charge the battery because for some reason it's always discharging, even when the laptop is off. In summary: this thing was more expensive than a MacBook Air M1, has a worse screen, worse performance, non-existing speakers (seriously, an Apple Watch speaker is louder and clearer than these, I tested), or microphones, trackpad is meh, port selection is meh (no ThunderBolt), fans spin from the lightest tasks, SSD runs at 60°C in idle. Yeah I'm not so convinced about the whole ThinkPad thing anymore.
Bro pulls out the hard neofetch, but still had to tell us he's on Arch 😂
It doesn't work well on Linux. Rather, Linux works well on Thinkpads.
So, i actually have an IdeaPad Flex 5. Awesome machine, runs Arch like crazy, the only issue is that the damn ram isnt upgradable.
Everything works out of box, once you make sure the sof-firmware package is installed.
Thinkpad and Lubuntu runs like a dream
I love the Thinkpads very good laptops
Old MacBooks with Intel CPU's are perfect for Linux as well.
wudent framework or alienware be better for linux they give you upgradbality thus giving you choice and freedom 2 things linux users love
0:38 bros head is tweaking 😭😭
Th8nkpads are awesome, except for one thing...
The Fn key in the lower-left corner instead of Ctrl makes me lose my mind.
Can't agree more!
That can be swapped in the BIOS.
My first ThinkPad was Edge 15. I wanna either get a P50 or 2017 Anniversary.
Not only the Linux community, but the BSD community also.
The Lenovo ThinkPad looks cool
You can upgrade the ram and the storage
they're utilitarian just like Linux, sturdy and stable I love em.
My love for think pads predates my Linux use. My Mom every 4 or 5 years would get a new computer from her employers and she would never use it at home. Think pad first then there was the integrated touch screen Dell and then finally just a cheap-o tower. If I remember right the fan unit c*** out And I couldn't find a replacement that wasn't just the entire motherboard. It was back in school so I didn't understand parts nearly as well but the point was that it was difficult. I think my mom eventually sold the think pad but I do miss the nubin. And I'll be able to justify buying a laptop in a few days Think pad here I come.
I recently got used Thknpad T490 It has some dissapointments, touch screen that I don't need, and lack of sim internet. Tried installing Arch, Installed EndeavourOS, works fine, but too often I'm hitting RAM max capacity. One fan is kinda not enough I'm afraid. With keyboard i dissagree. I see that a lot of people love those keyboards, I absolutely hate Fn placement, I put my Keychron K3P on top and i forget about that keyboard below.
I love Thinkpads too. Best laptops out there.