ThinkPad on a Budget: The X Series
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 พ.ค. 2018
- Here is a sort of unplanned video I decided to make on the X series of ThinkPads. I decided that my other videos focused too heavily on the T series and did not give enough love to the 12" versions of the ThinkPad. This video focuses on the the X series laptops made between 2006 and 2012, during what I consider to be the classic era of Lenovo ThinkPads. Enjoy!
Other videos you can watch:
The laptop with 2 screens: The ThinkPad W700ds:
• The laptop with 2 scre...
IPS Display in the X220/X230:
• Lenovo ThinkPad X230 u...
Core i-series ThinkPads:
• ThinkPad on a Budget: ...
IBM versus Lenovo ThinkPads:
• ThinkPad on a Budget: ... - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
I can watch thinkpad reviews all day. thank you. I drive the t510, fully upgraded and adore it.
also
I really like the fact you’re not some cringy teenager talking generic shit. Useful and exhaustive information, wonderful presentation. New sub!
Thank you for all your content on Thinkpads, really appreciate it! I blame you personally for making me buy some of those old classic Thinkpads! Bought an X220 and an X230. And a T430. And a T60. God I love those old machines. With an SSD and 8GB dual channel RAM, the Core-i5 models are perfectly viable Windows 10 machines even today, and shockingly portable thanks to user-swappable batteries (something every "portable device" should have! who the hell thought built-in batteries were a good idea?). Even the T60 is still usable, either with Linux, or as a retro gaming machine, since I was lucky enough to get one in good condition with the 15 inch 4:3 higher resolution "Flexview" display, a Core 2 Duo T7200 and an ATI X1400.
It's a bit ironic that the only non-IPS, horrible, grey, dull, washed-out TN panel is found in the "most modern" of the four, the T430. Has the best keyboard of the four, though (I know, heresy, but I personally prefer the more tactile feel of the chiclet style X230/T430 keyboards, and I know I'm not the only one ;-)
By far the best IBM/Lenovo thinkpad guru on TH-cam. The knowledge that this gentleman knows is amazing. I'm really interested in the full boat W series Lenovo thinkpads and i hope he does a series on them as well. I know that was their top of the line model and probably still super expensive today but i would love to be educated on them before i buy.
I currently have a W700 and a T440p. The latter may not be considered a "W" series model but it has similar expandability and performance to the W540 from the same generation. I may try to find a few more W/P series ThinkPads before devoting a whole video on them.
You are right! I have at home x230 and I am happy with Lenovo.
Levski Levov Me tooo
Respect because OpenBSD and Thinkpad
Still love my i7 X220. After doing a factory reset and then updating to Win 10, it still works just fine and does what I need. Thanks for the info about disparity in power of the Mobile and Ultrabook CPUs. Didn't know that.
I'm on an i7 x220 too. Woo! Not a windows fan though, so running good old Debian.
Brilliant video. Your content is as good as it gets. Thanks so much for all of the work that you put in.
I have a Lenovo X220 in near mint condition. Bought on eBay last month for £109.00. It has 8gb's of DDR3 ram, an original 44+ battery in great condition! (5.5 hours of use) and a 500gb hard drive. It's running Windows 10 Pro. I love My Thinkpad.
Get an SSD and will be even better :D
It's a great machine. Don't know why I didn't buy one sooner.
@@victormontivero1998 listen to Victor get an ssd AND that small, dont know how its called, short m2 RAM like drive which is on right hand side of the trackpad.
@@fyi_it I think you are talking about the nvme ssd
@@shuwan4games X220 came out before NVMe went mainstream, it's mSATA your looking for. I think. I don't know much about X220.
I use my X220 Tablet to this day. Upgrade the RAM, throw in a decent SSD and this thing is running.
Excellent video! I have been using my X220 i7 CTO version since Dec 2011 almost every day. It is my only laptop and I have used it at all the different workplaces I have been employed at since 2011. i have often junked or opted out of the office laptop. Since 2012 I have been using my Thinkpad X220 with 16 GB ram and recently I upgraded my 64 GB mSata from 2012 to a 512GB Msata. The harddrive was upgraded from a 320 gb to a 500 gb and now a 1tb 7mm drive. It was difficult to get 7mm hard drives earlier. I have a 6 cell and a 9 Cell battery handy. I recently swapped the lcd bezels and the palm rest along with the TN 720p display to a IPS 720p display. The laptop simply flies and it is one of the few things I absolutely adore!
The final configuration of my X220 is as follows:
i7 2720m
16 GB (1600mhz Gskill 8Gbx2)
Samsung 512gb mSata
Seagate 1tb hdd
IPS 720p display
6 or 9 cell battery depending on the monthly rotation I have in place
The best laptop keyboard ever!
I routinely travel across India for work and often abroad. This has been my only laptop and I am sure it will keep serving me easily for a few more years!
Hey, great video man. Keep up the good work!
wow this was informative! i dig these older X series
They're certainly great machines! I'm typing this from my X230. I'm currently working on a follow-up video about the best used ThinkPads to buy in 2019, and the X series will definitely have a starring role!
Great video. Love my X220 which is upgraded with an IPS panel, SSD and 16gb ram. The all Intel chipset also makes these excellent Linux machines. Using a good quality 3rd party 9 cell battery (e.g. Duracell or greencell) I can get 5-6 hours from a charge. An i5 mobile Sandybridge with 4 threads is still ample for all but heavy work such as video editing - and even that works if you're not in a hurry.
I have used my T430 for editing all of these videos, and while I now have a quad-core i7 in mine, for a long time it had the standard Core i5 3320M, which is the same processor found in the X230. It could edit 1080p60 video with no problem, and with an i7 it just works even better!
I got a near mint X230 back in March and got it upgraded to 8 GB of RAM for the sweet dual channel performance boost and is a great little machine that's running Linux. Now all it needs is a SSD, but in the meantime I found a fairly well preserved X61s for $66 shipped and had to order it. It will need some love, cleaning and new thermal compound, but will make a great machine to put in my workshop or girlfriend's flat.
My X220 is still purring along with the same specs and outlasted my TP Yoga 14 which had multiple problems. It's been dual-boot Linux/Win7 for about 6 years now and is my travel laptop and back-up. Looks like it will be for the foreseeable future. Still a better keyboard than all of the modern chiclet types. And, the X220 is crazy fast for its age and size - boots to Windows7 in 14 seconds.
They say it's good for hackintosh
Damn,, I love the way you narrating the video.. Good job dude
I bought two used x230. One with i7 and back-light keyboard + fingerprint scanner, the other one with i5 non back-light keyboard. I love them both. Switched them between days for works. 12" is the best, 14" is too big for me to carry around. I also bought 95-Watt chargers to replace standard ones in order to get full boost performance without battery attached.
I have t420 and I feel the same its just to big.. im loking for x220 or x230
Awesome to have this information. Your way of presentation s really impressive .
Hi... Im really happy with my Lenovo x230...with docking station and ssd, 16Gb ram and 128gb msata, win7, and i used external graphic card....Love it.....
I love your way of explaining things dude ...☺
X230 and put an SSD drive in it and wallah... 10 year laptop.
X230 with an X220 keyboard/palmrest and a 120 GB SSD has been my daily driver for about a year and a half now. Used a T430 for some time before that. Both solid machines!
Had a X230 for 8 years heavy use, Hdd gave out
My first thinkpad is Edge 11, which many people said it was not real thinkpad, but it got me addicted to the thinkpad keyboard setup with trackpoint.
Then i got first real 'thinkpad' was X201, i buy 2nd hand for quite cheap price back in 2013, and it become my daily laptop for study and work till around 2016, because it suddenly dead.
Then i buy thinkpad x250, this time i can afford to buy new one, i got pretty good deal comparing to normal retail price, even later I need upgrade the battery so it will have 9cell total and also swap the hdd to ssd to boost the performance.
Thinkpad really got me to the keyboard setup, even in my home PC I use old thinkpad usb keyboard which still have 7 rows keys setup.
It's kind of sad that lenovo strip many feature that older thinkpad have, especially with the X series, which is my favorite.
When my boss asked me to start thinking about the new laptop to pick, since he plan to buy me new one for work, i'm hesitate to choose the X series, and leaning toward the T series, since the T series now is quite light these day, and still have many essential ports.
Anyway, nice video man, keep it up.
I have Lenovo X240 and it´s my daily driver since 2017 and I have no issues with it at all..
Was just looking at an x240 for peanuts, I'm thinking twice now mainly due to the single ram slot. Very informative!
Cristal and clear explanation. I just bought an x230 (core i5, 4 GB Ram and 256 SSD. The seller assures it was not used at all. It looks brand new. Good pc. Bought it for my son, for school. Previous broke down. I liked a lot, I almost bought an x250. I noticed the processor is not "M" any more. Just "U".
Thanks to you I didnt make that mistake. I bought a t440p instead. I know, different league, but a lot of upgrades could be done.
I have an X200s, and yes I was the guy who brought it to a robotics programming competition, and yes I did make my 2 friends struggle without the trackpad.
Great stuff. I have a T420 and an X230 and, as you say, my X230 tends to be used most. I did replace the the backlight keyboard with the non-backlight keyboard on the X230, though. It's a better keyboard for my use case.
I agree with you on that, also the backlit keyboards have a glossier texture than the non-backlit ones, so I prefer the non-backlit keyboards.
Glossy means it would also attract grime and stuff from the fingers no? How's the non-backlit feel? Heard it feels like fine sandpaper, better traction.
Might as well get myself an X220 keyboard if I could let go of the backlighting and use Thinklight instead.
I prefer the ThinkLight, sure it doesn't "look pretty" like the backlit keyboard does but it is certainly a lot more practical, and I wish Lenovo hadn't removed it on the newer ThinkPads. The non-backlit keyboards definitely feel better, and I do remember hearing that the glossy finish does attract more finger crap.
I prefer both depending on the situation. if I wanted to illuminate the keys subtly in dark without flooding anything else I'd use the backlight. If I wanted to illuminate anything else above the keyboard, like papers and other things besides the laptop, I'd use the Thinklight. I'm happy with X230 because it has both of them.
I'm also saddened that Lenovo removed the Thinklight on later Thinkpads...and yeah, I did hear about the glossy keyboards somewhere in Louis Rossman's rants, something about his preference of non-backlit keyboards to backlit ones because of that. But trust me, it will be harder to type because Thinklight is gone, and there are no alternative ways of illuminating the keys from above except for sticking USB LED above the keyboard, making a poor man's Thinklight.
EDIT: My personal experience with the backlit keyboard though? You're trading off cleanliness for backlighting. A lot of finger oils and fingerprints here and there on mine and sometimes I get to wipe them with 70% alcohol...it just looks, eugh.
I have an X220. I spent a few years lugging around a big Dell laptop. The X220 is amazing. Plenty of power for what I use it for. Small and light and the keyboard is amazing. I hate chicklet keyboards with a passion. I paid £100 (UK !) for it. I upgraded to an SSD but everything else is standard. It really is a fantastic machine.
i actually tried buying a x220 as my first thinkpad off of ebay i had to get a refund cause the package was never shipped
are you still using the 220 in 2023? i just got a 201 and it works pretty well
I'm playing with T61 and T60 models at the moment because of dumping prices and some system recovery research. The X series got used more and longer (worn down) in comparison to the Ts within the ebay sandbox possibilities. Nothing from eBay can beat my lucky find: The X230/i7, except "what is a typewriter" - a concept that vanished with IBM.
this video series is really great , it only misses to compare the weights of each one
My work laptop is an x280! I didn’t pay for it but I certainly love it.. I’d like at least an x260 (usb-c and hdmi if at all possible). I’d be interested in seeing an update to this series if an hopefully scalper pricing will go away once working from home isn’t a thing any more!
Just subbed and already a new video. Great stuff!
Very informative,ty ,I use a X131e daily and still works fast and dependable
Dear Sebi; great video but kindly do a piece on tablet series i.e X200T, X201T, X220T, X230T, as these machines guarantee that one will get the IPS (or wide view-able) display, so some light needs to be shed on them as well.
If I get ahold of a few ThinkPad tablets I will gladly do a video on them, however as of now I do not have any of the ThinkPad tablets and since they are basically just touch screen versions of the standard X series, I feel it is a little redundant to dedicate a whole video to it.
In Pakistan these tablets are dirt cheap, X201T is available for less than 80$, while X220T for less than 100$ (less than the price of apple stylus 'Apple Pencil' alone), I bought X220 reluctantly, but once I got the machine and used it for a while, one get to know why these things were more expensive than normal variants when sold new, they are little bit bigger from power button on-wards on both the lower part (which extends further half an inch compared to screen) as well as the lower bezel on screen, which looks a bit odd but all of that is for reason, these parts are over-engineered for that single hinge mechanism in the middle, its tight enough that there is no chance of accidental screen swiveling and one needs two hands to open the machine.
If you get hold of at-least couple of variants like X201T (which has lower powered processor compared to X201) to X220T/X230T which use normal processors, these were sold with windows 7 which was not touch screen optimized, but with presence of windows 10 there is better utility of these tablet machines now (with renewed interest from Samsung and Apple in Stylus computing, behave like they have reinvented the wheel) compared to when they were sold new that's why old/existing reviews are bit outdated from usage perspective, anyhow if you do get hold of them, these machines have good 15~20 minutes worth of video material compared to normal variants.
I have subscribed you, keep up the good work.
This is amazing I might get my younger sister an X220 or X230 when she goes to college.
They are very solid laptops. Typing from one now!
I got my girlfriend an X220t for Christmas last year and she said it's her favorite laptop that she's ever used. She likes doing digital art, so the touchscreen on the x220t was a big plus for her.
i just bought a x260 for ~300 euros and put ubuntu on it. It looks like brand new and the performance is exactly what i needed. I thought about buying an old Macbook, but im glad that i didnt. The X260 is amazing for Students and Unity GameDevs.
I need more "thumbs up" buttons for these videos! Every time I watch them I am angry I can't like them because I had done so weeks ago... Amazing job - thanks!
I still have my old Edge 11 and X230. Both upgraded to SSD and works fine.
ultra informative video. thank you so much
Great machines dont die i had many different laptop brands among them 2 thinkpad from different generations. My experience using thinkpad had always be awesome with great amazing satisfaction.
Thinkpad X series is sometimes jokingly called "My Little Thinkpad" due to its small size. :P
I have 4 Thinkpads: W520 with 1080 IPS, X220 with IPS, X230 and X61. The X220 is my favourite.
I broke the motherboard when trying to replace the screen with an IPS panel on my X230 (long story). got a used i7 X230 off ebay with a broken Display and a missing drive cover. just replaced the display, threw in my SSD and replaced the keyboard with my backlit model. and now I'm happy. still a damn good Laptop model for its age
Hello,
i am not really computer literate I purchased the Lenovo T460S I don't really know what I am doing. I have trouble with moving the cursor around with my finger. At times it can be hard to navigate. I don't even understand the red button by the letters. Do you have a video that explains all of this. I am completely dumb when it comes to computers.
Great video. You forgot to mention the X301. The thinkpad flagship back then. I have one since 10 years ago, and I love it. I recently bought an X260 (because it can handle a 4K monitor), and the build quality went down the drain: the X301 is way better in any aspect, but unfortunately, the speed is now lacking.
Maybe I should have specified that this is only about the 12" ThinkPads. I also never talk about the X1 series.
nice video! great job guy!!
Love my X230! With SSD RAM upgrade still rocks!
Very informative video. I am considering an x230 for myself. However, I am confused between the x230, T430 and the Dell E5430. They cost almost the same here, and have more or less, the same configuration. Could you suggest one between the three? I'd like to upgrade to an SSD and 16GB of RAM, and also an i7 if I can get my hands on one. Please suggest one which is easiest to upgrade, and can withstand rough usage.
I don't have much experience with Dells, however I can tell you both ThinkPads you mentioned will be very durable. Both have upgradeable RAM and storage, but while the X230 has an i7 option, it is soldered to the motherboard. In addition it is only a dual core processor. The T430 uses a socketed CPU that can be upgraded, for example in mine I replaced the original Core i5 3320M with a core i7 3612QM (a quad core processor).
My Thinkpad Yoga 14 never felt or performed as well as my X220. It's only now with my 3rd-gen X1 Yoga iwith Core i7 that this "upgrade" is *starting* to feel like it's a speedier beast.
Don't know if it's the same for the other X-series, but my X220 is the same area as a sheet of A4 paper if you use the small battery. So anywhere a folder will fit, it will fit
Love the thorough videos and have peaked my interest. Was looking at new thinkpads(never owned a Lenovo) and really liked how you can still still swap out ram, battery, etc. Is there a model new or old that you would recommend? I generally do TH-cam, Netflix, light gaming(Homeworld remastered, DoW 2, and lighter games) and a lot of writing. Anyways, just curious if you had suggestions. Cheers and keep up the great videos.
I've made a few videos about this topic, and am looking into making a new, updated video giving my full list of recommendations. If you are looking into getting a brand new laptop, the T480 (with FHD screen, *not* the 1366x768 option which is stock) will be an excellent choice. It has a lot of the upgradeability that you could want. The Intel HD graphics that are built in can handle some light gaming, and if you want a little more oomph then you can get the Nvidia MX-150 graphics card with it.
When it comes to used or older machines, there's a whole world of recommendations. In my opinion, if you value portability and excellent battery life, the T440/440s and T450/450s are good options and are becoming fairly cheap. If you want power and more expandability, the T420, T430, and T440p are excellent machines, with the necessary upgrades. The X220 and X230 are also great laptops, I am editing a video about the X230 as we speak.
Thanks for your feedback, I'm leaning now at getting a older T430 I just found locally thats refurbished. Has the I5 3320M, 4G RAM and a 320G SATAIII for $240 CAD. Might go check it out today, and then upgrade to what I need. I like the idea of it being cheaper and I can tinker with it(not an expert, but I have dabbled a little bit over my lifetime).
Great video on the X series. I also agree with your view point on ULV Cpus. I own mostly Dell hardware. My latitude e series is the bomb. But my e6530 with an i5 with an ssd is still worlds faster then my 2017 e7480 with an i7 and NVS ssd. Ironically it was more money too. Dont get me wrong, it's fast, it's just not that kind of money fast:)
I really hope they can bring up a different X series product line specifically for engineers, in which extreme portability is not so important.
T series?
Good video and thanks for mention! I do have another small correction though: The X250 could also do 16 GB RAM, it was the first model to support 16 GB RAM modules, though those are DDR3 modules. Only the X240 is limited to 8 GB.
I generally think that the concept of the 12" laptop is mostly dead these days. I would expect Lenovo to change the screen size to 13" in the future.
I was not aware that 16 GB DDR3 sticks even existed. And sadly that seems to be the truth, since the X240 the 12” laptop has been pretty much dead for serious use.
The thing that really killed them IMHO are the Ultrabooks. Back in the days of the X201 or X220, those were the only systems that really were portable, so people put up with the smaller screens. But nowadays, even some 15" systems are very thin & light. Truth is, most people prefer bigger screens than 12", even if the laptop is slightly bigger. There are things like the the XPS 13 now, which has a 13.3" screen in a smaller chassis - or the X1 Carbon with 14" and very slim bezels.
So these systems lost their mainstream audience. With the X240 to X270, Lenovo had like a hybrid between a classical Subnotebook and an Ultrabook, but it seems with the X280, they have decided to make it into a cheaper X1 Carbon alternative.
@@ithinkabout4369 I prefer a 12" screen over a bigger laptop.
@@timgooding9464 But why, if you can have a 13 inch screen with the same size? Too much wasted space on the classic 12 inch models.
Love the 4:3 display of the x60 and x61 but the keyboard is too small for me. Plus the wifi card gets really hot
I didn’t mind the smaller keyboard, but the hot Wi-Fi card was always an annoyance when I used the X61.
the older X series still has plenty of purposes for applications that don't need to max out the hardware too much. Being able to type plenty of text on it or recording a lecture / class (either audio or with a webcam), listening to some music, checking your emails, working on a presentation, doing some graphic editing... you know stuff where you really don't need a bigger laptop but just something that runs all day on a single 9-cell Battery charge.
How do I take advantage of that replaceable battery? Mine shuts off when I try to remove the battery, am I missing something? One more thing the powered USB is not charging my devices when the laptop is off.
There’s a BIOS setting to turn on the always-on port when the laptop is off or unplugged. The biggest benefit of the replaceable batteries is being able to swap them out on the go if you’re away from an outlet.
2 years ago I got an X220 with i7-2640M and IPS panel for 300$ it runs very well under linux. I will not give it away for a million.
thats dumb. you can sell it for a million and buy another one for $200, and keep the rest $999,800
@@pinkipromise u can earn a lot from theses units
Hello,
Should I stick with my x230 or should I get a T430?
They nearly use the same generation cpu with the x series having a sandybridge while the other has an ivybridge. Would say it depends on what you plan to use it for.
Nice video.
The x280 is not a worthy successor to the x-line of Thinkpads. I have a x240, its main limitation for me is the 8 GB RAM limit. I ordered an x270 from Lenovo over Memorial weekend, they accepted the order, then e-mailed me a few days later saying it had been cancelled as they *oversold* their x270s over the weekend! I thought I was buying a laptop, not an airline seat :-/ Very disappointed. I've been buying Thinkpads for 20 years (my first, a T560x) .. not really interested in the x280, so this may be the first time I'll be getting a non-Thinkpad. I wish they had just refreshed the x270 with an 8th gen processor and some other tweaks .. instead of making all the negative changes they made on the x280 as you correctly pointed out in your video.
I know the screen size is larger, but the T480 still has most of what was removed from the X280. If you have good eyesight you could turn off scaling with the 1080p screen. Also I refuse to pay $35 for a passive Ethernet dongle, when USB 3 Ethernet adapters go for $15.
is there a backlit keyboard option for the T series? I've searched and can not find one. t510 in particular. thanks.
Backlit keyboards were not on the T series until the T430/530.
Really nice info , I plan to buy old thinkpad maybe t430 because your video :). Hi sebi is that a huge diffrent compare mobile processor and ultrabook processor ?
Mobile processors are faster and have more thermal headroom but use more power. The ultrabook processors use less power and are more energy efficient at the expense of speed.
Great Job!
Nice video, I think you miss the x220T and the x230T that are very intersting nowadays. Greets from Uruguay!
I don’t have any of the T variants of the X series. I should have mentioned them but since they are basically just tablet versions of the non-T models, I felt it wasn’t necessary to mention.
I have x230 tablet for 7 years. I have both love/hate relationship with the machine.
Agree on the point that the machine is more than capable to get the job done with 3rd Gen processor. I actually have GTX 980Ti eGPU for gaming if needed. I recently bought the X201 tablet as I missed the old Thinkpad design.
On the built quality, I think X230 (at least for my Tablet version) is not great compared to the previous generation. The corner of the palm rest usually broken, the plastic is much cheaper and thinner. Also, the Function key is continuous...There is no space between groups so you have no way to tell (in the dark) what F key you will press. It was partially fixed on the keyboard of subsequent generations.
You could always put an X220 keyboard in to fix your complaints about the function row! :P I agree that there were some design flaws in the X220/230 chassis, however I’m willing to overlook that since they are in almost every other way an improvement over the older X200/201.
Thank you this was really helpful and has saved me a fair few pennies.
Very great video regarding Lenovo/IBM laptops
I had a X220 and after swapping with an SSD the performance it's many fold better than using an optical drive it came with. However doing video editing on this machine it's just super lagging... I've max out the RAM but still it's not suit for video editing as no dedicated graphic cards. It is still a good portable laptop though.
It would be good to have technical video diving into the function of the Think Vantage weather you recommend it or it's bloating the com itself (Windows backup vs Think Vantage backup etc)
I bought a used W540 and upgraded the tn display to an IPS. I am happy with it but am still interested in your thoughts on the W540 & W541 laptops.
I may have a video on some of the Performance (T60p, T440p, W540, etc) in the works. Life has a way of delaying projects though.
Thanks. I subscribed to your channel & look forward to seeing it. As well as any other Lenovo related videos you do. I see the W541 as the end of an era. I would love to have a P51 but can't justify the cost to performance over my $320 classic.
and if we want a possibility to upgrade to i7 quad cores while having the small size and weight of the x230/220 ?
The processors on all X-series ThinkPads are soldered in.
I need one to work from home and be connected to a law firm that uses a lot of apps, document management, docketing and MS Word, etc. What do you recommend?
Just about any ThinkPad would fit those needs!
Love your hair DUD! Just kidding, love your video, keep it up man.
So I'm here again, question myself whether to stick with the X240 or to grab a X230 or even X220.
The ExpressCard slot would be in my interest because of the eGPU and so would be the classic keyboard, the X240 at least under Linux has some weird issue where it'd update packages very slow, just as if the CPU hangs for that task.
X230.
I'm still having x200 today, with 8GB Ram, Win10 Pro 64-bit.. still can function google sketch, Adobe PS, Corel X7, Camtasia, all at the same time. With extended battery & regular one. Ultradock bay.
got one today, still amazing but with linux
How long last your battery?
@@diegomillan2806 with 9 cell battery, it will last for 5 hours, the 6 cell is 3 hours.
What do you think for T440p? It has removeble CPU and battery, and it is possible to change trackpad from T450.
Also Haswell is more powerful and new generation then ivy bridge
It’s not bad if you aren’t going to be using it on the go (unless you don’t mind the downgraded keyboard). Another advantage it has is being able to use a 1080p IPS display, an option not available with the T430 and earlier. So in terms of raw CPU power it is definitely better. However if you want the classic design, and/or want the classic keyboard, the T430 is the newest you can have it on through modding. Also, the T440p lacks an ExpressCard slot, something I use for adding FireWire to my T430 and can also be used to add an external GPU. The T540p and W540 do still have the ExpressCard slot though.
Can someone tell me the real differences between a x230(hw upgraded speaking) and a t420(hw upgraded speaking)?
Not in physical terms, not at all, but in performances
The T420 used 2nd generation (Sandy Bridge) Intel Core i5/i7 processors, while the X230(and the T430) use 3rd generation (Ivy Bridge) i5/i7 processors, which are marginally faster and have better graphics performance and battery life.
I'd rather have a slightly thicker upgradeable laptop than a thin and light donglebook. I'm pretty sure 90% of the world agrees with me
I certainly do!
Absolutely!
Yes!
I wish Lenovo would listen to its install base.
Considering the current trend, no. I don't think 90% of the world agrees with you, which is just sad. I love serviceable and upgradeable laptops, but the world doesn't care about that.
Do you still have the X230? If not, which ultra portable you replaced with? Thanks
Mostly been using my T430 lately, but have also been doing a lot of stuff on the X1 Nano in preparation for my review of it.
my x220t still works, this is very very good piece of laptop
Can I still buy the lenovo x 250 is it still worth it
For windows 10 with x230, what is your battery life? Normal usage. And is it with 6 or 9 cells?
9-cell battery with 80% of its original capacity. Between 6 and 8 hours.
Ok, so what is the difference between this and the X220i (with the i suffix) that I found?
X220i has the slower i3 processor instead of an i5 or i7. Otherwise it's the same machine.
Thanks man! You are always a big help
Is there anything like the old ThinkPads from the modern made machines?
I'd like some power, but at the same time I want to be able to run a Win7 HDD, swap it out with a Ubuntu HDD. And something nice and small like a 12 inch. Or is it possible to push an x230 with a different processor or something?
I’ve seen some people hack a quad-core i7 into an X230, but it requires intensive work. Currently the P series is the closest to the classic ThinkPads that you can buy brand new, however you’ll have to go back a few generations for official Windows 7 compatibility (since Microsoft basically made sure newer CPU’s wouldn’t support anything besides Windows 10).
Thanks for the response, and for the video serires!
Put in so much effort in the past couple years trying to get a good laptop, but keep finding one for this, one for that! Looks like I'll be getting good condition x230s though (the 4000+ benchmark CPU is good enough for Ableton music production but it would be nice to have 6 or 8000!), and then just run Win7 and Ubuntu on separate HDDs. I think I'm going to cut an access port into the bottom panel so I can open just the HDD access and swap them easier.
@@buttonsplaymusic4896 That wouldn't be a wise thing to do, I suggest buying a spare X230 drive caddy and then leaving the drive bay cover off.
You might be right about it being risky! However, I want a small laptop where I can swap the HDDs like cassettes. Do you mean 'a space caddy' as in those ones you replace the CD drive with?
@@buttonsplaymusic4896 Laptops use a caddy to hold the storage drives in place. They use screws, so the easiest way to swap drives like you want to do is buy an extra caddy to put your drive in, that way you don't have to remove the screws every time you want to swap drives.
I should note that the SATA connectors on any computer, while often hot-swappable, are not meant to be plugged in and unplugged on a daily basis, and you can prematurely wear out the SATA port by constantly swapping drives. The X230 and most modern ThinkPads can boot from USB, so you may want to invest in just installing Linux or Windows to an external drive or even a flash drive and having the other operating system in the drive bay. Or use the 2.5" drive for one OS and the mSATA port for another via an mSATA SSD.
X series thinkpad is the Batman of the laptop world
Great video! But next time, maybe use something to block the Windows license key because ya know, maybe thats important.
2:41 Actually no, some Panasonic toughbooks had 4:3 displays all the way into the ivy bridge era.
3:52 While I also prefer Thinkpads, it's worth knowing that Fujitsu lifebooks had upgradable cpus in their 12" laptops until the T732. (T731 was the last upgradable one) Fujitsu also manages to cram an "ultrabay" into a 12" laptop.
7:44 You really should show the X220/X230 tablets on your channel! They are the cheapest and easiest way to get a 12" thinkpad with an IPS display, as all tablet models have IPS.
What do you think about the yoga series like the l380
I can see the appeal but I'm generally not a fan.
Man, I dont thinner, lighter and more portable... I want some good like the old T430
I recently bought the x380, I almost spect it full out 16gb ram, i7-8550U, 500gb ssd. And yes that sucks. It is doing a really good job and the port selection is really decent for today, i would say.
They’re a supplement not a replacement for an ultrabook. Sometimes you want to carry something smaller around and a 12-13 inch ultraportable is easier to stow away than a 14-15 inch ultrabook.
This is the first video of its kind here in TH-cam! Nice! Wdyt of the X270? Mainly wanting it for battery, portability, durability; mainly less wanting it for the screen size. 🙂
X270 is definitely the newest X-series ThinkPad I’d recommend, since they completely butchered the X280.
Sebi's Random Tech have you tried the X Thinkpads for office works (research, spreadsheets, PDFs)? Wanting it but the 12.5” screen might be cumbersome for productivity tasks. Thanks for the quick reply btw. ✌🏽
I use my X230 for schoolwork and it is perfectly adequate. If the screen is really too small, docking stations and external monitors exist, or you can go up to a T-series ThinkPad. There is also a 13.3" mod for the X220 and X230 to allow for that size of screen to fit in it.
Hey Sebi!...(or anyone??) I have:
1-T-410
2-T420's
and
1 T-430 that won't power on or fire up. I've already tried all of the "remove battery while leaving plugged in and hold down power button" recommendations, but nothing works. Does anyone know of a place where I can ship these units to get them repaired? (desperately want to get these back up and running for my youth group at church!) Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!
I could possibly take a jab at them, best case scenario it could simply need a new CMOS battery and/or hard reset (I had a T450 that wouldn't start and this fixed the problem), worst case scenario it may need a motherboard replacement. Replacement boards for these units are almost dirt cheap, you can find working used ones for ~$20-30 and if you have the time and know-how, makes a safe fix for a unit that's faulty. I did a video showing the process in a T430 that was dead. If you think you have enough skill to do the replacement that is a possibility too. You said the systems you have won't power on at all? No LED lights or anything?
Exactly!...no lights no fans nothing. As for my "skill" level Yeah....no. I might be a whiz at installing an OS, and troubleshooting drivers et al. But to literally have to play surgeon to a motherboard?....I don't think I'm THAT good! Swapping a HDD, changing out/upgrading RAM, even replacing a CD/DVD drive isn't too hard, but to have to remove the literal frame from a laptop and try to get everything working again? No...I wouldn't attempt it. So I guess I'll just send 'em to ya?....(Email: EOConnor25@GMail.com) LoL!.....
I have the same problem with my X200S - indicator lights work for a few second after power on, but won't fire up; no screen display. Any links to a CMOS battery or hard reset video instructional? Thanks.
Emmanuel Miraflores Check the ThinkPad forums and reddit r/thinkpad.
Can we replace the display to a full HD in X200?
At this time, you can not. There are some mods out there allowing a 3:2 or 16:10 4k(ish) resolution display to fit into the X200/X201 chassis, but I think those are meant for the X210 NMB mod.
I agree that the peak of the X line was x220 (classic keys) and x230 (backlit keys) and hot swap-able batteries. . I also prefer the mylar touchpad over the glass and notice the keyboard quality go down as well.
The last great x series Thinkpad was X270 as it combined both practicality and modernity. You've got 2 USB-A ports, a USB-C port, HDMI, sd card reader, RJ45, dual batteries, 2.5 drive bay that can also be used with converter for nvme ssd, WWAN slot for 2242 type ssd, upgradeble RAM up to 32gb though it's single dimm and upgradeble wifi card. Fantastic machine. All it needed was an upgrade to quad core cpu and ram in dual channel. Oh, and easier keyboard removal. 13.3 screen is also welcome. That's it. At 1.4kg it's merely 200g heavier than so called thinner/lighter ultra books. Are 200g really going to break your back?
Wow, I never knew the X280 was so useless. It makes IBM weep, jesus christ!
would you recomend the x230 or the t430?
Both are very solid machines, the X230 is more portable but the T430 has more upgrades.
X230 Tablet is the pinnacle of versatility. It really does let you think and use your imagination like nothing in it's class to this day.
I'm a ThinkPad X260 user. I'm happy with it, but I wish it's WWAN slot can support M.2 SSD.
Is the x260 good for drawing and light games like wizard101?
If you get one with a touch screen, yes.
@@SebisRandomTech thank you for quick reply looking at these.
www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Yoga-260-i7-6600U-2-6GHz-8GB-256GB-M-2-12-5-Win-10-Convertible/274107732821
www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thinkpad-Yoga-260-Touch-i5-6300U-16GB-256GB-SSD-Pen/264533346863
www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Yoga-260-i7-6500U-2-5GHz-8GB-256GB-M-2-12-5-Win-10-Convertible/303369188255
Which of these would you pick as far as specs for money?
hey man do you use your thinkpads for video editing? thank you!
I do. This video was edited and uploaded on a T430.
@@SebisRandomTech which editor did you use? thanks
@@nacholibre1030 Magix Movie Studio, a.k.a Vegas.
Aw man... I am still hoping to find a decent replacement for my beloved x220. My currently installed 4gb of RAM is becoming more and more of a limitation, and since one of my usb ports broke and linux mint kde is not getting updates anymore soon, i don't feel like upgrading the ram on this decade-old notebook.
I just wish there were some recent thinkpads (or really, notebooks) out there that feature a replaceable battery, an actual ethernet jack, a few usb jacks and and hdmi jack. A vga jack for legacy beamers, which are still around widely, would be a huge plus as well. The non-replaceable battery really is a dealbreaker for me after the experiences i have had with my galaxy s5 mini's battery, which lost capacity very quickly, and the poorly performing battery of my current x220 that i bought used, which could be replaced. I can't just buy a used x280+ like i did with my x220, because if the battery turns out to be worn, i just have to throw the entire notebook away! ThinkPads have really lost my admiration quite a bit. I feel like they've removed everything that made them special and now they're just as overpriced as Macbooks.
what about the X1 carbon?
Is it possible to install i5-4300M in t430?
No, you are limited to 3rd-gen i-series CPUs.