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I'll second this: Non-Thinkpad Lenovo laptops are poorly designed trash heaps. Thinkpads have largely retained the build quality that everyone brags on. My tl;

I'll second this: Non-Thinkpad Lenovo laptops are poorly designed trash heaps. Thinkpads have largely retained the build quality that everyone brags on. My tl;dr advice for buying a computer on a budget is, get a T480s off of eBay. They are corporate cast-offs and there are so. many. of them. The R2v3 rating system has become popular. Get one rated C5 or better (cosmetic: minor usage marks only) and F4 or better (functionality: everything works). Spring for one with a backlit keyboard, and a power supply included if you want it turn key. As of this writing this should cost around $250 and the machine should be fairly future-proof including official Win11 support. And excellent Linux compatibility - my fingerprint reader doesn't work, but literally everything else works perfectly.

genter 3y ago
I've done what you described multiple times. One other tip is buy one with a lower resolution screen, and then replace the screen with a higher resolution one. Be sure to research this, though, some of the highest resolution screens need a different mobo with a higher pin connector.
- thrtythreeforty 3y ago
  While possible, I've never found the dollars-per-research-time conversion ratio to be particularly good for this upgrade. My advice is aimed at someone who doesn't want to become a thinkpad nerd (although that route is always available!). Is there any tl;dr equivalent for upgrading screens like you described?
- NikolaNovak 3y ago
  I think that advice depends on whether you're looking for "a laptop" or "a project" :) I'm a massive thinkpad fan, as per sibling comments I have half a dozen in the room with me right now, but have never and don't plan to ever replace a screen. My time and hassle are worth more than $0-$30 I'd pay for one that already comes with higher res, and the risk / pain / fidgetiness is outside of my own personal threshold. Not so for others!! But my message is you don't need to replace screens and 3d-pring and dremel new keyboards to get value out of ThinkPads :).
  - genter 3y ago
    lol what? I can replace the screen in under 15 minutes.
    - bch 3y ago
      Is that 15 minutes for a first-timer, including time spent sourcing the upgraded display?
    - NikolaNovak 3y ago
      Very nice, and there's two paths forward for you: 1. Awareness that not everybody can or wants or dares to do that or be you. There's other people in this world! :) 2. LoL-ing other people for not being you Entirely you choice! :) ----------------- e.g. I can change tires and oil on my car and am aware that majority of people can't or don't want to - even handy, technically oriented ones. There's simply a vast, vast majority of people to whom: 1. I'd happily recommend a ThinkPad because I think it'll serve a wide swath of people well 2. I would not come anywhere near suggesting they replace their screen; not only would that likely lead to disaster, but it'd 99% turn them off from considering ThinkPad in the first place.
NikolaNovak 3y ago
Do you mean "T480-s" as in plural of T480, or T480s, as in the smaller version of T480? The reason I'm asking is - "T480" is the last nicely modular ThinkPad with removable external battery. Which means if you get a used one and need to replace the battery, it's literally a 2 second job - you push a button, slide it out, and slide the new one in :) The "T480s" though is a slightly smaller version with only an internal battery, like all newer ThinkPads, which not everybody will be comfortable with. And yeah, I have 2 T420s-s and 3 T480's around me today and love them :-)
- xarope 3y ago
  I have a T480s as well as a T25 (let's not talk about the x300, x220 and earlier stuff I have, being used as bookends; I did have a 701 but sadly threw it out, much to my chagrin in recent years), and the T480s gets used more often, simply because it's more portable. Plus, a rare slim laptop with that neato expandable RJ45 plug, when newer slim laptops nowadays forgo the same. The internal battery can be readily sourced and replaced easily enough. My latest toy is a GPD Win Max 2, keyboard isn't too bad actually, but I doubt it will last anywhere near as long as the T480s.
- thrtythreeforty 3y ago
  I did mean the T480s, singular. The increased portability is valuable in my opinion, but I'll grant that it's a tradeoff. Replacing the built in battery is a 3 minute job if you know how to work a screwdriver. (Literally just a Phillips.) Unless the battery is completely shot I'd argue that you should perhaps leave the OEM one, unless you know how to identify a genuine replacement.
Unfrozen0688 3y ago
Yep, with companies doing laptop replacements on a 3 year basis or 5 year basis depending, there are so many on ebay. And looking at my own work provided ThinkPad, I keep it closed and docked 99% of the time, so the keyboard looks brand new despite being a 4-year-old laptop now. But that just depends on the user/site it goes to.
marci 3y ago
For people eyeing a T480s, make sure both batteries inside don't have too much degradation. At some point, the switch from one battery to the other doesn't work properly and the laptop will most times suddenly switch off when battery #1 reaches 0%, even if the 2nd one is at 100%, no matter how many recalibrations you do.
- walteweiss 3y ago
  What if you take the internal one off and use only second one? Will it work that way?
  - marci 3y ago
    My bad, it's with the t470s Maybe it will work. But mine has more than 50% degradation on both, and I run Nixos from RAM and don't do serious work on it, so I don't care about the shutdowns.

genter 3y ago

I've done what you described multiple times. One other tip is buy one with a lower resolution screen, and then replace the screen with a higher resolution one. Be sure to research this, though, some of the highest resolution screens need a different mobo with a higher pin connector.

thrtythreeforty 3y ago
While possible, I've never found the dollars-per-research-time conversion ratio to be particularly good for this upgrade. My advice is aimed at someone who doesn't want to become a thinkpad nerd (although that route is always available!). Is there any tl;dr equivalent for upgrading screens like you described?
NikolaNovak 3y ago
I think that advice depends on whether you're looking for "a laptop" or "a project" :) I'm a massive thinkpad fan, as per sibling comments I have half a dozen in the room with me right now, but have never and don't plan to ever replace a screen. My time and hassle are worth more than $0-$30 I'd pay for one that already comes with higher res, and the risk / pain / fidgetiness is outside of my own personal threshold. Not so for others!! But my message is you don't need to replace screens and 3d-pring and dremel new keyboards to get value out of ThinkPads :).
- genter 3y ago
  lol what? I can replace the screen in under 15 minutes.
  - bch 3y ago
    Is that 15 minutes for a first-timer, including time spent sourcing the upgraded display?
  - NikolaNovak 3y ago
    Very nice, and there's two paths forward for you: 1. Awareness that not everybody can or wants or dares to do that or be you. There's other people in this world! :) 2. LoL-ing other people for not being you Entirely you choice! :) ----------------- e.g. I can change tires and oil on my car and am aware that majority of people can't or don't want to - even handy, technically oriented ones. There's simply a vast, vast majority of people to whom: 1. I'd happily recommend a ThinkPad because I think it'll serve a wide swath of people well 2. I would not come anywhere near suggesting they replace their screen; not only would that likely lead to disaster, but it'd 99% turn them off from considering ThinkPad in the first place.

NikolaNovak 3y ago

Do you mean "T480-s" as in plural of T480, or T480s, as in the smaller version of T480? The reason I'm asking is - "T480" is the last nicely modular ThinkPad with removable external battery. Which means if you get a used one and need to replace the battery, it's literally a 2 second job - you push a button, slide it out, and slide the new one in :) The "T480s" though is a slightly smaller version with only an internal battery, like all newer ThinkPads, which not everybody will be comfortable with. And yeah, I have 2 T420s-s and 3 T480's around me today and love them :-)

xarope 3y ago
I have a T480s as well as a T25 (let's not talk about the x300, x220 and earlier stuff I have, being used as bookends; I did have a 701 but sadly threw it out, much to my chagrin in recent years), and the T480s gets used more often, simply because it's more portable. Plus, a rare slim laptop with that neato expandable RJ45 plug, when newer slim laptops nowadays forgo the same. The internal battery can be readily sourced and replaced easily enough. My latest toy is a GPD Win Max 2, keyboard isn't too bad actually, but I doubt it will last anywhere near as long as the T480s.
thrtythreeforty 3y ago
I did mean the T480s, singular. The increased portability is valuable in my opinion, but I'll grant that it's a tradeoff. Replacing the built in battery is a 3 minute job if you know how to work a screwdriver. (Literally just a Phillips.) Unless the battery is completely shot I'd argue that you should perhaps leave the OEM one, unless you know how to identify a genuine replacement.

Unfrozen0688 3y ago

Yep, with companies doing laptop replacements on a 3 year basis or 5 year basis depending, there are so many on ebay. And looking at my own work provided ThinkPad, I keep it closed and docked 99% of the time, so the keyboard looks brand new despite being a 4-year-old laptop now. But that just depends on the user/site it goes to.

marci 3y ago

For people eyeing a T480s, make sure both batteries inside don't have too much degradation. At some point, the switch from one battery to the other doesn't work properly and the laptop will most times suddenly switch off when battery #1 reaches 0%, even if the 2nd one is at 100%, no matter how many recalibrations you do.

walteweiss 3y ago
What if you take the internal one off and use only second one? Will it work that way?
- marci 3y ago
  My bad, it's with the t470s Maybe it will work. But mine has more than 50% degradation on both, and I run Nixos from RAM and don't do serious work on it, so I don't care about the shutdowns.