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Used ThinkPad Buyer's Guide (2019)

63 points · 53 comments · Mr_Minderbinder

  1. mdspan · · focus · HN ↗
    I really miss the customization that older laptops offered, especially the socketed CPUs. I remember putting a i7-3840QM in my T430 and having it shut down due to overheating every few minutes to the point where I had to install the heat sink from the GPU model. Was fun tinkering around with it and I wish modern laptops had a similar level of hackability.
    1. Gathering6678 · · focus · HN ↗
      Never managed to get one myself, but Framework laptops could be your thing as well?
      1. a96 · · focus · HN ↗
        If you don't mind the nazi bar, silencing and unresponsive support etc.

        (<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;community.frame.work&#x2F;t&#x2F;framework-supporting-far-right-racists&#x2F;75986" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;community.frame.work&#x2F;t&#x2F;framework-supporting-far-righ...)

    2. matltc · · focus · HN ↗
      Hah I&#x27;m doing this with some models of that same era judging by the CPU you cited. I had frankensteined one laptop from like the best parts out of three I had from that era, got xubuntu on it, running fine-ish but the Wi-Fi antenna ran through the on-board display chassis, which was destroyed. Took off the top clamshell, was gonna put ether in it and use as a desktop, but oops! The clip holding ethernet cable fell out during disassembly! No prob, pop it back open, oops! One of the screws holding the mobo is stripped! (Also, wife goes into labor while everything disassembled) No sweat, get something from ace to extract. I think I ended up throwing it back together and not testing?

      Forgot about it for a couple years, wanted to put opnsense on it and see if I could replace stock equipment leased from ISP, nope. No display.

      Fun to a point but probably should just spring for a used thinclient at this point, but prices are scary and I hate letting all this hw go to waste

    3. aljgz · · focus · HN ↗
      You&#x27;ll feel right at home with something from Frame.work (writing this comment from my 13&quot; FW).

      If they ever sell their 12&quot; version with AMD cpu, I might get one as well.

      Encouraged my friend to buy one, his feedback: &quot;best piece of tech in my past few years.&quot;

      1. unrented7977 · · focus · HN ↗
        Everyone I know hates their framework and calls it unreliable garbage
        1. bdunn · · focus · HN ↗
          I&#x27;m using a Framework 13 right now. I love it.
        2. mirror_dude · · focus · HN ↗
          That&#x27;s weird, I know several folks who like their frameworks. Certainly the build quality is a little so-so, but the magic of small samples I suppose.
        3. addaon · · focus · HN ↗
          To be fair, that&#x27;s exactly what the original poster said that they &quot;really miss[ed]&quot;, so it seems like a good recommendation.
        4. agrue · · focus · HN ↗
          I want to love the frameworks but the modifiable ports being a slot-in usbc dongle feels like such a cheap hack. Last I checked, the only available Ethernet module still sticks out of the case like a Lego brick
      2. mdspan · · focus · HN ↗
        Yeah, Framework seems to fit that niche well. Only thing is that Framework isn&#x27;t a tech giant like Lenovo so I imagine it would be more difficult to source replacement parts.
    4. ssl-3 · · focus · HN ↗
      When I was shopping for that same CPU a couple of years ago for my T530, the cheapest way I found to get one to my door was to buy it already-installed in the bottom-half of a whole &#x27;nother T530 -- with the nVidia upgrade (which I already had).

      I thought it was pretty amusing to get the CPU and a complete pile of spare guts for less than the price of the CPU by itself.

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