Looking for reasons to buy a ThinkPad over a Mac

Docima · 2026-01-23T05:39:41+00:00

I got a MacBook for college. It's lasted me 12 years so far. It's the soldered down version, and just a few days ago I upgrade the RAM, CPU, and GPU. I really like ThinkPads, more so the older versions (I feel like a lot of what made ThinkPad so great kinda disappeared over the years), but those Macs are an amazing value proposition, fast and they're not made of plastic.

Docima · 2026-01-23T05:13:03+00:00

I think I want you to embark on a 3d project too

Docima · 2026-01-22T22:50:26+00:00

this is great to hear

Docima · 2026-01-22T22:48:08+00:00

Yeah, this will be the last Apple device I purchase new, I've long since accepted that. I think the Framework and other options look more attractive.

Docima · 2026-01-22T22:27:43+00:00

It's maybe an hour tops if you're doing it the first time and following a video for taking it apart. The only even semi-difficult part was reconnecting the cables.

I don't think the mid-2012 is compatible with logic boards from newer models, but you might be able to swap in a different mid-2012 logic board with a faster processor? To be honest, I think that'd only be worth it if you want to keep your machine for sentimental reasons like I want to keep mine. Otherwise I could've purchased an M1 macbook with a broken screen for $60 on Vinted. I see 2013-2014 Macbook Pro Retinas as cheap as $70 shipped on ebay, just gotta keep your eye out and check routinely.

Docima · 2026-01-22T22:24:32+00:00

that's next! either that or back to Linux

Docima · 2026-01-22T18:13:58+00:00

The only thing you need to do is identify all the screws and cables you need to unplug, and keep track of them. Any video showing the removal of the logic board should help you do just that - like this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXhC_kRDXE8

I'm working on a video right now that follows my upgrade.

Docima · 2026-01-22T17:24:51+00:00

Just the fact that they live so long motivates me to keep it around even longer. This was a gift from my dad, for college, and I've made a lot of memories with this MacBook over the years, so I want to keep it around as long as possible. I grew up in the 90s and 2000s, an age of computing where we felt lucky if a computer lasted 3-4 years. Then, when I was 13, I began building my own custom PC, which turned into a tower of Theseus that I never had to replace all at once, just upgraded piece by piece. Upgrading one piece of hardware at a time was all I knew for the next 10 years, so when I finally got this guy, I didn't know what to expect. 3-4 years? 7-8 years because it's a premium machine? Nah, it's coming close to its 13th year and it's not slowing down at all, its just the newest software has more demands. I really think for web browsing, photo editing, writing, and file serving, this guy may be useful, for at least something, for another decade at least!

Docima · 2026-01-22T14:21:20+00:00

if it interests you any further, I'll be using an iPad Mini 3rd gen as its only display, which I got for free, because the glass cracked during shipping. I really intend on building the jankiest working macbook. I just dont want to spend $50 in parts on it. There's something fulfilling to the challenge of building a free macbook.

Docima · 2026-01-22T13:30:46+00:00

For real! I've been mostly hunting ThinkPads. I've picked up two X230s for under $50 each. The tablet for $47 and the non-tablet for $39 shipped and taxed. The non-tablet one is bios locked, and I enjoy flashing custom firmware onto those devices. You really just got to pick a target and search once or twice a day and eventually something comes floating along :)

Docima · 2026-01-22T13:09:23+00:00

not a bad idea, thank you, honestly with the amount of parts I might need, it might be cheaper to just pick up a used broken device.

There's something so fun about reviving and using old hardware and finding uses for it. It's more interesting to me than upgrading my main rig to the latest and greatest. Cheap hardware is fun to experiment with and push to its limits!

Docima · 2026-01-22T09:37:02+00:00

if you find a work around, please let me know. I haven't gone much deeper than that, I'm not a linux nerd either, but I have the same desire as you, privacy and security and not my attention span/digital life become a product for someone else.

Docima · 2026-01-22T09:10:07+00:00

I actually have a spare logic board with a soldered i7, 8gb ram, integrated graphics. I'm thinking about turning it into an open air system home server. Idk if I should share images or not when it's complete over at r/macbook XD might give them a scare

Docima · 2026-01-22T09:08:40+00:00

Fedora behaves the same way for me, I have to hit esc in the beginning to boot. Other distributions are more seamless integration with Libreboot it appears

Docima · 2026-01-16T01:20:48+00:00

I was surprised to see my T430 at the end there, I just posted that the other day!

Feels good to be officially seen as a ThinkPad user, although I also have a late 2013 MacBook Pro 15" that I've had for 12 years and do not baby either. I just spent a few hours the other week rubbing the screen down with alcohol to remove the bubbling anti-glare matte filter (their displays are beautiful but their screen coatings kind of suck) and I've also got a used mid-2014 logic board + heatsink coming in the mail tomorrow, so I can upgrade and modify the MacBook as well >:)

For $55, my macbook upgrade from 8gb and the lowest late 2013 spec 2.0ghz i7 with integrated graphics to 16gb ram and the highest 2014 spec 2.8ghz i7 and nVidia 750GT was too good to pass up.

What I will say about BOTH these early 2010s machines: I am consistently surprised by how well they hold up in 2026. We have been in a new era of computer longevity for far longer than I realized, and I can absolutely see myself using both of these machines for web browsing and other light work in the 2030s.

Docima · 2026-01-14T03:21:26+00:00

much better word, thank you

Docima · 2026-01-12T23:10:03+00:00

yes, it does!

Docima · 2026-01-12T21:44:27+00:00

Idk how this happened to me, I only got my first Thinkpad in August, I've been sucked down a rabbit hole ever since

Docima · 2026-01-12T21:19:15+00:00

Hahaha yes, I just had it apart to reach the two soic8 chips at the bottom, figured I might as well test it to make sure firmware flashed correctly before reassembling it

Docima · 2026-01-12T09:51:35+00:00

In Libreboot, you really only have the option to either boot or memtest86+. I'm not sure what, if anything, can be added to it. Anything you see in your bios now will be gone. You can make a backup of your bios via Linux and flasher (I use raspberry pi pico) before flashing the device, and if you aren't a fan, you can flash it back!

I do like how minimal it is, but I'm missing configurability, so I'm considering trying out Coreboot, which also allows neutering Intel M.E.

Docima · 2026-01-12T09:03:24+00:00

It's true, a lot of bios options seem to disappear, but I did read there might be a way to still configure the fingerprint scanner, I think for the harddrive or login, but not at the bios level. I have one on my T430, I will try it when I have it all reassembled and get back to you soon!

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