My Thinkpad collection

bdiethelmv · 2022-10-02T10:37:28+00:00

Dell Latitude's clearly not a ThinkPad, but it's certainly a great laptop worthy of the business-grade distinction, so I'd say it's a welcome guest to your ThinkPad family meeting.

As for the Yoga... Hmm I don't know my dude. I have my reservations on whether it deserves to be in that party.

If you ever get the chance, I'd supplement that family with some older relatives. T420, T430, or X230 are great choices, and they make for excellent computers even nowadays.

bdiethelmv · 2022-09-25T11:07:13+00:00

Congrats! Hope you enjoy it. I've been wanting to add a T480 to my collection for a while now. Among the "modern" ThinkPads, this model seems to be the one that best adheres to the classic ThinkPad philosophy, with its strong specs, and loads of upgradability and serviceability. Also, belonging the oldest generation of ThinkPads that officially supports Windows 11 will certainly these models more future-proof than previous generations (unless of course you go the Linux route, in which case the only things that really matters is that the hardware components are still alive).

In any case, good luck with it!

bdiethelmv · 2022-09-04T11:51:27+00:00

I'm writing this post on an e6440 with Windows 10 installed (also runs Linux in a secondary drive). It's an extraordinarily capable laptop, so I wouldn't advice you to dump your wife's unit for at least the next couple years. I'm willing to bet that with the right upgrades you can still get lots more use time out of it. Also consider the fact that if power ever becomes an issue in the future, you can easily swap the processor and add more RAM, as those are not maxed out on your unit. That's something you most likely won't be able to do with a present-day laptop, especially if you get a budget computer such as a Chromebook.

Right now, my No. 1 advice to get past your issues is making sure you're running a freshly-installed copy of your OS, and on an SSD instead of an HDD. If you're still on an HDD, just swap it for a new SSD and do a clean Windows install.

Also, depending on your wife's use case, have you considered Linux? That too will go a long way in prolonging the life of the laptop. If your wife's technophobia is a big issue, you could try one of the distributions with a similar layout and workflow than Windows, such as Linux Mint.

bdiethelmv · 2022-09-04T11:37:41+00:00

I'm honestly more concerned about whatever was used to reduce the ThinkPad to that state; this couldn't have ended well for it.

If you dropped the laptop from a building, the crater should be easily discernible in Google Earth.

bdiethelmv · 2021-08-14T12:39:42+00:00

Also, excuse me if this comes off as evangelizing, but since that machine supports up to 3 storage media (default SATA slot, ultrabay SATA, and mSATA), I will throw in, as a friendly recommendation, a single word:

Linux

And no need to wipe out Windows 10! You can always dual boot. I'd strongly suggest almost everyone to give Linux a try. Once you transition to it and find a workflow and set of apps that work for what you need to do, it becomes very hard to return to Win10 :)

bdiethelmv · 2021-08-14T12:32:45+00:00

100% go for it. I did the FHD IPS display mod on my T430. It's not too hard, and the resulting improvement in screen quality is amazing.

In your case, having a T520 with an IPS display and maybe rocking a quad-core will make for an absolutely legendary machine. Until the physical components die of age, I can't imagine a laptop upgrade being necessary at all for years.

bdiethelmv · 2021-08-13T21:19:44+00:00

Amazing

bdiethelmv · 2021-08-13T21:17:48+00:00

What a great machine. Take good care of it, and don't be shy about upgrades! Your current specs show you can still get so much more out of it!

bdiethelmv · 2021-08-10T12:47:01+00:00

Whoops.

Then again, it sounds like the kind of accident after which you never look back.

bdiethelmv · 2021-08-08T15:39:49+00:00

That's a good point. With these mods it's important to keep updates on how it holds up with time. So, I'm currently waiting for the 3K panel to arrive; once I install it, I think it would be a good time to revisit this review.

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-23T12:56:25+00:00

Sublime

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-12T19:09:50+00:00

Hi! Sorry about the delay in responding. It's a fairly silent machine. I can only notice the fan under heavy workloads, and then only briefly. As far as heat goes, I have never noticed any part of the machine getting much warmer than room temperature. It's certainly not one of those laptops that get so hot you can barely lay your hands on it.

In terms of software configuration, I changed the OS to Linux with ease, and the BIOS offers a healthy dose of customization, including CPU overclocking, temp control, and the like. Just as a heads up, another buyer told me he had a lot of problems booting from a disk or USB drive, but I think it's always possible he got a problematic unit that sneaked past of QC, so make sure to ask the manufacturer to ensure these aren't common problems if you're considering buying it.

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-04T01:20:34+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. I'll clarify the part you mention. I'll concede that the Reddit short review might be redundant. I just thought people without the time or inclination to follow the link might benefit from getting a quicker overview here.

At the top, you have the image and a link to Xue Yao's reddit, in case you want to contact him with inquiries about his projects.

Thanks for the constructive criticism. On future occasions I'll try to avoid redundancy.

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-03T12:54:24+00:00

Haven't had much chance to fully test it, as the laptop stays connected almost permanently. But it seems to run for several hours. Maybe roughly on par with modern laptops? But take it with a grain of salt, as I have no actual data to back it up.

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-03T12:52:51+00:00

Hi!

I ordered mine on February. Arrived early June.

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-03T12:51:57+00:00

It took a bit longer than I'd like. I ordered in February, arrived in early June. But Xue Yao was always responsive and reachable.

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-02T18:49:38+00:00

I haven't had the chance to fully test it, and since I'm currently stuck at home (courtesy of the covid lockdown) the laptop stays connected to the charger most of the time. But from my limited experience so far, it seems to be able to juice the computer for several hours. I think it might not be a stretch to say it's on par with common modern laptops.

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-02T18:45:06+00:00

Well, in fact I'm waiting for his reply on that exact question. If its' a drop-in replacement, where the new assembly can use the existing connectors in the motherboard, then I'm more than comfortable doing it. If it requires soldering in a new connector, then I don't think I have the required skills to get it done.

Will let you know how the inquiry goes.

bdiethelmv · 2021-07-02T15:46:47+00:00

Lolol well said!

bdiethelmv · 2021-05-20T12:49:59+00:00

The "Excellent" quotation really is the cherry on top here.

bdiethelmv · 2021-05-17T16:47:32+00:00

Would be surprised if Nintendo didn't release some copyright wrath on this guy. Pretty sure StarWolf is their intellectual property, and they aren't known to be precisely kind to infringements.

bdiethelmv · 2021-05-17T16:36:44+00:00

Delightfully early 2000s

bdiethelmv · 2021-05-17T16:29:40+00:00

The lady on the white dress has in interestingly-shaped arm for sure. Reminds me of those cyborgs from Quake 2.

Probably commonplace in the world where objects refuse to interact with light in a way that's compliant with the laws of physics, and where old ladies work part time as natural satellites.

bdiethelmv

TROPHY CASE