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I'm looking for a refurbished ThinkPad Series laptop, suggestions?

uberman

uberman

Golden Member
I've got 6 Lenovo T61 laptops running XP Pro. I realize that I'll move to Win 7 in the future. I think I've kinda worn out this series meaning all have: Intel 2.20 dual channel processors, 2 GB RAM, 15.4 inch display, etc.

I'm looking for something robust and faster. Always ThinkPad, though. I do everything from word processing to video editing.

Noo posted that he bought:

Lenovo ThinkPad T420

CPU: Intel Core i5 2520M
RAM: 8GB DDR3
DUAL GPU: Intel HD & Nvidia NVS 4200M 1GB
1600x900 Screen Resolution
HD: 320GB 7200RPM
OS: Windows 7 PRO

DVD-RW Burner, Bluetooth, 720P HD Camera, Fingerprint Reader

I'm looking for a new series in the ThinkPad line that are faster and I'm seeking recommendations. ThinkPads are great workhorses with solid construction. I'm simply seeking greater speed for functionality and Win 7 or Win 8.1 to leap forward.

Thank you in advance for any information.
 
I was looking at a T440 to replace my old T60 but may just jump to a refurb Asus Prime Zenbook for $600.

I guess it comes down to how much are you looking to spend.
 
Its not money that drives me to a refurbished ThinkPad. It's because they are rock solid machines. Like us all, money is a consideration.

I bought a brand new HP, 17 inch with a separate video card for good graphics for $1,000. HP made it thin and although my laptops get packed meticulously in padded laptop bags, the screen cracked. HP told me I'm screwed at 2 months of ownership.

The Thinkpads are solid and well designed with a rollbar for the display.
 
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You should be able to upgrade your T61 to Win7. I put it on my T60 - no problems. I have a T510 now as my main laptop - with Win7, but I keep the T60 as a "spare tire." One of these days I'll replace the T510 and it will become the spare tire. I'll give the T60 to grandkids.
 
corkyg said:
You should be able to upgrade your T61 to Win7. I put it on my T60 - no problems. I have a T510 now as my main laptop - with Win7, but I keep the T60 as a "spare tire." One of these days I'll replace the T510 and it will become the spare tire. I'll give the T60 to grandkids.
Click to expand...

You are correct! I'm just looking for a model that supports a faster processor and more RAM. Eventually I will upgrade them to WIN 7. I just love WIN XP. I'm just looking for more speed. You know, when the hard drive light is totally accessed out and you must wait to move to the next task.
 
I got noticeably faster performance on my T61 with Windows 7 than XP. All you need is an SSD in those and they are very durable and quick laptops. There is a beta bios update to allow SATA 2 speeds on the chipset, making SSDs even faster. I'd think it'd be a huge step down going from 1680x1050 to 1600x900.
 
If not for the weight, I'd still be using my t61. The only reason I don't is that my workplace bought me a surface pro 3, and I bought a 7-row Usb keyboard. With the Middleton bios, a ssd, and 4GB ram, it's pretty snappy. Save your money for a t450 with a fhd lcd and trackpoint buttons.
 
I've got 20 laptops and I still use my t61p 1920x1200 (grrr 1080p) rocks. Middleton bios, lets you put in any wifi card, sata 2 speeds, I spent $100 to buy ddr2 sodimms to get it to 8gb ram. Runs like a dream. I can't even imagine how much 120 pixels matters. My fav screen is still my 1400 x 1050 sxga+ screen on my t61 tablet, that ration is very good.
 
holden j caufield said:
I've got 20 laptops and I still use my t61p 1920x1200 (grrr 1080p) rocks. Middleton bios, lets you put in any wifi card, sata 2 speeds, I spent $100 to buy ddr2 sodimms to get it to 8gb ram. Runs like a dream. I can't even imagine how much 120 pixels matters. My fav screen is still my 1400 x 1050 sxga+ screen on my t61 tablet, that ration is very good.
Click to expand...

I was looking at the Middleton BIOS before. I don't believe it works with all T61s. Do you know where you found it. My 750 GB and 1 TB hard rives are less than 2 years old. They give me almost a 5 minute boot time. OK, maybe three minutes, but quite slow.
 
The T420 I just bought is in MINT condition. It's one hell of a machine and it'll surely dominate anything that's out there for only $265 shipped. I love it! Heck, at the spec of this machine it cost over $1200 when purchased new only a couple years ago.

battery with the 6 cell is around 4 hours.
 
Yeha not all t61 supports the middleton.

I'm also in similar boat, my t500 is at its limit with 8gb. I have a t420 which isn't bad but I like the larger screen. The new t440 are bigger but hate the no mouse button on the newer lenovo..
 
Assuming you're sticking with a 14" T- series...

Want the traditional 7-row layout? Then the T420 is as fast as you're gonna get.

Want a panel with higher res than 1600x900? Then your only option is a T440.

Want a panel that's not the complete crap TN garbage that Lenovo was so fond of putting into one of their flagship lines? Then your only option is a T440. And even then there are plenty of reports of the LG IPS having bleed and other problems (I'd try to get one with the AUO VA panel).*

Want to drop an mSATA SSD in? Then the T420 and T430 families are your only choices.

Want to drop an M.2 SSD in? Then the T440 is your only choice.

Want to replace the optical drive with an Ultrabay HDD adapter or similar? Then anything except a T440 (because there isn't an Ultrabay adapter in existence for it yet)

Want USB 3? Then you'll need a T420s or newer (note that the T420 DOES NOT have any USB 3 ports)

Max RAM is 16GB for the T420/T430/T440p. The other T440 subvariants only go up to 12GB.

A T420 is still plenty fast for the vast majority of users. The most noticeable gain from the newer generations will be battery life (ignoring screen upgrades). Note that the dedicated GPUs on these 14" models aren't workhorses; they're not great if you wanna play some of the more demanding games out there.

<-- have a W530, X230, T420, X220, X201t, X201, W500, X200t, 4xT61, R61, X61t, T60, Z61t, X60t, Z60t, and about 10 more

*You can transplant a T440 IPS/VA panel into a T431s since they use identical connectors. No for all other earlier Thinkpads without significant modifications.

Note that the -30 (Ivy Bridge) generation has a "feature" that makes it very difficult to flash a non-official BIOS. It also introduced another "feature" where you have to use genuine batteries due to an embedded authentication chip (I'd only use genuine anyway)
 
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chubbyfatazn said:
Assuming you're sticking with a 14" T- series...

Want the traditional 7-row layout? Then the T420 is as fast as you're gonna get.

Want a panel with higher res than 1600x900? Then your only option is a T440.

Want a panel that's not the complete crap TN garbage that Lenovo was so fond of putting into one of their flagship lines? Then your only option is a T440. And even then there are plenty of reports of the LG IPS having bleed and other problems (I'd try to get one with the AUO VA panel).*

Want to drop an mSATA SSD in? Then the T420 and T430 families are your only choices.

Want to drop an M.2 SSD in? Then the T440 is your only choice.

Want to replace the optical drive with an Ultrabay HDD adapter or similar? Then anything except a T440 (because there isn't an Ultrabay adapter in existence for it yet)

Want USB 3? Then you'll need a T420s or newer (note that the T420 DOES NOT have any USB 3 ports)

Max RAM is 16GB for the T420/T430/T440p. The other T440 subvariants only go up to 12GB.

A T420 is still plenty fast for the vast majority of users. The most noticeable gain from the newer generations will be battery life (ignoring screen upgrades). Note that the dedicated GPUs on these 14" models aren't workhorses; they're not great if you wanna play some of the more demanding games out there.

<-- have a W530, X230, T420, X220, X201t, X201, W500, X200t, 4xT61, R61, X61t, T60, Z61t, X60t, Z60t, and about 10 more

*You can transplant a T440 IPS/VA panel into a T431s since they use identical connectors. No for all other earlier Thinkpads without significant modifications.

Note that the -30 (Ivy Bridge) generation has a "feature" that makes it very difficult to flash a non-official BIOS. It also introduced another "feature" where you have to use genuine batteries due to an embedded authentication chip (I'd only use genuine anyway)
Click to expand...

^ what he said. Trying to transplant a higher res screen to an x220 maybe route the signal from the displayport ro an edp screen?
 
holden j caufield said:
^ what he said. Trying to transplant a higher res screen to an x220 maybe route the signal from the displayport ro an edp screen?
Click to expand...

IIRC it involves stealing an eDP lane from the docking connector, fabricating a custom LCD cable, and flashing a modded BIOS in order to correctly control the backlight (PWM). Certainly not within the realm of most people.
 
chubbyfatazn said:
Assuming you're sticking with a 14" T- series...

Want the traditional 7-row layout? Then the T420 is as fast as you're gonna get.

Want a panel with higher res than 1600x900? Then your only option is a T440.

Want a panel that's not the complete crap TN garbage that Lenovo was so fond of putting into one of their flagship lines? Then your only option is a T440. And even then there are plenty of reports of the LG IPS having bleed and other problems (I'd try to get one with the AUO VA panel).*

Want to drop an mSATA SSD in? Then the T420 and T430 families are your only choices.

Want to drop an M.2 SSD in? Then the T440 is your only choice.

Want to replace the optical drive with an Ultrabay HDD adapter or similar? Then anything except a T440 (because there isn't an Ultrabay adapter in existence for it yet)

Want USB 3? Then you'll need a T420s or newer (note that the T420 DOES NOT have any USB 3 ports)

Max RAM is 16GB for the T420/T430/T440p. The other T440 subvariants only go up to 12GB.

A T420 is still plenty fast for the vast majority of users. The most noticeable gain from the newer generations will be battery life (ignoring screen upgrades). Note that the dedicated GPUs on these 14" models aren't workhorses; they're not great if you wanna play some of the more demanding games out there...
Click to expand...

Thanks. I followed your advice and I'm looking at T 420. I wish there were a lot of them or any running a 15x screen, but all I'm seeing is 14 inch screens. All my T61's have 15 inch screens. I'll look for a T420. I need to do something.

Right now, I'm multitasking and my hard drive light is on all the time and sometimes I often wait for a click or a process to take place. CPU Usage is at 62% and PF Usage is at 1.62 GB (WIN XP PRO 2.2 dual core Pentium, 2 GB RAM). I'm running a SATA II or III hard drive and perhaps that is causing the slow down. I have a really slow boot time, 3 to 5 minutes. I have lots of software, but many programs have been removed from Startup. Wow, that hard drive light is so so constant.
 
My T510 has a 15.6-in screen. i believe the T520 does also. Looks like only the T5XXX series has 15.6-in screens.
 
corkyg said:
My T510 has a 15.6-in screen. i believe the T520 does also. Looks like only the T5XXX series has 15.6-in screens.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. Maybe I should be looking at T510s. I just did and their prices seem more agreeable than the T520s. I just realize that the smaller screens require more mouse movements and I'm at the age that reading glasses are used for close work. The processing speeds that I'm basing on the CPU are likely the same as the T420s.
 
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uberman said:
That's interesting. Maybe I should be looking at T510s. I just did and their prices seem more agreeable than the T520s. I just realize that the smaller screens require more mouse movements and I'm at the age that reading glasses are used for close work. The processing speeds that I'm basing on the CPU are likely the same as the T420s.
Click to expand...

T520 == T420 in terms of generation (Sandy Bridge). The T510, while no slouch, is based on older hardware (Arrandale).

Everything I wrote for the T420 also applies to the T520, except for the stuff regarding the screens. If the last two digits are the same then the laptops are within the same generation.

For 15" newer than and including the T510, in order of increasing cpu performance: T510, W510, T520, W520, T530, W530, T540, W540. Note that the T- and W- lines share a lot of common parts so you probably won't notice any difference going from, for example, a T510 to a W510.

Also, what you described sounds like a "more ram" problem to me. Bumping up to 4GB might temporarily solve your problem. Too bad it's DDR2.
 
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I have the t500/t420, definitely the t420+. The t420 (which I love), I'm using a msata as boot, a 500gb Samsung 840 pro in the hdd bay and a 1tb 2.5 in the media bay for backups. I think the t520/530 should have the same design.

My t500 is aging, its a c2d 2.93 but certain task it grinds to an halt. I have the 1920x1200 screen on it.. its the only reason I keep it around but its off to ebay in a few days.

They are rock solid machines !

So the options for usb 3 on t420, people bought express card that gives you usb 3 over expresscard.. I never use that slot anyway
 
rsutoratosu said:
...So the options for usb 3 on t420, people bought express card that gives you usb 3 over expresscard.. I never use that slot anyway
Click to expand...

The usb 3.0 is interesting, is that the PCIMA slot?

Ok, you guys, so I did buy 2 more IBM laptops. A guy I was buying docking stations from also had laptops. I got a T420 or a T520, and a X201, 12.1 inch screen, win7 pro, 2.53 or 2.57 Intel CPU, 4 gig RAM, webcam and the docking station that has a CD/DVD drive etc.

I paid $500.00 for both. I will post the exact specs. when I get them back. I have them locked up until I copy a backup of the hard drives.

I'll put in 2 1TB SATAs.

There is a question though, can I put the following hard drive on the X201 model, because this model is ultra-tiny and lightweight?

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Laptop...STBD1000100%29
 
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uberman said:
There is a question though, can I put the following hard drive on the X201 model, because this model is ultra-tiny and lightweight?

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Laptop...STBD1000100%29
Click to expand...

X200 and X201 take 9.5mm drives. Only from X220 onwards do the X series need 7mm drivers. (Confirmed by Lenovo: http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd010141 )

That drive you linked to is 9.5mm according to Seagate themselves (as Amazon are totally useless at specs):
http://www.seagate.com/products/lap...rnal-drives/laptop-hdd/?sku=STBD1000100#specs

Although since X201 doesn't have a mSATA slot you can only use one drive and you might want to get something which performs better than that 5,400 RPM drive.
 
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KompuKare said:
X200 and X201 take 9.5mm drives. Only from X220 onwards do the X series need 7mm drivers. (Confirmed by Lenovo: http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd010141 )

That drive you linked to is 9.5mm according to Seagate themselves (as Amazon are totally useless at specs):
http://www.seagate.com/products/lap...rnal-drives/laptop-hdd/?sku=STBD1000100#specs

Although since X201 doesn't have a mSATA slot you can only use one drive and you might want to get something which performs better than that 5,400 RPM drive.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much. I don't want a SSD at this time because I couldn't get by with anything smaller than a 750 GB HD. I'm likely to buy a second X201 on which I'll get a SSD. So were you going to suggest that I move to a 7200RPM drive or what?
 
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