Lenovo T430s - the ultimate in upgradeable laptops.

This is the Lenovo T430s. A super slim, fully featured laptop. i5-3rd gen, expandable ram, easy to change hard drive and a optical drive that can be removed to add extra storage to.
This is a great laptop for students or anyone who wants to write that first novel.
It has a camera for video calls, good speakers, excellent battery life and is worth buying in 2021
---------
Help support this channel with these affiliate links:
This is the dashcam that I use. A VioFo A129 Duo:
amzn.to/3hw1U88
All my thumbnails are made with Canva, you should try it:
www.canva.com/join/bank-thrif...
The best PC screwdriver set that you can buy:
amzn.to/34lU7pz
Sign up for an American Express card here to get a bonus 2000 Airmiles:
amex.ca/share/mICHAD8ldx?XLINK...
This is my Amazon Wish List:
www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/...
This is my book on Amazon (Yes, I wrote a book):
www.amazon.ca/dp/B01JJ6UIS4
I use NixiHost for my MikeDancy.com website:
billing.nixihost.com/aff.php?...
Use Rakuten when shopping online and get a free $5 credit:
www.rakuten.ca/referrer?refer...
Or just send me cash to buy some things to break.
www.paypal.me/mikedancy
----------
My Gear:
GoPro Hero 7 Black: amzn.to/3fnRZ3C
Canon m50: amzn.to/3gZlJqL
Rode Mic LE: amzn.to/3iQgjNy
Slik Mini Tripod: amzn.to/2Oeseqo
PC Precision screwdrivers: amzn.to/2BWWi7m
Follow me on
Twitter: / mikedancy
Instagram: / recyclemikey

[@JustAsPlanned1]

Thank you for the video. Very informative! Also, you sound younger than you look. 😄 I'm looking for a cheap laptop for light office work and also to learn a bit about hardware, T430 looks like a great choice.

[@MikeDancy]

I don’t think looking older than I sound is the compliment you think it is. Lol.

[@JustAsPlanned1]

@@MikeDancy In this case I'm sorry. In my foreign head it sounded better.

[@compulsoryevacuationdevice]

The dramatic intro and "let's explore all its holes " had me dying bro. loved the video keep doing what you're doing

[@SamuelHollandsh]

I have this same machine along with the ivy mod, 16gb, the extra "cdrom" battery, and most importantly a 4k screen, believe it or not. This is my Linux machine. Thx for sharing!

[@christianalvarez1726]

Love the T420s/430s series! I got a beat up T420s and upgraded the screen to a FHD N140HCG GN1 low power IPS screen (thanks to an LVDS to generic edp adapter I got from aliexpress). I gotta say, the screen should be one of the first things you upgrade in these things. Makes it more of a joy to use

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

You can even get some extra speed out off the Thinkpad with a hacked BIOS because for many many years Lenovo had throttled the SATA speed and never corrected it. A hacked BIOS actually unlocks the full SATA Speed and also removes the hardware whitelist for third party Batteries and Bluetooth, UMTS and WLAN modules so you can use what ever additional hardware for laptops and not having to go with what Lenovo allows you to use.

[@popk0]

Hi , I cannot find any link talk about throttling Sata speed. Would you tell us more or give any link about it. Thanks you

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@popk0 Hey there. I'd love to post a link but it seems youtube automatically removes comments with URL in them every time :/ You can however try looking up Lenovo Thinkpad Firmware Bug SATA speed limitation and find some forum entries discussing this. Basically this whole thing was a bug in Lenovo Thinkpad Firmwares for the BIOS that was never fixed by Lenovo. Not even with the official BIOS Patches. This is something that was however fixed with third party firmware hacks.

[@michaelwright2986]

@@KRAFTWERK2K6 Hi, I think the half-speed SATA thing was much earlier than the T430(s). I've got an X61 which has the throttling, and there is a modified BIOS that you can reflash (Middleton's BIOS), but the internet has lots of people who find that as hard to do as I did, and I've given up trying. But my T420 seems to have full SATA speed; on that you can also put an mSATA drive in a slot designed for a phone card.

[@boxwoodgreen]

I've used a T430 for about 7 years. It came from a MS Certified Refurbisher in Canada, and was pristeen. I upgraded the RAM to 16GB on my own. There's nothing I do that I can't do with this machine. It's taken some bumps in the last couple of years, and needs some repairs. I bought a new laptop, but the new one would be a backup if I could get the T430 fixed. But it sure has served it's original cost ten times over.

[@IntisarNasir_]

Lenevo T430s is amazing tbh. I have it and its with 16gb ram, 237gb ssd and i5 3rd gen and it makes 3.10Ghz which is amazing. Its performance is very good even its 10 years old.

[@Simon-jh1hf]

I bought one used just as a bedroom laptop. But now it's my main computer with Dos, Windows XP and current Windows 10 installed lol I didn't even know before that something like this was possible. what a tank... I think I'll buy 2 more of these hehe

[@stephencox4224]

For those looking for a good replacement screen the Innolux N140 FGE-LA2 is a 1600x900 requires the HD+ cable but is 300 nits luminance so considerably brighter than Lenovo stock screens which are 200 to 250 nits at best when new but for a TN not IPS screen it has 45/45/45/20 viewing angles much better than most TN screens screen color is also OK so a good upgrade over the stock Lenovo screens and it fits perfectly no hacks required,

[@peterbeyeza2383]

Thanks for this review. I'm having trouble finding a replacement battery for my T430s. Might you have any recommendations on where I can find them.

[@sergioBlancoGonzales]

thanks for the video... here in latam cost around $350 (dGPU version)

[@juandavidcarrillod]

Where are you?

[@pharrohku5922]

Mine is the T430s 16g ram 128G ssd boot 256g secondary (WAN slot) That Wan slot also supports mSata drive as well I have the Dogfish 256G in mine as a secondary drive for storage for 25 dollars from ebay they have them larger that 256g but i didn't need anymore than that. Doing it this way you DONT loose the Ultra DVD drive.

[@davidnotonstinnett]

if you get a regular T430, you can upgrade the CPU to a 3rd Generation ivybridge CPU, along with all of these upgrades. From there, you can install a 1080p screen, if you are willing to risk buying an adapter that has a chance of being faulty. I got one and have had zero issues but YMMV. I have mine set up with MacOS Monterey. I call it the Hackbook Pro

[@liamk2982]

How did you set up with MacOs software? Sounds brilliant 😂

[@joaoverdades8493]

Love this machines, really well built. Unfortunately in europe is hard to find good deals for a refurbished thinkpad, they are a little bit expensive. Recently i bought a x201 with 8gb, i7-m620. It runs linux like a charm.

[@springer-qb4dv]

I have both t430s and t420s. T420s is way better. Why? Because keyboard AND the fact that T420S can display to THREE external monitors + internal display. T430S is crippled and can only display to one external monitor + internal display even with nvidia graphic chip. Also T430S cannot use third party battery where as T420S can. Lots of downgrades for T430s makes it much worse than T420S unfortuately. Get T420S not T430S.

[@carltoncotter2614]

Circa 2012, I bought a T430s (i7 and nvidia upgrade) specifically to run three external displays in 1920 x 1080. I spent at least two full and very frustrated weekends including paid tech support from Lenovo where we couldn't get it to work. Almost giving up, it seemed to update (Windows 7 Pro) overnight and then one day it suddenly worked. I had to use the Lenovo dock with a combination of cables starting with 2 display port cables. I am still typing on it now and generally love it but agree that the chiclet keyboards were not an upgrade. Now, I am wondering which T series laptop might be just as indestructible but in 2024 can be upgraded with reasonably priced RAM, SSDs, and a better screen?

[@garchamp9844]

I have 3 of those sitting around. I bought one with an i7 and a cracked palm rest, and decided to buy another from eBay listed as defective to get a whole palm rest and a spare battery, but when the spare arrived it turned out to just need a CMOS reset to get back up and running, so I just fixed it up and bought another ‘defective’ one. Same thing happened. I am not complaining 😂 For games I can recommend Unreal Tournament 2004, the HD 4000 iGPU is exactly fast enough for 60 FPS at high.

[@MikeDancy]

Sweet find on eBay!

[@martincampbell8655]

You didn't mention that an Msata SSD can be installed in the Wan slot, though it is mentioned below. I feel that this is a better option than removing the optical drive. I installed a 256Gb Msata in the Wan slot. My T430s came with 8Gb of ram, but I have upgraded it to 16Gb. I also bought mine with the i7 processor, I had read and experienced that the i5 processors could have temperature issues. If you can get a good deal on one of these with an i7 GRAB IT!

[@nowtmy]

is it possible to replace i5 with i7 processor ? will this solve the heating issue ?

[@ericyip947]

@@nowtmy the t430s cpu is soldered and cannot be replaced

[@javier001974]

Hi my T430 i7 have had 4gb of ram I didn’t know that you can upgrade to 16gb if that’s possible couldn’t you please send me the link of the ram that I need, thanks I am also considering to remove the cd and add an extra ssd 😊

[@pharrohku5922]

That Wan slot also supports mSata drive as well I have the Dogfish 256G in mine as a secondary drive for storage for 25 dollars from ebay they have them larger that 256g but i didn't need anymore than that. Doing it this way you DONT loose the Ultra DVD drive.

[@Luiz-lj3qh]

Hi, Martin I have an i5 model. I wanna get an m.2 ssd like a main drive to install windows. I don't need much storage so I wonder if a 500gb would can be installed in the WAN slot. Then if i need more storage, maybe i can add another drive in the ultrabay. I'm looking to make my thinkpad ligther and a bit faster. For some of you that mentioned an overheating problem, that is true. I cannot use this thinkpad in my lap. Hopefully, replacing the drive will help me with this too. Thank you

[@X512GB]

hello, is the processor on the t430s removable? can I pick up a new one on the socket?

[@oplus2818]

Just boughtT430s for $60 (i5, 8GB ram, 160 GB SSD) - installed WIndows 11 and runs great - Thinkpad(s) are the best laptops despite some shortcomings.

[@pharrohku5922]

Mine as well with a couple upgrades Windows 11 pro-Activated T430s 16G-128G boot 256G mSata secondary in (WAN Slot)

[@oljobo]

Thanks! Just what I needed to see 😊

[@MaxPewpew]

I got one for 35€ but the battery was defecte but still

[@patriknord998]

Possible to install winxp on this computer?🤔 I need it to run car diagnostics.... But not sure witch laptop to choose.

[@bluetruck53]

Thanks for your video. I bought a T430S for a good price about 4 years ago with Windows 10 installed. It is much quicker than the old desktop, though now about 11 years old. Also much lighter than the very old Toshiba laptop that still works on Windows 7. Last year it started having an intermittent error message in HDD. Then always the error, could not use. Today I unscrewed the hard drive and removed. It is an Inland 2,5" SATA III 6 b/s 240 GB. There was no metal or plastic "caddy", not sure if is supposed to have one, which may explain that it just got loose. Works fine for now though. Do you know if it should have a caddy or plastic on sides to secure?

[@MikeDancy]

It’s been awhile since I opened one up. I think it does have a caddy. You can also get one that replaces the cd drive and holds another disk. Double sided tape should hold the drive though

[@ms.b3509]

hi mike i live in NC US i have this computer but wont read my CDS and i need this for school and work , also i think it needs some work done . im not good going this my self , what will you recommend me doing ?

[@MikeDancy]

The replacement cd drive should be cheap. They pop out and are interchangeable. I’d start there. Then if you added a ssd and some ram, it would be okay. But I’d really start looking at a t450 (see my latest video) or something like a Dell e7470 or e5470.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

The only reason to swap out the DVD drive is to replace it with a Blu-ray Drive. No need to remove the optical drives entirely. If you want more Storage Space, you can just easily slide in a 128GB or bigger SDXC Card into the slot. It doesn't stick out and sits snug in there so it can be left inside permanently. Or you just plug in a USB 3.0 HDD or flashmemory.

[@pharrohku5922]

OR you could do this as I have done. That Wan slot also supports mSata drive as well I have the Dogfish 256G in mine as a secondary drive for storage for 25 dollars from ebay they have them larger that 256g but i didn't need anymore than that. Doing it this way you DONT loose the Ultra DVD drive.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@pharrohku5922 Oh yeah that is a fantastic solution too :) This would make a great NVME substitute.

[@user-yk8mi1mm7q]

Hi can i put msata or m.2sata sotrage in T430s?

[@marmaly]

You forgot that you can add an MSATA drive! I run my C drive on the MSATA and my data on the SSD. It boots to Windows 11 much faster than your Ubuntu did.

[@paulbailey6251]

Hi, I bought a refurbished (almost like new) T430 via Amazon marketplace (in the UK) and it runs Win 10 Pro great. I installed a second SSD in the CD drive and so I can boot up into Linux (Parrot). My only concern is that it has a TPM module but it's 1.2, and I can't find a way to upgrade it to firmware version 2.0 so that Windows 11 will run on it. Have you considered whether you can run Win 11 on your T430s?

[@MikeDancy]

1.2 should work. I’ll see if I can try it myself later and make a video. What do you need windows 11 for tho

[@paulbailey6251]

@@MikeDancy I wouldn't say that I 'need' Win 11, it's going to be a free upgrade and I think the user interface looks a lot smarter and, dare I say it, more Mac like in appearance. Otherwise, it seems quite brutal of MS to release a system that potentially leaves millions of computers unable to upgrade because they lack a TPM module. From what I've read, it won't run on our Intel Macs.

[@wombat1238marsupial]

It would be better to buy a T440 onwards because intel 4th gen had what was called Intel PTT as well as a TPM. Even though the TPM was 1.2, switching from this to PTT in security on bios gives you a firmware mode of 2.0 TPM so Win 11 will run.

[@paulbailey6251]

@@wombat1238marsupial Thanks for the tip. I'm not sure that wanting to 'try' Win 11 justifies buying another laptop - but you are telling me something that I was unaware of and have not seen mentioned elsewhere. Good to know.

[@eugenepabillo2584]

Hello sir i have this machine too. Can i ask about how long your battery lasts?.

[@MikeDancy]

it really depends on the battery and how many cycles it has. it can go from 0 minutes to 180 minutes (3hrs). I'd suggest getting a new battery if you're having troubles.

[@stephencox4224]

I have a T420 S and have just finished an upgrade to a Core I5 T 430 which unlike the T 430 S has more USB 3 ports a socketed processor more battery options and I have upgraded to a Quad core I7 which you cannot do with the T 430 S which has a soldered CPU. It also now has 16 Gig of Ram a Msata SSD in the unused wan slot plus I found a good screen upgrade to a 1600x900 with 300 nits brightness and 45/45/45/20 viewing angles great for a TN screen decent color and far brighter than the standard rubbish screens lenovo fitted. without major mods an IPS screen is not a viable option. For 1080P IPS screens a 4th gen 4 core I7 etc a T 440 P is the Go as I have one of those as well fully modded little bit heavier but far more capable, The S models are lighter but too limited in many ways unless you use it in standard form with basic mods such as a sata ssd and memory upgrades.

[@minkworks6143]

The LED backlight on my screen failed along the bottom of the screen. What do you recommend? Should I junk it?

[@MikeDancy]

No. You can replace the screen for about $50-$60. Easy fix. Or plug in an external display for now

[@mudassirkhan1346]

Got 8GB ram and 256gb SSD, never used linux, want to try. Which OS would you recommend would be best for the above spec? currently has win10.

[@MikeDancy]

Ubuntu is the easiest. Or any gnome based distro like LinuxMint or PopOS! They will all work with no issues. It’s a nice machine. Let me know which way you go with it

[@mudassirkhan1346]

@@MikeDancy thinking about lubuntu , what do u say

[@michaelwright2986]

The default answer is Linux Mint. It might not be the best distro for you, but it won't be wrong, and in my experience it is the most straightforward to install, and the easiest transition from Windows. I flirted with various versions over the years, but it was when I tried Mint that I found something that was easier to live with than Windows. Install the Cinnamon desktop for starters. You probably will experiment with other versions of Linux (it's quite easy as you can make a bootable USB drive--look up how to do that) and you may very well find something else that suits you better; POP_OS! and KDE Neon are the mainstream alternatives that are worth trying early on, and are straightforward to install. Secret: the differences are slight, consisting mostly of interface style, ease of installation, and the way updates are handled. Any Linux distro will handle office tasks and browsing with your spec.

[@germangelv34]

it posible connect 28++ 45N1017 Battery on T430s?

[@riffdex]

I am looking for an older laptop that I can upgrade components inside and get for relatively cheap. Can the T430 really compete in this day and age? The processor seems like it must be really slow. I was considering getting a T470 (flat charger) or a T480 (USB-C charger port)

[@MikeDancy]

buy a used T460s at the oldest. but a T470 / T480 should work. look at the "S" line for the slim version.

[@michaelwright2986]

It depends what you are going to do with it. I find Thinkpads of this era are perfectly fine for using an office suite and the Web (and I'm exploring using an earlier one, for kicks and giggles). But I wouldn't use one for photo editing (largely because the screens on these aren't really all that good), and I would imagine they're hopeless for video editing. For video, I'd assume that there really is a point in the latest and greatest.

[@EddieBeauvoisin]

👍

[@unusualvideos8269]

Are all Lenovo ThinkPad upgradable or just this specific model ? Please help 🙏

[@MikeDancy]

A lot of them are. Even the newer ones.

[@dejannikolic315]

Is it 2 k for graphinch?

[@myname9407]

Ok I have one of these but its specifically windows 10

[@striveseekfind]

Frogger is classic.

[@Charlie-nq5qi]

My Lenovo Thinkpad 430s worked a treat until it went to a file called PXE:// & Some other file just before december 2021 as it just all stopped by a pair of files,and ran out and bought a Lenovo Workstation ( to try fix the 430s ) ,only paying £130 quid copied an ISO - FILE as the thinkpad is 64x and all things similar to the Laptop only to find out apparently you cannot recover a Lenovo 430s by USB as i also trie the Windows Download Tool & Creation Tool But Nothing WORKED AT ALL. All i want is my reliable 430s back £65 is ok SSD - Drive it will cost but trying every single Microsft tool to windows disks i think it's bye-bye Laptop & good old Thinkpad '' if i could find a way to try torrent a copy of win-10 then try a fresh install as the one thats popping - up to install is not working due to not being on a Disk as USB will NEVER WORK) .....CHEERS GREAT SUBBY 10/10

[@alexbee564]

Guys ! Please upload video T430S BIOS Lock Removal in perfect English comments, Please again.

[@acookigamer]

my one is so fast and 4 gb ram

[@StrudelAt]

Hello! Sorry for my poor English level... Yess the small square nearby the power supply connector and the air cooling exhaust is some screw to detach the screen... Fun facts - after 3 power supply failure the laptop is always in good shape I have bye this machine in 2013-14 for my first school ( developer) Today I have restart my study and I always used my t430s i7 3025m on windows 10 🤮 he run ms office autocad, qgis, arcgis, Illustrator... Perfectly but despite the two graphic card Photoshop run not so well. And he can run fortnite at 15-25 FPS 😂😂 I just order yesterday a 2x8gb ram kit with a new Samsung SSD and I have changed the thermal past 3 months ago. I post that here... I dont recommend wd green SSD

[@StrudelAt]

Ho yess the only limitations is the poor battery autonomy...

[@konohagakure6385]

Why does the Thinkpad T430 laptop emit an unpleasant aroma when turned on?

[@MikeDancy]

lol I know that smell. I think it’s just age

[@konohagakure6385]

Is it just the age factor, more specifically where does the smoky smell come from? what components should I replace? I have bought a used labtop. Maybe you can give a little insight. Will the smell reduce the life of the laptop?

[@konohagakure6385]

what steps should I take to get rid of this smell

[@dejannikolic315]

Can i play n this gta 5 ?? Plsss 8gb ram

[@MikeDancy]

Probably not. You should look for a Dell Precision m7520 or something similar

[@Bekon241]

Era good thinkpad end all new is soldering shit everything without lte modem or only X1 super expensive. I Have my Thinkpad 10 years now and i know any other laptop from today era is worst...

[@FrankFurther]

Lenovo have zero good laptops. My lenovo work laptops are the bane of my life

[@user-yk8mi1mm7q]

Hi can i put msata or m.2sata sotrage in T430s?

[@user-yk8mi1mm7q]

Hi can i put msata or m.2sata sotrage in T430s?