Why The Perfect CHEAP Laptop Is a Used ThinkPad.

In this video, I talk through why the best cheap and affordable laptop to buy is a used ThinkPad!
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[@marielediehl4246]

I am watching this solely out of confirmation bias, because I just bought a used think pad 😅

[@rythomasyt]

You have no idea how much I appreciate your honesty, here. More people should be like you. That aside, I do hope you enjoy your ThinkPad. They’re great machines!

[@muhammadferdiansyah456]

That's what i do after buying something new. I always go for a review to satisfy my buying decision

[@aak5297]

Whats the laptop in the video maybe i missed the part where you mention it

[@muhammadferdiansyah456]

@@aak5297 it is a lenovo thinkpad t440p

[@Anon-tr2lq]

@@aak5297 at 4:14 he shows ebay search results for a T450, so it might be that

[@carmennooner2027]

I love your honesty young man. As a technically challenged senior citizen, there is no way I would purchase a laptop that didn't already have the specs I need. But I never heard a review about a used laptop that is as thorough as yours. Most reviewers simply talk about used or reconditioned items for the cost savings. This gave me a much better understanding of what to expect when purchasing from sites that specialize in reselling. Thank you for doing this review.

[@doomnationalist]

Make sure to add an SSD to make any old computer super fast!

[@sheldonfingerman7005]

@@doomnationalist Just did this to an older Lenovo. Boot when from 2 min to 15 sec.

[@luczoxz]

@spitemim i think manjaro Linux is better than mint

[@florianfelix8295]

@@luczoxz not for so called normies ;)

[@prophecy0731]

for a senior citizen... I couldnt imagine why you would need something better, spec wise. whatelse do most ppl do with computers? web browse and watch streams. This does that and taxes. The context is this is all most need.

[@barefootdesigns]

Ahhh! A man after my own heart. I'm an 80-year-old woman who started typing on, well, manual typewriters. As a professional tech writer, I've tried everything under the sun. Being on Social Security, I'm poor, but having discovered the Lenovo ThinkPads, I am hooked forever. This is probably my fifth one in many years. I upgrade now and again for the processors. Today I'm using my ThinkPad 3 with 20GB of memory, a half TB of SSD storage and the superb AMD Ryzen 5500U. Unfortunately, they left off the TrackPoint on this one and I REALLY MISS IT. But he's right--the ThinkPad has the best keyboard in the WORLD. They're tough as an old boot. I will never buy any other computer. The older ones that have the super battery are superb and that's missing on this new one. Hrumph. I still keep my old X201 around like a kid hanging onto her ragged old stuffed animal long after she plays with it. It never let me down. When my husband needed to replace his old computer I introduced him to Lenovos--bought him a reconditioned T430. He LOVES it, of course!

[@nerd2544]

you're living the life 👍

[@PatrickS.Tomlinson]

u alive, hen?

[@SebisRandomTech]

Ah, another man of culture I see. :) Thanks for the shoutout by the way!

[@houghwhite411]

Well, he subbed to Louis Rossmann

[@samanthatang9759]

The following are the top brands of laptops. Hewlett Packard Laptops. Lenovo Laptops. Dell Laptops. Asus Laptops. Apple Laptops. Acer Laptops. Microsoft Laptops. Razer. More items...•Nov 26, 2019

[@jarnsus2038]

@@samanthatang9759 Dell. *vomits*

[@Rooftopaccessorizer]

*sees laptop on desk but it’s not shiny or Apple branded* “huh, guess I won’t steal this laptop”

[@chigaderu]

Then the Thief Association viewed this video and be like "Hmmmmmmm"

[@subscriber6181]

Fun fact: they are literally paperweights (if stolen) if you add a supervisor password, disable the F12 boot menu, enable BitLocker, and only allow booting from the Windows drive.

[@alexclarke6924]

@@subscriber6181 But if you forgot the supervisor password, you're screwed

[@subscriber6181]

@@alexclarke6924 save it in a password manager & write it down somewhere

[@Bobo-ox7fj]

@@alexclarke6924 choose not to be an idiot and remember this one password

[@guccifer_3.0]

I have the thinkpad t440p, I upgraded the cpu, trackpad, ssd and a FHD display, best laptop I ever had

[@jakelam6647]

I don't think you can upgrade the cpu in a laptop. As most laptops have the cpu soldiered onto the motherboard

[@guccifer_3.0]

@@jakelam6647 you can on older versions of thinkpad

[@learningbird9940]

Gyorgy, do you feel that the T440p is too heavy and bulky or can you transport easily on a bag pack all day?

[@guccifer_3.0]

@@learningbird9940 I don't find it heavy at all, I am studet and I am carrying it with me all the time

[@learningbird9940]

​@@guccifer_3.0 All day in the Uni with a T440p?!? With or without a power adapter? The good side of this is that with the T440p the gym fees are included... :D

[@fagiano76]

you can invert the fn key and ctrl key in the bios(at least in my thinkpad yoga)

[@Nanorisk]

It's actually a lot more comfortable using this layout, my hand won't need to reach out for ctrl

[@kayshiv3]

same on my x230

[@andik6]

I did the same on my T450... Not a problem anymore. Haha

[@mingchan9228]

squirrel76 or use the Lenovo vantage

[@muddi900]

This is an option built into the OS in the newer models

[@cheaplife2320]

you forgot to mention that Thinkpads are the only Laptop that goes in the space shuttle there are over 27 in the Spaceshuttle over 180 in the International Space Station !

[@pragueexpat5106]

yeah, even governments know it's good, Mongolian government supplies public school teachers with Thinkpads and my old company (employer) used to issue Thinkpads to employees even though the company has a business relationship/contract with Dell and sells their computers/servers.

[@nadtz]

afaik they were the first milspec laptop, even before toughbooks were a thing.

[@pragueexpat5106]

@Bilal Bhimani I'm using T440s at the moment, I used to use T440p at my last job, which was company issued. Both are good, sturdy, reliable models.

[@pragueexpat5106]

@Bilal Bhimani I'm not sure about video editing, I don't know how much CPU time, RAM video editing software usually consume, but for blogging and other everyday use it's more than enough. I'm running Visual Studio, Eclipse etc on my Thinkpad and handling those software just fine.

[@soulflame799]

@Bilal Bhimani that depends on what you're using it for. I have always been a big fan of the T-series because they have a nice balance between power & portability. My first one was a T41, then I got an x61 tablet and now a T480. I really loved the x61 tablet, but I do prefer the T-series.

[@daniellaw5285]

You CAN definitely go with this to survive college. I know I did with my AMD Acer Aspire One 722 running Ubuntu (while 80%+) of the class were showing off their MacBooks.

[@cayniner]

I used an Aspire One 756 back in the day, spec'd with an Intel. Dropped it on the regular, also didn't ever clean the fan and the vents, yet it still going strong. I don't use it anymore but it's still working, only missing few keycaps. 😂

[@AngelLopez-iv5jv]

I’ve owned half a dozen Lenovo laptops and love them all. I turned down a Mac book for a thinkpad at work as well.

[@eppleshine9829]

I'm considering buying a thinkbook 14 instead of thinkpad e14. Should I go with thinkbook or not?

[@danielrnuttall]

Epple Shine The e14 Thinkpad is better. The thinkbook has more draw backs than the e14. I’d 100% recommend the e14

[@gxa5986]

I would like to buy a thinkpad from u

[@jpusar]

Just like you said about the internals, the display is very easy to upgrade. I upgraded my X220 I bought from a dead startup years ago from a terrible TN panel to a vibrant IPS one in about 10 minutes. Pop a few screws in the front, pry it open a bit with a credit card, and detach the ribbon cable. Easiest display replacement I ever did.

[@encycl07pedia-]

2:44 The "nipple thing" you glossed over is the Trackpoint and it's the best way to move a cursor ever created...

[@johnmemos695]

Bought a refurbished x230T about 4 months ago very cheap. It has replaced my expensive pc as my daily driver. Those things are pure gold.

[@edalder2000]

Newer laptops have all gotten thinner and that has sacrificed ports, and build quality in some cases, for light weight at all costs. I have a ThinkPad e530 and it's a tank. Many of the older ThinkPads are built tough. You could drop an old ThinkPad and feel sorry for the floor.

[@JorgeHernandez-gq6yy]

Yeah man I look for ports and that I can upgrade like ram ssd and battery

[@jamesgarlick4573]

Yeah, I own both an R61 and T400 and my 3 yr old son constantly gets caught standing or walking on them (I have a bad habit of leaving my laptops on the floors lol) and no worries

[@edalder2000]

James Garlick Toddlers are rough on everything. Lucky ThinkPad.

[@jkrishnan30]

Exactly. I have a thin Toshiba and from day one it was giving me one trouble or other. And I have had Thinkpads for 5 years with zero problem.

[@edalder2000]

@@jkrishnan30 I got a ThinkPad e585 last Christmas. It was a great deal. Ryzen 5 2500u/8 gigs RAM/1080 screen/Win 10 Pro for $530. I upgraded to a 1 TB SSD and the new one has been great. The e530 is now a secondary machine. It's 7 years old and The CPU is pushed by Win 10. So I installed Linux Mint on the old e530 and it works great. The e530 has been the best deal I ever got in a machine.

[@interproservice]

Watching on 13 years old laptop IBM x60 :) only 480p can play smoothly :)

[@maxschmidt666]

Just read an article yesterday about how high def streams cost lots and lots of energy and that it´s better to stream low res and save the planet. Maybe you´re just an unknown hero :)

[@can3157]

Mr on r60

[@dylanringproductions160]

@@maxschmidt666 HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

[@maxschmidt666]

@@dylanringproductions160 www.dw.com/en/is-netflix-bad-for-the-environment-how-streaming-video-contributes-to-climate-change/a-49556716-0 You might not like it, but facts are facts. And when you think about it, it just makes a lot of sense.

[@MichaelWebber]

Hardware decode of video streams is the Achilles heel of these old but very serviceable ThinkPads. Intel only cared about spreadsheets and wordprocessing to so their support systems (stuff we take for granted on iPad SOC's etc, like hardware decode and encode of video streams, image signal processors) are left out. (But nowadays not only is h.264 supported by Intel, but even 4k h.265 10-bit.) THE cheapest solution - if you don't already own an iPad supporting at least iOS 12 - is an Amazon Fire HD 8 when they go on sale for $49, or if you really like you videos in full HD with glorious full color gamut, the Amazon Fire HD 10 when it goes on sale for $99. Remember these old ThinkPads excel with Word, Excell, and other MSFT Office programs, not with Photoshop or video games or in your case even playing 720p video streams.

[@levon9]

Suggestion: mention the specific model of Thinkpad you are reviewing .. I'm guessing it's the T450? Why not make this obvious in your title and right off in your introduction?

[@bryceguest2892]

The title , is why a second hand think pad is the best cheap laptop you can buy, and he is future proofing it for the future as think pads are up dated every year or so

[@user-zq1lb3lx4m]

Farhad?

[@driftwoni]

Checked the label under the screen and yeah it's a T450

[@tunstali]

I bought a Thinkpad T430 because of your video, it literally does everything i need. It cost me £150 including next day delivery. No loading, no lag, ever.

[@fantinuum1040]

This is a young man who's wise beyond his years.

[@SebisRandomTech]

Thankfully most newer ThinkPads either ship with better screens or have them as a fairly cheap upgrade option. Some older models can be upgraded or modified to support higher quality displays, and until the Haswell refresh many of the larger models had upgradeable processors. A good quad-core i7 in the T430 or T440p will outperform the U-series processor that's in your T450. Excellent video!

[@abc-eq9so]

Remember the old IBM T43, man that was a tank. Had the damn thing during high school for three years. Dropped it numerous times. Worked like a charm.

[@juanmartinvk]

I just got a used i7 t450s in good condition and with the better IPS FHD panel for 200 bucks on ebay. 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD. I honestly wasn't aware you could get this workhorse for so cheap.

[@bfapple]

Oof, that’s better than my work laptop.

[@juanmartinvk]

Yes, I kid you not. I guess I was really lucky.

[@EvilWiffles]

Is it the i7 5600u? Kind of disappointing, honestly. Just a two core with four threads. Probably why they are so cheap?

[@juanmartinvk]

@@EvilWiffles yes, pretty underwhelming for the i7 name. Still I consider it to be an awesome deal for 200 bucks. It's still a beast for productivity stuff, the screen is pretty decent, built like a tank and awesome backlit keyboard.

[@EvilWiffles]

@@juanmartinvk I'd just stick with the T530 personally. But I think the dGPU is better from what I understand. Does it have the GT 730M?

[@watashibr]

I got my T450 at used market. I'm really impressed with how reliable it is, the battery lasts 4 hours watching videos. For my purpose, studies, it works perfect but, nothing is perfect, his screen is humble but we can let it near to perfection because is possible to change the screen panel to an IPS 1080p. It can face hard time in Windows system but in Linux it works perfectly. My Lenovo Thinkpad is running Ubuntu 20.04 so I'm considering in change it. Nice video Ryan, thank you very much.

[@Seleno_phile]

Two months ago , after watching this , I went outside and picked a used T470 laptop . Never regret . Thank you very much for you advice .

[@jimh.4027]

Agree, pre-owned thinkpads are a great value given their reliability and quality. I've bought new and used (used including a T410, T420, T430, X201 and X230). My fave is the x230.

[@kevmorris3000]

You've definitely got the right idea. Last year I bought a top of the line 3-year old ThinkPad T440s for $300 USD and I couldn't be happier with it. It runs rings around any crappy new laptop of comparable price. It is vastly superior in performance and build quality.

[@walker008_]

I bought a ThinkPad x230 a few month ago and it is great. Upgraded to 8 GB RAM, 120 GB SSD and it's absolutely perfect for daily use.

[@johnmadison3472]

Great purchase. I've had my x230 for 2 years and is my daily driver. Rock solid and runs everything I throw at it. The HD 4000 graphics can handle light gaming except for cutting edge stuff. Good for emulation too.

[@derdummeasi]

Is it also okay for every other day use?

[@3xitt]

I was an X230 2320-2QG (IPS screen version, Intel Dual Core CPU, 12GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 512GB HDD) proud owner for at least like 6 years before I passed it along. Very good machine, sturdy chassis, great display, powerful CPU, OKish battery life. One time I had to have a display changed (probably got a punch), but for relatively small price. However, the thing I hated were palm rests (too small) and a super tiny touchpad with horrible coating. But that's the price you pay for portability, I guess... 🙂 Modern-day Thinkpads suck, I was literally disappointed by T490, it almost looks like Lenovo tries to wipe its ass with its own customers. Crazy expensive X1 having the whole chipset soldered is a no-go for me. I'll better go with Dell, already decided for a 14in Latitude 5401 with 6core IntelCoffeeLake H CPU...

[@marmaly]

Only weakness is the speakers, but can be cleverly updated.

[@maximilianrosenthal3053]

Really love the video, I myself have an older thinkpad (T450s) and I just love it.

[@Svoss6]

Thank you for making this video! It was very helpful!

[@Shaban282]

100% Agreed. I'm Amazed at the extent of similarity between our experiences with the Used thinkpad. I used one for about 2 Years and its keypad died eventually for unknown reasons. I tried to Mend it but i couldn't find an oem one in my area. It was a Thinkpad T-440s

[@stephencarruthers3134]

Been going back and forth about getting a refurbished one and this has helped thank u

[@fishmanloveslinux7978]

I really liked this video. I awhile back I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad R61 laptop for $65. It is maxxed out at 4 Gb of RAM, new battery and external wireless mouse. I use it to experiment on but it is a great laptop. I have an HP Omen and I find myself using the R61 alot. LOL! Keep up the great work.

[@kaizaki9148]

Can agree with this 200% arch Linux ThinkPad x230

[@fluffyfetlocks]

I stopped liking arch after it forgot the boot partition after a system crash or power outage.

[@fluffyfetlocks]

@@possibilityspace snrk. I just write my own machine code whenever I wish to use my lifeless hardware

[@orcaflotta7867]

Thumb up for using Arch on a ThinkPad! You're an awesome human being!

[@orcaflotta7867]

@@fluffyfetlocks So you stopped liking Arch because of your stupidity?

[@ashleybishton742]

It's not stupidity even pros make mistakes and that I've got years of experience with Linux and still get problems. At moment I'm getting a squashfs error and I've got to work out why from the logs. I've bricked it but will overcome it with a fresh install with the latest sha1 hopefully that solves my problem. I tried to zero my hard drive on purpose and since then the current USB stick I got might of been corrupted not sure why because I selected the m.2 SATA the USB stick comes under sda1 and I avoided zero that. The hard drive is wiped I tried dd, shred and cat /Dev/zero > /Dev/ whatever my sata hard drive came under in fdisk commands. I looked in logs to see what the errors were for and couldn't get to the problem. I have experience and even I am having problems. Everyone goes through road blocks but giving up is not option and you won't learn

[@Go.el_Hadam]

Most thinkpads are magnisium alloy. That is a plastic coating on top of magnisium alloy. Even my X220 is that way.

[@moin_davo8963]

On the newer ThinkPads such as my X240 the outside "shell" is really made of high quality plastic but on the inside there is still a magnesium alloy "cage" where all the components are located and protected.

[@datdang9113]

X-series thinkpads up to X230 have magnesium case but from X240 to X270 they have plastic body with magnesium inner structure protecting the motherboard

[@PeterPetrakis]

The X220 is unkillable

[@bsgtrekfan88]

I love my X220! 8 gigs RAM, windows 7, SSD and Boom! I use it, my T520(kept for nostalgia and as an example of the Best Thinkpad ever in my opinion) and my T540 round out my portables!

[@serhiirudenko6183]

Not most but only the older ones from X series. On the other hand T, W series are plastic outside everywhere. And that's not a bad thing honestly.

[@TRUEiMPROrecords]

Dude, great presentation. Thanks!

[@bloooeyes3]

very clear and informative video. thank you. i just bought one and love having a laptop again

[@tjf7101]

48 years old here and I completely agree with what’s being said. ThinkPads are serviceable tanks. While I’ve been using a mid -2011 MacBook Air since for the nearly 8 years I would consider a ThinkPad if I went back to Windows.

[@pippoppeo6903]

Tom hackintosh man!

[@simokokko7550]

Good job Ryan. I like how Thinkpads look. My favourite era (design wise) might be T400-T420, X200-X220 etc. Those had still better keyboards than nowadays. But also new Thinkpads have better keyboards than other laptops. I bought used T440s 4 years ago. I'm not gonna buy new one soon. Like you said Thinkpads don't break easily because the material bends little bit. Aluminum laptop is not very practical in that sense.

[@jonathantaylor6125]

Just bought one of these after seeing your review. Thank you for a great video.

[@JW-mx3qg]

Great video!! Just got my used thinkpad t440s and are in the process to upgrade the ram from 8 to 12gb. It’s already running great, and love the speed functionality! Yet, I highly recommend this brand

[@weatheronthe8s895]

I used Thinkpads back in elementary school and I can say they were some of the nicest laptops I’ve used. A Thinkpad is pretty much my dream laptop but a new one is just so expensive. I just live with my basic HP. If I ever get to get a high end laptop though, a Thinkpad would be a very high choice.

[@matthewbrown2619]

Agreed. My daily PC is a T420s with an i5, 16gb, and a SSD. I do endless web design and photoshop work, and this laptop crushes.

[@honor9lite1337]

What's your OS?

[@matthewbrown2619]

@@honor9lite1337 popOS linux

[@barbarah-p8661]

Great video. You stated all the reasons I like getting and using used Thinkpads. They beat the low end cheapie laptops available at big box stores. Thanks for doing this video.

[@RCfromtheNYC]

I bought a "base" T440p a few months ago, and went through the process of adding/upgrading everything (except the screen). I even did a heatsink hack that brought temps down 7-10 degrees. Best computer purchases I've ever made. It out-benchmarked my laptop from 2016.

[@martantoine9977]

7-10 degrees ?! Could you elaborate more about this heatsink hack ?

[@electroplaque]

I paid 200 euros for my x230, and love it to death. You just can't beat that value.

[@Avarua59]

Still using my x230 from 7 years ago. No complaints!

[@mommaboiz6818]

one of the best laptop reviews I've watched in a while

[@tammysilverwolf1085]

Could not agree more. I still use my t450s to this day-- got the rare 940m graphics chip in it and added the second m.2 slot. Real beast of a machine that's still my go-to for everything work related!

[@AlexToma]

I use thinkpad for work and is amazing . I love the keyboard , the feel, battery is quiet

[@tangledupinblue8646]

Thanks for this, would be great if yoy could do more videos recommending products at a lower price range :)

[@voneschenbachmusic]

Great video - a used Lenovo business laptop is a great value, very upgradeable and you can get some decent specs if you do your research since every model comes with so many variations. I started many years ago with a T30, upgraded to a T61p, T430s and currently using a T450s. In these parts you can get a 4-5 year old laptop for about $100-$150 plus memory and hard drive upgrades (if needed).

[@bsgtrekfan88]

I love my X220! 8 gigs RAM, windows 7, SSD and Boom! I use it, my T520(kept for nostalgia and as an example of the Best Thinkpad ever in my opinion) and my T540 round out my portables! Great video from Cape Cod, MA!

[@tell1998]

I got a thinkpad t430 and I love it. It’s running Arch Linux and I’m using with for a college and personal laptop. I bought a docking station so I can use it as a desktop at home and undock it to use it as a laptop when I’m somewhere else.

[@jokinboken]

The T430 is a sweet spot, for sure.

[@RyanFoster2013]

Another vote from me for the T430. I use mine for my IT degree program through my University. Once you hit past the x230 and T430, you'll begin to notice Lenovo chipping away at user serviceability and upgradability.

[@gingerbeargames]

Got my trusty x230 a few months back and was so damn happy with the keyboard. It's been great for my little projects, can't rec it enough.

[@hazimyassir976]

Based on your experience so far, should I get that laptop?

[@gingerbeargames]

@@hazimyassir976 Still use and love it. There's a few caveats to recommending them though. Because my particular model is a bit dated, it's best to run a linux os on it. Win 10 was a bit too slow for most users imo. It is also small, 12 inches. I would take a look through the wiki page for the thinkpad x series and see what sort of one works best for you. I know that the x270 has usb-c and some of the models after mine have 1080p screens. One other thing that you'll want to do eventually is replace the battery and storage. I had both of those fail in 6 months though I was lucky to have that covered under warranty. To give a rough idea of my use-case for the device, used for web browsing and light software development.

[@hazimyassir976]

@@gingerbeargames Did you have any problems with the display and colors? Is it TN or ips?

[@gingerbeargames]

@@hazimyassir976 I've got the IPS though that is something you'd have to check when buying. Overall the picture quality is in serviceable, it's not going to blow you away but it more than does the job.

[@dexternepo]

Watching this on my 7.5 year old Thinkpad E420. The E series is supposed to be the budget line of the ThinkPads, but this beast is still a ThinkPad!

[@TheSulross]

Got a T495 on eBay with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD, is a 2019 model, was still factory sealed in plastic wrapping and has 2.8 years warranty left (have already registered with Lenovo and confirmed, and updated drivers and bios to very latest while at it). This cost me several hundred dollars less than what they're going for on Amazon. It's my first Thinkpad - my company has always bought my laptops for me in the past - this is the laptop I chose to own for myself - very much loving it so far. Have spent some time trying out WSL and its Linux compatibility - even installed an XWindows app in Windows 10 and was able to very easily get my Linux-based programming IDEs to run - it's really cool to see these Linux GUI apps running on the same desktop as the Windows apps. Their user interaction experience is first rate, but the WSL2, which has a true Linux kernel is still not officially available in the MS App Store, so have not tried out that yet. But I was just experimenting to see what it would be like - am next going to repave this laptop with an Ubuntu Linux install and jettison Windows 10.

[@zsoltpapp3363]

Totally agree. I used the most expensive Macbook Pro model, it was a working tool at my company, but i left that job for working from home full time. I bought a ThinkPad E470 for 300 euros 5 months ago, works perfectly, works with my external display perfectly, works with cheap external devices perfectly, yes its not as fancy as the Mac, and a little less intuitive to get used to work on it, but that was a 2500 euro computer. Literally the only thing i miss from the Mac is its trackpad, which works better than this. So i use a bluetooth mouse instead. Also the battery is a lot better on the Thinkpad, so i decided to buy another one for a family member.

[@thechillhacker]

T450 is nice, but if you want a REAL thinkpad, the Tx20 series is the ultimate. I have a T420 (yes, yes make all the jokes you want) with 16gb, a 1tb SSD primary drive, and a 2tb hdd for data and 1080p display upgrade as my main Arch machine. Also upgraded to coreboot and was able to upgrade from 2nd gen dual core i5 to a 3rd gen quad core i7, while staying at 35W TDP, so no overheating. Add a brand new lenovo 9 cell, and you have the ultimate linux laptop. The main reason to stay with the 20 series is the keyboards. These are the last generation before Lenovo went to the chicklet keys ala macbook. It makes a huge difference. The machine cost me $70 before all the upgrades, and looked like it had never been used before (probably sat in a IT closet as a backup machine for years). I love it so much that i ended up getting a (regrettably not quite as upgradable, but slightly more portable) T420s to do what things I really need Windows for, and it is a worthy companion as well. The biggest drawbacks to this one are just the lack of a 9 cell battery, although it can take the secondary batteries, as well as the CPU be/ing soldered in so no upgrades on that. Moral of the story: If you like to get shit done and don't want to always be tied to a boat anchor or restricted to a locked down unupgradable, unservicable consumer machine, get a Thinkpad. There is a reason why I and many others have gone back to the good old Thinkpad after years of disappointing and constantly breaking and limiting MBPs and other "Pro" machines and consumertops. The 14" size also seems to be the sweet spot of power and portability.

[@tadeustad]

Lack of native USB 3.0 ports sucks a bit though (X230 is love

[@thechillhacker]

@@tadeustad T420s has the keyboard and usb3

[@rkan2]

@@tadeustad Yeah, a lot of shit doesn't even work on the non-intel USB3-port

[@deletedaccount966]

I was made fun of by girls with Core 2 Duo MacBook Airs in college for having a T420. While it doesn't look trendy, they don't know that I am running 2 1tb SSD, a 1TB msata ssd, three times the ram, macos, linux and Windows in a triple boot config, that I have another 2 batteries in my bag, that I don't need dongles, that I can service the entire computer without the help of a 'genuis', that I can replace basically anything, etc. They think that they can outsmart me. lol

[@sohn7767]

Louis so they made fun of you for getting a 5 times better and X-times cheaper laptop? Girls really care only about looks lol

[@ramunekoi1256]

I’ve had a thinkpad x230 for about 3 weeks and its great to have around. They’re a perfect size for carrying and super modifiable. I bought mine with an i7 processor, 8gb of ram and a 240gb ssd for £215, and have since added another 8gb and swapped the display out for an IPS screen, making it amazing for watching videos and reading text. It’ll deffo be supporting me in my second year of cyber sec.

[@azuree31]

Couldn't agree more mate. Just bought meself a Thinkpad X1 Carbon 4th generation refurbished for about $500 and the battery still gives me about 5 hours of life. Sleek and stealth looking while still uphold my daily needs in terms of used as a business laptop. Keyboard is sublime to type on. Just couldn't be happier when I stumbled upon your channel. You got my sub!

[@tadejsadar7033]

I have Carbon x1 gen5. Great machine, i am very satisfied.

[@SioulisBeatbox]

Dude, thanks for the video! Just bought a X240 for 200€. Expecting it tomorrow!

[@Kizzudoramu]

Get ready to swap out the trackpad for one with physical buttons

[@monoblock.]

Cool video -thanks! I recommend the 2 year older „30" generation (t430, t530, x230): they are cheaper but more powerfull as it has the standard intel processors, not those made for Ultrabooks (therefore reduced power to save battery) they are built in 2013 and still compete with new laptops when it comes to processing power. Btw. There are models with bright and sharp ips display. You could replace display as well.

[@Keiffy75Games]

Just bought one of these ThinkPad t470s (Intel Core i7, 12Gb Ram, 250Gb NVMe M.2 SSD Window 10 Pro) for a decent price, & stumbled across your video, was just looking to familiarize myself with it so here i am. I to am YT Content Creator, & needed a Portable Decent Laptop for when im away from my Home Desktop Rig. so thank you very much for your in depth review and thoughts on this, I'm pretty happy with it so far, and think it was a good decision overall! Plus the Fact that it has the Thunderbolt connection incase i ever wanted to connect it to an external Graphics Card! I Subscribed ass well, Take care my friend!👍

[@scooby1409]

Thank you! I use a L412 (8 Gigs, SSD) and i am totally happy with it. I bought it 5 years ago and it is still nearly perfect. I could also recommend my very sturdy DELL Latitude D8300 (which i'm using for visuals in a live performance).

[@klwthe3rd]

Nice shout out to Sebi's Random Tech!!! He deserves a ton of credit for promoting the Thinkpad name!

[@unionite6062]

I've had my t420 for about 2 years now for school, and it's perfect.

[@bwilliams6755]

Where did you get it and how much did you pay?

[@MnemonicCarrier]

Excellent video! I picked up a T460s with an i7, 250GB SSD, crystal clear FHD IPS display, and 20GB of RAM for £220 :) I'm running Fedora 30 KDE on it at the moment, but will soon be upgrading to Fedora 31 KDE. I have about 7 personal ThinkPads at the moment - I love 'em (and I love Linux). There's usually some really good bargains on Gumtree, although it can be dodgy at times.

[@dragonriderxz25]

Great Video I just got an X250 - i7, 500gb Sata, 8gb for $400 from Woot. It is a small tank and great to lug around and work on. Nice to get a $2,000 original retail price machine for $400. ThinkPads aren't flashy but they just work. This is my second refurb and many of the Thinkpads are bulk corporate purchases and corporate machines are treated better than someone's home machine.

[@goldribbons8738]

you have a very relaxing voice. I love it

[@DamienWilde]

Could probably make a full video on how good the ThinkPad keyboard is.

[@thetechloop65]

Just got a T460p with a QHD screen, quad core i7 6th gen, and 940mx and 72wh battery for $649 very lightly used. Absolutely excellent machine.

[@danish__official5374]

Wonderful review. I admire your technical knowledge about the 💻.

[@lbenegas]

T480 and T480s are rock solid and allow to upgrade ssd and ram. New T490 also allows some upgradability. The T490s only allows to upgrade ram. LENOVO is jumping into the "all is soldered" train.

[@mwbgaming28]

Lenovo sucks ass, they neutered the ThinkPad's best features, all for the sake of trying to force consumers to buy a new one every year or 2 the older ones (like the T400 series) still retain some IBM DNA, but the newer ones are not true ThinkPads

[@jeanie1137]

I’ve used HP, Acer and Dell for years and all of them had mehs to “wth is this keyboard?” moments. I’m purchasing my first ThinkPad after this review. Thank you. P.S. Your voice is so soothing. Please consider doing an ASMR review or something. It’s really nice. Cheers!

[@springdaytoday8630]

please update us on how you like your new thinkpad compared to your previous laptops

[@Splenda257]

True. I recently picked up a t445s with an HD display, 12 gigs of ram, and 256 gig SSD for $250 including shipping from Ebay, and it was in mint condition.

[@HeiderJeffer]

Great video, welcome to the club. Keep on moving.

[@Diggy22]

I've been using mostly ThinkPads for almost 20 years. First one I ever bought was a used ThinkPad 600 back in '03. After that, the T22 and R31. After using a Dell Inspiron for a few years and a Compaq Presario for another stretch of time, I got back into using ThinkPads with a refurbished R61, which I still have today. Recently, I upgraded to a refurbished x260 for next to nothing, and the performance on it is amazing. While most of the people I know lean towards MacBooks, Asus or Acer laptops, the ones who either work in tech or are hobbyists like me are into ThinkPads. It's as if we secretly know about the quality and affordability balance 😁

[@adnanbezerra6014]

that's exactly the feeling I have (I'm typing this on my ThinkPad rn and am watching this video only for confirmation bias, since I already have one). it's as if it's a secret we hold dear to ourselves and try not to tell anyone. I didn't know ThinkPads existed at all until I started working as an IT assistant, and my boss was truly a ThinkPad enthusiast, having bought 3 or 4 in his life. the amount of work you can get done on this machine is insane, and my L14 is capped by not having RAM running on dual-channel. I'm eager to upgrade it

[@Ironscimitar]

Couldnt agree more. I bought an X230 from ebay about 2 years ago that needed an SSD, HDD cover and an OS. Its been phenomenal. It has all the ports i need, perfect size, and its 100% functional. I also bought a 9-cell battery for insane battery life. Oh, i bought it for $60 USD.

[@0AcE013]

question: where do i find a 9cell battery, whenever i check ebay or amazon i can only see shady chinese stuff. are they trustworthy?

[@Ironscimitar]

@@0AcE013 I found an oem Lenovo 9-cell from eBay. I guess I got lucky

[@0AcE013]

@@Ironscimitar gotta keep my eyes peeled i guess. thank you!

[@DeltaTech5]

I also bought a used T450s and I upgraded RAM and it is working perfectly since 1.5 years. I use it for simulations and daily office work and having a great experience.

[@ZED-PV]

Great video dude. I 100% agree. One question though... What in the world did you say at 5:42? KZbin captions thinks you said: subscribe if you're new intense and I'm a mess of a go at this one also check... I laughed my head off when I heard it but it's the cherry on top for this video. Thank you.

[@sachinbahadoorsingh5725]

Leaving aesthetics out, thinkpad is the best laptop period. It's robust and made to do work on. I had 2 thinkpads over the years and they weren't powerful or anything. Cheaper ones. But I enjoyed those laptops. And the keyboard oh my God the keyboard I love that keyboard. I miss that keyboard. Should have never bought a thin and light. I really miss that keyboard

[@markkasiansky2629]

T420 for ever brothers!! Using him for web development

[@milorad3232]

same here, mint installed, working smooth :)

[@christiangeiselmann]

I have been using used IBM / Lenovo laptops for 15 years now (done also a lot of repairs), with T43, T60, T420 amongst them. The quality of the keyboards, in my opinion, is very diverse. Sometimes for one and the same laptop model there are keyboards from three different suppliers around, and they differ in quality a lot, e.g. regarding noise.

[@krsu1982]

Hi. I am a fan of Lenovo Thinkpad's also. I had a Thinkpad X1 carbon i bought seconds sale. It was superb in terms of performance. Especially the SSD. Bootup time and speed simply awesome. Light weight. Only drawback is that the battery drained so fast. I didn't get an original one and i ordered a duplicate one. It also had the same issues. I sold it after around a year. Your video is on T480 s. They are also good but i think more weight than the x1 Carbon models. Great video.

[@ChristianBeringer]

By the way: At older ThinkPads (e.g. T400) the HDD/SSD could be changed even while the Laptop was running and there was space for a second HDD/SSD at the Ultrabay.

[@emdotrod]

Can't agree more. Used Thinkpads are the best cheap laptop if you really need a laptop that gets the job done with a lot of upgradability. If you get the older Thinkpads with Expresscard slot you can easily put some external graphic cards to give yourself some boost in graphics. I missed my X200. It's small and it really delivers

[@aklstreak]

I totally agree. Using refurbished thinkpads for about 10 years now. The build quality and functionality is excellent and the accessories are dirt cheap. I bought about 20 over the years for me, friends and clients and never had a single complaint.

[@solosecondhandstore5087]

I've just recently bought a used ThinkPad E470. And I think it is one of the best deal I've made. With a little under $ 360 I got a pretty decent setup for my usage. Not the best machine out there, but it fits my budget and hardware requirements.

[@duaneafields]

The function and control keys being swapped is perfect. why? well they thought of the first things you do when you turn it on at night. First thing i do is hold Fn and the other far corner page up key to turn on the keyboard light, then i feel over one key left and dim the brightness or increase it depending what i need. i put my pin in and then use the fn light once more to turn it back off. I like it. T510

[@-indeed8285]

2:38 I saw you're using Ubuntu and there is an option for key maping. So you can use that for swaping FN and CTRL key.

[@user-xh3nm8oe2l]

@C S not on the ThinkPads, they are sending keycode of Fn button to system

[@koksionglee7978]

Great video. If you would like to swap the Fn and Ctrl keys around, there is an option in the BIOS... Plenty of self serviceable FRU components inside, even the internal battery is replaceable. I am into my 5th ThinkPad now since year 2000, each one used for 5 years and changed due to obsolete specs and NOT BECAUSE IT IS BROKEN. You can make your deductions there...

[@jonathantemporal]

Dig the video! Your wallpaper caught my eye. Mind sharing where you got it?

[@134552Adnan]

Sorry if someone already mentioned this but you can swap ctrl and FN in the bios. :)

[@maverick4040]

I recently went for an X1 Carbon 3rd Gen after not having a laptop for almost 10 years. At 1080p, 8GB RAM/180GB SSD I am honestly impressed. I know these are like basic specs now a days but I am not a heavy user so this was perfect fit.

[@ashervirin9698]

I had to borrow a thinkpad from my university and even though it’s not very powerful and has a small screen, the keyboard is so good to use, I love it

[@bigvic3357]

Got my Thinkpad x240 in late 2015 for £240, still works brilliantly today

[@obfuscated3090]

The Thinkpad community is awesome. I've assembled many 'Pads from wrecks (the HMM make it easy), installed SSDs and/or booted live distros and will continue to do so. I also run Windows in VMs but prefer Linux.

[@Massimo-sn7xd]

What's HMM?

[@mkultrasoldier]

​@@Massimo-sn7xd Hardware Maintenence Manual

[@Massimo-sn7xd]

@@mkultrasoldier Thanks.

[@jmitra95]

love the thinkpad. One of the best laptops :D

[@k.b.tidwell]

Hi, I'm subbing because I like the way you present yourself. Great video, and I was curious if that is Ubuntu you're using or something else. Also, could you list the specs on your Lenovo?

[@kaygeebee]

Spot on good advice. Thinkpads, even used ones, are a great option. If you need better displays for video or photography processing, look elsewhere, but for anything else they work great.

[@suave-alpaca8412]

got t400 for free from my office. With no hdd and no battery, upgraded to 240GB and 8GB SSD and new battery. Runs really well for a laptop that is almost 10 years old. Use it for for document processing, browsing, light photoshop and video editing now, performs really well

[@martin1649]

Photoshop and video editing on a core 2 duo