Monday, June 6, 2016

A laymans guide to buying a thinkpad

Thinkpads are great laptops. originally sold by IBM, now they are sold by lenevo


Why should you buy a Thinkpad over other laptops?

  1. They are built like tanks
  2. function over form
  3. Cheap (when you buy used)
  4. Spilling water on the keyboard does not ruin the laptop
  5. The service manuals are available online
  6. The can be used with docking stations
  7. Trackpoint - much much better than a trackpad
  8. Great linux support


There are several Thinkpad ranges

W series - work station's( desktop replacements, think big bulky monstrosities )

T series - Everyday business laptops

X series - ultra-portables before ultrabooks became popular

P series - replaces the W series

And several others branded thinkpad, The other ranges in my opinion are thinkpads in name only, They are not built to the same quality as the above ranges.

Naming of Thinkpads

A modern  Thinkpad name is four characters long, a letter that denotes the model and three digits following it

Example

W530

W- series

5 - size ( 2=12" , 3=13" ,4=14", 5=15" )

3 - Generation of laptop and it corresponds to which generation intel core i processor is in it ( 0= 1st gen, 2 = 2nd gen , 3= 3rd gen and so on)

0 - just a place holder

What Thinkpad to buy?

1.Just need a Thinkpad for browsing/face-booking/media consumption

  • The T series- Great over all laptops, choose between 14" and 15"
  • My favorites- TX20 and TX30 
2. Something small and powerful

  • The X series
  • X220 X230, X250 and X260
3. You want a laptop that can be used as a room heater

  • W530 with the i7
  • P50 , P70
one small warning , there are Thinkpads with an s or an i suffix to the name
eg - t420s or a x220i - they are equipped with slower processes so I would avoid them.


What to look for when buying a Used Thinkpad

1. Look at the physical condition for the machine, A little wear is acceptable any thing more than that points to abuse.

2. Make sure that there is no BIOS supervisor password set. A bios password points to a laptop that might have been stolen

3. Make sure that there are not dead pixels on the screen.

4. Test the hinge, Open the screen and move it to about five centimeters above the keyboard. The screen should hold it self up, lack of this might point to a loose hinge

5. Make sure that you are getting the original power adapter with the laptop.



1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing the details!
    i would like to more information from your side!
    please added more then tips!Am working in
    used laptops in hyderabad

    ReplyDelete