Currently running mint on a 15+ year old HP laptop but I want to update to a ‘modern’ second hand Thinkpad. The second hand market is just full of different model numbers and I’m not sure how to filter to what I’m after.
I get most tech basics (ram, ssh) but I’m not sure what all the models numbers, generations or processors mean.
Looking for something with a memory card spot, HDMI output and ideally touchscreen.
I don’t use it for gaming but have an ultra wide screen high res monitor (possibly 2k cant quite remember) that I’d like to take advantage of.
Larger SSD and 16gb ram wouldn’t hurt too but I assume I can upgrade them.
I don’t need the Yoga tablet style folding.
I really really like my 2019 X1 Carbon I got from a business auction on eBay for a little over $250 a few years back. Perfect for productivity and light gaming pre 2019 titles. Mostly morrowind, Skyrim and oblivion. It’s got an i7 and runs vms well.
The first number is usually a letter. Typically E, L, T or X. E series are often not very sturdy. The other three are fine. L generally has slightly lower specs and lacks some features. T are thick with a bunch of ports and good specs. X are thinner and lighter. Z are high-end machines with AMD CPUs.
After that you have either a three digit number (e.g. 480) or something like ‘14 Gen 2’. The numbered ones usually have an extra memory card slot, while the Gen ones usually don’t. Touchscreen is an option on most models, so you can’t say that from the model number.
Personally I like the T490 a lot. Mine has an IPS screen, usbc, a really comfy keyboard and it’s not too heavy. I got it for 280€ish before the RAMapocalypse.
A thing you may want to be aware of is that thinkpad models might have different configurations. That is, the screen or RAM amount, or internal components might differ between instances of the same model, so it’s good to keep an eye on the specifics of each offer.
As a general rule I would look at the different thinkpad series (the letter before the model number) and then at the different models (newer is usually better, but some changes like the keyboard have been controversial).
What helped me on laptop searching was that I went on cpubenchmark.net and used a CPU I’ve known and used, as a benchmark and then compared the CPUs of some laptops within my budget to know what is and isnt worth it. As you said, the RAM and SSD can be upgraded later so its really mainly the CPU you should be concerned with in terms of core specs. Dont forget to look at charging and battery life too! And remember to check repairability especially with more modern thinkpads as some models come with soldered RAM. I learned that the hard way with my current thinkpad that Im writing this on.
Watch out for dead USBc ports and often it is only one of them. That is the most common failure of the 4year old thinkpads in our fleet.
The T480 is only 8 years old
I’m currently on a T470, i.e. even one gen older, and can confirm these are lovely machines. They’re also dirt-cheap because th3 CPUs are no longer “supported” by Windows 11. It’s a good time for penguins! 😎
Sadly more and more modern thinkpads come with soldered RAM, which IMO is a deal breaker. Work gave me an X1 Carbon Gen 13 to use, which was indeed both shockingly fast and lightweight, but had soldered RAM and a mobo failure in the first 3 months, so I kept looking for a personal device.
Ended up with a Thinkpad E14 Gen 7 with a Ryzen 7, SODIMM ram and built like a tank. Also much cheaper than the X1. It’s heavy, but I’m also not worried about it getting thrown around in my bag.
I think all of the G7 Thinkpads are back with SO-DIMMs or LPCAMM2, depending on the model.
Ifixit gave them a 10/10. I hope Lenovo keeps with this trajectory.
My choice is any gen T14 as long as it’s Ryzen graphics (for hassle-free Linux drivers), refurbished.
Intel Xe graphics work well on Linux too. I wouldn’t narrow it down to only Ryzen, Intel has great Linux support.
I usually just go to one of the local laptop refurbishing shops and have a look at what’s in stock: https://www.afbshop.de/gebrauchte-notebooks/lenovo-thinkpads/
Last time I went to buy a new Thinkpad, I came home with a Dell 7390 😂 Mine does have a touchscreen, but I guess that’d be the main factor limiting your selection here.
In my experience it’s just the shell and I/O, fingerprint reader etc that vary, if you need usb-c or HDMI out or whatever then look for the model numbers that have them, otherwise just buy based on specs you need, they’re 95% the same
Best resource when I was researching. Should help you too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThinkPad
I still don’t fully understand newer model numbers but I think I’d get a thinkpad x13, but there are other recent models as well. There is additionally a generation number to look out for and the specs of course.
But yeah it’s way more difficult now to tell at one glance how old a device is based on the model name or search for a model.
Yeah. Searching every model number is what what I was trying to avoid.
