I don't think buying an used laptop is a good idea, because unlike desktops, specifications is not the only thing you can get in a laptop, but also how they were used -- after several trips in my bicycle pannier, my T420 has a couple of cracks on plastic frame near screen, utterly broken cd-rom and several non-essential plastic parts missing. I second T430, they can still be found brand new, and even though they bulky and Lenovo already started messing with the keyboard at the time, it still was usable for *nix crowd. Also get a model with t-suffix, as in T430s(lenovo really likes letter 't'), they used to be a few hundred dollars more expensive but they supposed to be marginally more lightweight and rugged, and more importantly, on those models instead of useless cd-rom drive you can install additional 6-cell battery. Sourcing that battery, however is a bit of a challenge. Alex. On 13/11/14 01:59 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
| From: Scott Sullivan <scott@ss.org>
| After 4 years my Lenovo x120e has final succumbed to the rough and | tumble I put it through. The screen cracked and is unusable. This leaves | me looking for a replacement.
Screens can be replaced. There's a chance that it is worth the bother. But a E-350 always seemed weak to me.
I still like my ancient ThinkPad x61t with the high resolution screen and ancient aspect ratio. This x60 on Kijiji is $100. Unlike most x60's it has a Core 2 Duo CPU. It won't do videos well since it has a weak video controller. Its screen resolution is not high-res: 1024x768: <http://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/city-of-toronto/ibm-lenovo-thinkpad-x60-core-2-duo-laptop-notebook/1032397097?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true> Here's one with the high-res (1400x1050) screen but only a Core Duo CPU for $150): <http://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/city-of-toronto/fs:-lenovo-thinkpad-x60t-1400x1050-150/1031698460?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true>
(At the previous IETF, I talked with Linus Nordberg (of TOR, among other things). He uses modified x60s because they are the last model that he knows how to replace the BIOS with coreboot -- he wants to have confidence in the firmware not being bugged.)
| I'm going to constrain this question to Lenovo options. I don't think I | can overcome my track-point addiction.
I have an HP Elitebook with a "pointstick". But it is an old model. I don't know if they still have them. Here's a table of things with trackpoints but I suspect that it is out of date: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick#Naming_and_brands>
| Anyone purchased Thinkpad hardware in the last while? I know with some | of the recent models Lenovo has started messing around with the keyboard | design. What are peoples opinions? -- Scott Sullivan
If you are willing to carry around a tank, there's a chance you can find T[45]30 unused models around. Other than that, consider buying used.
<http://www.ncix.com/detail/lenovo-thinkpad-t530-23595ju-intel-0c-85521-1671.htm> <http://www.hookbag.ca/product/H3C0E40ZU/?p=0545> (Doesn't seem like a great price to me.)
We all value different things. Current notebooks have gotten way better in some areas that I care about: battery life, weight, screen resolution. I don't like touchpads, touchscreens, or trackpoints but some versions are way better than others.
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