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by Hans Gruber
Tue Oct 03, 2023 3:34 pm
Forum: ThinkPad X1 / X1-Carbon / X1-Extreme and later Series
Topic: What are the best X1 Carbon (generation) Thinkpads?
Replies: 6
Views: 5653

Re: What are the best X1 Carbon (generation) Thinkpads?

I was looking at the 6th gen X1 because of the Intel 8th generation CPU's. The 6th generation seems to be the consensus pick with the 7th gen X1 carbon being a distant 2nd choice. I like the 16:10 monitors. My T500 is 16:10, love those screens. A question regarding the chargers. They are USB-C 65w. ...
by Hans Gruber
Mon Oct 02, 2023 1:30 pm
Forum: ThinkPad X1 / X1-Carbon / X1-Extreme and later Series
Topic: What are the best X1 Carbon (generation) Thinkpads?
Replies: 6
Views: 5653

What are the best X1 Carbon (generation) Thinkpads?

It's time to update my Thinkpad collection. I am using ancient stuff (T430 X201) to this day. What generation X1 Carbon is the best to pick up? I am thinking 6th,7th or 8th generation Intel CPU's. Either an i5 or i7 works for me. Also things to consider are cheap batteries that will work with a X1 C...
by Hans Gruber
Sun Oct 14, 2018 3:57 pm
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: T410s plastics cracking
Replies: 7
Views: 4299

Re: T410s plastics cracking

The plastic on the T410s has a tendency to crack. Its' mostly aesthetic in appearance only. It's still pretty sturdy and durable compared to other brands of laptops. I know people expect a Thinkpad to be built like a tank.
by Hans Gruber
Thu Oct 04, 2018 3:14 pm
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: Will T410 video cable work in a T410s of same resolution?
Replies: 11
Views: 4885

Re: Will T410 video cable work in a T410s of same resolution?

I guess I will have to retire this T410s with honors. I already have a T420s and a couple of T430s laptops that I use regularly. The T420s now comes out of retirement. I know I still have another T410s sitting around somewhere. There are hoarders and there are people like me who buy in bulk. If one ...
by Hans Gruber
Wed Oct 03, 2018 10:01 pm
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: Will T410 video cable work in a T410s of same resolution?
Replies: 11
Views: 4885

Re: Will T410 video cable work in a T410s of same resolution?

Thanks fanatic. Safe to say horizontal artifacts in a perfectly straight line is a video cable issue?
by Hans Gruber
Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:18 pm
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: Will T410 video cable work in a T410s of same resolution?
Replies: 11
Views: 4885

Will T410 video cable work in a T410s of same resolution?

I have horizontal bar (half of screen) that showed up on one of my T410s models. Can I swap out the video cable on a T410 to my T410s? Both have the same resolution screen.
by Hans Gruber
Sun Sep 30, 2018 5:17 pm
Forum: ThinkPad W500/W510/W520 and W700/W701 Series
Topic: Change hard drive to say 500Gb or 1TB
Replies: 7
Views: 5324

Re: Change hard drive to say 500Gb or 1TB

The newer the drive the better. In theory a 7200rpm drive is better than a 5400rpm drive. If you have an old 7200rpm drive, a new 5400rpm drive would probably outperform it. SATA III spinner drives just revert to SATA II standard. It doesn't make a difference because your spinner drive will not appr...
by Hans Gruber
Sun Sep 30, 2018 4:16 pm
Forum: ThinkPad W500/W510/W520 and W700/W701 Series
Topic: Change hard drive to say 500Gb or 1TB
Replies: 7
Views: 5324

Re: Change hard drive to say 500Gb or 1TB

It only has an SATA II port. You really only want to go with an SSD unless you are on a budget or have a spinner drive sitting around. Best case scenario 240-280MB reads with an SSD.
by Hans Gruber
Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:29 pm
Forum: ThinkPad X200/X201/X220 and X300/X301 Series
Topic: picked up a new genuine 6 cell Lenovo battery for my X201
Replies: 1
Views: 3658

picked up a new genuine 6 cell Lenovo battery for my X201

I am a bit skeptical buying genuine new batteries for older thinkpads. Anyhow, got a new 6 cell FRU 45N1171 (Sanyo) for my x201/x200/x200s. I downloaded Lenovo Vantage for Win 10 which has the same battery management software that x201 uses on Win 7. Showed the new battery on cycle count of 1. I may...
by Hans Gruber
Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:21 am
Forum: Marketplace - Forum Members only
Topic: FOUND: ThinkPad X200s with SL9600 2.13GHz
Replies: 8
Views: 3284

Re: WTB: ThinkPad X200s with SL9600 2.13GHz

The X200s is quite rare. Obviously this forum is the place to find any uncommon or rare thinkpad.
by Hans Gruber
Wed Aug 01, 2018 1:34 pm
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: T420s ~ as in "sleek" ???
Replies: 6
Views: 4542

Re: T420s ~ as in "sleek" ???

You want to permanently disable computrace in your bios in any Thinkpad you have.
by Hans Gruber
Wed Aug 01, 2018 1:24 pm
Forum: Windows 10/11/etc.
Topic: Micro$haft is readying to $haft W10 users even more!
Replies: 31
Views: 12150

Re: Micro$haft is readying to $haft W10 users even more!

My advice to Win 10 users. Reinstall your OS regularly. Backup your files religiously on USB to make the process easier. Keep a Win 10 USB ISO and update it regularly through the Microsoft media creation ISO website. That is the simple solution. Win 10 runs better than Win 7. The antivirus in Win 10...
by Hans Gruber
Mon Jul 30, 2018 2:41 pm
Forum: Windows 10/11/etc.
Topic: Win10 upgrade failed on both my X40 and T43p?
Replies: 11
Views: 8207

Re: Win10 upgrade failed on both my X40 and T43p?

Most likely the video display capabilities of a T43p and x40 were not near enough for Win10.
by Hans Gruber
Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:19 am
Forum: Linux Questions
Topic: Time for a "what distro are you running" thread...
Replies: 104
Views: 93045

Re: Time for a "what distro are you running" thread...

Linux Mint (Cinnamon) 18.3 for me.
by Hans Gruber
Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:27 am
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: T420 or T420s?
Replies: 19
Views: 9614

Re: T420 or T420s?

I would suggest an x220 for travel and either a T420 or T420s for home. I think of the T420 as a desktop replacement and the T420s as a mobile laptop. Obviously there is a W520 but that is more of a beast that they call a desktop replacement while the T420 is much more portable than a W520. I have a...
by Hans Gruber
Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:15 am
Forum: ThinkPad W500/W510/W520 and W700/W701 Series
Topic: New W500 Camera & other
Replies: 12
Views: 8221

Re: New W500 Camera & other

The absolute top of the line W500 model was the 4062-F5U. I have two myself. Webcam, 1920x1200, T9900. Still a very usable daily machine. The 16:10 ratio is really the best screen orientation for widescreen. It's probably why so many like the T500/W500 thinkpad. Good luck with your upgrades to your ...
by Hans Gruber
Sun Mar 11, 2018 6:15 pm
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: T500 Thinkpads
Replies: 11
Views: 6880

Re: T500 Thinkpads

I have three or four quad-core T500 sitting on a shelf in Pennsylvania. If anyone's interested in them send me a PM. I bought them and modified them to use Q9100 (4 core, 12 mb L2 cache) with the plan of bringing them back to Europe with me. But, didn't have space in my luggage. For the dual-core, ...
by Hans Gruber
Sat Mar 10, 2018 8:53 pm
Forum: Off-Topic Stuff
Topic: Report: Dell is considering selling itself to VMWare
Replies: 6
Views: 4486

Re: Report: Dell is considering selling itself to VMWare

What is the best Dell laptop in the last 5 years?
by Hans Gruber
Thu Mar 08, 2018 11:30 am
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: T500 Thinkpads
Replies: 11
Views: 6880

Re: T500 Thinkpads

For the T500. I think the Core 2 Duo T9600 is the best processor for the money today. I have the T9900 and T9600 and unless you have a 1920x1080 panel and want a reference quality thinkpad. The T9600 is the best processor when you consider price. Besides these are old machines and a few hundred mhz ...
by Hans Gruber
Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:12 am
Forum: ThinkPad T60/T61 Series
Topic: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018
Replies: 77
Views: 73295

Re: Please give advice on purchasing a used IBM Thinkpad T60p in 2018

How much will this T60p set you back? We need dollars and cents. How much?
by Hans Gruber
Tue Mar 06, 2018 3:42 pm
Forum: Marketplace - Forum Members only
Topic: WTB Windows 8.1 Pro Retail
Replies: 4
Views: 2517

Re: WTB Windows 8.1 Pro Retail

A long track record and transaction history the seller does not on Ebay. 20 transaction for any ebay account is a red flag.
by Hans Gruber
Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:26 pm
Forum: Off-Topic Stuff
Topic: The best site for Thinkpad enthusiasts.
Replies: 21
Views: 8912

Re: The best site for Thinkpad enthusiasts.

I don't give lip service. This forum is the encyclopedia of anything thinkpad. Just do a google search for any thinkpad problem or issue and you will be directed to forum.thinkpads.com
by Hans Gruber
Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:37 pm
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: T420 Running Hot?
Replies: 87
Views: 28738

Re: T420 Running Hot?

My daily driver is one of two T430s models. One has the i7 and the other has the i5 processor.
by Hans Gruber
Sun Mar 04, 2018 5:30 pm
Forum: ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
Topic: T420 Running Hot?
Replies: 87
Views: 28738

Re: T420 Running Hot?

I use two razor blades when applying AR5. It's not surgical steel blades but my precision with the blade is second to none. Does the hand shake, of course but what do you expect?

I can attest that the T420s runs a bit warm. Not hot but warm but the performance of the Sandy Bridge CPU's are excellent.
by Hans Gruber
Sun Mar 04, 2018 3:29 am
Forum: ** HOW TOs & FAQs **
Topic: Buying a used Laptop? What to look for, how to test it, etc.
Replies: 8
Views: 23141

Re: Buying a used Laptop? What to look for, how to test it, etc.

I'm not surprised that many T61p's are dead or dying. The Quadro FX 570M with 45w TDP (compared to the NVS 140M with 10w) puts a strain on the cooling system, resulting in high operating temps. Higher temps --> shorter component life. The NVS 140M, while rather pitiful as a discrete GPU, is still l...
by Hans Gruber
Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:40 am
Forum: ** HOW TOs & FAQs **
Topic: Buying a used Laptop? What to look for, how to test it, etc.
Replies: 8
Views: 23141

Re: Buying a used Laptop? What to look for, how to test it, etc.

" If I may ... " I'd (atm) like to ask/know ... about ... something pertaining to ... evaluating/buying ... a used T61 ... Specifically regarding: NVIDIA GPU MOTHEROBOARD ISSUES i.e., Should 2ndHand T61 models/types with the NVIDIA (as opposed to the Intel) chips be avoided :?: I suppose a 2ndHand ...
by Hans Gruber
Sat Mar 03, 2018 8:57 pm
Forum: Off-Topic Stuff
Topic: Laptops: Butchered in vain
Replies: 27
Views: 9613

Re: Laptops: Butchered in vain

I have butchered several HDD covers on the X200/x201 models. There is a plastic hinge on the butt end that looks like a L. If you bend it down it will not fit. If you press it to hard the plastic L part will break. A $2 part but still frustrating. I have broken LCD frame clips but nothing major. I h...
by Hans Gruber
Sat Mar 03, 2018 8:36 pm
Forum: ThinkPad X200/X201/X220 and X300/X301 Series
Topic: X200s fan assembly
Replies: 7
Views: 5539

Re: X200s fan assembly

I thought I was losing it. I put the x200s back together and pressed the power button and nothing. Took everything apart and put it back together piece by piece connecting the keyboard to the motherboard and testing for power every step of the way. I started with the motherboard outside of the chass...

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