SOLD: My T430 & X230

[Jake.Werecat]

Hi everyone,
I decided to finally move forward. After almost 8 years of owning a T/X*30 series, I kinda decided to change my daily T430 and X230 for a newer mode, I guess that I would be aiming towards T470....
So in this case my two most trusted machines will go for sale. The specs are as follows:

ThinkPad T430
• Intel i7-3520m @ 2.9GHz
• iGPU Intel HD
• HD+ Screen (1600x900) - TN, LED
• 16GB RAM DDR3 Samsung (2x8GB)
• 256GB SSD – OEM Samsung PM851/M871
• 1TB WD Blue HDD in original dedicated Lenovo Caddy (NOT cheap universal [censored]) – I can expand HDD to 2TB WD Blue for an extra $50
• Intel N6300 802.11b/g/n WLAN Card
• Ericson H5321 WWAN 3G + GPS Card
• DVD+/-RW
• 70+ (6 cell) Battery
• Original QWERTY-US backlit keyboard
• Fingerprint reader
• Latest 2.82 BIOS
• Windows 10 Pro (legal, licensed) fresh install in UEFI/GPT mode
• Docking station
• 90W original Barrel Tip Lenovo Power Adapter
• Almost pristine shape, no cracks, no scarring, used 90% docked at home. One of the best T430 I’ve ever seen.

ThinkPad X230
• Intel i5-3230M CPU @ 2.60GHz
• iGPU Intel HD
• WXGA Screen (1366 x 768) – TN, LED
• 8GB RAM DDR3 Samsung (1x8GB – making for easy expansion to 16GB), I can expand RAM to 16GB for an extra $25.
• 120GB SSD – OEM Samsung PM851/M871
• Intel N6205 802.11b/g/n WLAN Card
• Ericson H5321 WWAN 3G + GPS Card
• 44+ (6 cell)
• Original QWERTY-US backlit keyboard
• Fingerprint sensor
• Latest 2.77 BIOS
• Windows 10 Pro (legal, licensed) fresh install in UEFI/GPT mode
• 65W original Barrel Tip Lenovo Power Adapter
• Rather good shape, however this one was travelling heavily with me. Two tiny chips on the corners of display bezel, left bottom corner of palmrest was cracked off, and is glued back in place with cyanoacrylate. It looks OK, but it’s there.

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/DcG4eQm

(T430 is 100% operational, it works flawlessly and have no hidden issues. X230 is working OK, however it needs thermal compound replacement, as it's running slightly hotter then it should. Currently both have fresh Win10 (legal,licensed) installed, but I can also install any flavor of linux you prefer, or nuke the disks entirely - it's up to the buyer. Upgrades or downgrades possible as well - I'm open to any wishes, suggestions, or part swapping.

My pricing proposals are:
$285 for T430
$160 for X230 #2
I'm open for negotiations or your offers, but I think that taking into account the specs as well as the shape of machines it's a pretty good value/price ratio.

I also have four or five spare original power supplies. 65,90 and 130W, not yet sure if I will be giving them away, or buying barrel to square tip adapters to use with newer T470.

Computers are placed in Central Europe, worldwide shipping possible, shipping price depends on the destination. (PM me, and I'll check the price for you).

I'm trying to check forum a few times a week, however for a fast reply please contact via e-mail: jake.werecat@gmail.com

[RealBlackStuff]

Go for a T480 instead, they are the last of the reasonably upgradable Thinkpads.
But make sure you get one with an 8th. gen CPU CPU.

[Jake.Werecat]

Go for a T480 instead, they are the last of the reasonably upgradable Thinkpads.
But make sure you get one with an 8th. gen CPU CPU.

Thanks for advice, but no way. T480 has no dock connector, which is a no go for me.

[dr_st]

Thanks for advice, but no way. T480 has no dock connector, which is a no go for me.

It has a dock connector, just on the side and not on the bottom. This connection feels a bit more flimsy, but it allows mechanical docking solutions even for very slim laptops (like the X1 Carbon).

I too prefer a bottom-mounted dock, but would probably compromise on the side-mounted one to get newer hardware...

[Jake.Werecat]

I used to work as IT support for a while, and we were all stunned when those *80 series ThinkPads started to appear in our office. They were provided with external USB port replicator and it kindaaa worked, in terms of being able to hook up 2 external displays, a keyboard and a mouse, but it was way less convenient and just looked... cheap and shoddy, like the opposite of what is expected from a premium, buisness grade laptops, which ThinkPads used to be. We weren't very happy, and neither were the workers but there was no choice.
For personal use on the other hand, I enjoy the freedom of hardware choice, and convenience as well as neat look goes very high on my prioryty list. In fact, I was (and still am) very reluctant to drop *30 series, as in my opinion it's fantastic, and kinda gives you both of the worlds at the same time (modern features, 16GB RAM, yet still packed in classic factory form). I am not really hungry for computing power, nor super modern tech, T430 isn't lacking for me in any way, actually I'm considering an upgrade mostly because of T470 FHD screen and most importantly - light weight. For some time I was using T430 at home, and X230 on the go, because T430 was too heavy to carry all the time, but with T470 I could possible go for one machine instead of two, and not having to fuss with having to constantly transfer my data between those anymore.

[dr_st]

I used to work as IT support for a while, and we were all stunned when those *80 series ThinkPads started to appear in our office. They were provided with external USB port replicator and it kindaaa worked, in terms of being able to hook up 2 external displays, a keyboard and a mouse, but it was way less convenient and just looked... cheap and shoddy, like the opposite of what is expected from a premium, buisness grade laptops, which ThinkPads used to be. We weren't very happy, and neither were the workers but there was no choice.

I wasn't talking about the external USB port replicators. I was talking about these:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessor ... 40aj0135us

BTW, in my office I use a Thunderbolt 3 external dock and I can't say it is in any way less convenient than a mechanical dock - it connects with a single cable, and everything just works.
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessor ... 40an0135us

[Jake.Werecat]

Ohh, OK, now I got it. I've seen this side-dock design for HP notebooks, but was not aware it's also available for newer ThinkPads. It's not necessarily bad, but a drop-in dock definitely wins this round in my opinion.
I'm pretty convinced for T470 to be the right choice for me, I'm reluctant to hardware changes, often avoid them for quite some time and when the time finally comes I'm doing a goooood research prior making up my mind.

In any case, staying on topic, I checked the current prices for used *30 series and added my proposals to the first post.

[mikemex]

I was (and still am) very reluctant to drop *30 series, as in my opinion it's fantastic, and kinda gives you both of the worlds at the same time (modern features, 16GB RAM, yet still packed in classic factory form). I am not really hungry for computing power, nor super modern tech, T430 isn't lacking for me in any way, actually I'm considering an upgrade mostly because of T470 FHD screen and most importantly - light weight.

Weight is a legitimate reason for upgrading. Although wonderful in other aspects, classic Thinkpads are just frozen in time, with the big limitations we all around here know. Some of them you can compensate via modding (such as swapping the screen with a modern IPS replacement and the like) but with things like weight or battery life you're stuck.

Be warned, though: Thinkpads aren't as durable as they used to be and that's the price to pay for the lower mass. Parts used on recent models are simply paper thin sometimes and they can't stand any abuse. For example, I've got a bunch of X1C4 and all of them have broken lids and bottom covers. Heck, I just broke one palmrest during assembly; the hinge levered sightly against the case and it just snapped. I had never seen something that fragile in all the years I worked fixing laptops.

Flat batteries (Lithium Polymer) in particular degrade MUCH faster than before due to rapid charge. Along with soldered components such as RAM and WIFI cards, the industry is clearly heading toward disposable devices. One year product cycles and deliberate OS incompatibility... this all screams planned obsolescence.

[Jake.Werecat]

I end up buying X230, as T430 was too heavy (and too pretty) to be carried around, and it kinda worked for last 6 or 8 years But recently when i reconsidered it appeared to me that it's actually stupid, not using you preferred computer 3/4 of the time, and having to constantly move data around.
As for ThinkPads pros and cons - I'm a ThinkPad fan since ever, and they just appeal to me. There's only one other brand I might take into consideration - Dell, and I must say that E7470 is IMHO a nice alternative, but I still kinda prefer a ThinkPad. As for durability... I had or at least used personally a T21, T30, T42, T60, X61, T410, T420, X220, T430, X230. I'm also somewhat familiar with newer series from my time as IT technician. I'd say that old T21/T30 weren't that good, they used to crack and crack a lot, not to mention that rubber something covering the lid, which loved to peel off sooner then later or even better became sticky and gooey. Then each next model seemed to be better, and I guess T420 was a sweet spot for a durable long-lasting machine. T440 introduced a thunderstorm design-wise, for the better and for the worse. I totally agree with your point of view, and it also makes me grumpy seeing so many disposable electronics these days, but hey, all the way to T480 it ain't that bad. I'm not happy with soldered CPU but i can live with that, RAM, WLAN, WWAN and SSD are still swappble. And plastic quaility isn't bad either. Another sweet spot around T470/480... Newer models on the other hand are just a nightmare IMHO.


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Some more info regarding the computers for sale:
I never use touchpad, and by never I literally mean never, I had them disabled in BIOS, so surface is entirely intact. Trackpoint rubbers are recently changed to new on both machines (genuine ones, not cheap 3D printer stuff).

[mikemex]

Just to give you an idea what you are getting into:

I bought a NOS 9 cell W520 battery a few months ago and I was able to charge it normally. It holds 97% of its capacity and was manufactured in 2012.

I bought another NOS battery, but this time for the X1C4. It was manufactured in 2017. Upon testing, it turned out completely dead.

I suspect safety has something to do about it. I do remember that the first charge cycle of the W520 battery took quite long. Apparently, the battery controller raised the voltage of the cells and applied very little current, so to revive them from deep discharge. It seems like newer battery controllers don't allow that anymore.

Of course, Lenovo prefers people to order new stuff, than to "risk" old stuff from exploding. How convenient.

[Jake.Werecat]

Older controllers are not forgiving as well. I spend two years hunting down almost not-obtainable X230 "44" 4-cell slim battery. They are nowhere to be found, but I bought three of them from two different sellers. And had to return all of them immediately, as they lost the charge completely when sitting on the shelf for last 8-10 years and controller turned into "battery dead, dispose it" mode. Not allowing it to take charge anymore.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not the "the newer the better" kind of person. I still use 10 years old laptop and hesitate for a change, I also drive a 30 years old Toyota, and in general I find older stuff superior to new ones. Though there's a huge performance gap between e.g. T61 and T430, I also expect some improvement from T470 in comparison to T430. I hope it's not THAT bad, that I will regret my decision and want my old T430 back, is it?

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I'm back home from the journey. Link to pictures attached to 1st post.

Additional symbols on the keys are Dymo-printed stickers, as I inputted a lot of scientific symbols and had them mapped under AltGr in custom layout. They're 100% removable and leave no stain. I can remove them or leave them, it depands on the buyer.

[SKA]

Sent email for T430 - pls advise, thanks

Ska

[Jake.Werecat]

Sent email for T430 - pls advise, thanks

Ska

I replied.

[Jake.Werecat]

T430 is considered sold, we're just setting up the shipment details. Both x230 and a X61f (viewtopic.php?f=11&t=131647) are still available though

[Jake.Werecat]

I was talking about these:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessor ... 40aj0135us

There's yet another thing, despite my dislike of side connectors. T470 dock can be bought second hand for $10 USD (ten), T480 docks cost between $100-150 USD, that does make a difference.

[dr_st]

There's yet another thing, despite my dislike of side connectors. T470 dock can be bought second hand for $10 USD (ten), T480 docks cost between $100-150 USD, that does make a difference.

You can buy used ones for much less than $100, but yes, they are not as cheap yet, because they are still compatible with current laptops, unlike the T470 docks. Docks really get cheap when large corporations upgrade their fleet and throw masses of them into the second hand market.

[Jake.Werecat]

You can buy used ones for much less than $100, but yes, they are not as cheap yet, because they are still compatible with current laptops, unlike the T470 docks. Docks really get cheap when large corporations upgrade their fleet and throw masses of them into the second hand market.

Depanding on the country I guess, where I live they're hard to get and expensive for now. The market situations is exactly as you described, and they probably will go down, however they're not that popular as the previous ones were. Many big corporation used USB 3.0 docking station instead, so it might be possible that those will not became as dirt cheap as older models. In any case - I made my mind, and my T470 is on its way
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In regards to sales: T430 and no-so pretty X230 with 8GB RAM is sold. There's one more X230 with 16GB of RAM in very nice shape without any cracks, dents or problems for sale, though it would would be available only within few months, as I'm leaving for for a business trip tomorrow morning.

[Jake.Werecat]

Sold, please lock the topic.