Thinkpads Forum

Hi, my dual-boot Thinkpad T61 is dying (after 6.5 years ) and I am going to need a new laptop. I've been partial to Thinkpads because they're mechanically reliable and have worked well with Linux. I'd appreciate any buying tips anyone can offer based on the following preferences.

Most Important Factors:
- Durability and reliability. This will be my main work machine. I almost never use my laptop at a desk and am constantly taking it around.
- Linux (in particular Ubuntu) and dual-boot compatibility. I need to have Windows for compatibility with some of my work partners, and to run Quicken, but I use Ubuntu (or Kubuntu) most of the time. Usually I use the Long-Term-Support releases but this is not a requirement.

Hardware preferences:
- Medium size screen. My 15.4" T61 is a bit too big. My wife has a 12" and it feels a bit small. Something in between would be best.
- Durable keyboard.
- Trackpoint pointing device.
- A hard drive or SSD big enough to support the dual-boot setup.
- No need for any optical drives (do they still even make those?)
- Fixability is good (i.e. ability to replace parts).

Performance:
- I don't have huge demands in terms of performance. My ancient T61, with RAM maxed out, still works pretty well for me on Linux. I'm not sure what is required to run Windows these days... assuming Windows is more demanding, that should probably set the specs. Some software I use does want a lot of RAM, but that always seems to be a good idea anyway.

Price:
- This is actually not a huge factor. Of course I would prefer to spend less, but if getting a more durable model or better specs can help the computer last 1 more year, then that is totally worth it to me, because I hate the process of switching computers.

Stupid contradictory temptations:
- Despite all of the very sensible suggestions above, I am tempted by convertible models, such as the (old) Thinkpad X61, the Thinkpad Yoga or the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro. The screen sizes tend to be a bit on the small side, but I like how they convert from a tablet to a laptop and it sounds like people do have these working under linux. Sometimes a tablet is a very good informal way of working. Should I be talked out of this or in to it?

Thanks so much for any thoughts you have!

T420s or T430s if the new keyboard layout doesn't bother you. 1600x900 resolution.

No need to dual boot, you can use the product key on bottom to install Windows in a virtual machine.

Once of T400, T410 or T420 would be what I look at. All will run the latest Windows and Linux without any issue. All are still easy to service and maintain. All takes DDR3 RAM which is much cheaper than DDR2. Which one will depend on your budget and how long you plan on keeping it. Whatever you decide to go with, budget some money for a SSD. A SSD more than anything else will provide the biggest improvement in the computing experience.

Thanks for the input, cigarguy & jdk. I will check those models out.

I hadn't thought of running windows in a virtual machine (it's been a while since I set a new PC up). This does sound more convenient. Is it a performance hit compared to dual-booting?

chowderhead1000 wrote:Thanks for the input, cigarguy & jdk. I will check those models out.

I hadn't thought of running windows in a virtual machine (it's been a while since I set a new PC up). This does sound more convenient. Is it a performance hit compared to dual-booting?

It depends on what you are doing. Since you mentioned Quicken, I really doubt even your current T61 would have trouble running it + Windows in a virtual machine. I got through undergrad with a T61 a few years ago, and virtualized Windows for those business-school software requirements.

I mentioned T420 or T430 because they are widescreen 14", and a couple of generations newer than what you are currently running. I mentioned the (s) models because they are slightly thinner and lighter than the standard model. Would not consider anything older as the first generation Core series processors run very hot.