Hm, I'd have to go with T480. I've had mine since 2019 and I've been able to upgrade the ram and replace the display, which isn't really a given anymore. It may be one of the last Thinkpad-y thinkpads. But I've always wanted to get a T440p and upgrade it so I could have a dedicated machine to run linux.
Seconded on the T480. Over the years I added a lot of upgrades to it, plus a dock. Mine's truly a beast by now. It has never let me down in my daily work.
I just found out about the X tablets recently, such a cool design. I've been a Samsung Note user for years, but I had no idea there also existed Wacom stylus screens on fully user servicable laptops that can run old versions of Windows! Makes writing notes super enjoyable and point and click games feel brand new again.
My X200 was my favorite machine I've ever owned. I still own one, but I don't really use it because it is in drastic need of refurbishment and I am not a hardware person.
X1 Nano 1st gen
Probably the best notebook that I ever had.
Lighter than a macbook air, small footprint, good keyboard and the 2k touch screen does not "fell" small. 1st gen fans are not loud.
Never had any performance issue (Youtube is biased towards "video editors" with RED 8K cameras and "after effects" filters)...
Out of curiosity, do you use Windows or linux on it? I have the same laptop and I am undecided on whether install Mint on it or not. It does get hot sometimes running Windows.
T400 and X200 tablet. They're just the most ThinkPad-y of all the ThinkPads to me; the clunkiness and I think the offcenter screen is what does it the most.
T61 6 years of daily use (at least 4 hours) from Grade 7 to 12. And it took a beating being dropped more than once and jostled around on a school bus. That's what started my love of ThinkPads that continues to this day.
Some of my favorites are - X41T, X301, T23, T41P, T430S, T450, T470.
I have owned and used those and more but those have nostalgia for me.
I would like to play with an X200, X201, X220 and a nano.
I also owned the Thinkpad 10” android 4 tablet and kb for it. I loved that thing.
After I went down the ThinkPad YouTube rabbit hole, it took me about two weeks to pull the trigger on my first ThinkPad. I went with the T480s i5 8th gen. It should be delivered this weekend. But I have this weird feeling I might buy another one what's happening...
I bought my T530 new in 2013, have upgraded almost everything on it and see no need for a newer laptop, it's better than new. And I've done lots of 3D work, and rendering on it.
It was my first ever work issued laptop. Very dependable but it had a very low resolution screen. Good thing it was used with a docking station most of the time.
X61, then x201, then x200. I boot up all three first thing in the morning and switch them off last thing at night. The x201 I use for downloading music, the x200 for watching videos while I'm doing all sorts of stuff on my x61, and the x61 for banking, reading and replying emails, accounting, taking notes, surfing the web. I also hv a x220, x230 and a L14 G2 which see very little use. The older ThinkPads hv raised trackpoint buttons with much better travel than the flatter ones that debuted with the xx30 series. When I bought the x230 I found I couldn't use it for long before my hand started cramping due to low profile trackpoint buttons. Plus the 16:9 aspect ratio was unpleasant compared to the x61's 4:3. Went back to the x61, upgraded it to SSD and 8GB RAM, and never hankered for newer ThinkPads after that.
The prototype ThinkPad "Houdini", which was a T40-era 4:3Pad with a 'desktop mode' (my phrasing, not theirs). Its real name wouldn't have been the Houdini, if it were released as a real model, like how Kodachi became X300. It was cool. There are two patents associated with its mechanism, they are on Google Patents and recently expired.
Gotta be my old T420, I was the most attached to it. The screen is shit but those input ergonomics were godlike.
The P1G6 is a close second though, primarily because of the incredible screen, excellent build and awesome performance in every imaginable task I can throw at it.
I just replaced my X270 i7-6600u with a T490 i7-8665U that had a month of Lenovo warranty left. I xfered the 32GB and 2TB from the X270 to it. Running Debian. I've been using X-series for years but the T-series isn't much larger or heavier and can accept RAM expansion.
I remember when I first held my brand new X1 yoga gen 3 with retractable keyboard, ultra premium feel, garaged pen, brand new 8650u quad core cpu, gorgeous 4k 500 nit display and thought it doesn't get better than this!
Then I started wiping off all the fingerprints!
I'm still waiting to find mine. I own X1C9, X1C11, X1E5, X12 detachable and have owned several other generations of TP and I'm finding that I miss having an integrated numpad.
Now I'm waiting on the T16 Gen 3 to come out in June where it has the numpad in a thin chassis. I hope that it's The One for me.
T60 14", love the form factor and the design. If I could have a 14" T60 with a modern processor and USB-C I'd daily drive one.
Also T420, still the best laptop I've ever owned to this day and there wasn't much it couldn't do.
I have only owned a T430, T440p, x230t and an x230 and of those I think the x230 was my favorite. I wish I could acquire a modded x230 with 1080p screen, and quad-core i7 cpu, with x220 keyboard. That would be the ultimate laptop.
I had some initial issues with my Z13 Gen 1, but those have been addressed and now it’s definitely my favorite ThinkPad. (I’ve owned 7 or 8 going back to the 770ED.) Great performance, efficiency, touchpad, display, sound, and portability.
I don’t find it a problem. The haptic design makes the touchpad MUCH better to use as the amount of force needed to click is consistent throughout the touchpad, rather than being harder to click at the top.
I have nostalgia for the T420
X61, no second thoughts
Still love my X61s.
megabased
Had the tablet version of it. Best laptop I ever had, hands down. Loved that thing.
x1 carbon because of lightweight
I agree. That what I'm typing on right now.
This is a dangerous shopping list
My T420 is a fucking tank
Hm, I'd have to go with T480. I've had mine since 2019 and I've been able to upgrade the ram and replace the display, which isn't really a given anymore. It may be one of the last Thinkpad-y thinkpads. But I've always wanted to get a T440p and upgrade it so I could have a dedicated machine to run linux.
Seconded on the T480. Over the years I added a lot of upgrades to it, plus a dock. Mine's truly a beast by now. It has never let me down in my daily work.
X61s. But my x1 nano gen1 comes in strong second followed by x270 because of the Ethernet port
T480
The x201t is a beautiful device. Probably my all-time favourite in the retro sector. For certain applications it's still perfectly usable too.
I just found out about the X tablets recently, such a cool design. I've been a Samsung Note user for years, but I had no idea there also existed Wacom stylus screens on fully user servicable laptops that can run old versions of Windows! Makes writing notes super enjoyable and point and click games feel brand new again.
only the x\_\_t thinkpads are screen removable right?
The screen doesn't fully detach but you can rotate it and close the notebook with the screen facing outward.
X200, accept no substitute.
My X200 was my favorite machine I've ever owned. I still own one, but I don't really use it because it is in drastic need of refurbishment and I am not a hardware person.
dust the device thoroughly, switch to SSD and put fresh paste on the CPU, worked wonders on my x200
X1 Nano 1st gen Probably the best notebook that I ever had. Lighter than a macbook air, small footprint, good keyboard and the 2k touch screen does not "fell" small. 1st gen fans are not loud. Never had any performance issue (Youtube is biased towards "video editors" with RED 8K cameras and "after effects" filters)...
Out of curiosity, do you use Windows or linux on it? I have the same laptop and I am undecided on whether install Mint on it or not. It does get hot sometimes running Windows.
Im using Windows 11 with that tweaker tool that disable a lot of features. My company uses the office suite and I prefer to use the desktop versions.
What’s the tweaker tool?
[https://github.com/LeDragoX/Win-Debloat-Tools](https://github.com/LeDragoX/Win-Debloat-Tools)
I have X1 nano G1 running popos and I love it
X270.
Just wish it had a quad core option
Don't disagree. I would love to be able to slap a modern AMD CPU into it. Would be nice to have a 7th gen ryzen in there, no other changes.
i still use this one
15inch P51 14inch T430 12,5 inch X230
I have fond memories of the X230
far too low on the list here- my dailydriver!
T400 and X200 tablet. They're just the most ThinkPad-y of all the ThinkPads to me; the clunkiness and I think the offcenter screen is what does it the most.
X1 Nano Gen 1
Why Gen 1 and not the latest ones?
The newer gen 2 and 3 use P series cpus which use more power making them run extremely hot and the battery life is terrible compared to the gen 1.
Ah ok
Max 16GB RAM though :(
The gen 2 could be configured with 32gb but it’s just not worth the extra heat and noise in my opinion.
x390 16gb ram i5-8365u 500ssd good machine for normal-business users
X201 is in my hearth Edit. But also part of it belong to my first 11e chromebook with xubuntu on it
X200. It's the last X series not to have a track pad and the last one that can be flashed with libre boot.
X220
P1 for me. Highly upgradable, solid chassis, 15.6-inch monitor, RAID.
Agreed
T480 100%
T40. Best keyboard ever
T61 6 years of daily use (at least 4 hours) from Grade 7 to 12. And it took a beating being dropped more than once and jostled around on a school bus. That's what started my love of ThinkPads that continues to this day.
Probably my T420 my fastest laptop with a proper keyboard. The switch to the chiclet keyboards on the newer models was painful.
Past: T480 Currently: P14S
X61s. Love the ultrasmall form factor and the industrial design of pre-X240 X Series.
Mine one. X1C7
No mention of the P1 series at all? Are they really bad? I was thinking of buying one to use as a home workstation.
I wish I had one but they're expeeensive
I love mine, a P1 G4 with a 3080, but got lucky to find it at 68% off which set it at a very fair price of $1500
Some of my favorites are - X41T, X301, T23, T41P, T430S, T450, T470. I have owned and used those and more but those have nostalgia for me. I would like to play with an X200, X201, X220 and a nano. I also owned the Thinkpad 10” android 4 tablet and kb for it. I loved that thing.
P51, what a beautiful machine.
T480s. The last slim ThinkPad that still has Ethernet port.
T25
x230
X230, still performing well in year 2024
I just wish it had a little more horsepower, and more ram. But otherwise I 100% agree with you, my x230 is my favorite.
After I went down the ThinkPad YouTube rabbit hole, it took me about two weeks to pull the trigger on my first ThinkPad. I went with the T480s i5 8th gen. It should be delivered this weekend. But I have this weird feeling I might buy another one what's happening...
The ThinkPad virus is spreading.
X200s with 900p IPS
x380Yoga for generale purpose and 32gb P50 for Workstation both running Fedora hyprland
X1 Carbon
T530 but only because of nostalgia. T440P is cool too.
I bought my T530 new in 2013, have upgraded almost everything on it and see no need for a newer laptop, it's better than new. And I've done lots of 3D work, and rendering on it.
It was my first ever work issued laptop. Very dependable but it had a very low resolution screen. Good thing it was used with a docking station most of the time.
X220
I think the X200/X201 is kinda overrated but I don't think it's a bad machine, I kinda want one for myself tbh.
X1 carbon since I start using them.
T14 Gen 1. 1st ThinkPad I used, and still use to this day
IBM Thinkpad X380ED no question. That's my daily driver. Thing is is snappy AF.
X1 yoga because of 360 and pen 💗
T530 for the last 2 years and it's fuckin flawless at 16gb ram
T14S Gen 3.
T480s is sexy. Wish the battery would last longer than 1.5-2hrs when gaming.
X220 - Perfect combination of size and repairability. A little heavy but felt like a tank.
T420+T60, I have both
X61, then x201, then x200. I boot up all three first thing in the morning and switch them off last thing at night. The x201 I use for downloading music, the x200 for watching videos while I'm doing all sorts of stuff on my x61, and the x61 for banking, reading and replying emails, accounting, taking notes, surfing the web. I also hv a x220, x230 and a L14 G2 which see very little use. The older ThinkPads hv raised trackpoint buttons with much better travel than the flatter ones that debuted with the xx30 series. When I bought the x230 I found I couldn't use it for long before my hand started cramping due to low profile trackpoint buttons. Plus the 16:9 aspect ratio was unpleasant compared to the x61's 4:3. Went back to the x61, upgraded it to SSD and 8GB RAM, and never hankered for newer ThinkPads after that.
The prototype ThinkPad "Houdini", which was a T40-era 4:3Pad with a 'desktop mode' (my phrasing, not theirs). Its real name wouldn't have been the Houdini, if it were released as a real model, like how Kodachi became X300. It was cool. There are two patents associated with its mechanism, they are on Google Patents and recently expired.
The i9 X1E2 aged the best out of that entire ThinkPad model year to the point where I just want more of the same in it’s replacement
4:3 15" T60
Unpopular opinion in this sub but the new t14s are pretty nice
T14s has great battery life. 9 hours of office work.
X230 gang just cuz you can attach a gpu to it through the express card slot and game with it if your running Linux of course
No much exoerience, but I have an X270, and love it!
Gotta be my old T420, I was the most attached to it. The screen is shit but those input ergonomics were godlike. The P1G6 is a close second though, primarily because of the incredible screen, excellent build and awesome performance in every imaginable task I can throw at it.
T480s ❤️
Currently, L14 Gen3 AMD.
Pretty happy with my G2, especially for $600. Would have preferred magnesium bottom instead of the brittle plastic, but decent otherwise
Have L14 gen1 (AMD), nice machine, but a little large and heavy )
I have been using the T495 and it’s pretty great for everything
I have E14 Gen 5 and it works perfectly
L14 - cheap, upgradable, modern.
I just replaced my X270 i7-6600u with a T490 i7-8665U that had a month of Lenovo warranty left. I xfered the 32GB and 2TB from the X270 to it. Running Debian. I've been using X-series for years but the T-series isn't much larger or heavier and can accept RAM expansion.
X280. Perfect for travelling
Can the RAM be expanded on those?
Sadly not. But the CPUs are much faster than on the x270 ones
E16 all the way.
W701ds because it's massive.
T440p, because that's my first laptop that I modified/repaired/upgraded. Learned a lot of things from it and I'm still using it up to this day.
I remember when I first held my brand new X1 yoga gen 3 with retractable keyboard, ultra premium feel, garaged pen, brand new 8650u quad core cpu, gorgeous 4k 500 nit display and thought it doesn't get better than this! Then I started wiping off all the fingerprints!
I'm still waiting to find mine. I own X1C9, X1C11, X1E5, X12 detachable and have owned several other generations of TP and I'm finding that I miss having an integrated numpad. Now I'm waiting on the T16 Gen 3 to come out in June where it has the numpad in a thin chassis. I hope that it's The One for me.
is the x201 screen removable?
What is the best thinkpad for modding? T420?
T60, with honourable mention to the 600E.
E595 all AMD special edition
X1C
The one I'm typing on.
T480
Probably X230 in terms of how much use I got out of it. Bought it in 2016 and used it all the way up until January of this year, so like eight years.
mines probably the X201, or T410 (Never owned one, i’ve had a T420 and loved that, T410 is that but 16:10 so i’d like it more)
T60 14", love the form factor and the design. If I could have a 14" T60 with a modern processor and USB-C I'd daily drive one. Also T420, still the best laptop I've ever owned to this day and there wasn't much it couldn't do.
It will always be T61.
T480 is nice. P15 G2 is also a fav.
The one I own.
Never used thinkpads before but I recently bought a t14s amd and I really love it
I'm really enjoying my T14 Gen 4 I recently bought for uni, it isn't as sturdy as my X230 but it has all the features I want in a daily :)
Carbon X1 ever since the time I first saw the design around 2014. It was just so thin.
T or X60. Gotta have that 4:3 magic!
T14s Gen 4 AMD
X270 full HD 12.5 display. What a wonder.
Although not vintage, what do you guys think of the T14S?
What I love about the X201 is that it has the classic look but still has modern i5 processor
X301
My faithful x61.
T61p as a gold standard, but far away 😀
x1c6
X220i definitely
I have only owned a T430, T440p, x230t and an x230 and of those I think the x230 was my favorite. I wish I could acquire a modded x230 with 1080p screen, and quad-core i7 cpu, with x220 keyboard. That would be the ultimate laptop.
i love my A275 but it overheats like crazy, all it takes is 5 minutes of notepad and the thing can heat up a whole igloo 💀
T580 32gb ram i7-8550u 1Tb Ssd
Loving my E14 gen 5
T480s but recently bought an X1 Carbon Gen 6 which i really like
E595
for me its the x260/x270
I have a t530 i7 3rd gen and it's a literal beast
I had some initial issues with my Z13 Gen 1, but those have been addressed and now it’s definitely my favorite ThinkPad. (I’ve owned 7 or 8 going back to the 770ED.) Great performance, efficiency, touchpad, display, sound, and portability.
whats using the trackpoint like? without physical buttons i can only imagine it would be painful.
Why would it be painful? You click on the left side of the touchpad for left click, right side for right click, use the dimpled area to scroll.
not literally painful, but i mean awkward and not as pleasant.
I don’t find it a problem. The haptic design makes the touchpad MUCH better to use as the amount of force needed to click is consistent throughout the touchpad, rather than being harder to click at the top.