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Used ThinkPad Buyers Guide

Last updated 11 July 2017 (mirror as of Dec18th 2017)

This Buyers guide covers ThinkPads new enough to fully support Windows 10 with all updates and costs under $500.

There are 2 prices for each model in this guide. The prices listed in BOLD are the outright buying price. This is what you should expect to pay if you want your ThinkPad Now. The prices in NON-BOLD are the ideal Online Auction price. This is what you should expect to pay if you are willing to sit around on eBay for auctions and Craigslist, but if you’re a lucky one, you can get one well below the listen auction prices.

Quicklinks: T-Series | X-series | X-series Tablet | W-series | Other Important Info | Alternatives

Used ThinkPads are cheap because after businesses are done with them, which is 3-4 years after they’ve been released, they flood the market. New ThinkPads currently aren’t worth it because they usually cost a lot more than other laptops with similar specifications and sometimes even more than Apple laptops, which are known for being heavily overpriced.

Why ThinkPad?

They’re really cheap when you buy a used one

Splash-proof keyboard thanks to drainage holes.

Keyboards feel excellent while typing, yes even the new ones.

Great Durability, your data is what it protects most, if it happens to be thrown out of a tall building or run over by a truck. The casing will deal with daily wear and tear like it’s nothing.

Utilitarian design, stuff like indicator LEDs, great keyboard key layout (on X220, T420 models and earlier)

Docking solutions that easily turns your laptop into a desktop (not performance wise of course!) just sitting it down

Easy to repair, upgrade and maintain thanks to readily available Hardware Maintenance Manuals for almost every model and spare parts are easy and cheap to obtain

TrackPoint (that red thing on the middle of the keyboard), great for those who type a lot or hate swiping their fingers all over a touchpad. Works surprisingly well for first person games, if you’re into that.

The first thing you should do when you get your ThinkPad is to format it and install a fresh copy of Windows or your favourite flavour of Linux on it to make it run as efficient as possible. It gets rid of any risk of viruses and unneeded bloatware that some people left over or preinstalled for you.

T series (Medium sized laptop)

If you don’t know what size you want, just go for the T-Series

Good Value T400 (14.1" Core 2 Duo G3) - $100 T500 (15.4" Core 2 Duo G3) - $100 T410 (14.1" Core i-series G1) - ~$120, $150 T510 (15.6" Core i-series G1) - ~$150, $190 Relatively New T420 (14" Core i-series G2) - ~$140, $180 T520 (15.6" Core i-series G2) - ~$170, $240 T430 (14" Core i-series G3) - ~$180, $250 T530 (15.6" Core i-series G3) - ~$290, $330 T440 (14" Core i-series G4) - ~$250, $300 T540 (15.6" Core i-series G4) - ~$370, $440 T550 (15.6" Core i-series G5) - $500

On their way out T60 (14.1", 15" or 15.4" Core Duo/Core 2 Duo G1) - <$100 T60p (14.1", 15" or 15.4" Core Duo/Core 2 Duo G1) - <$100 T61 (14.1" or 15.4" Core 2 Duo G2) (non nvidia) - <$100 T61p (14.1" or 15.4" Core 2 Duo G2) (nvidia) - <$100

T series models with an ’s’ suffix (eg. T410s) means they’re slimmer than the regular T series laptops but unlike the X series, they have worse battery life compared to the regular Tlaptops. They also usually cost more than a regular T series. T series models with a ‘p’ suffix (eg. T61p) means they’re more powerful than the regular Tseries and come with stronger dedicated GPUs. These are replaced by the later W series. T series models with an 'i’ suffix (eg. T420i) are basically the same as the Regular T series but with lower specs. Avoid the ones with Celerons, they’re piss slow. An aftermarket Quad Core i7 CPU will work in a T420, but they do not come as standard on any T420. T520 prices vary depending on the configuration, the lower end price is listed here, but you may spend a bit more if the screen, CPU and GPU are excellent. Warning!, the T440 doesn’t have physical TrackPoint buttons, which might be a no-go for ThinkPad fans, but if you’re okay with Touchpads, then they’re fine. Some have successfully transplanted the T450 TrackPad into the T440. T61 models with Nvidia GPUs are known to have higher than normal failure rates, avoid. Nvidia T61s made after 08/08 are safe but they are very rare. If you are an unlucky owner of these older Nvidia T61 laptops, try to make it run as cool as possible by keeping the fans clean and using fresh thermal paste, this would extend its useful life quite a lot. Also, avoid sellers selling  reballed/reflowed T61s with the older Nvidia GPU, they’ll most likely die within months if not weeks.

X series (Small sized laptop)

Portable and great battery life

Good Value X200 (12.1" Core 2 Duo G3) - $100 X201 (12.1" Core i-series G1) - ~$120, $150 Relatively New X220 (12.5" Core i-series G2) - ~$170, $220 X230 (12.5" Core i-series G3) - ~$200, $250 X240 (12.5" Core i-series G4) - ~$250, $310 X250 (12.5" Core i-series G5) - ~$450, $490

On their way out X60 (12.1" Core Duo/Core 2 Duo G1) - ~$100 X61 (12.1" Core 2 Duo G2) - ~$100 Rare X300 (13.3" Core 2 Duo G2) - ~$150, $190 X301 (13.3" Core 2 Duo G3) - ~$160, $230

Note: X series with an ’s’ suffix (eg. X200s) means they’re slimmer than the normal X series and use Low Voltage CPUs compared to Full Voltage. This means they’re even more portable and last longer on battery at the expense of CPU power. Warning!, the X240 doesn’t have physical TrackPoint buttons, which might be a no-go for ThinkPad fans, but if you’re okay with Touchpads, then they’re fine. X series models with an 'i’ suffix (eg. X220i) are basically the same as the Regular X series but with lower specs such as being equipped with Celerons, Pentiums and i3 CPU options. Avoid the ones with Celerons, they’re piss slow.

X series Tablet (Convertible PC)

A bit bigger than the X series. It has pen input thanks to a 256-level pressure sensitivity Wacom Digitizer and some models have finger multi-touch as well. And it twists! How cool is that?

Good Value X200 Tablet (12.1" Core 2 Duo G3) - ~$120, $140 X201 Tablet (12.1" Core i-series G1) - ~$150, $210 Relatively New X220 Tablet (12.5" Core i-series G2) - ~$200, $270 X230 Tablet (12.5" Core i-series G3) - $240, $300

On their way out X60 Tablet (12.1" Core Duo/Core 2 Duo G1) - ~$100 X61 Tablet (12.1" Core 2 Duo G2) - ~$100 Rare X60 Tablet/X61 Tablet 1400x1050 - ~$170, $280 (Rare)

There are some X60/X61 Tablet models that have a 1400x1050 display. They usually cost a lot more than a regular one, so if you see one selling for cheap, don’t pass up on that deal! Unfortunately the High resolution versions of the X61 Tablet also suffer from a very ugly bubble problem where the glue leaks out and creates bubbles inside the display as it ages. The X60 Tablet Hi Resolution display doesn’t have this problem. X series Tablets; X41t, X60t, X61t, X200t and most X201t models use Low Voltage Intel CPUs. X220t, X230t and very few X201t models use Full Voltage Intel CPUs. X series Tablet models with an 'i’ suffix (eg. X220i Tablet) are basically the same as the Regular X series Tablets but with lower specs. Avoid the ones with Celerons, they’re piss slow.

W series (Desktop Replacement)

If you lift (heavy weights) or just like a desktop replacement, look no further than the W series.

W500 (15.4" Core 2 Duo G3) - ~$140, $190+ W700 (17" Core 2 Duo G3 Quad-Capable) - $470+ W510 (15.6" Core i-series G1 Quad-Capable) - ~$340, $360+ W520 (15.6" Core i-series G2 Quad-Capable) - ~$450+

W-series prices vary greatly depending on the configuration, the lower end prices are listed here, but you may spend almost double if the screen, CPU and GPU are excellent.

Pictured is a W700ds, it costs $1700 as of 1 August 2014. >tfw you will never have one. ;___;

Other Important Info

Found an older model not in this guide?

For stuff like T42, X41 or earlier, don’t bother, unless you’re collecting.

Other Series Unless the deal is excellent, avoid: R-series L-series SL-series Z-series Edge/E-series

These are cost-cut versions of ThinkPads which are thicker, are made of lower quality plastics and are less durable. Terrible hinges on the Edge series especially, some Edges have electrical shorting issues.

Where do you look for one this cheap? eBay, Craigslist, Gumtree, your local newspaper, garage (yard) sale or flea market. You may even be able to find newer models such as the T450, T550 and X250 on the lenovo US outlet for under $500 if you’re lucky. There are a few tips for when buying a ThinkPad in person. 1. Check for physical damage. Make sure you’re happy with the physical condition of the ThinkPad that you’re buying. 2. Make sure there’s a charger and it works 3. Turn on the laptop, make sure everything lights up. While it’s in the boot screen, press the Blue ThinkVantage button. It should go into the BIOS with no password. 4. Navigate the BIOS menus, in Security, make sure no other password is set and Intel AMT and Computrace is Inactive or Disabled. (Check the right side of the BIOS screen for current status.) 5. If the hard drive is working, it should boot into an existing OS unless the listing states, NO OS INCLUDED.

WARNING! Never EVER buy ThinkPads with BIOS locked (Supervisor) passwords, you cannot reset it by taking out the CMOS battery. The Supervisor password is stored on a chip and requires special equipment to extract it or a complete motherboard replacement. If you do know what you’re doing, there is a $100 tool which can be used to recover the BIOS/Supervisor password from almost any ThinkPad (except some SL models) available atwww.ja.axxs.net. This link shows BIOS Password Contact Points for each model. There are a number of ways to check if the ThinkPad is safe to buy, make sure it can actually access the BIOS. Sellers selling parted out ThinkPads that “Boot to BIOS” are safe. For you collectors out there, if the old ThinkPad cannot advance past the 00161 and 00163 (Dry CMOS battery/No time set) errors, there’s a good chance that the BIOS is locked because the time couldn’t be set.

Computrace If your laptop comes with Computrace enabled, there’s a chance that the laptop was stolen, or the previous owner forgot to disable it. You and your ThinkPad can still be tracked and be remotely disabled if Computrace is enabled.

There’s an empty WWAN/PCI-E slot in my ThinkPad, what can I use it for? On models with Core i-Series G2 and newer (X220, T420, etc.), you can install a bootable mSATA SSD module (currently up to 1TB) in the empty slot. On older ThinkPads (X201, T410 or older), you cannot install mSATA SSDs, they will not work at all. hwtools.net has a lot of interesting things you can put in a regular WWAN/PCI-E slot such as SD card slots and connectors for external GPUs. In order to use these special PCI-E cards, you will need to remove the Wi-Fi whitelist, which involves flashing a custom BIOS.

Should you get a genuine lenovo battery or a cheap Generic battery? It is tempting to cheap out on a battery for your ThinkPad. There are a few things to keep in mind if you’re thinking of getting a generic battery.

Generic batteries rarely have their advertised capacity.

The batteries usually come with 70-80% of the designed capacity of the Genuine battery

Can be a lot bulkier or have a different design

The battery meter isn’t very reliable but slowly gets better as you charge it more. For example; the battery will work fine till about 15% then instantly jumps to 0% and shut down.

So take your pick, a reliable, but costly (over $100) battery or a slightly annoying and shorter lasting battery for $30.

Can all of those ThinkPads listed play my high quality 10bit Chinese Cartoons Movies and TV Shows? 720p sure, very high bitrate 10bit 1080p playback not guaranteed on Core 2 Duo and ULV CPUs.

Can I play games on the ThinkPad? See my Netbook Games list. The listed games will play on any ThinkPad listed in this guide.

Does CoreBoot work on a ThinkPad? CoreBoot has been tested to work on the T60, T530, X60, X200, X201, X220 and X230 models.

Thinking about getting a Hard Drive upgrade? Make sure you get the Correct size drive otherwise it won’t fit! Regular Size 2.5" 9.5mm SATA Drive: T60, T60p, T61, T61p, T400, T500, T410, T420, T510, T520, T530. X60, X60s, X60 Tablet, X61, X61s, X61 Tablet, X200, X200s, X200 Tablet, X201, X201s, X201 Tablet. W500, W510, W520, W530. Slim Size 2.5" 7mm SATA Drive: T420s, T430, T430s, T430u. X220, X220 Tablet, X230, X230 Tablet. 1.8" µSATA Drive: T400s, T410s. X300, X301.

Intel Processor and Chipset Generations guide: This section shows the limitations of each Intel chipset generation used in ThinkPads. CPU Performance is measured by Geekbench 4, Single Core/Multi Core. GPU Performance is measured by 3DMark06. (No dedicated graphics benches) PS: These performance numbers have been obtained from Notebookcheck.net for GPU scores and Geekbench 4 for CPU scores. I did not run these benchmarks myself.

Core Duo/Core 2 Duo G1 = Yonah/Merom Socket M (Napa Centrino Platform)

Max 3GB DDR2 RAM Intel GMA 950 SATAI 1.5Gbps DDR2 RAM is currently more expensive than DDR3 RAM CPU Score (T5600): 1000sc/1600mc LV CPU Score (L2400): 750sc/1350mc Intel GPU Score: 130

Core 2 Duo G2 = Merom Socket P/Penryn 800 (Santa Rosa Centrino Platform) Max 4GB DDR2 RAM (8GB unofficially) Intel GMA X3100 SATAI 1.5Gbps Middleton BIOS mod can unlock SATAII 3Gbps DDR2 RAM is currently more expensive than DDR3 RAM CPU Score (T7300): 1100sc/1950mc LV CPU Score (L7500): 800sc/1500mc Intel GPU Score: 400

Core 2 Duo G3 = Penryn 1066 (Montevina Centrino Platform) Max 8GB DDR3 RAM Intel GMA 4500MHD SATAII 3Gbps These are picky on which DDR3 modules would work, 1066MHz speed modules are your best bet, but they are more expensive than newer, faster DDR3 modules. CPU Score (P8400): 1280sc/2250mc LV CPU Score (L9400): 1000sc/1800mc Intel GPU Score: 740

Core i-series G1 = Arrandale (Capella Centrino Platform) Max 8GB DDR3 RAM Max 32GB DDR3 RAM on the W510 with 4 SODIMM slots Intel HD Graphics SATAII 3Gbps CPU Score (i5-540M): 1970sc/3700mc LV CPU Score (i7-620LM): 1700sc/3200mc Intel GPU Score: 1500

Core i-series G2 = Sandy Bridge (Huron River Centrino Platform) Max 16GB DDR3 RAM Max 32GB DDR3 RAM on the W520 with 4 SODIMM slots Intel HD 3000 Graphics SATAII 3Gbps on mSATA SSD slot SATAIII 6Gbps in Main Drive Bay CPU Score (i5-2520M): 2400sc/5000mc Intel GPU Score: 3400

Core i-series G3 = Ivy Bridge (Chief River Centrino Platform) Max 32GB DDR3 RAM Intel HD 4000 Graphics SATAII 3Gbps on mSATA SSD slot SATAIII 6Gbps in Main Drive Bay CPU Score (i5-3320M): 2800sc/5700mc LV CPU Score (i5-3317U): 2200sc/4300mc Intel GPU Score: 4500

Core i-series G4 = Haswell (Shark Bay Centrino Platform) Max 16GB DDR3L RAM on Haswell-U Max 32GB DDR3 RAM on Haswell-M Intel HD 4400 Graphics on Haswell-U Intel HD 4600 Graphics on Haswell-M SATAIII 6Gbps or M.2 4x PCI-E 3.0 SSD CPU Score (i5-4200M): 2800sc/6000mc LV CPU Score (i5-4200U): 2500sc/4700mc Intel M GPU Score: 6300 Intel U GPU Score: 5100

Core i-series G5 = Broadwell Max 16GB DDR3L RAM (32GB unofficially) on Broadwell-U Intel HD 5500 Graphics on Broadwell-U SATAIII 6gbps or M.2 4x PCI-E 3.0 SSD LV CPU Score (i5-5200U): 2600sc/5300mc Intel U GPU Score: 7000

Core i-series G6 = Skylake Max 32GB DDR3L/DDR4 RAM on Skylake-U Intel HD 520 Graphics on Skylake-U SATAIII 6gbps or M.2 4x PCI-E 3.0 SSD LV CPU Score (i5-6200U): 3000sc/5600mc Intel U GPU Score: 8600

Core i-series G7 = Kaby Lake Max 32GB DDR3L/DDR4 RAM on Kaby Lake-U Intel HD 620 Graphics on Kaby Lake-U SATAIII 6gbps or M.2 4x PCI-E 3.0 SSD LV CPU Score (i5-7200U): 3500sc/6700mc Intel U GPU Score: 9600

Core 2 Duo Generations 1-3 refer to the Centrino chipset generation, not the CPU generation because some models such as the T61 offer both Merom 65nm and Penryn 45nm CPUs on the same chipset.

These are the current prices in the US. Prices listed are in $USD

Thanks to ThinkWiki for the ThinkPad pictures. Please visit ThinkWiki.org for more details such as specifications of each ThinkPad.

Alternatives

HP EliteBook Dell Latitude / Precision / XPS Apple MacBook Air / Pro

Please use the comment section if you want to ask questions about ThinkPads, I can’t easily respond to anonymous questions in the “ASK ME ANYTHING” section. Just use a throwaway email account if you don’t want to give your real email to Disqus.

Also you can go on the ThinkPad subreddit or the ThinkPad /g/eneral to ask questions, but please read this guide carefully before asking questions, those guys will tear you a new asshole if you ask something that has already been answered.

Also, go read the extended eBay and Local buying guides by sauceyjames at www.dankpads.com he is also quicker at answering ThinkPad questions than I am.