I’m unemployed and my current laptop died. Is ThinkPad T480 still the goto and does it still work for software development? Thinking of getting a Framework but I don’t want to spend that much right now.
Gen 1 X13 currently go for 100-150 bucks, they are the best value but compiling time is gonna be pretty trash
Just picked up this Lenovo Ideapad for $640 for my kid . Nothing amazing, but I’m hoping it matches my previous Thinkpads in durability and longevity.
Basic detail - not great, but will probably suit your needs if you’re not doing game development or high-end data analysis:
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Laptop 2025 15.6” FHD 1920 x 1080 Touchscreen, AMD Ryzen 7 5825U, 8-core, AMD Radeon Graphics, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, 720p HD Camera, Windows 11 Home
Those specs look fine, I don’t really do anything GPU intensive but I use NixOS which tends to compile a shitton of stuff
The Ideapads are consumer grade laptops. The build quality and repairability are usually worse than the business laptops.
Not sure why you got downvoted. Your statement led me to some research comparing the two and it backs what you’re saying. Have an upvote.
Still pretty happy with the purchase for my kid, as he’s both an artist and a student, so this was a good fit, and new Thinkpads start around $1k.
T4x0 series have never disappointed me
Linux runs on almost anything these days. I’ve installed Mint on Lenovos, Dells, and HPs without issue (even media keys all worked out of the box). As others have suggested, I’d probably look into used business workstations from the last five years to ensure you’ll get a solid five to ten years out of it.
I can sell you a 15” dell with a quad core and 32gb of ram.
E: this is not a joke, I have a 3520 from a couple of years ago with an 11th gen i7, a 256gb nvme, the sata kit included and 32gb of ddr4. HMU.
OP this is a great laptop if this commenter is selling at a reasonable price since Dell has official linux support on this laptop since dev work is one of its main purposes
Ty! I also have one of the same model, same specs, completely busted top cover that wiggles and wobbles around if they want to slum it and save some more bucks.
An old thinkpad that fell off the back of a truck and ended up on craigslist is still the best way to get a laptop
Correct
For laptops, I’ve successfully run arch on dell, HP, Lenovo, and a Surfacebook, all within the last 3 years. The only issues I had were on one of the dells and the SB, the touchscreen didn’t work, which I had no issues with. I did have intermittent issues with the Lenovo fingerprint reader, but that laptop was about 10 years old when I got it, so less surprising.
I wouldn’t limit yourself to manufacturer at all, and I would recommend a business class model, but if you can get a consumer grade for stupid cheap, I wouldn’t say no to that either.
When my company cycles out laptops, they pull hard drives and then send them to recycling. We are allowed to take them. I had an older 2018 Dell and got a 2023 Dell to replace it. I just moved the nvme from one to the other and everything just worked. I didn’t expect it to be so smooth, but I literally didn’t have to do anything. I say that just so you know it’s simple to upgrade if you find a better option later.
Do NOT get a think pad. They were good when they were IBM, but Lenovo got caught putting a rootkit in their BIOS. So even if you flash to Linux, you run the risk of the Chinese government or any dedicated hacker having full access to your machine.
If you’re on a budget, Acer is good bang for the buck, if you’re not, HP has quality builds.
Lenovo got caught putting a rootkit in their BIOS
The model I mentioned supports coreboot though?
HP has quality builds
Lol I find that hard to believe
They haven’t been IBM in almost 2 decades and they are still decent. Acer is absolute bottom of the barrel crap.
I’d go Lenovo or Dell over HP. But I’d not recommend to get just anything from any of those brands, but to stick to the business model lines if you are buying used.
If you want to go really cheap, you can get a used Chromebook for like 50€ and put PMOS on it for full blown Linux 😂
Old Dells are cheaper and got great support
I’m personally on a refurb thinkpad t14. Works great
Last I checked the highest spec of thinkpad t480 only has i7 8th gen with 4c8t, if you do a lot of compiling you probably gonna have to wait for a long time for medium to larger size projects, get anything with ryzen 6 cores or more instead
it’s fine but honestly there’s much better machines (performance wise) for better price these days, and the screen on T480 is usually pretty shit. i’d get something else if this is gonna be your primary machine.
Framework is actually cheaper if you think long. I mean ownership cost
are they though? you’re paying about twice as much and the upgrades/ parts aren’t much cheaper
My ideal laptop right now is the Framework 13 Pro which looks like a massive upgrade over their previous models but the configuration I want is like $2000 and it doesn’t ship until October anyways. There’s other configurations for $1000 or less refurbished then I could upgrade parts over time but I would end up replacing everything anyways. Repairing my Macbook M1 is also something I’m considering so I have an appointment tomorrow with the Apple store, but I’m guessing the entire logic board would have to be replaced which is expensive for a laptop that’s next on Apple’s axe list and is 3 generations older than the oldest laptops they sell, and while I like the laptop a lot the lack of repairability and official Linux support is really annoying as well, and I want a working laptop with a swappable SSD for security/business reasons anyways. Getting a cheap backup laptop that’s reliable is something I’ve been wanting for a while and would buy me more time to decide on a better laptop and find paid work.
If you’re coming from an Apple M1 and are considering a FrameWork and don’t want to get it, look at the ThinkPad P1 Gen 6/7. The T480 is old and won’t keep up.
What’s your budget? T480/580 are still good but they’re getting expensive.
Not sure. $200-300 is the range where I would almost certainly get one. If it’s more than that now then there’s other options I’d need to weigh.
5825u laptops are like $300 for the same amount of ram and storage as a T480. They are much faster and quite efficient.
T480s are around the $200-300 range. I will be honest, it’s not worth it at that point.
