Old ThinkPad Niches

While the new ThinkPads are generally most desirable for performance and security reasons, there is still some demand for features that can only be found in older models. The following are some usability considerations, for those wishing to buy an old ThinkPad.

The latest ThinkPad to have...

A display panel with an aspect ratio of 4:3?

T61, T61p, X61, X61s, X61 Tablet, R61, R61i

A display panel with an aspect ratio of 16:10?

W701, W701ds, T410, T410i, T410s, T410si, X201, X201i, X201s, X201si, X201 Tablet, X201i Tablet

A non-chiclet 7-row keyboard?

W520, T420, T420i, T420s, T420si, T520, T520i, X220, X220i, X220 Tablet, X220i Tablet, Template:ThinkPad 25

A 7-row keyboard without the Windows key and the Menu key?

T43, T43p, X41, X41 Tablet, R52, G50

A 7-row keyboard without the enlarged Escape and Delete key?

W701, W701ds, X201, X201i, X201s, X201si, X201 Tablet, X201i Tablet

A TrackPoint without the UltraNav?

X201, X201i, X201s, X201si

A TrackPoint without dedicated buttons?

W540, T440, T440s, T440p, T540p, X1 Carbon 2nd, X240, X240s, L440, L540, E440, E540

No TPM?

A30, T22, X21, R30

Stereo line level audio input (line-in)?

X32

A ThinkLight?

W530, T430, T430i, T430s, T430si, T530, T530i, X230, X230i

An Ultrabay?

Template:P71, Template:P70, W540, W541, T440p, T540p

An UltraPort?

A31p, T23, X24

A built-in Serial Port?

A31, A31p, T30, T60¹, T60p¹, T61¹, T61p¹

A built-in Parallel Port?

T43, T43p, T60¹, T60p¹, T61¹, T61p¹, R52, G50

A CardBus slot?

W500, W700, W700ds, T400, T500, R400, R500

Ability to run open source firmware

In recent years, Coreboot has been making great progress at replacing proprietary BIOS and UEFI. Support for a particular system has become a selling point among free software enthusiasts. The last ThinkPad capable of having all its proprietary code replaced is the T60p / X60. Some newer ThinkPads work with Coreboot but are still closed source due to Intel Active Management Technology (AMT).

External Sources

• Mailing list discussion

FOOTNOTES [Δ]

1. This model requires the Ultrabay Slim Serial/Parallel Port Adapter.