Old ThinkPad Niches
While new ThinkPads are generally most desirable for performance reasons, there is still some demand for features that can only be found in older models. The following are some considerations for those wishing to buy an old ThinkPad.
Contents
- 1 Last ThinkPad to have...
- 1.1 A 4:3 aspect ratio screen?
- 1.2 A non-chiclet keyboard?
- 1.3 A non-Windows key keyboard?
- 1.4 A non-mussed physical key layout?
- 1.5 A TrackPoint without UltraNav?
- 1.6 A TrackPoint with buttons?
- 1.7 No TPM?
- 1.8 Stereo line level audio input (line-in)?
- 1.9 An UltraPort?
- 1.10 A built-in Serial Port?
- 1.11 A built-in Parallel Port?
- 1.12 A CardBus slot?
- 1.13 Working stereo mix?
- 2 Ability to run open source firmware
- 3 External Sources
Last ThinkPad to have...
A 4:3 aspect ratio screen?
T61, T61p, X61, X61s, X61 Tablet, R61, and the R61i (the R61 and the R61i's 4:3 variants were only sold in Europe).
A non-chiclet keyboard?
X220, X220i, X220 Tablet, T420, T420i, T420s, T420si, T520, T520i, and the W520. The limited edition 25 was also specially manufactured with a non-chiclet keyboard, but it is still too expensive.
A non-Windows key keyboard?
T43p, T43, X41, X41 Tablet, R52, and the G50.
A non-mussed physical key layout?
A TrackPoint with buttons?
X230, X230i, X230 Tablet, X230i Tablet, T430, T430i, T430s, T430si, T530, T530i, and the W530.
No TPM?
Stereo line level audio input (line-in)?
X32.
An UltraPort?
A built-in Serial Port?
A31, A31p, and the T30 (See Ultrabay Slim Serial/Parallel Port Adapter for T60 body.)
A built-in Parallel Port?
T43, T43p, R52, and the G50. (See Ultrabay Slim Serial/Parallel Port Adapter for T60 body.)
A CardBus slot?
R400, R500, T400, T500, W500, and the W700.
Working stereo mix?
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).
