
A FrankenPad Story: T25 with Quad-Core CPU and UHD LCD Panel - walterbell
https://kitsunyan.github.io/blog/frankenpad-story.html
======
sublupo
It's a shame that thinkpads are becoming less and less modular and functional.
Some of my favorite functionalities are:

* Red nub. I use it exclusively, the track pad is disabled and serves me no purpose

* Hot swappable battery. I have a spare battery and it effectively doubles how long I can use my laptop without without charging.

* 7 layered keyboard. It's great to not have to use so many keyboard shortcuts, but rather have a dedicated button.

* Hardware switch for WiFi. If only it had one for the camera, microphone and sound.

* Durable and modular. I installed a hard drive using nothing more than a screwdriver and a 5 minute YouTube tutorial.

* Linux support (or at least not hindrance)

Some things that I do not like about the leaked Thinkpads.

* Envelope widthed laptops. I'm planning on using the Ethernet port before I plan on mailing my laptop in an envelope.

* 1 gram lighter than earlier models. I'm not so strong, but I have no problem sticking my laptop in my backpack and walking around with it. If I really wanted to I could remove 1 gram from my backpack without having to make the compromises that Lenovo is.

* Soldered memory. WTF

Does anyone have a recommendation for a laptop that is still being built that
have most of the features that I am looking for. Assuming that it is good
quality, money is not so much of an issue.

~~~
keldaris
I still use X220s for all my portable computing needs as it was the last model
before Lenovo ruined the keyboards. As they invariably die off or just get too
slow (or architecturally different - can hardly profile code on them nowadays)
I have no idea what to do. Every single modern laptop, irrespective of price,
looks like a huge downgrade in every aspect I care about other than the CPU.

Are there any options out there at all for laptops that have at least usable
keyboards, hot swappable batteries, proper Ethernet ports, basic
maintainability and solid build quality instead of the insane thinness fetish?

~~~
userbinator
I'm not sure if there's one for the X220, but there's an unofficial
motherboard available that turns an X61 into an "X62":

[https://geoff.greer.fm/2017/07/16/thinkpad-x62/](https://geoff.greer.fm/2017/07/16/thinkpad-x62/)

~~~
ggreer
I've since bought an X210. It's an X201s chassis with:

• A Core i7 8550u (4 cores, turbo boost up to 4GHz)[1]

• 2 DDR4 SODIMM slots. I put 32 GB of RAM in.

• 2x mini PCI Express slots. There's an 802.11/Bluetooth card in one. The
other is empty but could be used for LTE.

• An M.2 NVMe slot. I put a 2TB SSD in it.

• An upgraded screen (2880x1920, 450 nits, wide gamut). The bezel is cut to
make room for the 3:2 aspect ratio, sacrificing the webcam.[2]

I have small hands so I slightly prefer the X62's keyboard, but everything
else is _much_ better on the X210.

1\. [https://ark.intel.com/products/122589/Intel-
Core-i7-8550U-Pr...](https://ark.intel.com/products/122589/Intel-
Core-i7-8550U-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4-00-GHz-)

2\. [http://i.imgur.com/lj7g7CV.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/lj7g7CV.jpg)

~~~
Eldandan
Oh wow. I have an X62 and T70, but skipped the X210 because of the display. If
I knew you could get it with a 3:2 display I'd have been really tempted to get
one. Do you do the mod yourself or purchase it pre-installed?

~~~
ggreer
It came with the display pre-installed. I think all 3rd batch X210s have the
new display.

------
jacek
Most interesting Thinkpad mods come from China [1][2]. Lenovo keeps changing
the Thinkpad line so it resembles Apple machines more and more which is a sad
development (focus on form, not function). According to some recent leaks [3]
more machines will loose ethernet port and a hot-swappable battery in the next
iteration. In that case hardcore fans will have to resort to mods.

______

[1] [https://www.facebook.com/lcdfans/](https://www.facebook.com/lcdfans/)

[2] [http://www.cnmod.cn](http://www.cnmod.cn)

[3] [https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-2019-leak-
Data...](https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-2019-leak-Data-sheets-
of-the-redesigned-ThinkPads-T490-T490s-T590-have-been-leaked.410510.0.html)

~~~
setquk
Oh great, the persuit of anorexic computing marches forth.

The swappable and dual batteries on my T440 are a killer feature.

------
NikolaNovak
Impressive.

I love my T25; it's the best laptop I've had since T420s (still have 2-3 of
those around - love how modular they are, even with their slim size, with an
upgraded 256GB SSD + 2TB HDD, 16GB of RAM, and still quite lightweight plus
the best keyboard ever), and absolutely brilliant compared to abominations
like the '40 series which removed the trackpoint buttons (the only time I've
ever witnessed a senior security architect literally and repeatedly slam their
laptop against the desk in frustration!). Like many fellow nerds or
roadwarriors, the little red nub / trackpoint, and decent standard keyboard,
are "conditions of employment" for me - I spend too much time on a laptop to
chase my own tail with a trackpad [yes it's a low barrier of entry, but it's
positively painful to watch my co-workers try to navigate with it, all the
while they espouse "but it's so easy!"], or a non-standard home row layout :(

I do agree however that screen is at best "Meh" \- I do a lot of photography
processing and the T25 is just not an option. Certainly I wouldn't mind having
the better CPU and GPU from newer generations... but I don't think I would
compromise reliability, take the risk, or sacrifice the time that this
honourable fellow nerd has -- my hat is off to them! :-)

I just hope that the speed at which T25 was sold out, even at a clearly
inflated price, will demonstrate the demand. I agree with the author T25
wasn't so much "retro" as "the one good laptop in that generation".

------
setquk
I built myself a Frankenpad T440 in Jan. Paid £180 for it on ebay (grade A
used) about a year ago. Bought a 2018 MBA which was a pile of shit so decided
to return that and make the T440 better.

I swapped the screen out for a FHD one for £39, T450 touchpad (biggest
upgrade!) for £20 and new 76Wh battery for £39. New Samsung 256Gb 850 Pro disk
(cant remember how much that cost). Upgraded RAM to 8Gb by recycling an HP
EliteBook. Copied windows 10 ISO and keypass keychain to the built in 16Gb SSD
so I can recover it offline from my S3 backup target.

It's amazing. You'd have to pry it out of my cold dead hands. It's not the
best laptop possible but it's an excellent compromise it in total it cost less
than 1/3 of a MBA which had dubious "utility" compared to it.

------
snazz
I always find it interesting how well ThinkPads lend themselves to this kind
of modding. I don’t care _too_ much about the crappy screens since I have an
IPS desktop monitor if I need it, but it’s nice to see how many options you
have to upgrade the machines compared to other manufacturers’ laptops.

~~~
userbinator
I suspect it's because of the straightforward design, relatively roomy
interior, and parts availability. An analogy can be made to certain mid-70s
American cars with a similarly large aftermarket fanbase.

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ganoushoreilly
I would have skipped the liquid metal, it will need to be reapplied in a year
or two and is a pain in the ass.

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elliotpage
Good laptop, good taste in touhous

~~~
anilakar
It's a f-ran-kenpad

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post_break
So jealous. I almost did the pepe mod on my x230 but backed out when I got the
board in. Right now I have a hackintoshed XPS13. I just want a new thinkpad
that I can make run OSX flawlessly. I miss the trackpoint and the keyboard.

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trhway
a "portable computer" in the style of 198x and a "cloud on the go" at the same
time - a beefy mini-ITX in the backpack with big battery plus a wimpy notebook
(just with great screen and keyboard) as a terminal (with HDMI over air and BT
keyboard the "notebook" may not even need CPU/RAM) .

------
alinspired
weight and size aside, Thinkpad W530 is still a good choice:

    
    
      - 4 cores (Ivy Bridge), up to 32Gb (4 SO-DIMM slots)
      - decent full HD screen
      - nvidia GPU drives a single 4K monitor @60Hz via miniDP

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anilakar
Nice to see that the Thinkpads and fumos meme is still alive.

