ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop computers and tablets designed, developed and marketed by Lenovo, and formerly IBM. ThinkPads have a distinct black, boxy design language, inspired by a Japanese bento lunchbox, which originated in 1990 and is still used in some models. Most models also feature a red-colored trackpoint on the keyboard, which has become an iconic and distinctive design characteristic associated with the ThinkPad line.
ThinkPads have enjoyed cult popularity for many years. There are large communities on the Internet dedicated to the line where people have discussions about it, share photos and videos of their own ThinkPads, etc. Older ThinkPad models remain popular among enthusiasts and collectors, who still see them as durable, highly usable machines, despite no longer being modern. They have gained a reputation for being reliable, or "indestructible", even.
- Screen
- Keyboard
- Processor
- Motherboard
- FrankenPads
- BIOS
- Storage
- RAM
- WiFi
- Charging
- Battery
- UltraBay
- USB
- Speakers
- Cooling
- Other Goodies
- Contribute
Truth be told, many ThinkPads have terrible screen, but there are ways to upgrade them.
- X220 with Pixel Qi screen. Direct sunlight viewable
- X230 13.3" FHD using nitrocaster mod
- X240 13.3" FHD
- T420 WQHD
- T430 FHD
- T430 WQHD
- T430 14.5" 16:10
- T480 FHD upgrade
- T480 FHD to WQHD
- T480 4K
- T480s 4K
- T490 144Hz FHD
- T580 FHD 500 nits
- P50 FHD upgrade
- P50 FHD 500 nits
- Classic 7 row keyboard in xx30 series
- Ortholinear keyboard for xx10/xx20/xx30 series
- Another ortholinear keyboard for xx30 series
- Custom keyboard for T470s
- ThinkPad keyboards over USB: 380ED, T60, T61, T420 (printables), X1 Tablet 2016 & 2017, T25
- X1 Carbon Gen 10 keyboard for Framework 16, discussion
Last ThinkPads with upgradable CPU are T440p and W541.
- Corebooted xx20 machines support xx30 CPUs
- T420 with i7-3632QM (quad-core 35W processor)
- X230 with quad-core CPU Original motherboard with standard dual-core CPU desoldered and replaced with quad-core.
- T440p with i7-4980HQ
- T25 Frankenpad: T480 with 7 row keyboard from T25
- Kit or full build from xyte.ch, example build, and another one
- A Frankenpad Story Custom T25 with Quad-Core CPU and UHD LCD Panel
- T25 Frankenpad with 16:10 screen
- T25 Frankenpad from parts bought oneBay
- Another example, and another one
- X390, T490s, T14s Gen 1, and X13 Gen 1 mainboards are compatible
- Thinkpad 701C with Framework 13 mainboard and iPad 7 display, discussion
- Coreboot Lightweight firmware replacing proprietary BIOS.
- Libreboot Freedom-respecting Coreboot distro.
- 1vyrain Software-based jailbreak for xx30 series.
- Additional SSD in Ultrabay Replace your CD drive with 2.5" SSD.
- ExpressCard to NVMe Adapter M.2 2242 SSD for R51e to P71.
- xx20 series support 8GB RAM modules. You can install two times more RAM than oficially supported.
- T480 with 64GB RAM
- USB-C charging port for models from X60 to T460
- USB-C adapters, like this one, or this one, or this one with cable
- W530 with 90W adapter
- X220 with speakers from Dell Latitude 5280
- X220 with Galaxy Note 10+ speakers
- X230 with Nexus 6p speakers
- X230 with iPhone 12 Pro speakers
- T430 with solid speakers finally! :)
- Double heat-pipe T440p
- T480s with copper pads
- ThinkPad 10 Gen 2 with copper pads
- T14 Gen3 single to dual heatpipes - moar info hereb
- Tex Shinobi, Tex Kodachi: Mechanical keyboards with classic 7 row layout and trackpoint.
- Tex Shura, Tex Yoda II: More mechanical keyboards with trackpoint.
- TrackPoint modules for Ultimate Hacking Keyboard
- /r/TrackPoint Builders
- ThinkPads and cats
- TrackPoint rants
Contributions welcome! Read the contribution guidelines first.