Thinkpads Forum

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:21 am**

Hello,
I have a second hand Thinkpad X200 which survived a 100+ falls in my "care" and being picked up by the lid. I am not intentionally cruel to my laptops, but I have cerebral palsy, which means that I drop things through spasms and not the best grip and agility. The time has come for me to retire my x200, cos it just about had enough. It is still working, but I don't trust its usb ports anymore, and I rely on a dongle to have ac wifi.
If I wanted a new thinpad with similar durability, is my only option Carbon X1? Or will the x270, or even t470p be at least as sturdy as x200? I am a little concerned about the use of plastics in these cheaper models and I really need my machine to be as sturdy as possible, while preferably still being a thinkpad.
Thanks in advance for responses

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:21 am**

Welcome to the Forum.
The sturdiest of them all are probably the X120e (2011), X130e (2012) and X131e (2014).
Some of the above come with AMD CPU, these should be avoided at all costs; high heat and low performance.
The others have Intel CPU and are much better performers.
There's also a newer X140e (2014) which has an acceptable AMD A4-5000 CPU.
It's heavy though (3.9 Lbs / 1.77 KG).
I am not aware of similar newer models.

If you are into Chromebooks, this Lenovo N22 might be an option.
https://techaeris.com/2017/01/16/lenovo ... u-need-it/

Of course there is always the option to find a new(er/ish) X200 or X201.

For more info on other brands, have a look at this: http://laptops.reviewed.com/features/th ... s-on-earth

I'm sure others will chime in.

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:49 am**

There's a version of the Lenovo N22 with Windows 8.1 preinstalled. The biggest issue is that both storage and RAM are embedded in the system board, so upgrades are impossible.

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:53 am**

The X60 is a strong as hell machine. 51NB should be able to get it up to a i7-7500U and 16gb Should keep you going for another 5-7 years.

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:14 am**

If you need something more powerful: a X220 or X230. Not so sturdy as a X200, but much faster. I had for a short period of time a X140 (the amd 2 cores model), and it wasn't faster than a X200. I sold it again. Too weighty for its size and too slow, and I don't think it is really sturdier than a X200.

But, like Realblackstuff says, if your only concern are the faulty USB ports in your unit... X200 are very cheap these days. You can get another working one (or a X201) for a reasonable price. If you need ac wifi, you can always install an ac capable wifi card in your X200 (you'll need to remove the whitelist from BIOS first).

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:45 pm**

Yes welcome to the forum.

It depends probably on how much money you have to spend and your usage requirements. Your X200 might still be ok especially if you can get a AC WIFI card and it has an SSD.
Keep in mind the SSD and even the AC WIFI card might be usable in a newer machine if you still update to a newer model. In your circumstance I would be tempted to have a backup laptop ready to go which many Thinkpadders from this forum tend to possess.
I like the X220 and if you can pickup one cheap enough it might be an option. The X220 is not as sturdy as your X200 or my X301 or X201 but as already pointed out it is not significantly slower than the latest hardware.
If you drop and break a $150 laptop it is probably not going to hurt too much. YMMV

Goodluck

Posted: **Fri Oct 13, 2017 6:08 am**

If the USB ports are of the same material as those used on the *500 series then it's best to avoid using them (if the central ridge breaks you may not be able to boot because of a short) and use a flush-mount USB expresscard adapter instead. That has the added advantage that if the port gets damaged falling with the dongle connected you can just replace the card. See this courtesy of dr_st.

Preferentially you could install an internal ac capable wifi card in your X200 but the expresscard route is easier and you don't run the risk of dropping your X200 when flashing the BIOS to remove the whitelist or indeed when replacing the card.

Using a SSD and working on a thick rubber mat will shift the survival odds in your thinkpads favour.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:02 am**

You might like 51nb's X210. It's a completely new mobo with new CPUs, DDR4 and all that stuff. Fits inside the X200/201.

Have fun.

Posted: **Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:13 pm**

Czesuaf wrote: ↑
Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:21 am
Hello,
I have a second hand Thinkpad X200 which survived a 100+ falls in my "care" and being picked up by the lid. I am not intentionally cruel to my laptops, but I have cerebral palsy, which means that I drop things through spasms and not the best grip and agility. The time has come for me to retire my x200, cos it just about had enough. It is still working, but I don't trust its usb ports anymore, and I rely on a dongle to have ac wifi.
If I wanted a new thinpad with similar durability, is my only option Carbon X1? Or will the x270, or even t470p be at least as sturdy as x200? I am a little concerned about the use of plastics in these cheaper models and I really need my machine to be as sturdy as possible, while preferably still being a thinkpad.
Thanks in advance for responses

x220 does a remarkable job of surviving Cerebral Palsy, and startle reflex. The T410 and T420 are pretty tough too. My T420 survived a 5 foot bounce onto carpet, and only the palmrest got damaged (bent up and also cracked it). Got a replacement this last week, reassembled the laptop (I learned to repair them, but also have a background in electronic repair, broadcast engineering, and computers). I'm typing this post on this T420 right now. I buy my laptops used, and get and keep the hardware maintenance manuals on my ThinkPads. X1 Carbon is not CP resistant. T, X, W, and P series are.

Posted: **Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:55 am**

fourthree wrote: ↑
Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:02 am
You might like 51nb's X210. It's a completely new mobo with new CPUs, DDR4 and all that stuff. Fits inside the X200/201.

X210/X2100 must be nice machines. Though in my case the wait for a finished unit has been quite long (since Jan 2020, no machine yet).
The cost is above $1k, can be well above. On the other hand if you can find an X210 or X2100 unit being re-sold nearer to you that would eliminate the wait.

Warranty options are a problem too. In the very-very best case you're in for postage to/from China and some waiting time..
I really don't know what happens should the X2100 that I still hope to receive break.

On the flip side it's X200 or X201 body no ifs no buts.

--

OP, X220 are nice, I got one. I don't want to drop it though.. I think it will survive. Corners do chip off on X220 - both the screen and the palmreset - but that's cosmetic.
I also got two T520 and my heart is not in the right place when they get picked by the screen but so far they have shown no sign of being tired of that. Also quite sturdy.
FYI: X220 and X230 differ in keyboard in processor. Same for T420/T430. Same for T520/T530/W520/W530. All these should be in the same ballpark of sturdiness.
Nice, reasonably quick for year 2020. T and W take processor upgrades. X, T and W take RAM upgrades, DDR3. X and T are probably relatively cheap.
You want X220/T420/T520/W520 if you prefer scissor keyboards (like X200) to chicklet keyboards (like Apple notebooks).

--

Isn't T440s quite strong too? Perhaps even T440 or the fabled T440p?

--

Various Thinkpad Yoga, they are not excessively strong or reliable, but aren't they light? And being light more likely to survive a fall? Also they may come with a touchscreen which may or may not be an advantage. Being able to flip one as a tablet might be nice once in a while too. I've seen one of the Yoga's once or twice, that 13" device was quite light. But then I heard horror stories of poor reliability - unrelated to falls.

--

Using an SSD as has been pointed out is highly advised to make any notebook more resilient to drops.

Posted: **Thu Nov 19, 2020 12:34 pm**

atagunov wrote: ↑
Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:55 am
OP, X220 are nice, I got one. I don't want to drop it though.. I think it will survive. Corners do chip off on X220 - both the screen and the palmreset - but that's cosmetic.
I also got two T520 and my heart is not in the right place when they get picked by the screen but so far they have shown no sign of being tired of that. Also quite sturdy.
FYI: X220 and X230 differ in keyboard in processor. Same for T420/T430. Same for T520/T530/W520/W530. All these should be in the same ballpark of sturdiness.
Nice, reasonably quick for year 2020. T and W take processor upgrades. X, T and W take RAM upgrades, DDR3. X and T are probably relatively cheap.
You want X220/T420/T520/W520 if you prefer scissor keyboards (like X200) to chicklet keyboards (like Apple notebooks).

Well that's the same kind of experience my mum had with her X220. She is very careful with it but it does go in and out of a computer pouch bag. What end up happening is that small cracks form over time from the plastic being brittle over time, and then going in and out of the pouch bag enlarges it.
All in all, over its lifetime I had to replace its fan once (fan error) and its palmrest once. And now the antenna portion of the lid is starting to come off too. Tbh I am a little disappointed.
One upside for X220 series is that the bottom chassis is made out of metal, unlike the plastic construction on the T420 and T520.
Also keep in mind the X2xx series all have soldered in processors. Be wise of which one you choose when you buy one.
Also, I have lots of problems with wifi cards on these models and that continued with her current T430u as well. Somehow over our interesting router provided by Rogers wireless in Canada, it just keeps on dropping (whereas it didn't do this with other places). She doesn't wanna do the BIOS hacks so 5Ghz wifi card swaps are kinda out of the question.
The T430u then developed very loud fan after just 1-2 years of use. Fortunately this is the Delta fan so I can just open it up and lubricate and that solved the problem. And then there is the horrible keyboard flex that if you press down the 1 key hard enough it will jam up the fan!

Posted: **Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:01 pm**

KentT wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:13 pm
X1 Carbon is not CP resistant. T, X, W, and P series are.

Wouldn't T490 be very different from T400?

Think the above may be an overly broad statement. OP was specifically asking about modern plastic T-series and I think we generally share the concerns for their survivability after falls..

Posted: **Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:18 pm**

The statement does strike me as overly broad, but the quality of the plastics is not directly related to survivability after falls. The cosmetic damage to the plastic is not necessarily correlated with damage to internal components.

In terms of plastic quality, it is generally considered that the CS09 generation (T400s to T430) is the worst, and things were better before and after.

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 8:34 am**

atagunov wrote: ↑
Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:01 pm

KentT wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:13 pm
X1 Carbon is not CP resistant. T, X, W, and P series are.
Wouldn't T490 be very different from T400? Think the above may be an overly broad statement. OP was specifically asking about modern plastic T-series and I think we generally share the concerns for their survivability after falls..

I tend to have better success with the T430 and older about surviving falls. Note, the newer ThinkPads aren't quite as rugged as they used to be. They're still better than most. But the ultimate CP Proof laptop would be a Panasonic Full Rugged Toughbook job, but there's some considerable performance penalty in exchange. Things to consider.

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 8:38 am**

atagunov wrote: ↑
Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:55 am

fourthree wrote: ↑
Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:02 am
You might like 51nb's X210. It's a completely new mobo with new CPUs, DDR4 and all that stuff. Fits inside the X200/201.
X210/X2100 must be nice machines. Though in my case the wait for a finished unit has been quite long (since Jan 2020, no machine yet).
The cost is above $1k, can be well above. On the other hand if you can find an X210 or X2100 unit being re-sold nearer to you that would eliminate the wait.

Warranty options are a problem too. In the very-very best case you're in for postage to/from China and some waiting time..
I really don't know what happens should the X2100 that I still hope to receive break.

On the flip side it's X200 or X201 body no ifs no buts.

--

OP, X220 are nice, I got one. I don't want to drop it though.. I think it will survive. Corners do chip off on X220 - both the screen and the palmreset - but that's cosmetic.
I also got two T520 and my heart is not in the right place when they get picked by the screen but so far they have shown no sign of being tired of that. Also quite sturdy.
FYI: X220 and X230 differ in keyboard in processor. Same for T420/T430. Same for T520/T530/W520/W530. All these should be in the same ballpark of sturdiness.
Nice, reasonably quick for year 2020. T and W take processor upgrades. X, T and W take RAM upgrades, DDR3. X and T are probably relatively cheap.
You want X220/T420/T520/W520 if you prefer scissor keyboards (like X200) to chicklet keyboards (like Apple notebooks).

--

Isn't T440s quite strong too? Perhaps even T440 or the fabled T440p?

--

Various Thinkpad Yoga, they are not excessively strong or reliable, but aren't they light? And being light more likely to survive a fall? Also they may come with a touchscreen which may or may not be an advantage. Being able to flip one as a tablet might be nice once in a while too. I've seen one of the Yoga's once or twice, that 13" device was quite light. But then I heard horror stories of poor reliability - unrelated to falls.

--
Using an SSD as has been pointed out is highly advised to make any notebook more resilient to drops.

Yes, it's why I run SSD in my laptops. And they're kept backed up. The conventional hard drives are almost always crashed when my machines take tumbles. For me, ThinkPad Yoga is one bounce, and often not repairable. Lightweight laptops in that form factor do not bounce very well, and usually far less repairable when they do bounce.

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 8:54 am**

If all else fails, I have a nice X201 for sale here.

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