T430 new to Cormor99

[Cormor99]

Hi fellow TP'rs!

Picked up a new-to-me T430 a few weeks ago and I'm digging it. It's replaced a tired Dell E6500 for me. I'm liking the screen size, backlit key board and overall performance. In recent readings I see the Chiclet style keyboard is somewhat polarizing but I find it works just fine. Mine has the x 900 resolution screen an i5 vPro processor and 4gb ram.

It came with Fedora on it with a "guest" account for me. I've since purged that off, downloaded Windows 8.1 Pro from M$ (lappy has a Windows 8 Pro sticker on bottom) and installed/activated via whatever M$ code is embedded in bios (well, that's my understanding anyway). Windows 8.1 Pro is a new os to me and I think I might ditch it soon; I can't get it to update and I can't seem to get any of the Lenovo software to install. I think there are ways to still get the Windows 10 update from 8.1 Pro but I'm not sold on that either. I might try a few Linux distro's for giggles. I'm basically just talking about loud here but if anyone has and suggestions or comments, all are appreciated.

Seems like the normal hardware mods off the get go are sticking in an SSD and upping the RAM. Anyone have suggestions for RAM and where to buy? This machine will not be used for any gaming and will not likely travel much. This will be a living room machine doing general pleeb duties; surfing, vnc'ing into server boxes, office docs, etc.

Looking forward to tuning and using this machine ..

Cheers,
Cormor99

[w0qj]

Welcome to our ThinkPad forum!

You've chosen a good machine; T430 can run Win10/Win8/Win7, Linux.
~T430 has two RAM slots, and can be upgraded up to total 16 GB (8+8GB).
~Any 2.5" SSD would fit into T430, suggest you use product recovery if you plan to change SSD.

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T4 ... -p/1132829

- - - - - - - - - - -
We believe your T430 would serve you needs well!

Our own ThinkPad T410 is daily being used:
~8 GB RAM for T410 (maxed out)
~1 TB 2.5" SSD was used in T410 at one point; we confirm this works!
~Built like a tank: used for daily commute to/from work for 6 years, and on weekly trips at one point. Currently used in a fixed locale.

[Tasurinchi]

Welcome to the forum!

I think there are ways to still get the Windows 10 update from 8.1 Pro but I'm not sold on that either.

You can install Win10 and it will still automatically read the built in licence and activate without any issues.

Linux-wise, any Distro (as said above) will run very well on a T430.

[GrifterGuru]

T430 is also capable of running MacOS. I have High Sierra AND Mojave running on mine without any problems.

Have a look at buying an "Ultrabay" adapter to add a second HDD and also see about possibly buying an mSata for the spare slot underneath where the ram stick is (There is another ram slot under the keyboard BTW)....

[Cormor99]

Thanks for the welcome and info folks. This seems like a friendly place.

Does anyone run Windows 8.1 Pro anymore? I have Windows 10 on another pc and had it on the tired Dell but I find I am annoyed by how it updates. It seemed fast at first on the old Dell but seemed to slow noticeably as time went on. I know T430 is newer hardware and has a fresh install but the Windows 8.1 Pro seems blazingly fast. Still can't get it to update, but it has been stable so far too.

What about Lenovo software? Anyone use it? Or is it just bloatware? I like the idea of mfg software keeping my machine up-to-date (e.g., drivers) but none of them I've tried in the past have been anywhere near stellar. Never tried the Lenovo stuff (e.g., vantage).

I like the idea of the extra hdd in a removable slot. Chinese via eBay seems to be the route, no?

Looks like bumping the ram up to 16gb is the way to go. Any specific ram I should be looking at? I've checked out Newegg briefly and I see some ddr3 being labeled for specific brands/models.

How do the fingerprint scanners work on these? Viable log in option? Or should I stick with entering a password?

[wujstefan]

What about Lenovo software? Anyone use it? Or is it just bloatware? I like the idea of mfg software keeping my machine up-to-date (e.g., drivers) but none of them I've tried in the past have been anywhere near stellar. Never tried the Lenovo stuff (e.g., vantage).

Yup! Lenovo Vantage lets you set up tresholds on your battery, and this does help a lot. You can also read the battery data and automatically recalibrate it with the software.

I like the idea of the extra hdd in a removable slot. Chinese via eBay seems to be the route, no?

I'd rather recommend putting out the WWAN card (unless you're using it), and place a mSATA SSD in there - you will have the 2,5" slot empty for another storage. If this was a T430s, your DVDRW could be replaced with swappable battery (~32Wh), which helps a lot. I do have a spare or two (new, genuine), but these work only for "slim" models of this system.

Looks like bumping the ram up to 16gb is the way to go. Any specific ram I should be looking at? I've checked out Newegg briefly and I see some ddr3 being labeled for specific brands/models.

Any brand will work, those systems are not as picky as - say - W700 or T500. I myself run Hynix modules, but Samsung worked out just as well

[ztof]

T430 is also capable of running MacOS. I have High Sierra AND Mojave running on mine without any problems.

Have a look at buying an "Ultrabay" adapter to add a second HDD and also see about possibly buying an mSata for the spare slot underneath where the ram stick is (There is another ram slot under the keyboard BTW)....

Yep, on mine MacOS Mojave is installed on a SSD that is located in the Ultrabay adapter.
As it's not my main OS (I use MacOS just from time to time) and I don't want to mess with dual boot, I found it very convenient to get it on a swappable disk

In my configuration, mSata is used for OS (Linux) and 2.5" for mass-storage HDD.

[GrifterGuru]

Somewhat strangely for me, I have actually combined all my OS's on to one SSD.

System seems to have perked up a bit and I now have two spare areas for SSD's (mSata and Ultrabay).