I'm glad to donate this T410 to the channel. Yes, it's still usable in 2022 for web browsing and office work. You can even burn CD's and DVD's.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks again and you're absolutely right.

@ajarnadam

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed but I would replace the had with a cheap ssd. This saved my T410 from running too hot and rebooting.

@ajarnadam

2 жыл бұрын

I would also add that the batteries used are not even made anymore so replacement is not an option …,mine is more or less used as a desktop entertainment machine.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

I was able to find third party inventory especially since the batteries are compatible between newer models. Thankfully this unit has an SSD.

@spywhale

11 ай бұрын

@@ajarnadam how do you connect your laptop to hdmi monitor

A great advantage of this machine is also that is has (afaik) no commonly known hardware failures. The T60/61 series massively suffered from failing vram and/or broken palmrest/structue frames etc. I have dozends of broken T60/61s, whereas all T410s I bought/resold worked fine.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Looking at this example 12 years later, that rings true.

@herrfaust2020

2 жыл бұрын

Actually, I've seen a lot of cracked palm rests on T410s-es. And that's ignoring the fact that people overtighten the HDD screw, which also causes cracks in the palm rest.

@express496

Жыл бұрын

This seems to be quite common with first gen intel laptops with integrated grapihics. I have bought a broken x201 in the past, but have managed to fix it just removing and replacing a capacitor. If you keep them cool they just keep on trucking. Screens are also a non issue since they are LED backlit.

@klamberext

Жыл бұрын

I have read that backlight might be issue. Mine has degraded for example. Other than that, nothing to complain. Still in use.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Early backlit screens are hit and miss.

I found a mint condition t410 in an abandoned office in my dad's building. I got a great deal on it and am excited to restore it. I see it as a project similar to restoring a classic car; It might not be entirely practical, but still very fun, educational, and I'll have a beautiful functioning machine at the end. And the fact that it came into my life by chance instead of an eBay purchase, makes it that much more special to me.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

That's awesome Ryan. Let us know how it goes.

Still use my T410 after buying it 12 years ago. Runs Windows 10, 8gb ram and a SSD. Hard candy removed, replace with another SSD caddy. Battery replacement is the only things that's been required. No Web cam though. It's a tank of laptop.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

That's awesome, thanks for sharing your upgrades over the years.

@klamberext

Жыл бұрын

Same here. Great machine

A LOT of people overlook older thinkpads like this going for what is essentially unrepairable modern junk that often isn't even comfortable to use let alone durable. My only gripe about the T410 is no quad core support and cooling could have been a bit better as usual. I enjoyed mine for a couple of years of daily use then moved on to a W520.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

I think it's important to empower people with the information that these systems are still usable and are budget friendly for the majority of computing tasks. Cutting edge is great, but it's cutting edge for a reason.

@lukeryuzaki2328

Жыл бұрын

Hi. Do you still have the driver disc, files, you can share? The issue people, me including having with older laptop is lack of driver support. After sometimes, the manufacturer company would end support, and it's difficult to locate the right driver. Windows update alone can't get every driver.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Lenovo has an EOL website for their machines.

@lukeryuzaki2328

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective I am aware of that. The issue is they just put a bunch of driver of other machine in there too. The version, naming convention doesn't help differentiating which one is correct/newer.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Are you sure we are talking about the same website? The menus narrow down the list pretty well and list the latest by OS.

I had one of these machines given to me by my last employer. It was already a 3 year old refurb when I got it, but the price was right and I was able to consolidate several machines into it, so it was a huge win! I lucked out in the lot and got the one with the 1440x900 panel, i5-560m, and 256MB nVidia card where my boss got saddled with the lowest-spec version. It traveled all over North America with me for years. I swapped a small SSD into it after the first year or so, and over time collected a big battery and the docking station too. It eventually ran a 3-screen setup as my work desktop PC. Funny thing about that laptop - it originally came with a Windows XP key on the bottom. Sometime during the refurb process, it had also been given a "Windows 7 for Refurbished Computers" license. Well, Windows 7 keys work for Windows 10, so once I got fed up with Linux on the thing, you bet that's what I put on it! Ran flawlessly for years. After it was no longer my everyday work laptop (replaced by T480 once the company had a bit more money) the IT guy gifted it to me and it became my tinkering laptop. One day I decided to try putting XP on it, and once I found all the drivers on Lenovo's legacy site, it worked perfectly too! So the T410 may in fact be the last Thinkpad to "officially" support both Windows XP and Windows 10. I gave it to my housemate to use (after putting Windows 10 back on it of course) and it's still kicking today. It won't update past Windows 10 1904 due to a driver issue, but I might just reinstall and see what happens at some point.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

What a fantastic story, thanks for sharing your experience!

I'm very much a fan of the T410 layout as it closely resembles that of my T420. Also good on Lenovo for making such broad battery compatibility.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, the battery compatibility was a nice surprise and likely helped companies transition from generation to generation.

Still a nice machine and it'll be a joy to type on as a productivity machine. Great review, as usual. Typing from my venerable T-430. 😃

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers! Glad you enjoyed it!

Great video, thanks, that also explains why the 2 T420's I had stunk so much in use, now I know why I will buy another and use foam to take up the slack on the drive.

@LaptopRetrospective

8 ай бұрын

Happy to help.😁

You are partially correct about the Batteries. The T430/530, T420/520, and their equivalent W series batteries were interchangable with the T410/510. the 410/510 used older batteries that wouldn't always work in the newer 20 and 30 series. I personally have a T410, T430, T520, and T530 that I have tested this on. The original 55+ batteries from the T410 will fit in, but not function properly in the newer models which require the 70+ series of batteries. It's something to do with the microchip(s) in the charging circuit or battery itself. As for usable in 2022, it all depends on which processor it has, how much memory it has, as well as if it has an SSD or not. I wouldn't run one of them off of a spinning rust hard drive.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the additional information about the batteries and yes, a HDD would be a no-go.

@saraofnorthwales

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective I find the combination of a Linux install to a USB Stick for the os, with data such as videos on a large HDD pretty hard to beat. And then you just swap the USB to any of your Thinkpads and boot it up - it's very convenient. I did some test against an SSD and it was exactly the same boot up time - exactly to the second :)

I still use a T410 for playing an old MUD. Windows 10, intel i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 500GB SSD. For 90% of daily computing tasks it’s fine. Just don’t ask it to play modern AAA games and you won’t be disappointed. Still one of the best keyboards ever made.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Love to hear how these older machines are still appreciated.

@lukeryuzaki2328

Жыл бұрын

Hi. Do you have the drivers installation files? Please share it with me. I am trying to restore an abandoned T410. Having difficulty to find all the driver. Thanks in advance

I have W510 since 2010, never repasted. Still strong and I have updated it last July to Windows 11. Since I have always used it as desktop replacement workstation, I have noticed that the last 12 years, the Panasonic battery only lost 3% of it's capacity.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

That's pretty impressive.

@express496

Жыл бұрын

The W510 is a beast, enjoy it!

7:39 the smell of those hard drive rails are so nostalgic to me as I used the ThinkPad T410 for a very long time and I associate it with so many memories and that smell is something I practically grew up with. I adore that smell even though it's an odd smell.

@LaptopRetrospective

9 ай бұрын

Certainly iconic. 😂

@anned8634

8 ай бұрын

funny part is you don't get the smell if you are using a SSD drive because it runs a lot cooler

@LaptopRetrospective

8 ай бұрын

@anned8634 At the very least significantly reduced.

@vicolin6126

Ай бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective Swapped the HDD for a SSD recently in this near-mint T410 I bought online, however the drive rails smell quite a lot. To me, it smells a bit like horse manure.

still using one right now & for many years now, originally bought 2nd hand as a refurbished unit ( replaced the HD with an SSD straight after I bough it) - very reliable machine - only issues I have had recently were the laptop runnng hot because the thermal paste needs renewing & the speakers going distorted because of their age

@LaptopRetrospective

7 ай бұрын

Glad to hear yours is still seeing use. 👍

the x400 /x500 through to x430/x530 has to be the the easiest era of ThinkPads to work on, and all still viable for modern computing.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

They are pretty special. No question.

@joshtree8298

2 жыл бұрын

mmmm,.. nostalgias got ya, I got my first thinkpad a year ago.... fav 14" is likely gonna be t430 in the end only because of the 1440p display adapter (t440p does end up being faster, and it can take a harder fall). T540p is a sickm sick machine. t420 is ok, if you coreboot and put in an ivybridge quad. ivybridge and earlier also cant cast to a 4k display....

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Only 4K display I've ever owned is my TV. 😁

@joshtree8298

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective HAHA, yeah man my 4k monitor is basically a TV! Would have been much better off with a 1440p, and adding a second

I'm typing this comment on mine right now! Bought it secondhand for $100 about four years ago and it's been a real workhorse. I put an additional $80 of upgrades (RAM, bigger SSD capacity) into it, and couldn't be happier with mine.

@LaptopRetrospective

11 ай бұрын

That's awesome. Good upgrade selection.

One of my favorite laptops ever. I've been running Ubuntu LTS on it for 10+ years, and everything works. I upgraded the RAM, added an SSD and it just keeps trucking along like an old F-150. It's outlived many more modern laptops I got to replace it. The only real bummer is the battery life compared to modern machines, and the screen doesn't have the best contrast. I'll probably keep it forever.

@LaptopRetrospective

5 ай бұрын

Pretty much how I feel about my X220.

The HD caddy is also where the card reader slot would be.

I just installed LMDE Cinnamon on mine. Runs very snappy!! SSD's are low priced nowadays...

@LaptopRetrospective

5 ай бұрын

SSD really does the trick.

@jrayv

5 ай бұрын

Yes!@@LaptopRetrospective

Just upgraded my w530 to 32gb ram. Solid machine!

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

So much RAM, so many Chrome tabs. 😂

I got myself one of these off eBay for around 50$ and it still holds up! I use it for basic tasks and remote accessing my main gaming desktop through Parsec. It works surprisingly well even over WiFi!

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

That's awesome, thanks for sharing how you use it

@LinkDragon512

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective Not a problem! ^^

With some basic upgrades, u can add 3 SATA drives for either the T420 and T430. 4th gen models can do the same except for slim models.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Yep, technically now 4 are possible with the Express Card slot on those models.

ThinkPad series, especially the older series before T490 (and the family) is very durable and very upgreadable. My first ThinkPad is R50. And now I still have 2 ThinkPad, X260 and T470 (as my daily driver) and upgrade with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Is fast enough for my computing needs. Durable and repairable is my concern, because i will use this laptop for long term. I hate have laptop with flaw design and repeated of hardware failures. Typing this comment form my T470.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Nice selection of devices!

I loved the T410 machines that I used - pity the cooling for the early Core i5/7's wasn't very good at all, fans came on too often. For some reason the T410 felt more robust than T400/T420.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

They were doing a lot of experimenting with internal structures and design during that time period.

I am watching this video on a T410 running Arch.

I bought one yesterday for 15€ 🤭🤫. Was sold as defective and had a boot error🤷😅 Then set the BIOS and installed Windows 10. Was surprised that the box still runs so well 👌 Think will upgrade with an SSD

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Fantastic. Glad you got it working!

I have one of this t410 model. It's a pity that you can't change the processor for a quad-core one since it has built-in graphics.

Note that the smell might not only be coming from the rails, could be from a degrading display, some thinkpads were prone to the adhesive between the glass and polarizer reacting causing the computer to smell like vinegar :)

@LaptopRetrospective

6 ай бұрын

Fair point here. I'd still stay most of the time, the "smoker" smell comes from the rails.

First gen Core i-processors are still usable, but they are certainly on their last leg for general usage.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Could be, but thankfully in the meantime are nice cost effective options.

@FlyboyHelosim

2 жыл бұрын

My backup laptop has a 1st Gen i3 and it's more than usable so long as you're not trying to run a bloated OS on it. It's capable of running virtual machines surprisingly well, too.

I have 3 T410s and i got all three for less than $75. All had a fan error and I found with age the fans get brittle and need to be replaced. I upgraded with SSD drives and Linux mint, and they have been running fine for 3 years now. They do not slow down like Windows computers after a couple of years. You need to get clear keyboard covers or dust and dirt gets under the keys and will cause problems. The touchpads are and always been a pain and i have always used a wireless mouse. Batteries are an issue with counterfeits, but some counterfeits are rebuildable with 3500mAh 18650 cells and when rebuilt are good. Many of them have, 1800mAh cells in them.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your experiences with this unit.

you made me go and check the hdd railings on my x220 and jesus christ i gotta replace them asap

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Surprising isn't it? I didn't believe it the first time I was told this but the nose doesn't lie.

I have one with pretty good condition, but sadly the speakers are broken. It's still very usable for college, and retro games like dmc 3 se, dmc 4, gta sa, but i have to use headphone or external speakers. Tried to clean it once because it reaches 95°c in max loads, but unfortunately a few screw are broken so I can't open it.

@LaptopRetrospective

5 ай бұрын

Those screws can be drilled out and replaced. All depends on your level of comfort.

Sugestion of video series or just one video: Can you build Thinkpad (Place model here) from individual spare parts?

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Hmmmm. Interesting idea. I wonder what model people would enjoy the most?

@viniciusmv7727

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective I think it would have to be something difficult to procure like x301, T25 or something like that.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

I love the idea of trying to build a T25 from a T470/parts kit. I might have to price that out as some parts demand a high price.

Got mine a month ago really cheap so I can play retro games in bed/ watch vids, it's really great but the hinges are not the best and I'll need to figure out how to tighten them, otherwise I love it!

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Cool! Thanks for sharing your experience. Let us know if you find a good method to tighten the hinges.

The same model ThinkPad that I own lol. Mines a low end model though with no fingerprint reader, NVIDIA graphics or anything extra. Not the best ThinkPad, but it’s my ThinkPad.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

You got the right idea, it's still a ThinkPad.

I have a t420 that I use to write. No windows installed on it because I don't want the pesky updates interfering my work. The keyboard in it is just perfect 👌👌👌👌 Linux mint is decent, I probably would benefit if I had my t420 installed with windows, but nah, my other laptop does that already. One thing about modern laptops is the lack of repairable parts, which drive me slightly nuts, soddered ram is one of the biggest sin if u ask me, I don't mind soddered cpu.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Soldered CPUs are industry standard but RAM shouldn't be, absolutely right. I run Mint on my X220 but I want to try PopOS one day.

if I remember correctly. While a 20 and 30 series will fit and power each machine. The 30? would not charge the 20 battery.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Yes, depending on the BIOS version, whether or not the lockout has been removed and the manufacturer of the battery. Many third party batteries built later found a workaround.

I'm just getting into the video, haven't got through it yet, but a thought just occurred to me. How many Thinkpads and other laptops do you actually *have* at this point? I know some or even most are loaners just for a video, but it'd be interesting to see your collection of notebooks.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Daniel, you're totally right that many pass through and aren't mine or kept. Acquisition can be tricky because often I have to turn to eBay and their prices on shipping to my country are often significant to the point where some I'd like, I have to pass on or save up. Perhaps for a 20,000 sub video or other celebration I could do a video or stream showing off my modest collection.

@joshtree8298

2 жыл бұрын

It's gottta be big... I got my first thinkpad a year ago. Today I've got about 30 fully equiped models. Ofc I found out fast the ones worthwhile.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

I think you might actually be in the lead Josh. That's impressive.

@joshtree8298

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective Ahh, I stumbled across one when I was desperate for somehting cheap... Had heard the name before. Ended up being one with a socketed CPU, This got me into electronic repair and involved in the battle against e-waste. I quickly sold the expensive laptops I had prior, realizing I was only renting them this whole time. As things unfolded fast... I realized how damn capable these are. This is the truest example of "they dont make em like they used to" that I can think of, and I can say this isn't romanticized given how picky I am for a high performing machine paired with the lack of any nostalgia being a decade late.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

I think we as a culture still believe that computer technology is something we need to keep pace with and we don't for the majority of tasks we do.

Just saved one from scrap for $6.99 complete with adapter. Win10 reset and it's ready to go battery even holds a bit of charge. Thinklight is out but whatever for the price...

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Great find, well done!

recently bought T410s with 310nits Touchscreen and nVidia Optimus. very good TN-Panel, perfect 16:10, perfect keyboard and 2nd battery but love the T400 aswell I plan to use it as my machine work machine since 16:9 14inchers are not providing enough space for serious editorial work and also after 1-2 hours of intense wrk my trackpoint-hand cramps since the trackpoints on newer machines or so low-height. Maybe I can get a 16:10 screen working in a T430, paired with classic Keyboard, 16gb ram, quadcore,.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

I want to get my hands on one or two of those earlier s machines one of these days.

@Veg-Power

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective nice, looking forward to it :)

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

No idea when that will happen, but it's on the list.

@Veg-Power

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective I watch every video, so I won't miss it regardless at which point in the future it's coming :D

@herrfaust2020

2 жыл бұрын

Nice. I wouldn't mind picking up a T410s with touch, if one ever crosses my path. I really like the T410s. Shame it has a 1.8" bay, although I did buy an mSATA to micro SATA card. The other weak point, like all the *01/*10 generation, would be the 8GB RAM max. The 16:10 comparison isn't really valid, since the resolution here is 1440x900. A modern T-series would be 1920x1080, so that's still higher res, no matter what aspect ratio.

I bought two of these, which I still have and am currently using one now. I have pensioned these off in favour of a W500 and two T400 machines, because of the build quality of the plastic. Both my T410 s had creaky breaking palm rests. I even bought an almost new used replacement and that broke also. I found the poor quality off-putting and avoided buying any newer models until recently. That experience changed when I purchased an X230 - nice solid machine and quality plastics. Now, with all your experience, I wonder if you can advise me if the poor quality issue improves over time AFTER the T410 (I know the 420 suffers) and which laptop model in the T series remedies this defect. If anyone wants to see a demo of this fault, search for T510 creaking palmrest. Thanks for your nice informative videos.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

When it comes to build quality and plastics it's a harder question to answer directly than you think. It has more to do with how these machines are assembled, the substructure (rollcages), the materials of those substructures and how they transmit force, the torque specs and condition of the screws... Reports of creaking go back as early as the T30 if not longer. Some models seem to be more prone than others but I think you can find a story of this on every model maybe up until the Tx40 era and onward when they went to a unified topcase and single panel bottom.

@saraofnorthwales

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective Thanks for your quick response. The T400 seems to be the peak of solidity for this particular case design, how it feels in the hands I mean. Do you think this same feeling of solidarity in the hands has returned in the Tx40 and beyond? Does the Tx40 feel as solid as the X230? Thanks, just don't want to be disappointed buying another Thinkpad and hoping for build quality that is gone to a bygone era. I might also point out that my x300 feels more solid than the T410 too, though unlike the T400 and X200 it is unusable for KZread videos in 2022, unfortunately.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Feeling is a subjective thing. Comparing a ThinkPad against another ThinkPad from two different generations is harder than you might initially think. Comparatively a ThinkPad feels more durable than any other branded computer from the same generation. Looking at the models you're talking about, one might want to consider where that 'solid feeling' is coming from and you might find it was some of the internals that are no longer needed, creating some extra space. That space might be perceived as flex or weakness but they quickly reinforced that with the rollcage that was brought in to strengthen the internal shell. This does mean the parts that we touch with our hands might not feel as durable or are prone to breakage because they don't have to be built as tough since the internal structures will really protect the guts. So all that being said, I'd encourage you to find some models from that era to hold in your hands and see what you think for yourself.

@saraofnorthwales

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective I found a fix for the T410 and made a video about that on my channel just an hour or so ago. I also demonstrate a different approach to this issue that I hope you would make a video about. Thanks for your thoughtful and useful response. I am thinking about my next purchase and want to find the next best T400 replacement.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

I watched your video and it has given me an idea on something to put together. It might take me some time though. 😁

My 410 is stuck in a older state where not even the folder images are loading basically only the terminal is working what can I do to update it? 😅

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Saying terminal makes me think you're running Linux, is that right? You have an SSD in it?

With care, effort and not much spending these pre-minimalist Think Pads prior to the Spartan yet overpriced T440 onward can still outclass most laptops made in the last 10 years, with their parsimonious ports and lack of an optical drive or bay for such. You seemed to be amazed at the quick boot up in Windows 10 but my T400, T500, T410 and T420 all boot to full readiness inside 15 seconds and, indeed, my T500 with a quicker CPU and 6GB DDR3 ram boots in 9 seconds. Too many contemporary laptops light up quickly but do not actually load to full action in much under 20 seconds. Full action means a fully populated task bar as no laptop will do anything until that point. I have noticed that my T410 indeed runs a little warmer than the others because cooling lacked surface area but only as warm as a typical Dell of the era and up to today. Lenovo should have used the cooling branched bar fitted to the X200. You inadequately describe uses for the express card slot and although your optical drive/'ultra bay' here was missing a screw it might have been useful to mention that, with a caddy in there, an extra SSD/HDD can be used or swapped in and out with the screw released. Optical discs are still useful in the education field and ripping CDs to a folder allows for FLAC quality which only a few USB external DVD/RW accessories allow -- at a price. Cheap ones will not do and better to have an optical drive on PCIE anyway for more lanes and less stress on the CPU. When Lenovo abandoned audio/visual with the appalling T440 I purchased a Think Pad DVD/R from the manufacturer and it was rather poor quality so I used an ASUS ones instead for the short time we used T440s and suspended our bulk contract with Lenovo. In retirement now I retain a number of T Series models and actually mostly use my T400 and T420 laptops for my general use, hardly bothering with the (faster) M1 Macs I was given because I prefer the feel of the classic ThinkPads and when I say that the MI Macs are faster their actual use per task is not because of innate creakiness of Mac OS. Windows 10 -- de-bloated -- on the classic ThinkPads and a bit of fine tuning makes them, as you say, superb student/small business machines capable of much more than many realize.

@Thinkfa5t

6 ай бұрын

Small correction on this correction... There is no retaining screw (or even a place for it) on the T410 for the UltraBay release latch. Also, better cooling is possible with the last revision of the discrete GPU fan module, (FRU 45M2724). Integrated graphics models had a different fan and less heat pipe to cool things. The better dGPU fan/heatsink will fit an iGPU model if you snip off the GPU heatpipe - and run very quiet and cool.

I love it because it has 4 usbs t410

@LaptopRetrospective

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, that was a lot at the time to be sure!

is the T410 battery safe? I read Lenovo recalled it in 2014 due to overheating.

@LaptopRetrospective

10 ай бұрын

There might be a few recalled batteries still out in the wild, it isn't impossible but usually those are detected by System Update or another tool, assuming they are installed. Original batteries for this machine that hold a decent charge are probably not very common either meaning it would be replaced with another battery that does not have the same issue.

@zkireh

10 ай бұрын

​@@LaptopRetrospectivethanks for the info👍

Did all t410 come with an Nvidia GPU, or were they optional?

@LaptopRetrospective

Ай бұрын

Optional.

I am using a T400, it's my only computer and have used it for years. I run linux on it. I dont like windows, too annoying

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Gotta go with what works for you!

This is a long shot but would one of these be decent for productivity even now? Im used to a ryzen 7 5700x and rtx 4070 ti but i just want something i can lie in bed and do simple stuff like internet browsing and word processing with

@LaptopRetrospective

5 ай бұрын

Internet browsing might be a little slow depending on configuration and OS. I use Linux Mint on my X220 and it's okay.

@funkygreen80

5 ай бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective ah okay thanks. I've got an old Chromebook I used for school for 5 years so it's pretty slow now, just wanted a cheap upgrade from that. Worth it for £20 with the I5 520m?

@LaptopRetrospective

5 ай бұрын

I'd say if it's in good shape, give it a whirl and maybe throw some Linux distro on an SSD.

Good contents and explanation. Unfortunately the lighting and video quality of your videos are not so good in my opinion.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback. I'm limited by my setup unfortunately. If you have suggestions that are specific on how I could improve it, let me know.

I still use my X230t every day

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Fun machines those!

Would anyone know if/where you can get reliable new batteries for older Thinkpads? I have a W530 with a 9 cell battery and a slice battery, but they don't hold their charge anymore.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

The slice batteries are rare since third parties don't make those. But I've seen lots of third party batteries that have a traditional form factor.

@wandererstraining

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective Thanks! Any recommendations for those? I've seen some, but they tended to not have great reviews.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

I've had good luck with Batt Depot and Dr. Battery.

@wandererstraining

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective Thanks a lot! Hope you have a great day!

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome, you too. I hope you find what you're looking for.

Libreboot guide for this? Actually I have the t430 and unfortunately doesn't support Libreboot.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Libreboot doesn't appear to natively support this? libreboot.org/docs/hardware/#laptops-intel-x86 Coreboot looks to be supported: doc.coreboot.org/mainboard/lenovo/t410.html

@archygrey9093

2 жыл бұрын

Coreboot

@eurimontero1883

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective thx

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

believe in me guys, dont messed up with old thinkpad, it's hardcore af ,trust me

Is a t480 with i7 still a good buy today?planning to buy for school and movies.thanks

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

It is still a great computer. Windows 11 capable. An i7 will give you a fair bit of power too.

@karlunabia6524

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective but how about its futureproofing how many years will it still be usable in your opinion?

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

The term future proof is misleading as nothing truly ever is. What I can say is that ThinkPads generally outlive the operating system they shipped with by many years. That ThinkPad if upgraded and treated well will likely last you beyond when Windows 11 is replaced. What will be a bigger factor is how your computing needs change over time.

could you do a disassemlby of the keyboard ? My t410 keyboard isn't working. only a few keys, i swapped it for another 2 keyboards, and it didn't work. idk why, and the flex was swapped from another keybord. it still not working. thank you. nice video

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

You might want to check the connector on the motherboard for damage then if you have swapped keyboards and still have the same issue then I think you can rule out the keyboard as being the problem.

@nikkratos9948

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective the pins from the connector in the motherboards looks good, idk. i will test a t420 keyboard, the t410 and t420 keyboards are compatible. im right?

@nikkratos9948

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective i think, the flex keyboard is wrong placed, but idk how is it, if you can do it i will thank you. if not, not problem!.

Mine is missing webcam, so optional.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Noted!

I've got a certain affinity for this generation (2010). I own a pair of T410, pair of W510, an X201, and an X100e. One unmentioned quirk is that all models in that generation removed the Lenovo logo from the top cover. It first appeared on the T400, T500, X200, etc. then disappeared in 2010 models, and returned again in the next gen T420, T520, X220, etc. Why? Wondering if this branding choice ever came up in your chats with David Hill? It's like they tried briefly to promote Think products above Lenovo - maybe spinning it off. Then changed their mind. Wierd.

I have lenovo t410 but why does it keeps saying the cpu i have is intel core i5 580m? Its not even t410s

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

No idea unless it was swapped.

@Reaperdeathmoon

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective isnt it impossible to change the laptop cpu?

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Looks like there are a handful that shipped with that CPU.

Webcam is optional. I've got one without it.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for confirming!

i swear ima try gaming on that lmao some games doesn't need high spec requirements so it may games well if u can play on 30fps lowest setting like me low end gamer

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

If you do, let us know how it goes. 😂

I currently use a ThinkPad T410 with a 27++ slice battery and it's still great EDIT: Also, 3 to 6 hours from the six cell is bullshit. Mine is in almost brand new condition and does only about 2 to 4 hours.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 ай бұрын

Wow, those slices are pretty rare.

@RowanBird779

2 ай бұрын

​@@LaptopRetrospective I got mine for pretty cheap, about $40 on eBay, amd it happened to be in pretty good functional condition

@LaptopRetrospective

2 ай бұрын

Nice find.

the t410 doesn't have optimus option. it only has nviadia graphics or gma graphics.

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

The T410 did have it from what I've read, but is was not common. notebooks.com/2010/10/05/lenovo-adding-nvidia-optimus-graphics-to-thinkpad-t410-t410s-and-t510-notebooks/ support.lenovo.com/mn/en/solutions/ht037605 www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thinkpad-T410-Notebook-Optimus.42580.0.html

@nikkratos9948

Жыл бұрын

​@@LaptopRetrospective really? i only know a few models of the t410s. the t410 even needs an dockstation to use 3 monitors. i read in forums that the t410 never was released with the optimus feature, im searchinig that forums, if i found it i will paste the url here. have a nice day!

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Cheers, let us know what you find.

@nikkratos9948

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective hello!, yea, u' right. i couldn't find the forum discussion, but i found something usefull information: "T410 equipped with the NVIDIA NVS 3100M and the Integrated Graphics Card does use the Optimus Technology [...] It is important to note that the Machine Types 2518 and 2522 are the only ones that have this. [...]". Hope it helps to anyone

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your research!

Hey bro! Can I install two ram sticks in this thing or just one?

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

It has two RAM slots. 👍

@viper_draws_9217

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective my unit heats alot ... Is there any solution to that?

@LaptopRetrospective

Жыл бұрын

Check your fan, make sure it's clean and ensure your thermal paste hasn't dried out. What temps are you getting?

@viper_draws_9217

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective 80° avg

@viper_draws_9217

Жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective how can I change the thermal paste and which one to use?

Looks like my choice of Dell E6410 at the time was by chance really good. Seeing now what the competition was, both HP and Lenovo were far inferior in many aspects. Compared to 6410 this here looks like it was designed by clowns. BTW, watching this and commenting on E6410. No plans to give it up any time soon. Actually want some more of them.

Friend has a T510 with an SSD and 16 GB of RAM. Until he go that, I thought the max was 8 GB.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a nice piece of kit.

@herrfaust2020

2 жыл бұрын

Give us the details. I tried 2x8GB in my T410s, and it wouldn't boot. Can't remember if it POSTed or not. I used Timetec (SK Hynix chips), DDR3 1333.

@airborneranger-ret

2 жыл бұрын

@@herrfaust2020 Friend is in North Carolina, I'm in Chicago. It's his first Thinkpad. He love it to death, but I don't have the details. I'm curious too. I told him to check out all the advertised specs (ebay) first thing. He did.

I've just exchanged my t410 for r400. I find the r400 has a sexier design

@LaptopRetrospective

11 ай бұрын

Glad you found something you like!

@rivciks5045

11 ай бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective imho the older design looks much classier. New ones look all so mass-produced.

Thinkpad x201 in 2023 here

@LaptopRetrospective

9 ай бұрын

Nice!

The first time I opened up an old Thinkpad and got that wave of stink I thought, “Was this used on a cattle farm or something?” Then I got a few more and realized that’s just how they smell. Ha.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

It's actually coming from the plastic/rubber rails that are fitted around the 2.5" drive. Replace them and you're good to go.

@Svetoslav85

2 жыл бұрын

My W510 smells like that even in 2022 the same as day one. I noticed that the smell is more noticeable if you have not used the machine several weeks. It could be something with the magnesium construction, or the thermal paste.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

Pretty sure it's the aged rubber bumpers on the drive caddy.

@Svetoslav85

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective I can also confirm your observation. Natural rubber has a very foul odor.

BEST THINKPAD/era? COMMENT BELOW: a.) T400 b.) T410 c.)T420 d.) T430 e.) T440P .... .... . f.) X230 gets iit's own lane.

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

That's a tough choice. So many upgrades and modifications are possible with all of those.

@joshtree8298

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaptopRetrospective Bingo, Ilef tout all of the above :( T430 might be mine,, yet I'll swear t540p is it. Meanwhile I write on my t440p, and plotting out the upgrades on x230 (too bad that one runs up the bill to do the big mods!)

@LaptopRetrospective

2 жыл бұрын

That's what makes ThinkPads cool, hard to choose because the choices are good.

@ygjt76v0-----

Жыл бұрын

T60