From caa30dd45d3ae76405a7f4ecc9641521c1fb8895 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Johannes Herman Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:14:21 +0100 Subject: initial --- content/writings/year-with-x201t.md | 55 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 55 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/writings/year-with-x201t.md (limited to 'content/writings/year-with-x201t.md') diff --git a/content/writings/year-with-x201t.md b/content/writings/year-with-x201t.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d31fa8d --- /dev/null +++ b/content/writings/year-with-x201t.md @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +; A Year With the Thinkpad x201t +; tech thinkpads +; Fri Feb 20 01:27:46 AM CET 2026 + +# A Year with the Thinkpad x201t + +As of writing this it has been exactly 1 year since i bought my x201t, and i have been using it as my main[^1] laptop for the past 10 months. I thought that it might be interesting to write down my experience with the now almost 15 year old machine, and my motivations for using it. + +## Backstory + +I became fascinated by older Thinkpad models a few years back for all of the reasons most people do. Their reliability, sturdiness, keyboard, Linux support, and price all drew me in to the point where I now own a small collection of them. I have mixed feelings about owning machines that I have no real use for, but I take some comfort in knowing that there are worse consumerist urges then buying cheap second-hand laptops. + +Exactly why I ended up using the x201t was partly the result of methodical reasoning, but mostly chance. I already owned and was using an x220, but I had an irresistible itch for something more. Although there was nothing wrong with the x220, I had recently discovered the world of convertible two-in-one Thinkpad tablets. When a high-end x201t appeared as a new listing on finn.no[^2], I knew I had to have it. + +I now consider the x201t, in some ways, to be the pinnacle of Thinkpad convertibles. It features a 16:10 aspect ratio screen, a display latch, a whopping five buttons on the display assembly, and a full collection of indicator LEDs. These are all features that the later x220t and x230t lack, to their detriment. Those later models do have their own strengths however: they can be equipped with 16GB of RAM, double that of the x201t, and offer more modern ports such as DisplayPort, USB-3, and mSATA, along with newer-generation CPUs. If you do have a choice between these three models, I believe these are the distinguishing factors, and if you are like me then the retro features of the older model wins out. I later ended up buying an x230t, and these feelings only grew stronger while owning both machines. The x230t sits on a shelf now, and has probably began it's new life as a dust magnet. + +## Hardware + +- CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU L 640 @ 2.13GHz +- RAM: 8GB DDR3 1334 MT/s +- STORAGE: 128GB Intel SSD +- DISPLAY: 12.1" 1280x800, 400 nits + +When i first started using the x201t I knew that the main drawback of the machine would be it's aging hardware. I am by no means under the destructive[^3] delusion that any computer older then 5 years needs to be replaced by the latest and greatest, but the 15 year old hardware does show it's age, especially on the bloated web. That being said, it has performed admirably on most other tasks that i threw at it, in no small part due to my choice of software, but more on that later. + +The only upgrades that i did for the hardware was upgrading to 8GB of RAM from 4GB, and giving it some new thermal paste[^4]. The CPU hovers around 40-50°C during light workloads, and goes to around 65-75°C when streaming videos. This is a bit hot for my liking, but the fan never gets too loud, so it is something I can deal with. I might have to upgrade the drive to something larger as it fills up, but the old SSD has been snappy enough for me. + +The battery that came with the machine lasted roughly 1.5-2.5 hours during medium workloads, which i was pleasantly surprised about. Other then the old hardware, the battery life will always be a weak point of these older machines, and you can be happy to get around 3 hours of battery life. I ended up buying a replacement battery from China, which holds a charge for maybe 1 hour longer. Not great, not terrible. + +I have already laid out some of the killer-features of the x201t compared to it's successors, and here are the reasons why they are killer-features. The 16:10 aspect ratio is great for most tasks, whether reading, programming or just surfing the web. I often have two windows open, stacked on top of each other, and the extra vertical space makes both programs comfortably usable. Perhaps the greatest testament to the taller aspect ratio is that I immediately notice, and miss it when I use a computer without it. + +The display itself on my x201t is quite nice, much better then the standard TN displays most Thinkpads of the era came equipped with. It only has a resolution of 1280x800, but on such a small screen it is completely fine, especially since the hardware would struggle streaming 1080p videos anyways. I am no expert in display technology, but I do notice the black levels being quite shallow, and it has a overall more washed-out appearance then some nicer, more modern displays i have seen. It can get quite bright, and I find it pleasant to use even when outside in direct sunlight. + +The display latch is one retro feature that I don't particularly miss when using the x220, and i don't particularly love it on the t420, but I consider it almost a must-have for the tablet models. I've found that the single-hinge design of the tablet models can make them a bit more flimsy, so being able to lock the display down when carrying it in a backpack, or when in tablet mode is a nice feature. My x230t came with a loose hinge, and the replacement hinge I bought online was just as lose, so a display latch would have been a significant improvement to it's usefulness. + +The classic 7-row Thinkpad keyboard is probably the main reason i stick to using these old machines. The typing experience is better then any other laptop keyboard i have ever used, and i even prefer it to my mechanical keyboard at times. The laptop came with a US ANSI layout, which I eventually switched out for a Danish[^5] ISO keyboard, which I am more used to. The x201t has a slightly different layout then the later xx20 models. Most noticeably the escape key is smaller, and the keys have a more "rounded" feel to them. I have a slight preference for the newer type, but I do like the mushy volume and power buttons on the old ones. In addition to the keyboard buttons, there are five additional buttons on the top display assembly, which can also be used in tablet mode. Of these buttons I only use the two rotation buttons (only one is needed), and the lock button. I do not use the second power button, and I never bound the last "toolbox" button to anything. + +This might be a good time to address the main draw of the x201t, the tablet functionality. The x201t comes equipped with a Wacom touch screen (mine only supports pen touch, though other models also support finger-touch), and it has the ability to transform into tablet mode with the unique single-hinge design. The reality is that i rarely use the touch functionality, since i prefer typing out notes, and I don't do any drawing. I have used it on rare occasions for hand-drawn diagrams, and it has come in handy a couple of times when I need to make some sketches. My main takeaway is that the tablet functionality is not a big win for me, and I will probably not value it highly when i choose my next laptop. + +## Software + +Since using the x201t my choice of software has been in a turbulent state, so i will avoid going into too many details. The most important choices are to avoid Windows, and any other overly complex, bloated software. I have been using Arch Linux, with [dwl](https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl) as my wayland compositor for the past year. I am not quite content with my setup, but I doubt it will change much in the near future[^6]. The next important piece of software is the terminal, which has been [foot](https://codeberg.org/dnkl/foot) for me the past year. It is lightweight, and has all of the features i want and need in a terminal. It also has the ability of being run in a server client mode, which decreases the already tiny startup time to be instantaneous, and saves on system resources. + +When it comes to web browsers I have been using [Qutebrowser](https://www.qutebrowser.org/) as my main browser, and Firefox when necessary. Both are large and slow, but the modern web basically necessitates it. The rest of my graphical programs are all fairly standard Linux stuff: [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org/), [mpv](https://mpv.io/), [zathura](https://pwmt.org/projects/zathura/). They all run fine, although all of them will sometimes slow down when handling certain large files. + +## Conclusion + +I have grown to love the x201t over the last year of use. One aspect of the laptop that might not have come through in this write-up is just how beautiful the laptop is. In a world full of matt anodized aluminum MacBook lookalikes, the retro look and feel of the x201t really shines through. It has flashing indicator lights, a bump for the antenna, a comically tiny touchpad, and it's signature swivelling hinge. All of these features make it a fun laptop to use, and it inspires me to get my work done using it. It has become my favorite Thinkpad by far, and i hope that it can continue to server my needs in the future. + +[^1]: Ideally I would like to only use one laptop, but I am required to use a modern windows laptop when taking exams from my university. I also tinker with other machines on a semi-consistent basis, but i do not use them outside of this tinkering. +[^2]: Finn.no is a Norwegian equivalent to eBay or Facebook marketplace. +[^3]: Destructive to the mind, wallet and planet. Most of us consume too much of most things, electronics only being one of these things. +[^4]: The tablet Thinkpads are probably some of the least fun Thinkpads to re-paste. It requires a full disassembly, and the thin top covers can be tricky to remove without breaking something. Luckily this operation is rarely needed, and most other components like RAM and storage are just a couple of screws away. +[^5]: I could not find a Norwegian keyboard, so I ended up settling for a Danish one, and swapping the Ø and Æ letters to their proper places. +[^6]: Once River 0.4 releases I think I will give it a shot, since dwl seems to be in a stagnant rut in an ever-changing wayland world. I have also started exploring other operating systems, namely the BSDs and Alpine Linux, but I have yet to take the leap from my familiar Arch Linux. -- cgit v1.2.3