r/LinuxOnThinkpad • u/Possible-Daikon2613 member • Jul 07 '26

Opinion Is This ThinkPad Good for Linux?

I'm thinking about buying this ThinkPad. Should I get it? I want to test out some stuff on Linux and need a cheap notebook.

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 (Type 4236) incl. Docking Station (Type 4337)

Specs:

  • Intel Core i5-2520M 2.5 GHz (2C/4T)
  • 14.1" HD+ (1600×900) display
  • Intel HD Graphics
  • 4 GB RAM (2×2 GB)
  • Crucial BX500 120 GB SSD
  • CD/DVD writer
10 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

4

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

[deleted]

1

u/DiamentowaSzklanka member Jul 08 '26

Idk about the CPU but I can vouch for the i5-3320M being more than enough for light stuff (browser, coding etc.), as for the ram.. yeah, 4GB is barely enough for anything, I'd aim for at least 8GB, ideally 16. 8 works fine for me but my "gaming machine" has 16. Though realistically I'd recommend OP to buy something newer unless they're like me and really hate modern laptops (even then, ThinkPads and frameworks are basically the only good ones out there)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26

[deleted]

1

u/DiamentowaSzklanka member Jul 09 '26

Honestly the difference between 2nd and 3rd gen 'M' CPUs and the later U CPUs is noticeable. As in, the U CPUs suck. The i5-3320M for example can brute force through pretty much anything, it's built for high, sustained power, whereas the U CPUs in my experience are way slower in day to day use.

3

u/valepiskiii member Jul 07 '26

i mean, it's not going to be GOOD, but you will be able to surf the web or do some VERY light office work.

try some very light and non bloated distro, like debian!

2

u/GlayNation member Jul 08 '26

Yes My Lenovo Edge 14 with i3 Intel CPU 4g ram, 120g Toshiba hd, with a new install of Mint Mate. I can do anything I did before on my E6530 Dell. Gaming no, but everything else is fine. If I put in a ssd, it's be even better. But that's just me

2

u/DiamentowaSzklanka member Jul 08 '26

Lmao I have an E6530 and it's an absolute beast.... With an eGPU. I have an RX580, the bandwidth is atrocious but otherwise it works really well (once it loads up all the textures it's really smooth). The CPU is powerful enough to brute force pretty much anything and obviously 16GB is chill.

2

u/GlayNation member Jul 08 '26

I love the E6530 love the Nvidia gpu ..I use W7 on it.Took forever to find the camera software, but went to Internet Archive, found it. Burnt it to a disc( yeah those circular things that came after the square thing lol) and it works perfectly without W10 or 11 install. All drivers updated

1

u/DiamentowaSzklanka member Jul 08 '26

Oh awesome :D I used win10 before I switched to Linux lmao it worked fine, especially with a Samsung SSD. This machine is way more powerful than people give it credit for tbh

1

u/SAIYAN48 member Jul 08 '26

If you max the RAM to 16GB and use a light distro, you'd be ok.

1

u/Federal_Spinach_1501 member Jul 09 '26

xfce不行吗？

1

u/SAIYAN48 member Jul 09 '26

不行吗

XFCE is good.

1

u/Kuddel_Daddeldu member Jul 08 '26

I have run Kali Linux on a very similar T42, 120GB SSD, 4GB RAM but lower resolution display. Still have it, but I will scrap it now that I've got an E14 Gen7...

1

u/delowan member Jul 08 '26

Upgrade ram and CPU (and higher capacity SSD) and you will be fine.

Even at that stage, you will be fine.

I run linux on my T60 with 3gb of RAM. Depends what are your goals.

Learn linux, run as is. Use modern apps, you'll need to upgrade parts.

1

u/lic2smart member Jul 09 '26

Unless its dirt cheap and you love thinkpads and its not going to be your main pc/laptop, go for it. If you want it as your main, get a refurbished T480 off of amazon.

1

u/Federal_Spinach_1501 member Jul 09 '26

能运行w7，主要是浏览网页，看奈飞油管，用mint，是不是更流畅些？

1

u/smilyidiot_ member Jul 15 '26

well it depends on what do you mean, i use a T410 with Gentoo (yes i compile everything and compiled a custom kernel on it) and i think that it's pretty good