How to Make a Fast Sub $100 Laptop for Older People With a Thinkpad T410s and Zorin OS
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- This sub $100 USD laptop build using a Lenovo Thinkpad T410s and the Zorin Linux distribution will make a great daily driver for any older or less tech-savy users in your life. Zorin OS provides a familiar and easy to use interface and comes with most of the applications you would ever need on a daily use laptop. The T410s rivals the quality of most Chromebooks and provides a great bang for the buck when it comes to performance.
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#Thinkpad #Linux #ZorinOS - Наука та технологія
You are the person along with sebis and laptop retrospective that got me into thinkpads, You helped me so much with my t430. thank you for all of that.
Btw I hope you get back to uploading regularly
Glad to hear you are finding some use out of my videos! This video was supposed to go out in December, but the Google acquisition of Neverware stopped that from happening!
Hi there!
Hello!
@@SebisRandomTech Hey Sebi is in the house!
@@SebisRandomTech you and aacomputer tech are doing great work. Thanks for sharing great info about ThinkPad with us. I apericiate it.
Have bought several used thinkpads and set them up for family members beaded on your advice. They work great. Thanks!
Great video, thanks. I would like to see more of this kind of video, demonstrating how to keep older hardware out of the recycle bin.
On Installing a Linux distro, that initial error you got might be due to the way you ended the installation. Mortal users would do better to choose Restart when prompted, then press Enter when prompted. This would unmount that USB drive safely, then properly restart the computer. And that might also help in the long run.
If you prefer shutting down as opposed to restarting, choose to Try the OS instead of Install, then run the installer from that live desktop. When the install is complete, choose to continue testing, then press the power button and choose shutdown, then press Enter when prompted.
There is also an OEM install option, which may be different depending on which OS is being installed. This defers the account creation steps until after installation so that the end user can personalize the computer (username, password, login options, etc.) on first boot.
Spend the few extra bucks for a 420 . MUCH better laptop. Sandy Bridge instead of 1st gen Core i, SATA 3 instead of SATA 2 among other enhancements. I've purchased numerous T420s with i5 processors and chargers for under $100 US and set them up for people, although now I tend to push them to spend an extra $10 for T430's to get USB 3.
I had trouble finding a sub $100 T420 for this video so I went for its predecessor. I agree with you though. If you can afford it, jumping to a T420 is definitely worth it.
i love how genuine AA's content is. feels like a friend helping friends, no ulterior motives. just real thoughts and advice! i know the college student struggle, so don't feel pressure to upload frequently. keep it real and keep it up :D
Nice to see a new video from you!
People really underestimate these older Thinkpad models. They are so easy to upgrade and dirt cheap. Not to mention they are built like literal tanks. An SSD and Linux makes these run so much better and feel more modern. Heck, you can still run Windows on these things and they will still feel modern.
I've been using my t410 for more than 7 years or so. I bought it from first hands, upgraded to ssd, added from 4 to 8 gb ram, and put hdd bay instead of dvd rom. I'm not gonna change it as it is gonna be my daily driver till the last day of either of us! Planned to buj t430, but remote learning changed prices in Poland so need to wait for the situation to calm down. Gratings from Poland and come up please with new thinkpads as they are creme de la creme of notebooks ever made.
As of Jan 2020, Win 7 is no longer supported. So I transitioned back to Linux. I started with LinuxMint, I am on 20.1 on my main PC Rig. I love it, ZORIN OS is so damn good for laptops and low end spec computers. I was given a few obsolete and trashed laptops and fixed the better one with parts from the other, luckily they had similar specs but different company made. Then did a deep clean, added ZORIN OS and wow, my friends didn't know I made trash into treasure. Great video by the way...
I bought both a T440p and a T440 and installed Zorin on them. Both machines work great and love the OS.
What is the difference between the T440 and the T440P?
Zorin was my first Linux OS. Switched to Manjaro just recently after years of Zorin, dating back to 2013.
I never realized Zorin was such a great OS. I've been slowly trying to use my Linux machine more and more to get used to the interface but Linux Mint has so much more settings you need to configure that it's not nearly as simple as Zorin. Excellent video.
The way I found myself using it was completely overwriting my Windows install (Which I frankly hated anyway) and sticking with it as long as possible, now 1 year later and I upgraded laptops, and since I became so used to using Zorin OS I installed it on my new laptop too. Best decision I've ever made.
I love Zorin I have been using it for almost a year on my t430
English translation caps are hilarious! Like 8:12 "I wanna wish for Christmas presents"😂😂😂
First time I've watched your channel in a while, subbed!
"Just turn it on and get shit done!"
You made my day.
Great video all around. I suggest you take a look on EndlessOS. Yes I know, suggestions for Linux OS never ends . This one is made for the purpose of being used and getting out of your way . also you can have a lot of data on the storage for use of internet. and thats a good use for people in remote places .
Hey, good to see a new video!!! I am still using the same T430 I bought more than 2 years ago, as my daily driver, and my son is still using the same T420 I bought 3 years ago. All that was from watching your videos! My wife uses the same X230 from 3 years ago (I think, kinda lost track of time). I recently bought an X201, just for fun, just to see if it could handle the same workload as my T430. Well, it can. The CPU isn't as strong, and it heats up a bit more, but it gets the job done. However, the T430 stays my main computer, as it just seems to be unbreakable. Let me take advantage to thank you for all those videos, they were a great source of inspiration!
This video is Great, I just purchased a T430, and it needs some upgrades and this I will use. Thank You
I just started using Zorin OS (Lite) a month ago-loved it!
I've never used automatic updates on anything where possible. Things always want to update at the most inconvenient of times and the latest version isn't always the best anyway. And actually I've found Zorin to be one of the heavier Linux distros, especially in virtual machines. I'd much rather use something like Xubuntu which you actually brought to my attention, I believe, in an earlier video.
I have a collection of ibm/lenovo x60 &x61 Inc. S &T models all running various OSes and talk about strip down for thermal pasting and fan cleaning. These are still great, maxed out on ram and all have ssd
I've boycotted Zorin years ago because of the conduct of the people overseeing its forums. There are better lite distros out there. Like antiX and they have really nice forums.
mx linux uses antix.and its light weight fast and stable.
mx linux is my daily driver, Im gonna try antiX on netbook if it works.
The people behind many Linux distros are why non-Linux users hate Linux. It's not necessarily the OS itself, but the douchebags behind them.
@@FlyboyHelosim The fan base as well
One project that competes with cloudready is called brunch. It is full chrome os with Linux app support and android app support. I completely recommend it, and I've installed it on my tablet PC.
My T410s is becoming a car diagnosing laptop for my and my dad's 80s BMWs :D
zorin os has definitely come a long way from my last install of it over five years ago.
Same man. I think I first installed zorin 9 or 10. Been switched to Ubuntu since I find Unity more functional with its HUD and global menu
hi another great video, just one comment,as a daily chromebook user i think you may need to use a chromebook even a cheap one for a while,say 3 months. This may not make you want to go out and but one, but you can see they all fall apart in less than a year. Once again another great video.
You make vids about thinkpads ? You earned the sub!
This is a great video I myself am only now getting into thinkoads and because of this video am thinking of getting one for my mom. Also I've tried Zorin OS before this video due to windows breaking itself via update and I didnt know gow to fix it and agree with everything you say about it.
Awesome video. Im doing to give Zorin a try. See you in a few months for the next video
Thanks for the video. Honestly I'm considering to buy an old Thinkpad X220 for my internet browsing computer since I'm deciding to use my current laptop to work as a rendering laptop only. I'm sure with 8GB of RAM it'll be plenty for browsing.
I use X220 as my main driver. SSD + 8 GB RAM really does wonder.
3:24 and 3:30... leave feedback!
Zorins OS is a very nice OS. I still prefer Linux mint mate for my elder relatives (they are used to, and do not like changes). The Mint Mate long-lasting release is crazy stable, ergonomics is well though, also as a non-english speaker, the os is very well translated in my language (French). And having my grandmother's computer with perfectly written French is super important to her (87yo). Nevertheless, I might give Zorin a try on my father's old HP laptop. Zorin looks super cool and slick and as he speaks English even if the translation to French is not perfect it will be ok for him I guess.
Great content. I miss Cub Linux : ( I have tried Phoenix Linux but it is no longer being supported, using Pop OS! on Lenovo Thinkcentre with great success. Keep up the great work, subscribed.
Ayyyy HE BE USING ZORIN OS
thats my fav distro ngl
the thinkpad videos are pleasant to watch
Hell yeah, love your old HW, or give/donate it to someone in need, as it takes years before it becomes truly obsolete.
During the pandemic I had opportunity to work with different laptops, for myself and for family, and my conclusions are:
- Any i-series Intel CPU from even the first generation will run Windows 10 no problem, though older ones might feel snappier with Linux
- 2GB DDR2 RAM is no issue for light Linux distro like Lubuntu, but Windows 10 can kinda choke on 4GB DDR3 if you want to multitask
- SSD is the most important part of any casual computer nowadays - used for web browsing, multimedia, light office work, whatever
- 2nd/3rd gen M-series Intel CPUs are about as powerful as 5th/6th gen Intel U-series CPUs, so still very, very good for a casual user
- Don't ever buy a laptop, new or used, with an ultra-low power CPU, as it will age very, very poorly (so: say no to Atom-like parts, unless you have very specific use in mind)
- Core 2 Duo chips are still decent enough for casual PCs, though many Linux distros drop i386 support - I use Lubuntu 18.04 on my C2D machine
I worked with:
i3-7100U (2016) ~= i5-5200U (2015) ~= i5-2520M (2011) > i5-3317U (2012) >>>>>> C2D T5470 (2007) >>>>>> AMD C-70 (2012) (that was a netbook, poor little CPU).
Only the last one would choke on nowadays websites, pretty much freezing when wanting to run e.g. online shop or UA-cam. C2D T5470 handles 720p multimedia streaming, and anything above does 1080p without problems - use H264ify plugin for your browser to force video codecs supported by older hardware. I suppose stronger C2D CPUs could do better, as they shouldn't be much weaker than 3317U.
Honestly, I was amazed how that entry level C2D from 2007 (?) is still much snappier than a Raspberry Pi - I have a 3B+ model, definitely not suited for web browsing. Pi 4 would be better for that, but not sure if snappier than my old C2D, though it seems to handle 1080p decently nowadays, as I heard.
In the end I think that casual user will need more computing power than last decade CPUs offer only after the market will adapt to 4k(+) screen resolutions - when websites will use heavier, bigger images, and hi-res multimedia, and more convoluted structures and scripts... Also - light Linux distros prety much double the lifespan of any PC. Love them!
Protip: You can get inexpensive adapter from 1.8" microsata (usata) to quite common msata. (had the same issue with 2530p)
Zorin OS is a great distro, especially if it's the Lite version. I've been running that for over a year on my daughter's old Compaq laptop, and the lightweight and polished OS is a huge draw. It was my daily driver too for a few months until I switched to Manjaro.
If the 2.5" SSD can be disassembled, I think it might fit in the drive bay
Who knows, maybe with this acquisition CloudReady could get Play Store support.
"creepy personal assistant..." LOL Also, to prevent the initial hang, click the reboot and in the bios set the boot drive to the ssd. Nice video though.
So sad thinkpads are unavailable in my country, they are more expensive than brand new laptops
I'm saving up to buy Windows XP thinkpads because I love their designs.
What country are u in?
Have you heard of FydeOS? It's a Chrome OS port that has the Play Store.
Have you heard of Ubuntu Web Remix? It's a unofficial flavor of Ubuntu that is trying to be a ChromeOS alternative but with Firefox.
No, this is the first time I have hear of it. I took a quick look and it looks really similar to Zorin. Thanks for pointing me to it!
@@AAComputersandTechnology Thanks for showing off Zorin Lite. I played with zorin previously but didn't really like what I saw back then. "Oh just another Ubuntu based distro, what's the point" But I fired up a VM with Zorin and I see what you meant by how snappy and fluid everything was. Heck, even in a VM it's really snappy. My VM is running off of a hard drive (not my host machine) and I've never before been able to watch UA-cam 4k 60fps within a VM.
I just bought 10 laptops for $160.
Wide variety some giant old old xp Era ones up to 3rd gen i5's.
I think the less capable of the bunch will probably get this treatment!
15:33
There is actually a way to get other resolutions for the os. I believe these machines were set at 1600*900.
There is a way to do it btw.
No, this screen's native resolution is 1440x900 out of the factory.
Neverware does seem to still be around and working.
VLC can be sluggish sometimes . If you want a better playback experience , try celluloid .
The hang at boot might come from force powering off and not using the reboot option, I don't know if the disks are properly synced before the box appears. Other than that, great video!
I run Arcolinux xfce4 on my HP Probook 6450b. I've been running this distro for 2 years.
16:00 Tbh I used a chromebook that we bought for $110 as my daily driver for 2 years for school
I installed windows 10 on it, got office 2016, installed everything and still had 2gb free on a 16gb drive :)
also it only has 2gb ram and a celeron n2840
I gamed on that wanker too btw xDD
Im proud of that ngl
(acer chromebook 11 cb3-131 in case anyone wanted to know)
the chromebook is about 4 years old now and the tab, search and z keys dont work most of the time but i say it did enough and lived long enough for the price lol
I now have a proper laptop and desktop tho but i love that thing just due to how much i managed to do with it considering the restraints
Sad that thinkpad aren't as upgradable today... I guess we'll have to jump on the framework bandwagon.
Best qoute, get it installed and get shit done
We're not going to talk about the fact that Zorin OS has Win32 App Compatibility with the WINE Package Pre-Installed.
Hey look he came back
One recent disappointment is that Zorin stopped supporting its last 32-bit version, in April 2023... So using Zorin to revive older systems has become limited to only 64-bit machines. Which sucks for me because most of my 11 laptops are 32-bit! lol
@Ryan Thomas video is what introduced me to used ThinkPads and @Sebi's Random Tech, @AA Computers and Technology, @Laptop Retrospective convinced me to get one.
Druaga1 did a review of an older version of Zorin OS and had left a CD of a game in the drive and he just double clicked on setup.exe and the game installed in Zorin with no issues. He then tried a few Windows game installs and they all seemed to work with the integrated Wine.
conical is the company for ubuntu based distros like mint and zorin...and its not as trouble free as you stated in your reasons to use it...debian doesnt have those issues. and mx linux by far is the best ive ever used..the mx tools have many advantages over zorin..and most everything is quick and easy to install..with the newest ver 19.3 it even keeps the kernels updated by itself.
Well I have my x230 and I use it for college and I just ordered some new parts for it but it's really good I have to say it and also yeah I do believe that Chrome OS it's not so good but I also do like it because well you can always search up how to install the original Chrome OS or you can install a Linux distribution in an install an Android OS and that basically it's almost like a Chromebook but with Linux which is still pretty cool but all in all I have to say that I like having options when it comes to my operating system
lubuntu or lxle for systems with less than 4gb of ram works great imo
Gotta disagree slightly about your hardware choice. I can't recommend the T410 any more because it uses first-gen Intel Core technology. Those chips ran HOT and are barely faster than the Core2 Duos that preceded them. For only a minuscule increase in purchase price, the 2n'd-gen CPUs used in the ThinkPad T420 series are a much, much better choice. It's 2021, after all.
You're right, I would go for the T420 too. But you would have a really hard time getting a T420, with working battery, charger, and SSD, including shipping for under $100. Even with the new heatsink I still came in under 100. To do something similar with a T420, you would be looking at about $140.
Am I the only one seeing screen tearing on video playback?
Might be Nvidia driver thing.
I noticed the same, thought not as prominent, on my T440p with Nvidia under Mint 20.1 Cinnamon last weekend. I switched graphics to Intel card and long and behold, video seem to be smoother on a weaker GPU.
Same laptop haven't had any problems playing UA-cam 1440p at 60fps.
As much as I love and support Linux, unfortunately W10 sometimes just does better.
Which OS is more power-hungry in your experience? Mint? Zorin? Or Win 10?
In my experience with an X220 with a worn out battery, Win 10 says 90 minutes to go after a clean start up, while Mint says 60 minutes.
then someone should teach microsoft how to count
Nice video! Question: what options do you have for WiFi with both of these laptops?
i never turn off updates yes sometimes updates mess up it has happen to me
And we're not going to talk about Windows 10 Lite or Windows 10 Ameliorated Edition.
i got about same laptop i bought 5 months ago as Refurbished in store in my city. How did you get it so cheap i payed over $250 with upgrade ram to 8 gb
"...Not made of unattainium..." 👍
Have you ever had a stuttering trackpoint issue on a Thinkpad? My T440p does and I'm info hunting to see if anyone knows how to fix it, nothing so far.
What do you think about Thinkpad t440p? I know they are cheap but I couldn't find one lower than 200 USD and maybe with shipping even on ebay. With this that thinkpad probably will cost me around 500 bucks with the max specs. What should I do?
nice
Why not just use windows 10? Most people are already familiar with it or older versions windows and it will have years of support.
It's heavier on resources, more prone to viruses that non-tech savvy people might download, has a whole bunch of extra bloat that just gets annoying, and it isn't free or anything close to FOSS. I also can't afford to buy a Windows license for every single person who I build something out for and I think a lot of people are also in the same situation. There's nothing wrong with just going with Windows, I just think it makes more sense to go with something lighter, simpler, and free for a machine that is basically just going to be a web-browser / word processor / streaming machine.
@@AAComputersandTechnology ya probably better for a lot of people but for me personally windows offers a much greater and feature Rich experience. Linux does not support everything I use on a daily basis. Next time I do a build for a family member I will give this os a shot for sure! I’m tired of people installing viruses or other unneeded programs on computers I build them.
@@gameselectronicsrus3909 zorin os does support windows programs even 64 bit ones
@@Rockband2991 not everything
@@AAComputersandTechnology Although most PC games requires Windows. Despite with Linux app that could do nearly a quarter of them. But you are right that most people aren't going to play those types of games on a budget weak laptop.
you dont have to login in windows when ever i have to reinstall windows i turn off my wi hi you can use offline account
i keep my cdrom in i have some old games still cant buy online
Yes body come me!
try mx linux..fast simple to install and debian based.it updates automatically..ver 19.3.
used zorin for 3 years but ubuntu is going thru too many issues with its ownership..debian is the oldest and most stable distros.
My Thinkpad has Core 2 Duo 4GB Ram and Dual GPU it Runs Windows 7 64bit but Zorin OS i not used it there been some Rude People associated with it . Plus Linux it don't work so good with dual GPU and or my USB Wireless Card cause it has no support for Linux .
Thanks for the video man. Have a good day. How is coil whining in that laptop? I have the model with just Intel graphics and the noise is unbearable. Hot glue on the "non hot" inductors had only minor effects. Unfortunately the noisy ones are the hottest ones so I cannot really glue them down.
I have not heard any Coil whine from this laptop. I'm surprised to hear you are running into that. Are you using an OE power supply?
@@AAComputersandTechnology thanks for the reply. I'm using an original lenovo power supply. Though I'm probably using a weaker one compared to the one you are using because the model with no discrete GPU fits barely in the lower wattage of the various lenovo power supplies. Thus you likely have the 90W while I'm using the 65W. I was asking about coil whining because it was my understanding that it was a common problem in the first generation of Intel I-series cpus. I don't have more powerful psus around but I can indeed try a different one and see what happens.
Nope same coil whining. It must be my unit.
I'm trying to find a lenovo that would be good for 3d rendering I was thinking the p51 but I'd like to get your thoughts
IdeaPad 3 with Ryzen CPU
The times when laptops have strange resolutions.
Is Zorin fast now? I tried using the free version years ago for low spec machines and it was slow. I put Cloud Ready on a couple of them and it was a great OS, they kept working with no update problems ever.
So so. It's not as fast as a Mate, XFCE, LXDE, or even a properly configured KDE desktop, but it's definitely better than a Gnome 3 desktop.
It would suck if Google snatched up Zorin. Lol.
Fyde OS is still available. It's a chromium OS.
fyde os also is a Chinese os and wont let you sign in with a google account without jumping threw hoops. imo its easier to just not use it
that laptop seems fast still
i might do that to grandmas computer
bootable zorin ssd
How about Ubuntu web remix
Arnold the bat chromium OS distribution
The people I help are so hopeless I can't give them a linux distro at all. I have several people I help added to my teamviewer account so I can remote in without them having to click anything and I had a person call me crying yes CRYING saying they need to install microsoft teams because the web version didn't have some features and other times they forgot their password when the system prompted them to do updates. It's getting to the point where it's not even worth the money to help these people I just reinstalled windows 10 on their laptop and paused updates for as long as it would let me so microsoft doesn't have any opportunity to get in there and break anything.
I've been hesitant to add Linux for anyone trying to get more life out of their older hardware b/c people are creatures of habit (lifelong Windows users) and (generally speaking) lazy and unwilling to learn about Linux. The learning curve may be steep, especially in regards to hardware incompatibilities, but the same thing could be said for Windows in many scenarios. It took them time to be proficient in Windows, but many forget that and expect to carry the same knowledge over to Linux in a seamless way. My first experience with Linux is that it reminded me of the wonder and freedom of possibilities I experienced via my early computing days via the Commodore 64, even though it was mostly used as a gaming device. I'd recommend some Linux distros to casual users, who just surf the web or watch streaming content. I also would say your advice to delay updates as much as possible is very needed in today's age of constant updates (many of which are not even pushed out by humans, but rather machine learning/Aeye which MS did for Windows starting basically with W10 launch. This has been a disastrous move imho which lead to innumerable complaints online about hardware issues after certain updates were hastily pushed out. A long time ago, one of the first freelance pc repair jobs I did involved installing zorin 3 (iirc) to an AsRock motherboard. Their Compaq motherboard had died and its windows license could not be transferred and they agreed to have me add Zorin. I explained how to use it and think about operating it differently than Windows (provided sites and resources to learn more about it). They bought a brand new Windows PC within a very short time afterwards.
Chinesium? i get some AvE vibes here...
That's a highly technical, well known, engineering term. Drop that in a job interview and it's pretty much an instant hire ;)
Will it work on older ati fire pro graphics on older Dell precision i5 2nd gen laptops. Or work on slower older dual core laptops ?
Fire Pro graphics are a longshot, it will probably work but it will just default to a generic driver. Dual core laptops should be no problem. The laptop in this video was dual core.
@@AAComputersandTechnology awesome thanks. The laptop i mentioned is even weird on windows 10. It didn't go past 1024x768.
Just lookin for some way to breath life into non supported windows 10 stuff that still has decent cpu and ram
@@cppctek Zorin is just Ubuntu with a customized desktop. It will run on old Core2Duos from 2006 just fine.
ATI/AMD cards usually work better in linux than NVIDIA cards. I've had nothing but problems with NVIDIA but no problems with AMD.
@@whitebeartigtig I agree for the most part. The only caveat is the Fire Pro graphics. I've found them to be hit or miss.
Too bad its still based on ubuntu 18.04
Lmao there's nothing wrong with an older base
it would be really cool if you had an update on your land you were clearing i thought it was soo cool
Haha, i've been too busy fighting my builder trying to get them to actually do their job. I will have an update within a month or two though!
Firefox is cancer.
But Cool video bro!
You're concerned about Google when you have a UA-cam channel? Do you not know that Google owns YT?
Having an Operating System owned by Google installed is a TOTALLY different thing than a Website lol
Same goes for Microsoft.
umm, chile- am i listening to a rant or a how to video? literally every second this guy will either rant about everything at once. sis, all i want to know is to how to get a laptop for my parents, not to listen to this guy rant about how he hates windows 10 or chromebooks, lmao- anyways, bye sis- 💅💞🏳️🌈🤩