Lenovo ThinkPad T450: Year of the Budget 5th Gen
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- Today I examine not one, but two variants of the ThinkPad T450. This machine is just coming off most of its warranties and showing up in large quantities on many surplus markets. It still has many great features to like including its dual battery system.
/ laptopretrospe1
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Maintenance Manual:
download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mob...
Looking for one yourself? Check eBay and your local classifieds. Amazon also has a series of parts and machines. By purchasing from the links below, as an Amazon and eBay Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases that goes to supporting the channel.
eBay:
rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-532...
Amazon.ca
amzn.to/2VA8h1F (i7 Variant)
amzn.to/3eSBJYy (i5 Variant)
Amazon.com
amzn.to/2VWw4rx (i7 Variant)
amzn.to/2Vy892O (i5 Variant)
If you are looking for the latest and greatest version of this laptop, I suggest heading over to Lenovo's website to see what they have been up to recently. As a member of the Lenovo Affiliate Program, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through this link.
Lenovo Canada
lenovo.vzew.net/5XBWL (General)
lenovo.vzew.net/P2ZLR (ThinkPad)
Lenovo USA
lenovo.vzew.net/BXEK5B (General)
lenovo.vzew.net/zagjz0 (ThinkPad)
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:59 Key Differences
1:45 Specs
2:33 Display
4:00 Other Specs
5:49 Ports
7:08 Disassembly
12:00 Start up
12:20 Conclusions 
Наука
Whenever I watched thinkpad videos, I always envied people with Thinkpads who replied "replying from my Thinkpad". Now, I can proudly say I'm commenting from my Thinkpad T450s :)
Nice! Congratulations.
Me too
I have a collection of Thinkpads... X61, X200, X220, X230, X250, T420s & T450 ... best laptops ever... The X200 is now with my GF... The X220 & X230 needs some parts to be replaced, all the others are fully working... Watching this video on my T450 :-)
Nice collection!
@@rolyrodriguez7424 wow, great! I am only have a X60T, X61 and T450s
We have around 100 of these going to e-waste at work. I snagged three with me to take home, of course without hard-drives/ssds.
That's a lot. I hope they find second homes.
@@LaptopRetrospective Sadly they’re all going to e-waste :(
Nooooo!
@@LaptopRetrospective Sadly I can’t save all of them :(
👍
Watching this on our T450. This thing is going to last 10 more years!
Thinkception.
You're not noticing any limitations from the dual core ULV CPU? I used a T460 in 2018-2019 and the dual core just didn't cut it for my tab-heavy browsing and streaming video, among other productivity tasks.
Just curious, how much RAM was in your configuration?
@@LaptopRetrospective 16GB
Depends on the version you get and even then don't expect amazing things.
Great review and really helpful seeing what's inside. Have got myself a T450 with the IPS touch screen and backlit keyboard. Works great with Windows 10 Pro, and is a great machine for astrophotography. Lasts hours with the 72kw battery.
Awesome, I'm glad it is working well for you.
thanks, I was looking for a quick video showing where the ports are in a couple of different thinkpads and these videos helped
Glad to be off service.
I have the t470 for work but I want to get a t450 for casual use. It seems like a very solid machine. In your opinion, is it heavy? I travel often and would like to have a lighter machine.
If you want light, go X1 Carbon.
Just purchased a refurbished t450 for my business, can't wait until it gets here
That's awesome! It should serve you well.
This laptop was everything i needed to get a degree in comp sci, i got it in 2015 and still use it every single day with no issue at all. Probably the best purchase i’ve ever made.
What an awesome story. Thanks for sharing!
Ha! me too. ive been using it at my university to study compsci as well. picked it up for around 250 on amazon. been programming a lot on it. recently i installed elementary os on it and have been loving it. however my work just gave me a new thinkpad carbon x1 do ive been using that. ironically enough im still in love with my t450!!
Still a great machine!
the end of the expandable/upgradeable era.. There are 86 of these in the next office supplies auction near me and one of them is about to be mine!
Very nice! Hope you land one in good shape.
I bought a T450s to replace an ailing MacBook Pro last year and it's been rock solid for me. It still has the original 1600x900 TN panel, but I've already upgraded the SSD and RAM. Very happy with it as my daily driver.
Very nice! What year of MBP did it replace?
The early 2011 model. I went through three logic board replacements and got sick of trying to fix it.
That's the era I had, well shortly after with their Retina line. Glad to hear you've already made it your own with since tasteful upgrades.
Dude your videos offer so much information, highly appreciated. Thanks for that man!!
That's so much for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it.
@@LaptopRetrospective Thanks to you I changed my mind and bought a T450 (heh) Just found one on ebay in fair condition for $143.08 total USD. Wanted some upgrade options for sure.
Intel Core i5-5300U
8GB RAM
320GB HDD
Windows 10
You think this was a good deal for the price? I'm gonna swap out the HDD for an SSD for sure, but I don't think I'll need many upgrades after that. However I really like how these laptops offer upgrade options certainly 1 tier above the rest.
Sounds like a good buy, an SSD for sure and be ready to buy a new battery, internal, external or both depending on health.
@@LaptopRetrospective Oh ya man, gonna give her some much needed upgrades. Thanks again for the info dude, really helps a lot!
Anytime 😁
Just got a refurbished 450s with an i5 5300U, and I'm loving it (with FHD, non touch IPS screen) and 12 GB of RAM. I'm using it with PopOS 20.04, and it's amazing. Thin, light well built and absoultely silent.
Nice setup Marco! That is a lot of RAM. 😁
Do you recommend this laptop for programming? Thanks!
@@Blure Absolutely, even though you shouldn't expect amazing compiling speeds...
@@LaptopRetrospective Yes indeed. It's actually an overkill for linux. I barely use 2,6 GB, with GNOME 40 and firefox running (with youtube).
@@neffscape6353 thanks for the quick reply! My aim is to use it with Ubuntu. I mostly do web programming and c++/rust, so this looks like a great candidate.
These videos are so helpful. Trying to decide what my first ThinkPad will be. College student here so office work is my main reason for wanting a laptop as well as some editing programs. I really like the look of smaller laptops like the X series thinkpads, want to get something that is a bit future proof and affordable for me (budget around 200 Euro).
Glad to be of help!
can I ask you, which one you bought and why? I'm in the same decision because my mum needs a new one. thank you
@@johnalea2158 Sorry for the delayed answer, I suggest every thinkpad from x250/t450 and above (if the price is reasonable) as they are more modern.
@@AntonisBaritakis ok thank you
just bought it and loving it .really an amzing machine .....T440. btw love your videos.
Awesome. Thanks for watching and I hope your machine gives you plenty of years of service.
@@LaptopRetrospective Thanks bro
This is the laptop I had for work up until last year. I was forced to 'upgrade' to a Dell by my IT dept. I really loved using the t450 for work. Rock solid.
There is an awful lot to like, especially those dual batteries and twin drives. You don't see that often anymore... What Dell did they move you to?
Dude, your getting a Dell! lol...
Our IT dept is upgrading us to the T490 or x1.. But I really like the T450 swappable battery. So I just asked them to give me 4 spare 72Wh batteries and I'm good. If only my T450 had the 1080p IPS display, it would be perfect.
The swappable battery is nice if you need it. Energy efficiency of newer CPUs also plays a factor in choosing a setup. But then again, swap when you need to.
@@LaptopRetrospective they gave me a latitude 7480 to replace my perfectly fine t450. It has a trackpoint that I seriously doubt Dell did any QC testing on during hardware development. It's truly absymal. The only good thing about it is the 1440p screen, but it doesn't have the CPU, ram or GPU to really take advantage of it. Everything runs noticeably slower than my t450. Can't wait until it breaks.
I like ThinkPad laptops (been buying, servicing and using them for over 12 years) but I have to say the older the models the better the build quality was. For me, anything past the T400 was a bit 'hit and miss' with regards to build quality. In my current job I have purchased both new and refurbished ThinkPads - some have lasted, others the hinges wore out pretty quick. The keyboard drain holes (and the lip that I assume is still around the keyboard) have always been a good selling point for me.
Not all ThinkPads are created equal, that's for sure. I think this should have a spot with the good ones.
Hey! I'm early to this video! I want to tank you for your videos, they pointed me in the right direction! I helped my gf buy a thinkpad x250, she's super happy with it! Your videos helped a lot! Your channel is really cool!
Glad I could help! I'd be really curious to hear your thoughts on the X250, that might be coming in a video near you.
@@LaptopRetrospective she got the i5-5300U, 8gb ram and 256GB SSD. It was bought from a store in Portugal, online because of the pandemic. 350€ (1 year warranty). It came without the trackpoint nipple and two of the bottom rubber pads are missing, the guys at the store said they'd mail us the trackpoint and see if they have rubber pads. These aren't expensive to get, but it's something that could happen. She's had the computer for 5 days, she's really really happy! She needs it for college and basic things. The things that really impressed me was how stable the performance is. The computer just runs really smooth, she absolutely loooves the keyboard (she loves the really shallow keyboards from Apple, butterfly and the iPad ones but she loves this keyboard a lot). It still has over 5 hours of battery life, but what really surprised me though was the webcam! I haven't tested the microphone, but the webcam, dear god, it's really good compared to basically every other laptop every made? I know some Surface's have a really good camera as well, but this one... It was something that I really wasn't even thinking about, it does make sense, being enterprise oriented, video conferencing is important! It's super light... I mean I could go on an on. The only "bad" things were the refurbisher's fault. I have a Legion Y530 and I want to steal her Thinkpad for my linux distro hopping and programming adventures. It's like... I understand now why Thinkpads are so highly desired by a lot of people. This comment is probably too big, but I also chose a 5th gen i5 because of the graphics, I want to play some games with her like Portal 2, or some other lighter game, ESO isn't very light, but it's still playable I would say, I think a lot of people underestimate the power of Intel graphics, it's not that good, but it's good enough for people to do light emulation, play some rocket league for example, league of legends, there's a loooot of games to play on these. Something that I would be super into is having her laptop and play my old games, Zeus + Poseidon, Homeworld, Starcraft Broodwar, Warcraft 3, I mean there's so many amazing games that will run on that little HD 5500, I think people underestimate the experiences it can give on the gaming side. And I think one of the main things as well, for people that think about a 5 year old laptop and think about it being stuck all the time etc, is that SSDs are super cheap now, before a thinkpad with an SSD would cost a pretty penny, even my Legion Y530 I had to get an SSD for (it was 630€ new though). I would say that even 4th gen, but 5th gen Intel with 8GB ram and 250GB of SSD at least (to not be so limited on space) is all most people really need. She has the worst screen, TN panel with the lower resolution, she's happy with it, and she has an iPad 7th gen which has a pretty decent display, but for what she needs she says it's fine. I think it is fine, but the IPS 1080p is a huge upgrade, but then games won't play well on native resolution. USB 3 is really important these days I think! If you have any questions about our unit feel free to ask, or if you want me to check something on it.
I was mainly curious to see how your experience is comparing with my own. ;-D Looks like we are equally impressed. I'll have to give the camera another look.
Just bought one thanks mate 🙏
Awesome, what did you get for specs?
I was using my trusty T460p up until a few weeks ago. Still the best laptop I ever had
Cool! What happened/replaced it?
@@LaptopRetrospective Nothing really, I just bought a Thinkpad X1 Tablet a few months ago and for my usecase this machine is doing everything as well as the T460p did, so I didn't really had any reason to keep it any longer. Though I do miss it now to be honest :D
Gotcha, thanks for the info!
I had no idea the cpu's were soldered on, what a bummer. Great video though as always.
Yeah, they started with the regular ones in the previous gen. Industry liked thinner machines than socketted ones and to be fair, the CPU rarely fails and I suspect were not being upgraded often by their business customers, so it became a feature rarely used.
It's intel's fault. Lenovo made at least a few socketed Thinkpads each generation until Haswell, the last major Intel Core revision for which PGA CPUs have been made available. I have a T440p, the last one they ever made.
These are fantastic laptops. I have a T450s (i5-5300U, 12GB RAM, 500 GB SSD, 1080p IPS) and it's been a brilliant, sturdy, reliable machine. My only complaint is the (optional) fingerprint reader, which has been pretty unusable.
Yeah, in my experience those style of finger print scanners only capture a narrow sliver per swipe so you have to keep that in mind during the enrollment process. Your setup sounds like it's got lots of great features.
Thanks for this! Just picked up a T450'for running linux @ $80 usd on ebay. Watching this video after my purchase confirmed I made a wise (maybe lucky) choice.
Nice, what do you plan on using it for?
programming and pentesting
Nice!
Great review!! Are you going to do some mods/tutorials on them? Keep it up!
These T450's were on their way out the door. Gone hours after I filmed them. There are some upgrades a person can do, but I'm not sure they have the same moddable background as the older models. That's one of the reason the older units are still so desirable.
You can add USB PD charging capability, there is even ready made ones available.
I have a Lenovo ThinkPad E520 ... I don't like the 720p panel . Is there any scope to change it to FHD or HD+?
I haven't had the chance to play with one of those yet. Some light Google work should give you some leads.
I'm a lucky owner of this model, I personally added some upgrades, RAM and better Wifi card, and I just ordered yesterday a broadcom additional wifi card because I think I'll turn it into a hackintosh very soon :D
Nice, let me know how your project goes.
Fascinating to see the two side by side! I wouldn't have guessed they were the same model, especially with such a different bezel. I can see why people shelled out money for the 1080P display, but I'm still a bit puzzled about why anyone would want a standard laptop with a touchscreen.
So, I just ran the diagnostics on my X240 and the only thing that failed is the mic. Will have to investigate that. Although the fingerprint scanner passed, I have no idea how to use it with Windows 10 - maybe I have to register with Microsoft the same way people wanting to use facial recognition do? - but what I really like about the business models is that they have all these tools for analyzing every little thing. And that the laptops are relatively easy to disassemble and service. I do wish I had the old Windows 8 Pro factory image; I'd much prefer that to Windows 10 Pro, just from a privacy standpoint. I'd roll back in a heartbeat if I could. Would love to see you talk about Linux distros and old ThinkPads; I'm tempted to do that with mine, but am a teensy bit intimidated by the process.
I haven't done it yet, but have picked up a tube of thermal paste; however, the fan rarely comes on anymore now that I've installed TPFanControl and use the 6-cell battery, which lifts laptop a bit so air circulates more freely.
Yep, totally understand how crazy different they look once you lift the hood. Regarding some of your comments, especially around Linux, stay tuned.
If you can't wait, make a live USB of stone distros like Mint, elementary or Fedora. All work great.
@@LaptopRetrospective I can wait! I already have lots of projects to whittle away on, including scanning all my photos, etc. All those things I never got around to doing and now there's a pandemic, so now I have no excuse not to tackle them :-)
I'd grab a copy of Rufus (rufus.ie/) and a few ISOs for a USB key and try some live versions. A lot of it will come down to how you want your user interface to look at and feel. I've featured elementary OS as its own video on the channel and my X220 runs Mint (great place to start because it is very similar to Windows in look and daily function) and now Lenovo has announced a partnership with Fedora. But the bottom line is, ThinkPads and Linux get along famously. Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or want to chat. Email and Twitter are open.
@@LaptopRetrospective Thanks, that's very kind of you! I will grab Rufus, and check out your elementary OS video. I mostly use my laptop to browse, send email, use LibreOffice, and watch Netflix, so there's really no reason for me to stick with Windows and it seems to me there are real performance and privacy improvements to be had by switching to Linux-based OS. My only real concern was making sure drivers existed for the X240, so the hardware would work properly.
Prices have gone way done now so I bit the bullet and bought one. I got a T450 with a i7-5600u for only $110. Hard to believe that they were going for around $300 one or two years ago. I hope it serves me well through college this upcoming fall.
Depending on what you need it to do, it should be fine.
@@LaptopRetrospective according to the listing when I bought it, it had some trackpad issues (that probably explains the low price) im hoping a new trackpad will fix this.
Fingers crossed. Fairly easy part to replace if needed.
@@LaptopRetrospective It should be arriving next week so we'll see!
@@cjuice9039 been thinking in buying one as well for college purposes, how is it holding up? Is it adequate enough for tasks of a collegiate student? Thank youu
These are so abundant now. They're like the new T430s.
The time has come!
@@LaptopRetrospective Also a quick question: Do the S series models have the 2242 m.2 slot? Or is this exclusive to the regular models.
Check the PSREF for the model to see the specs. That's the best way. They can be found with a quick Google search.
Hi mate great content video you have there just a quick question do you know what would be the maximum RAM supported size for Lenovo T450 I actually bought one and planning to upgrade it. Cheers
32 GB should be possible.
Just like 5th gen Broadwell processors, the 50 series was overlooked and some what forgotten, and yet these machines are much better than the 40 series
They are great machines from this generation.
The T450s is my daily driver. i7-5600 512GB SSD 123GB RAM 1080 touch screen. A really nice machine. ( I also have a t440 and a x240, and a T61 and a 390CD :)
What did the s model bring to the table? I cannot remember the differences.
@@LaptopRetrospective Super Slim! slightly smaller all around. 337.82 mm vs 330 mm (S). 233.68 vs 226 (S) and 20.3 vs 22.8 (S) - slightly thicker due to the touchscreen.
Gotcha. Anything soldered on that wasn't in this version?
@@LaptopRetrospective I think the T450s had 4GB of ram soldered on and one dimm slot.
I bought this one with i5 5300u and run Solidworks 2016 just fine!
Nice! Glad to hear it's working for your needs.
Will buy 2nd T450 i5-5300/8GB today, see your vids i've more confident about this laptop. Thanks for the great review👍👍👍
You're welcome! Good luck!
@@LaptopRetrospective Do you've any suggestion for upgrade component? Like add an M2 2242 SSD or change the 2.5 HDD to 2.5 SSD.
And does it have any compabilities to upgrade the onboard graphic card?
No onboard graphics upgrades, you get what you get. Swap out the HDD for an SSD, that will be huge and then 16GB of RAM would be some suggestions. That and make sure both batteries are healthy.
@@LaptopRetrospective I see... what do you prefer T440p or T450? the T440p have 2nd GPU and can upgrade CPU, but only in 4th gen intel CPU.
I think I'd still go for the T450. Dual batteries is really nice.
Scored a second hand T450 for $246 and upgraded the HDD to SSD . . . It's so smooth and it can par with or much faster than my other workmates' brand new $600 laptop lol.
That's awesome, congrats!
Thanks 😁
do you happen to have a picture of the 2nd M.2 slot if smartcard is not existing?
It isn't pictured often as the configuration isn't that common due to the limit on the single-sided drives, but I've also seen some crazy mods to fit larger drives.
www.laptopultra.com/guide/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T450s-Disassembly-17.jpg
@ laptop retrospective T430 keyboard is same as T460? Or is there any changes in number of keys or layout of keys..Plz reply
Pretty sure that the connector is different?
The T440 click pad isn't that bad if you have skills with touchpads. Been using those from the mid-90s. I rarely use clickers with the touchpad which is likely why I don't have a problem with them.
Subgenius.
Great video, I'm still rocking my X140e(Manjaro Mate), X131e(Manjaro Mate), and X120e(Neverware Cloudready Home Edition aka Chromium OS), and all 3 have 8GB of DDR3L RAM, and have 120GB ADATA SSD. Love them all for what they are. But not sure what to get next for an AMD based Thinkpad under $350 USD to add to the collection.
Great little collection of Education models. The X140e I looked at was impressive for the price point and was crazy durable.
@@LaptopRetrospective The X140e, and X131e are indeed both eduseries models, and fairly durable, and the X140e even had a few color options for the lids like mine which is almost a Crimson red, but the X120e, and despite the e on the end the X120e was marketed as a lightweight business class notebook since it came with the option to have the now defunked WiMAX mobile connection standard, and no nothing else will work in that slot, as the BIOS has it black listed for just that, and same with the 2.4Ghz WiFi card, where only a select 1/2 a dozen or so white listed cards will work(all 2.4Ghz from my research), as I learned after trying to update it to 5Ghz with no luck, and it's not near as durable as the other 2, and runs much hotter overall, but still good for a Chromium OS machine if you can snag it for under $60 USD with a working battery like I did.
@@CommodoreFan64 I'm sure you've heard of this, but just in case you haven't, there are modded BIOS' for the X120e to allow a Centrino card. www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/npweb/that_feel_when_you_flash_your_x120e_with_a/
@@LaptopRetrospectiveI don't do much on Reddit, so I've not seen that, but now I'll have to look into that one, thanks much.
I don't frequent there much myself but Google led me to there.
FYI, under the internal battery is usually another M.2 slot. They usually had a 16GB drive for recovery. There is also a T450p variant.
Yes, a p variant is out there, the one hiding under the battery is only there if the SmartCard reader is absent correct?
@@LaptopRetrospective I worke with the T450's at a job and they had the 1600x900 displays. They all had the m.2 under the battery and I think they had a smart card reader too, but I could be mistaken.
I could also be mistaken but what I've read that second m.2 bay was only present if the SC wasn't. The T450 has gone away or I'd check.
Please, what can the SmartCard reader be used for?
The Smart Card reader is used for reading Smart Cards which is a form of physical security that used to be popular with some businesses.
Heyaa, nice vid, how can I know the specific graphics it has(?, From those 3 you've shown
The GPU will vary depending on your specific one. If you have a serial number you can look it up.
I notice that sometimes there is only a dummy battery inside. Does anyone know if this affects the cpu performance at all? Thanks.
As long as one battery is connected it shouldn't?
Watching this on my T460s 15-6200u, 2.30 GHZ, 12GB DDR4, 256gb NVMe SSD - runs cool, is quiet and a great laptop
Very nice!
@@LaptopRetrospective I bought it off a seller on e-bay (which i know was risky and had my doubts before hand) but apart from a couple of light marks on the casing the inside looked good as new with an upgraded hard drive/RAM/graphics not bad for £350
ThinkPads are easier to buy online because they are tough. I would feel quite differently about other units.
@@LaptopRetrospective Exactly, they are built to last unlike most alternatives, easy to upgrade and look good too which is a bonus
Wholeheartedly agree.
Please do the T460 next!
I'd love to, but I am limited on what I can get my hands on. I'll keep my eyes out for one if they price is right.
me to from my T450s .:-) and love them
Lots to like!
Can you play game on it? T450S.
Like GTA V? Or call of duty?
@@naiemracer5075 If you get one with the GeForce 940M I'd say it will do okay, but the integrated chip might not be up to the task.
I bought one of these today for just 25 British pounds (that's 33 USD) from a local guy who sends out laptops to businesses. He has tables full of these and I was so happy to pick one up! I upgraded it with a 500gb SSD and 16gb ram.
Fantastic find and great price. Well done.
@@LaptopRetrospective Thanks! It's such a solid machine!
Hey I’m also in the UK. Does this guy still sell them?
@@pl1917 Yeah mate, but he only sells local not online sorry
Considering to buy this for a student budget video editing machine, do you think it'd be okay to edit videos on?
Like all video editing, it will depend on how complex your project is and the resolution of your footage.
I’m actually looking to get one of these off of marketplace for $200. It’s a 14” touchscreen i5-5300u, that’s been used. im a college student and I think this might work for me especially for that price. I’m in automotive classes and usually use laptops with multiple tabs open usually on prodemand or identifix and some documents. What do you think?
If it is in good physical shape, sounds good. Be prepared to replace the batteries depending on wear and how much life you need it to have. If it isn't running an SSD, that's also a must in my books.
hopefully I can snatch this (or T450s) this year, as alternative to T420•T430•T440p...cause my X200t isn't worth to fix/repair
Fingers crossed you find a deal.
Also I have a T450. I like to typing on it. If I need to go to somwhere, where I need to take a note, I always carry my T450 with me. 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM with dual boot of Win7 and Linux Mint 20. The batteries are still in goodcondition, and give me about 5-6 hrs to work.
That's awesome!
5-6 hrs battery, that's insane.. Mine only lasted for 2-3 hours
Mine also last 2-3hrs lol
Battery life will depend on the health of the battery and how hard the laptop is being run. It can very an exceptional amount.
Great!
Amazing machines! How long can the battery combo last?
6 hours safely. Depends on wear and CPU usage.
hi u missed some imp things, t450 can upgrade with NGFF m.2 2242, u can see connector beside battery and place below the battery. i am using m.2 2242, 4G CARD, 16GB RAM, 2TB HARD DISK, WITH TOUCH SCREEN, BACKLIT KEYBOARD, 6cell 72w battery. I MISSED FINGERPRINT. MOST IMP THING IS T450 SUPPORT 1866Mhz DDR3 RAM. I pulled THEM FROM OLD APPLE. ;-)
Thanks for the additional information.
how about t450s?
What's the difference between the T450 compared to the T450S? Feels like it's just missing a RAM slot and has thinner bezels.
Haven't done my homework on the S variant yet... Mike Dancy I think has.
S it's a bit smaller, lacks a few features and configurations
Excellent review of the T450 system.
I recently obtained one myself.
I have the i5 5300u
If I upgrade to 32gb ram
500gb ssd
Use an external GPU
And a capture card...
Do you think this system could handle live streaming a game for about 6-12 hours at a time?
I'm not familiar what external GPU options you have, that would be my first problem to solve.
Laptop Retrospective I haven’t received the laptop yet, and don’t have experience with external GPU. Just curious really. I would like to buy one, but I don’t know if it would be good enough to live stream or not. I want to connect the laptop to an external monitor, webcam, headphones keyboard and mouse
These machines really aren't designed with gaming in mind so you might want to temper your expectations. Streaming depends heavily on your internet connection as I'm sure you know.
Laptop Retrospective just a quick update
I’ve been using the t450p to live stream on twitch and it runs very well!
Both pc games and using a capture card the system is amazing!
There is even a sale right now on the ultra dock on amazon right now! I bought one for less than $30 (usually $200+) it arrived and works great! It even had original Lenovo packing!
I’ll leave a link in case you’re interested:
www.amazon.com/Lenovo-USA-ThinkPad-40A20090US-Thinkpads/dp/B00E0E2DIE
Great news. Glad to hear it's working out so well. Nice buy on the dock.
Does t450 have backlight keyboard or whatever you call that glowing light under the keys
Yes, it is an option. They also shipped with a keyboard that isn't backlit. The pictogram present on the spacebar indicates which is which.
I've been considering getting this for a few days due to it's sturdiness and potential long lasting usability, found one on amazon, ThinkPad T450s 14inch i5-300U, 8gb ram, 256gb SSD, 1366x768 with windows pro apparently for about $388.98
I'm kinda wondering if it'd be decent alternative to my ideapad 330-15IGM 1920x1080 with Intel(R) Celeron(R) NR100 process and 4gb of ram
There a typo on the CPU? The S variant is a bit different and doesn't have all the same features this one does. Even so, I think you'd enjoy it more than your idea pad, maybe with the exception of the screen, that's the worst panel they came with...
@@LaptopRetrospective ooh I did make a typo *N4100 my bad, figured that out kinda late, the little s at the end never came to mind but yeah I do think I might enjoy it compared to this idea pad especially with it's potential, maybe even the T440. Just really intrigued by these thinkpads in general even tho my PC knowledge not really the best.
Never really cared too much about screen resolution, just more interested with performance. But a screen has some aspects to how a laptop will perform also so I'm probably saying it too soon.
Anyways appreciate the feedback!
Happy to help in any way I can.
I watched this on my t450 (i5 5300u, 16gb ram, 1600x900 TN) which is my daily driver for everything. if you'd like, I have the dock and power adapter, and I can load it to you to review. the docks are very nice.
Thanks for the offer but these machines moved on to their next home already. 😁
@@LaptopRetrospective ok, the docks are universal for the t440 line through the t460 so if you get one of those and want to borrow a dock let me know
@@Gartral Noted, thanks!
Can i play Fortnite and gta online on Lenovo t450?
@@JackFrezza I couldn't comment one way or the other on fortnite, GTA however... well.. yes.. it works, but the experience isn't great. 20-30 fps with the lowest settings and 720p.
Im a senior high student and i always do is to make poerpoint presentation Do you (still) recommend this laptop for me (2022)?
Yep, it should be able to handle PowerPoint no problem.
I have the touchscreen version. Awesome.😊
Very cool indeed!
Great video! Just one question: Why is the first display option not desirable? The used ones available mostly have that one, and I'm trying to figure out if I should get it anyways. Much appreciated!
It's just low resolution and brightness. Most want the nicest display possible.
@@LaptopRetrospective Thank you!
You're welcome!
@@LaptopRetrospective can it output to projector at 1920x1080?
Answered your question on your other comment.
Там по 1 слоту на оперативку и SSD и какие стоят ?
Thank you so much for the synopsis. Out of curiosity, where is the microphone located please?
If I remember right, it is built into the display near the web camera.
@@LaptopRetrospective Thank you so much for your swift reply. There are two ultra-tiny holes on either side of the webcam but it does not seem to be it. What do you think?
One of those should be it. support.lenovo.com/at/en/solutions/ht504454
You can check the hardware maintenance manual to be certain.
@@LaptopRetrospective Thank you for pointing me in the right direction and you take care.
You're welcome!
i’m on amazon looking at the Lenovo T450 Ultrabook with 240GB storage, Core i5 5300U, 16GB ram and intel HD Graphics 5500 and it costs £258.00 and i’m wondering would it be able to run games like The Forest, Raft and Roblox? i don’t want to waste so much money on it if it won’t be able to run them
Then I'd suggest you check the system requirements for each game carefully. ThinkPads aren't gaming laptops first.
Nice explanation great video. Can we run ubuntu on this machine. Can you please provide OS compatibility on T450.
ThinkPads love Linux. I've tried all sorts of distros with no issues. Older ThinkPads have also been used in Hackintosh builds.
@@LaptopRetrospective Awesome feels great reading your reply. Appreciate your prompt response :)
You're most welcome. Let me know how it goes and what distro you choose.
hi there is this good for video editing for youtube.... thru a video editing software like Movavi .... Lenovo Thinkpad T450 14" Laptop - Intel Core i5-5300U 5th Gen, 16GB RAM, 960GB SSD, Win 10,..... thas the one i m considering
It would do alright. Remember that video editing demands are tied to the resolution, frames and complexity of the project. The T450 is a nice machine that isn't too crazy on the budget.
Would you say the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 3rd Gen: "Budget Laptop of 2019" is much better than this T450 given that the price difference between the two on the resale market is not much?
Depends on what you want. The X1 is lighter by far, but not quite as upgradable.
@@LaptopRetrospective thanks a bunch. Guess I'll look at the t450 then. Gotta keep it for a couple of years at least, so yeah, makes sense going by your logic to upgrade ram etc later on if needed.
Great reviews btw, I've subscribed to your channel. Love from India!
Thanks for your support and I am glad I was able to help.
Sucks that CPUs werent socketed after Haswell, but I think that was an Intel thing not a Thinkpad thing. Even if they arent the most power efficient, I do like having the option to replace/upgrade if necessary. I can appreciate a good Thinkpad, even though I'm on a 4th gen Dell Latitude now
It was sad to see the socketted CPU go, but I feel more people liked the idea of it than actually used it.
I have a T450s that's still running like a champ since 2015 to this day in 2020. Upgrade to an SSD and replace your removable battery and it's literally brand new
Yep, awesome machines.
Does it have Backlight keyboard?
If I remember right it was optional.
@@LaptopRetrospective thank u very much
No problem.
T440s with i5 4210u is my favorite combination because it runs very cool with the fan hardly coming on when doing most tasks. It runs Opensuse 15.10 which is the most efficient distro I have tried on it so far.
Yeah there is something to be said for a cool running laptop.
I put an ssd in my t440 and always found it to be a bit slow. Not sure why.
Could be a variety of factors. Not all SSDs are created equal.
@@bdm1019 Yeah something is not right. SSD works well.
Is the shell design from t420 and t430 and all the previous t gone?
Yes, that chassis redesign started with the T431 and 440.
Is the battery compatible with old Lenovo T420,
No. It would only go back as far as the Tx40 era.
soldered cpus and gpus are not totally "un-upgradeable". you can buy a motherboard with the gpu and cpu you want and swap it inside the laptop. powerful cpus generate more heat so the whole motherboard has a different structure and component arrangement anyway
It's possible to an extent but not for the common individual. The Nvidia GPU because of the PCI Express lane used by the dock connector would be especially fun. Would be easier to swap the boards and bottom case.
Can my cousin use the t450 model for her Autocad?
I suspect it will depend on the configuration of the laptop, version of CAD and the complexity of the project.
sorry for my late comment but I have a question and may you can help me. What is the difference between the 450 and 470? Do you think they are still a good option? thank you
The 470 is much newer in terms of CPU and other specs. Both are excellent machines mind you. Both run Windows 10 or Linux well. Neither officially supports Windows 11 but it can still be put on them.
@@LaptopRetrospective ok thanks for your fast answer
You're welcome! Let us know what you get/decide.
I just picked up a 2015 Lenovo Thinkpad T450 w/ 8GB of RAM, 250GB SSD and a legit copy of Windows 10 installed. All for $79 plus $12 shipping; with tax and all it came out to be $101.25 :)
If people want a different CPU, simple, just sell your current thinkpad for $80 and buy another for $110 .. easy peasy :) For me the I5 is fine for my purposes -- I won't be gaming on it but need it for apps that don't run on Mac OS... such as many electronics type programs -- signal data logging etc.
Good job getting a great deal. 👍
@@LaptopRetrospective Thanks I since learned about the IPS display option after watching your video. Mine is just the TFT. But I guess it's a great price for what it is. I'm sure it will serve my electronics needs well enough.
Yeah at that price, I'd still be quite pleased.
@@jenniferw8963 hi can I use it for programming languages
I want to get it for school
@@jenniferw8963 thanks
It's more like I'm learning on my own
planning to buy this laptop some time in the future, but I heard that the exhaust vent is partially blocked when you put it on its dock, is that true?
If I remember right, its the sliding plastic bracket that helps for easier docking. Some people remove it but if you are running your ThinkPad that hot then the dock isn't going to make much of a difference.
@@LaptopRetrospective oof, I should proceed with caution then, thanks for the reply
@danielhandika8767 That depends. If you're going to push it hard, a small piece of plastic isn't going to change the name of the game. 😂
what happens if one dose not disable the internal battery
Increased risk of component damage if the battery discharges into the components. etc.
im probably gonna upgrade to the t450, ive been using an R400 and its been good, but its a bit slow for FL Studio.
That will be quite an upgrade.
Any idea if the battery whitelist on the T450 or any newer ThinkPads is removable? So far in my research I've only seen the battery whitelist being removable on x30 ThinkPads. Would be nice if there's a way to patch it like how its done with the x50 series display whitelist.
I'm asking as my T450's battery that it came with died (electronics failed but the cells are fine) so I got a second one and the other day (just as it was gonna be 2½ months with me) the bios started giving me messages about it non being genuine and wouldn't charge it anymore and it's only at 30 cycles. Tried unplugging and reinstering but no dice.
At this point I can't return it for a refund anymore and spending on another one is just going down the road of sunk cost fallacy which I don't intend to do. T440 and T450 batteries cost about 30~55 USD in my area but pretty sure none are legit Lenovo ones seens its a long discontinued model.
Oddly the first battery looks more aftermarket with the Lenovo logo not being present and the second one looking very close to pictures of the legit 48wH batteries for the T450 I see. Only difference between then is the FRU 45N1129 on the first one and 45N1130 on the second one.
Some idea on what I can do with the still working but not being recharged battery would be nice. Thanks.
The sunk cost thing is because spending on anything on my T450 feels wrong as I could spend that money elsewhere or even save up for a more powerful laptop since the i5 5300U is quite inadquate for me since the processing demand of what I do on my computer has increased. And there's the laptop being of use in my time in uni being about at less than a year remaining.
The current battery being non rechargable due to the bios is still not great though and feels like using a computer that's hooked up to a UPS that runs on disposable batteries. A bit unfortunate since I get 6hrs on it on a charge when it was working correctly.
It's pretty rare to have batteries, even third party not work due to a whitelist. Buying from a reputable seller is super important.
I have had this for 2 years and wanted to upgrade to x1 carbon, but I only care about the keyboard(which is why I bought a thinkpad in the first place). Can you pls tell if the keyboard on x1 carbon is better than t450.
Which X1 Carbon?
@@LaptopRetrospective 7th gen
Quite the upgrade. I won't be able to weigh in since the newest one I've handled is the 3rd generation.
Just got a T450 myself for uni (i5 5300U, 8gb RAM, 240GB SSD, 1366x768 display) for about ~$213 USD. When I unboxed it I found that it was used by an accounting firm in my country and from the looks of it some stuff happened to it throughout its corporate life, apart from its tracker device on the bottom being removed (leaving a circular sticker remnant) and SSD being swapped out (probably due to data security measures or something). I opened it up to give it a clean, repaste it, and upgrade the ram to 16gb.
Things that I noticed are:
1) No bios password & on latest 1.37 bios;
2) Internal battery was removed;
3) External battery is an aftermarket 48wH 6-cell battery, but seems to have used the thinner battery in the past considering the wear on the back feet of the laptop that don't touch a table with the 6-cell options;
4) screen got swapped out to a compatible LG one from a T440 (which I noticed when I couldn't adjust the brighness on Windows but works on Linux);
5) touchpad seems to have had its sticker removed at some point;
6) there are signs of wear on the Kensignton slot and was probably tied to a Kensington Lock in the past;
7) someone stuck a vinly sticker of some sort on the lid and made cut outs for the Lenovo and ThinkPad logos (and the cuts on the Lenovo logo aren't the best so I could feel a bit of the edges haha);
8) thermal paste was dry and seems to have never been touched; and
9) right side USB port is a bit finnicky (sends power but doesn't exactly recognize USB devices).
The screen one is the biggest cocnern as I would have wanted to use Windows 10 due to software that I use. I learned of the whiteliting while searching online for similar problems on same generation ThinkPads. I've tried the EDID flashing trick, but didn't work due to write protection of the EDID on the screen.
Currently running Linux Mint 21.1 on it so I can make use of it (and not burn my eyes with 100% brightness in the process) and so far it has been fine. Touchpad doesn't feel right due to how weirdly smooth it is to the point my fingers grip against it due to the lack of the touchpad sticker so I've been leaning towards the TrackPoint and hope to get better at using it. And no internal battery makes it feel like the balance is off on the front portion of the laptop.
I may have to explore the route of bios modding and flashing using an external flashing as its cheaper (if riskier) than trying to get an exact FRU part screen that works with the whitelist. And maybe get a touchpad sticker (about ~$2 for 5) and replacement internal battery, though they cost about ~$30 to $50 USD where I'm from.
There was also a used T460 for about ~$260, I know it has a better screen and newer internals but couldn't afford it.
So I gone with the T450 just to have something to use at uni that isn't too bad in battery life unlike the significantly cheaper 2nd and 3rd gen ThinkPads that go for about half what I got the T450 for but are surely more worn out and have less efficient processors.
Going dual SSD with the SATA + M.2 2242 SATA is interesting, but the only one from a reputable brand costs like ~$72 USD (Transcend MTS420S 480gb) and everything else is generic Chinese crap SSDs that I wouldn't trust.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing your journey with your purchase.
@@LaptopRetrospective Haha thank you for the response.
The journey continues for me as I discovered the reason for the right USB problem (sadly just after the 1 week return window closed), that the D- pin was broken so I won't be able to use for anything but powering something. Touchpad sticker still feels weird but I won't be replacing it just yet and I found directly underneath it is the conductive/capacitive layer of the touchpad. The there's Linux power management not being as power efficient as how Windows handles it, which I find odd.
I may try the bios modding first before doing any more upgrades like internal battery and Soft Rim TrackPoint cap sinve there would be no point if I screw up there and threw more money at a thing that could be dead by the end of the process. Though the bios chip could be replaced if I can find one and find someone with a hot air rework station to replace it.
I'll have to find some help on figuring out which version of the CH341a flasher would work fine as I've read people frying their bios chip because their flasher sent 5v instead of 3.3v or 1.8v (still not sure which of those two I need). And some help on the how to clip onto the bios chip (orientation and setting up the flasher), the bios dumping process, bios modding process and the guide (in a forum people are referring to) that doesn't exist anymore due to the website shutting down, and more related things to do that.
I'll be looking into reaching out to the r/Thinkpad subreddit as I've read some people there trying it and having success, though I've also seen failure from accidentally knocking off nearby components on the board while clipping the bios chip.
I do hope to be able to do it within the next month or so with hopefully success as I learned over the past few days of testing the T450 is that I would probably need to go use Windows if I would use it as a portable daily driver because of software necessary.
At this point I'm just rambling on my thoughts LOL.
Appreciate you sharing your ramblings. 😁
@@LaptopRetrospective I am happy to report in removing the screen whitelist my ThinkPad T450.
I gone ahead and got a CH341a flasher for about $5 USD and done it the other night and was successful. Brightness on Windows works now.
I also tried to get a pack of SoftRim TrackPoint caps but had a problem where they're too tall and pop off when moving diagonally and press on the screen more than the Soft Dome my T450 came with so I'm in the process of returning them.
I upgraded the SSD to a 512GB one while I was inside to flash the bios and installed Windows 10 LTSC 2021 on it. Next thing for my T450 would probably be getting an internal battery to boost the battery life.
Something quite unfortunate is the ethernet port is a bit loose and looses connection when nudged even a little bit, particularly when done vertically. I found some T450 owners also have this issue and I may get a USB 3 to ethernet adapter dongle if I really need to use ethernet, but I tend to use wifi on portable devices so it ain't too bad. Though I may also find a solution where I'll just add spacers so the ethernet jack doesn't move.
I am going to buy t450...
Should i buy these???
Is it have any hitting issue?
I know many people with T450's and they are enjoying them very much.
I get my t450s refurbished next week! only 4gb of ram, but I have an 8gb I had just bought for my ideapad b50, the idea-pad however is slowly dying on its 3rd gen i3 and I think is time for an upgrade.
Sounds like a plan, salvage what you can.
@@LaptopRetrospective The 450s is so nice it. But I had to replace the fan, it was making a terrible noise. Im using linux and I'm not completely sure the fan problem was mechanical, any experience with linux on these? could it have been the firmware? I love your channel dude.
Do you know of any ThinkPad that has an i7 with graphics card? I’m looking for the one that you have, 940m but I can only find that it comes with the i5, not i7.
They exist. I'm not sure how common they are or if they have started being surplused yet as I imagine those would be top of the line units with full warranties the day they were purchased.
I've found one on a Malaysia surplus website with an i7 and the 940m. Nothing on eBay yet...
Thanks for the awesome videos! I really love the ThinkPads and would love to find one with a graphics card and i7 for some light gaming and light video editing. Thanks for the quick response. Keep the videos coming!
My pleasure! I hope you have good fortune on your quest and be sure to let me know if you're succesful and what you end up getting.
I'm actually watching from a T440p, and have yet to solve the stuttering trackpoint issue.
I assume you've tried every driver out there? Also have you tried it under Linux to see if it's hardware or software?
@@LaptopRetrospective It ran Windows when I first got it, but I daily drive Linux. So yea, not a driver issue, because the exact same thing happens in both.
Noted. Might need to be replaced at some point or further diagnosis of the TrackPoint which I can't say I know much about never having to do it myself.
@@LaptopRetrospective ...and I did replace it, only to find the issue is still there in the same form. At least I have a backlit keyboard now :D
So strange. Nice consolation prize though.
I found a T450 for $220 in my marketplace and also found a t460s for $286 there's also a $313 t470. The t460s and t470 have 1080p screens while the t450 is still unknown because the seller has no reply yet. which one would you recommend, i just want to use it for programming and a little bit of movie streaming driver.
T470 gets my vote but if you can find a T480 that would be the better jump.
@@LaptopRetrospective wow! I didn't expect you could help your viewer that fast! Thanks! You earned a sub.
@@LaptopRetrospective I saw t480 but the buyer's rating is not great, also found a used A475, E470. they all have the same price. I'm so confused because they all look the same and the minimalistic design is very eye catching 🤤
Helping is what I do! The x80 means 8th gen Intel and that's very desirable for longevity for official Windows 11 support. T480, E480 and X280 for example. If you want to save up, the T450 is not a slouch and has PowerBridge. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I am computer science student and want to pursue my career in cyber security which laptop you suggest me t450 or t470 both in 6gen or hp 840 g3 gen
Please answer my question in detail and pros and cons of every one if possible?
If you want details then I suggest you watch the videos I have on the T450 here and T470. The bottom line is you need to know your most demanding system requirements and ensure whatever machine you choose meets them.
I don't mind the soldered CPU as much as i mind the soldered RAM in new laptops
Fair point.
Hi, There are 2(2x8Gb max) slots for RAM. How can you install there (2x16GB) RAM ? Are they manufcatured for these models ? Where can one buy it? Thanks
If I understand you correctly, you have 16GB between two 8GB sticks and want to go up to 32GB or two sticks of 16GB? That's easily done if you can get a good deal on the RAM.
@@LaptopRetrospective i think max RAM acceptable for this model is 16 GB, or 8 GB for each of two slots. Memory is DDR3.
I never have seen for laptoos DDR3 Memory grater than 8 GB per module.
I cannot find the 16GB or 32GB DDR3 laptop memory modules anywhere on web.
Where have you seen such modules ?
There are available DDR4 16GB capacity memory for purchase. But DDR4 may not be compatable.
Looks to be possible. www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/3kmlzv/people_keep_saying_the_t450_supports_32gb_of_ram/?
My T450 died recently. It randomly shuts down after preforming a bios update. I put a question on the Lenovo forums, no ones responding. Im sad.
Oh, I've heard about this error. Here is something to try: "During the BIOS update, it can happen that the computer no longer starts up and gives only five beeps as an error message. After a few hours without power (remove battery and power cord), it should start again and then have the BIOS updated without errors."
Other possibility is its overheating?
It is not overheating, fan is spooky quiet, and I replaced thermal paste not to long back. Could not get it to go over 75C.
You meant removing the cmos battery, both batteries, and the power adapter? I did that and left it overnight. There isn't a difference.
@@No-vh7yq Throw it in the bin.
Hi, thinking of purchasing a refurbished one for college. Was wondering if it will be able to run cad programmes like Solidworks? Its the 8gb 528gb touchscreen version. Thanks for your help.
Check your system requirements but CAD isn't super demanding IIRC. i5 cpu?
Yeah the i5 2.6ghz version.
Looks like SolidWorks, or at least current versions are very, very resource demanding: www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html
Do all the IPS models have the glossy display or only the touch ones?
Just the touch models.
Using a T450s with IPS and not a touch screen.
Nice!
how about the web cam quality?
It won't be super amazing. It is functional but it isn't the best in class.
What is the docking port for?
The docking station that replicates loads of ports for desktop use.
Trying to decide T460 FHD vs T460s FHD. Which one has better display?
Not sure, haven't got experience with that model yet. Not sure if there would be a difference.
both FHD panels are disappointing. The best 1080p IPs panel is either the T490s' low-power 400nit IPS panel, or the OEM 1080p AUO panel in the T450s
Thanks Ranen!
Long live the 5300u! It's doing it's best in me $130 Thinkpad Yoga!
Very nice!
what is the best processor for t450 ?
I7-5600u was the most powerful.
Which one is better.. x230 i7 3rd gen or t450 i5 5gen?
The T450 has PowerBridge which I really like and will have a newer generation GPU. The X230 is small and handy. Both will be good at what they do, it will likely come down to price, your use case and personal preference
Hi, there.
I recently got an used T450, for 330€ (Europe, Portugal). It came with FHD IPS display, US keyboard, 240gb ssd, 16gb ram and 45w adapter. and battery (external one with 50% life or so) linux tlp.
When i search on ebay for keyboards, batteries for t450 i mostly get results for t450s.. seems t450s is more popular model.
I have an x230(bought from Ebay IT, for 180€) and love it. Very powerful, tiny machine. Just the resolution, give's small "desktop". (Despite being 12.5 inch size).
T450 with 14inch FHD, so much desktop usable. (Despite lower clock cpu...)
Would keyboard / batteries or even power adapters the same for t450 And t450s?
Thank you
Check the maintenance manual for the correct fru numbers. A lot of parts like batteries, external that is, are interchangeable between models in that generation.
@@LaptopRetrospective I bought a Keyboard and battery, that's mentioned compatible with t450s, and it worked fine with my t450. Thank you for your videos, very informative. Thinkpad is as of now my favourite brand. (for these "refurbished" laptops)
Awesome. Glad to hear you got what you needed. It's impressive how much life is left in a second hand device sometimes.
watching this on my thinkpad t450
👍