this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2023
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Windows 10 end of life could prompt torrent of e-waste as 240 million devices set for scrapheap::As Windows 10 end of life approaches, analysts are concerned that millions of devices will be scrapped due to incompatibility

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[–] [email protected] 54 points 10 months ago (2 children)

High-end corporate laptops from 5-10 years ago make excellent cheap and powerful Linux machines today (given a reconditioned battery, assuming you want to run them without mains, and a new SSD several times larger than the hard drive they came with). See all the sticker-festooned Thinkpads you see at conferences that spent the first few years of their lives handling executive email and PowerPoint presentations, now living their best lives.

[–] Odelay42 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I've always wanted to do this.

What's a good source to buy them?

What models do you recommend?

[–] CosmicGiraffe 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I've always got them from eBay.

The T and X series are the high-end ones. Between those it mostly depends on what size of laptop you're looking for. Its worth checking a guide for how you replace the SSD/RAM/battery - some of the newer ones have these soldered in place, which means you're stuck with whatever it originally came with.

Personally, I think the sweet spot is around 4 years old. By that point they're pretty cheap (maybe 10% of the original RRP), and going for older ones doesn't save you much more money. I recently got an X390 and it's doing everything I need from a laptop

[–] Odelay42 2 points 10 months ago

Thanks a lot! That's super helpful.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)
[–] JJROKCZ 1 points 10 months ago

I just brought a thinkpad home from work for that purpose the other day. Gonna keep an eye out for a newer one in the coming year