Post Az1sapoeOfVhcHT70y by va2lam@mastodon.nz
(DIR) More posts by va2lam@mastodon.nz
(DIR) Post #Az1r2rIKIEGgP0aHZ2 by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-09T09:48:22Z
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@Firesphere @ewenmcneill if your goal is just a really good, functional laptop that runs Linux really well, my approach has been to buy refurbished Thinkpads - you can get some wicked machines for about < $600... something like this: https://nzpcclearance.co.nz/product/lenovo-thinkpad-t495s-ryzen-7/ Takes about 15 min to replace Windows with a nice Linux.
(DIR) Post #Az1r85hi995YXYx876 by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-09T09:50:53Z
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@Firesphere @ewenmcneill don't get me wrong - I'd also love to foster manufacturers who build 'Linux-first' laptops... but sadly, none of them have scale.... It's a conundrum that's got me stymied...
(DIR) Post #Az1rD2fWrIl0ZhIDpo by va2lam@mastodon.nz
2025-10-09T09:51:44Z
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@lightweight @Firesphere @ewenmcneill I used X1 Carbons for a long time but the last one I had lasted not-long-enough until the USB-C charging ports broke and were non-repairable :(
(DIR) Post #Az1rUk9wPnu0NgxV2W by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-09T09:54:59Z
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@va2lam @Firesphere @ewenmcneill 'repairable' is always a question of how far you're willing to go. I've done a lot of upgrades to 'non-repairable' parts (e.g. batteries, fans/heatsyncs, RAM, etc.), purchasing spares from AliExpress for next-to-nothing, and they've worked great... Repairing a USB-C port should be fairly easy - I need to do one on one of my boy's refurbished Thinkpad (turns out there're 2 USB c ports, so he's still able to charge it... )
(DIR) Post #Az1rbNeIVTOSarK2uu by va2lam@mastodon.nz
2025-10-09T09:56:04Z
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@lightweight @Firesphere @ewenmcneill I took it to a store and they fixed it once but then said they couldn't do it again
(DIR) Post #Az1sapoeOfVhcHT70y by va2lam@mastodon.nz
2025-10-09T09:58:31Z
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@Firesphere @lightweight @ewenmcneill (I've replaced screens in the past but don't really want to do that now). For the X1 I think the port was soldered to the main board in a way they didn't want to undo.
(DIR) Post #Az1saqxCANwJ94TRyK by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-09T10:07:15Z
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@va2lam @Firesphere @ewenmcneill yeah, it depends on the part for sure, but in a lot of cases, the component can be sourced and replaced with a bit of solder. Sometimes it's fairly advanced, but also the investment's not so huge (not like a Mac or something).
(DIR) Post #Az1shGeVX5TYaMn96G by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-09T10:08:26Z
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@Firesphere @va2lam @ewenmcneill sadly, there aren't many consumer electronic devices that are reparable - even the Framework laptops have elements that can't easily be repaired if broken.
(DIR) Post #Az1t7h06C219pfUWAK by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-09T10:13:11Z
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@Firesphere @va2lam @ewenmcneill I wouldn't normally try to fix the port, I'd replace the whole component. Yes, sometimes things like that are hard to replace, but I've often found that there are 'modular' components that can still be swapped out of these machines to effectively fix the machine rather than binning it.
(DIR) Post #Az2kvaw6JHD34cIka0 by va2lam@mastodon.nz
2025-10-09T20:16:00Z
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@lightweight @Firesphere @ewenmcneill yes, they did replace the USB-C port once.
(DIR) Post #Az2ltsUMBA4St24NIe by lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-10-09T20:27:00Z
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@Firesphere @va2lam @ewenmcneill I don't think even the Framework laptops are capable of that - they're simply more modular, and some parts are designed to be replaced... but I'm sure there are many parts that cannot be fixed any more easily than the refurbished laptops I'm advocating for.