Hi, to start with i want to mention that i am not a Linux champion but always had one next to my main Windows OS on my main gaming PC.

Recently was looking for something small that i could casually use for internet browsing and doing some basic tasks in the bed or even write something short. Quickly ditched idea of having tablet due to it's simplistic nature. Bought Chromebook Lenovo C330 and the only think i like about it is screen size.

Then i heard about legendary Thinkpads! Quickly realized thats the way to go - casual linux OS machine.

I want to use it mostly on the coach or in the bed so 14" T series are probably too large?
X series look the most promising but I have literally no idea about their CPU/GPU performance and don't even know how to compare them and i don't like unresponsive machines.

Would be great if it had small SSD, 8GB Ram, probably IPS(lot of threads about that).

My goal is to spend not more than 250$(as my C330) and if there is a good value for less i would most likely take it.


"Don't buy x230/x240" - That's what i mostly hear.

I've had an X230 for years and it's a great machine and runs Linux perfectly. I have newer and fancier laptops but the X230 is still my favorite. It has 8GB RAM and an SSD so its quick. I also have a T440s and while I like it I prefer the X230 generally...

A number of the members of my LUG are Thinkpad fans, but I can't tell you what models. I do remember a discussion in which the consensus was that most of them were not fans of the Yogas. I found this statement from Lenovo that sheds light on that situation.

Coach or couch? Big difference...
Or maybe you want to use it on your coach? Over the head? You carry some resentment against him?
__________

Old thinkpads are pretty clunky & heavy, no?
Even the new ones aren't forerunners in that department.

Why does it have to be a thinkpad? You pay 20% extra for the name alone... (ducks and runs)

You might find this site useful.
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki

My Thinkpad is an IBM X31, but I doubt that you'll be getting one of those!

My Acer C710 running AntiX linux does what you druther.
My T430 Thinkpad with 16 gig of ram and a old 32 bit install on platter hard drive is for heavy lifting and larger screen size.
I paid like around 50 bucks or so long ago for it without charger and hard drive.

I like Dells a bunch also. Because of used prices and specs.

I have a T530 running a debian based distro with no issue although it is 15" and a bit chunky so not the best for being on a coach. I am just about to swap out the 500gb spinny disk for a 250gb SSD. Does everything I need as a desktop machine.

You can find Ubuntu certified laptops from Lenovo at https://certification.ubuntu.com/des...vendors=Lenovo (somehow the laptops are listed under "desktop" however that's how Linux is: either desktop in the broad sense or server in the broad sense)

Right now I am working on my Thinkpad T460s and I love it with Linux on it. Have been a long time Windows user but had to switch to Apple while on XP. 2 years ago I tried switching back to Windows but that was no good. Now I settled on Ubuntu and I am happy again.

My recommendation for Linux is to stick to a well supported and large distribution. Most distributions come with a certain desktop environment, check out Chris Titus' video voor newbie Linux users for that (https://youtu.be/2sBsxrWD9to)

About Thinkpads: I'd stick to the X series and find one with a long battery life. The X series are the most cutting edge and you will have a lot of good use out of one. My T460s has "reasonable" battery life..