Lenovo ThinkPad T580

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/glossary/linux-standard-base/ When I was shopping Lenovo.com for my ThinkPad in 2018, there was a table with ThinkPads certified for Ubuntu Linux in one column, and certified for Red Hat Enterprise Linux in another column. I chose the T580 as a RHEL-certified notebook, and it was fantastic. Lenovo.com let me configure each individual component exactly according to my needs and tastes, and it was custom-assembled and shipped from Shenzhen. It did arrive with Windows 10 pre-installed (this was the least hassle and most popular OS option). I initially installed CentOS, but quickly realized that Fedora would be the sweet spot, and so it was a Fedora system for most of its lifetime. Near the end, I did revert to Windows 10, which also worked flawlessly. The ThinkPad T580 literally never malfunctioned. It was still 100% working when I turned it in for recycling in 2025. I've also run Ubuntu on my "daily driver" desktop system, which ran from 2006-2022. Yes, that's 16 years' worth of Ubuntu installs and upgrades. It was mostly a KDE Plasma (Kubuntu) system. I enjoyed every bit of that. In 1999, I was avidly using OpenBSD on really old hardware (such as HP Apollo 425t workstations.) OpenBSD simply couldn't deal with the special graphics subsystem on those machines. I tried and tried to get something working, but there were obstacles, not only with the hardware and drivers, but also the monitor connection needed a particular type of cabling and a proprie…

When I configured a Lenovo T580, I chose a touchscreen. The screen had very nice resolution and performance, and it was kind of crazy how many pointing devices were default, from the Trackpoint stick, to the trackpad and the touchscreen too. I chronically forgot that I had a touchscreen at all. Using Fedora or Windows alike, I was basically never inspired to tap on the screen, rather than using the trackpad. So that was probably the most neglected feature in the entire system, especially considering that I paid extra for it! I also had the option of a WWAN module. It would've required a SIM card and a mobile account. I was sure I didn't want to pay monthly for such a thing, and I did not envision any circumstance when I would want or need mobile data, if I already had WiFi built in. This prediction played out as expected, and I never did need or want WWAN, except one time for 30 minutes at a bus stop in town. Compared to the 6 years of service I got from the T580, I'd say that configuration was the right choice.

I purchased a Chromebook a while ago, and I've found it quite adequate as a "daily driver". It's vastly simplified compared to any other desktop OS, and I appreciate that the simplicity makes it lean and understandable, to beginners or power users alike. Pretty much everything I did was in the Google ecosystem, and PWAs are well-supported in Chrome, and as a bonus, I can run any Android app natively in the VM, and full-screen! It's fantastic for my astronomy work! My Thinkpad T580 is 6 years old at this point, and out of warranty, but still performing admirably. When it dies I will wait awhile to replace it with something else, as my Chromebook has taken over the daily duties, and performing great.

While that is the origin of the acronym, it is not indicative of how FAQs are compiled today, especially by corporate support. It's merely a category of document to them. The first entry in these instructions is how to enable the built-in Linux subsystem in ChromeOS. So, there's their token effort to see people keep it around. The last entry in the document is a link to their systems which come preloaded with Linux. You see, if someone enjoys toying with Linux on an underpowered/non-certified device, they will love upgrading to a full-fledged machine that can really cope with all they want to do now. I purchased a Lenovo ThinkPad T580 in 2018 because it was certified for RHEL. They also have a range that's certified for Ubuntu. Despite my device's certification, it came preloaded with Windows 10, but I did run flawless Fedora for several years, before reverting. That Lenovo is still going strong, and one of a pair of "daily drivers". (My other one is a Chromebook! Yes, I run Linux on it, every day!)

In 2018 I was in college, working on a Linux degree, and studying for certifications such as CompTIA Linux+. I had allocated some funds to purchase a new machine; my desktop was already over 8 years old and I obviously wanted a good machine I could bring to campus. I chose the Lenovo ThinkPad T580, because it was on the Red Hat certified list. It came with Windows 10 but I immediately installed CentOS. This turned out to be a minor error on my part; CentOS was too old to support the modern T580's hardware. I struggled briefly and then realized that Fedora would be a better option in this situation. I ran Fedora for 3 years, flawlessly, effortlessly, and yes, boringly. Due to the vagaries of needing to use something supportable and normal for work, and because this has become not only my "daily driver" but my "BYOD" device for work, I decided to abandon Linux and install Windows 10 on Christmas Day last year. I may never run Linux again on a personal machine, but I don't regret 30 years of "Linux on my Desktop", and I'd recommend it to any burgeoning hacker type!

In 2018, when I purchased a Lenovo T580, what I did was browse their certification tables for models certified for Linux (they would certify some for Ubuntu and some for RHEL.) Then I purchased one of those RHEL models as a Windows machine, and got the best of both worlds. It turned out to be quite handy as, during the long service life of that notebook system, the usefulness of Linux on my "desktop" wore extremely thin and I realized that Windows had been right for me all along, so after several years of smoothly running Fedora I was able to fall back to a very very nice, Made for Windows 10 system.

I love these old ThinkPads. I refurbish and sell them all the time. Just moments before writing this, I finished fixing up a T580; earlier today I did a heatsink replacement on a W510 which is going strong with an SSD and 20GB RAM. The older they are, the better they are, but even the modern ones are still pretty good. Like the OP mentions, the market for parts is strong and it's easy to get what you need. Then when you go to sell them, they sell for a good amount. That W510 is worth at least $100 in its current condition.

We're blood brothers my friend. Never again on Asus (though I do have a traitorous exception for mother boards, though I'm trying to change). I also refuse HP stuff for the same reason. Could be so good, but brittle easily broken parts end up wiping out all the quality stuff. Definitely take a look at Framework laptops ( https://frame.work ). Unless they lose their way, I don't plan to buy anything else. I've also had great luck with Lenovo T* line (my T580 was one of my favorites of all time). Dell makes some gorgeous stuff as well (though I go with the business line of XPS, I forget what they're called at the moment, maybe Precision?). If you're going with Dell, Ubuntu or a derivative works a little better. I've had friction in the past with Fedora and Arch on Dell because it takes 6 to 9 months for all the drivers to make it upstream to the kernel, so if the model is new within 6 to 9 months you're stuck relying on Dell's build.

Depending on your budget I recently picked up a refurbished Thinkpad T580 with i7 / 32GB / 512GB for under €500. My first thinkpad and so far very impressed...

I keep buying used T480 / T580 machines (last generation with easily swappable external battery, and also still easy to change battery and drive etc), and will keep my T25 (it has the good keyboard!) for as long as I can.

Get either: The Dell Precision 5520 (or whatever the latest verison of that is) with Ubuntu pre-installed (you can easily wipe and reinstall with distro of your choice, but this guarantees maximum compatibility. Pros: - Premium hardware (better than Apple IMHO, and I love Apple's hardware) - Nice trackpad - Good compatibility with Linux (except the Nvidia Optimus stuff, so avoid that if you can) - Good warranty - Touch screen compatible (which works great with Gnome) Cons: - Price is better than Apple but definitely on the high end - Compatibility isn't perfect (tho it is really close) The Lenovo T{4,5}80 Pros: - More hardware for the buck (excellent value) - Super easy to self service (basically anything) - Highly compatible with Linux - Can get Nvidia card for higher-end graphics/gaming Cons: - Body is a little plasticky and looks cheap-ish - Bezels on the screen are kind of big - Intel graphics won't let you do gaming or video editing (although I do use Kdenlive on mine. It takes forever to render but I can edit just fine) I've had both and they are awesome. My current setup is Lenovo T580 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD running Fedora 30. It's flawless and worked out of the box (after running the Fedora installer).

I have to admit 4K is battery-hog, especially portable laptop that doesn’t have a good battery life. I got a T series ThinkPad T580, it has front and rear batteries, built like tank with nuclear powerplant. That’s why I am not so worried about my 4K screen.