My Aging Workhorse: Lenovo SL400

     Since my first post on this blog, it occurred to me that a post about the current system that I'm working with would be an appropriate topic to start off on. After all the harping about Linux that I did last time, it seemed the logical thing to do.

    My three-year old Lenovo Thinkpad SL400 has been my only workhorse for the last three years. I bought it in August '08 after my very first laptop (an IBM ThinkPad R50e given to me by my Dad as a graduation present, went missing). I like keeping my computing system as compact and portable as possible and while at home, use my laptop as a desktop replacement, usually with the screen closed and the unit connected to an external monitor, speakers and keyboard.

    When I first bought my SL400, the SL line had just been introduced by Lenovo. I had actually wanted an R or T-series ThinkPad, but settled for this as it was within my budget at the time. Having experienced the excellent build quality of the ThinkPad when it belonged to IBM, I was expecting that Lenovo would continue that tradition after having bought the ThinkPad and ThinkCentre product line. Thus, I was initially happy when I received my SL400 for the first time, with what seemed like a sturdy chassis and overall finish.   

    However, within the first few weeks some disappointing and glaring flaws began to make themselves apparent. The material used for the lid was a shiny, piano black finish which was succeptible to scratches, unlike the rough, matte texture of my IBM R50e. Even after three years of painstakingly careful use, the lid is quite worn and scratched. In addition, the palm rest was made of a kind of plastic that easily picked up natural oil/sweat from the base of the palms and required constant wiping. And perhaps the worst (and needless) drawback of Lenovo's build quality came through in the ThinkPad logo that adorned the bottom right corner of the palm rest. It used to be a coloured, and embossed pattern the plastic on the ThinkPads made by IBM. It was with chagrin that I discovered that Lenovo had taken the road to cheapness by replacing the embossing with a patterned black-and-steel sticker of the logo, made to look like brushed metal. The sticker came loose one day as I was wiping the palm rest, much to my horror, and plunged my opinion of the ThinkPad towards rock bottom. I have been wary of buying another ThinkPad since. Following are some photos of my SL400 as it is today, after 3 years of constant use:

My ThinkPad with lid closed. Lid was easily scratched and scuffed

Keyboard and main chassis have mostly held up under use

This is what happens when cheapness ruins an excellent product line.

SL400 currently runs with external cooler and underside panels removed, to prevent overheating

    However, I do have good things to say about it as well. The casing has been mostly sturdy, and the keyboard along with its trademark red button mouse has been exceptional, in the ThinkPad tradition. When initially bought, I had opted for a core configuration consisting of an Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 CPU running at 1.8GHz, 3GB of SDRAM, a 250 GB hard drive and an on-board graphics card using the Intel GMA 4500 MHD chipset. The maximum screen resolution has been 1280 x 800 on a standard matte LCD display. Since then, the only modifications have been an additonal 1GB of SDRAM and a 500GB hard drive.

    But age has also brought its share of problems. The CPU fan failed last year, just a week before the thesis defense for my Master's degree. When I called Lenovo requesting a replacement CPU fan & heatsink unit, they quoted an exorbitant price in excess of $200, without taxes and shipping costs included. I finally ended up buying a replacement fan on eBay for $20 dollars and fixing the CPU fan unit myself. More on this in an upcoming post. However, my laptop has once again begun overheating over the last couple of months, requiring me to operate it with an external cooler with most of the casing panels on the underside removed.

    Being a Linux user for over three years, I had wiped the OEM version of Windows Vista off the hard drive within the first week of use, and replaced it with Ubuntu 8.04. Since then, my SL400 has gone through six successive releases of Ubuntu, and gone through the teething pains that come with each new release of a linux distribution. This has most significantly created problems in the area of interfacing with proprietary embedded API's developed for the hardware by Lenovo, such as their "airbag" technology for the hard drive, fan control, and in earlier releases of Ubuntu, problems activating and controlling the webcam. I've attached a couple of screenshots of my desktop with some of my system details.

Some of my basic system information and operating statistics

      Though my SL400 has been both satisfying and dissapointing in different respects, it has worked faithfully during its operating life so far. I plan to repair what I can and use it in my line of work at the small HVAC controls company that I work for.

    And just in time too, because I have found a successor for it that I've wanted for quite some time. It just arrived two days ago and I haven't opened it yet...but that's what the next post is going to be about :)

    What has been your experience with IBM or Lenovo ThinkPads, or the brand of laptop that you use or like? Do sound off and share your thoughts!