Minifree X200 Review

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Mazzatroneus
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Joined: 10/04/2018

Just wanted to share my experience with ordering and using a Thinkpad X200 from Leah Rowe, at Minifree... Ordered in Jan 2018 and oveall really happy with it...:
1) I'm always amazed that the x200 is now 10years old, yet it functions perfectly well - as well as many new laptops today!!! I only have the most basic specs (4gb RAM, 250gb HDD), which is perfect for my work needs, so I'm sure higher specs it would be much faster! I'd get higher specs (or the X400 I guess) if you want a higher performance machine (e.g. doing any kind of complex tasks e.g. video editing, I'd get more RAM).
It's also light and very compact (love how the keyboard is still full size)... other features like spill holes for draining liquids spilled on the keyboard, strong casing etc... just goes to show how tech is waaaaay ahead of its time compared to the average consumer products at any time.
2) I'm happy with Libreboot – boots very fast. And Trisquel – overall very simple to use. Had some minor issues configuring drivers e.g. for a graphics tablet I bought, and I find it's not as convenient as windows/mac for sure... but less convenience is the price paid for more control/'privacy' over your digital hardware and data...
3) Minifree Service: Unfortunately, when I ordered, Leah from minifree was dealing with certain things that meant the delivery of the laptop was heavily delayed. I didn't know what was going on for a couple of weeks, until she got back online and explained everything. She then did her absolute best to get it shipped asap, and I give her credit since then for improving her service massively and always getting back to me quickly when I asked her for technical support and advice on e.g. flashing an X60... she has also hired more people to help her with her work load and the Libreboot project which is her baby – and I really respect her work and give her total credit for being human and not having been perfect, but improving things massively. She has now employed people to work with her and make the service much more efficient.
So overall, I would recommend, for anyone looking for a totally functional, retro, awesome legendary laptop with Free Software Foundation certification, for a cheap price.

libreleah
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Joined: 04/03/2017

thank you for your review :)

btw shipping times on minifree are really fast now. i was away in thailand for a while and then had difficulty with initial surgery recovery.

me and my new employee have everything under wraps now. as of today (edit: today is 8 october 2018), we have a backlog on the T400 orders (11 orders) due to stock issues: new T400 stock is expected in a day or so, so that backlog will clear this week.

as for X200/X200T, those ship pretty much instantly now, when there is an order. my new employee is very good. much more efficient than i ever was. he now handles all flashing/shipping, and i just do emails. this allows me to answer emails quickly... and now i have time again to focus on actual research e.g. libreboot development

as of 8 october, minifree has 60 X200 in stock, 15 X200T in stock and about 20 T400s arriving. I will soon order more. Minifree is preparing for christmas period, where sales are always heavy. We are pre-flashing as many systems as possible before november, and ensuring that stock levels are adequate.

libreleah
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Joined: 04/03/2017

btw the X200 and T400 are exactly the same performance-wise. same CPU and GPU, same RAM. the only major difference is the keyboard size, screen size and a few other physical aspects, but it's the same hardware inside

ospol
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Joined: 09/15/2018

Yes I received mine last month. Works great. Nice to have a real computer :)