My Laptop - Daily Driver

Unfortunately, my daily driver laptop (StarLabs Starbook MkV) died randomly after 1.5 years of use a few weeks ago.

I was looking for something that I could use whilst it was being repaired.

I stumbled across a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 on Facebook Marketplace for $270AUD. I'm very impressed with it.

Here are the specs.

• CPU: Intel i5-8350U (3.6Ghz)
• RAM: 16GB DDR3 (soldered)
• M.2 SSD: Came with a 256GB SSD. But, I replaced it with one from my Starbook, worked perfectly.

Here are some features I like about it

• Nice UHD touch screen
• Great linux compatibility
• Fingerprint reader
• microSD card slot (for expansion or airgapped hardware wallet use)
• Good port selection - 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A, HDMI, headphone jack
• Super lightweight and thin, solid build
• Great keyboard (as expected from a ThinkPad)
• Nice trackpad
• Built-in webcam shutter
• Great battery life
• It has good resale value (there's a large market for second hand ThinkPad's)
• Does not overheat, fans stay quiet
• Can disable Intel Management Engine as per this guide

What it lacks

• Coreboot (can't disable Intel Management Engine)
• the microSD card slot could be a bit more accessible (the cover requires a paperclip to open)
• speakers aren't great
• can't upgrade RAM

Even if I get 1 year out of this, it's still a great deal, but I'm quietly confident it'll be more.

I'd recommend a laptop like this for anyone who is just starting on their Linux journey. It is a great machine.