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But that’s not good enough. This ThinkPad — like millions of other PCs in the same boat — is still perfectly functional. Its hardware is more than capable of everyday tasks. I’ve been using it for web browsing, writing in Google Docs, talking to my Verge colleagues on Slack, and even some gaming on Steam. Not bad for a laptop that’s supposed to be retired.
All you have to do is reject Microsoft’s framing. It’s not safe to leave it on Windows 10, since Microsoft chose to stop offering security updates, and Windows 11 isn’t supported. But who says this laptop needs to run Windows at all? There’s another operating system that runs great on older hardware, is still actively maintained, and can prevent millions of computers from being scrapped before their time.
That’s right: The secret to saving this laptop, and maybe yours too, is Linux.
The spec that blocked my laptop from running Windows 11
This story was written on a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 7th-gen Intel Core i7-7600U processor. It’s a more powerful version of a laptop The Verge reviewed when it came out in 2017. At the time, it was considered a high-end, ultra-portable workhorse of a laptop, offering upwards of eight hours of battery life in a surprisingly lightweight package. It started at $1,100 when it was released, but my configuration would have cost $2,100. I found this one used on eBay for just $250.
The ThinkPad could still run Windows 10 perfectly fine. Photo by Stevie Bonifield / The Verge
When it arrived, the ThinkPad was in almost new condition without any noticeable wear and tear. It even came with a new charger. It booted into the setup process for a clean installation of Windows 10 without any issues. After using it on Windows 10 for a few days, I had a hard time remembering it was a laptop from nearly a decade ago. It certainly didn’t feel like a device that was ready for the laptop graveyard.
2017 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 (as tested) Display: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 300 nits
Processor: Intel Core i7-7600U (2 cores, Intel HD Graphics 620)
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