Lenovo ThinkPad X230 / Insurgo PrivacyBeast X230 / Nitrokey NitroPad X230

User Support HCL Reports
1
ThinkPad X230 Insurgo PrivacyBeast X230 NitroPad X230
Recommended CPU i7-3520M i7-3520M i7-3520M
i5-3320M i5-3320M
i5-3210M
Max. memory 16GB (2 slots) 16GB (2 slots) 16GB (2 slots)
USB controllers 3 3 3
Coreboot possible yes yes
Heads possible yes yes
ME_cleaner possible yes yes
Qubes OS pre-installed no yes yes
Developer tested yes yes yes
Certified no yes yes
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Great idea to group these together! By the way, I believe that to use one of the USB controllers, you need a docking station, so just writing 3 without a note could be misleading for people who need three controllers on the go. Maybe someone can confirm.

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So the [Lenovo ThinkPad X230] is a cheapest laptop that can run Qubes OS quite comfortably?
I’ve seen something cheaper on the list, but I’m not sure those would be comfortable enough.

I hope this information may help some people (not only me).

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4

Hello Sven. I’m planning to buy a thinkpad x230 and install my i7 3840qm in it. Will it work correctly on this hardware or are there any nuances?

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5

You can’t install that CPU in the x230.

The x230 uses a soldered BGA CPU, which can’t be replaced without reworking the motherboard. The i7-3612QE and i7-3615QE are the only two quad-core CPUs that can be used with the x230.

I have a modified x230 with the i7-3612QE, and it works with Qubes OS. Unless you have the tools and skills to do BGA rework, you are going to need to buy a modified motherboard with the replaced CPU, they are around $300 on AliExpress/eBay.

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6

Thanks for the information, I’ll stay on the t430 for now.

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---
layout:
  'hcl'
type:
  'Notebook'
hvm:
  'yes'
iommu:
  'yes'
slat:
  'yes'
tpm:
  '1.2'
remap:
  'yes'
brand: |
  LENOVO
model: |
  23259S2
bios: |
  G2ETB4WW (2.74 )
cpu: |
  Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3230M CPU @ 2.60GHz
cpu-short: |
  FIXME
chipset: |
  Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor DRAM Controller [8086:0154] (rev 09)
chipset-short: |
  FIXME
gpu: |
  Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0166] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
gpu-short: |
  FIXME
network: |
  Intel Corporation 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection (Lewisville) [8086:1502] (rev 04)
  Intel Corporation Centrino Advanced-N 6205 [Taylor Peak] [8086:0085] (rev 34)
memory: |
  8009
scsi: |
  SSD 128GB        Rev: 22A1
usb: |
  3
certified:
  'no'
versions:
  - works:
      'FIXME:yes|no|partial'
    qubes: |
      R4.2.3
    xen: |
      4.17.4
    kernel: |
      6.6.48-1
    remark: |
      FIXME
    credit: |
      FIXAUTHOR
    link: |
      FIXLINK

Everything seems to work fine at the first glance after a fresh Qubes OS 4.2.3 installation. The things I wanted to test out in particular:

  • Pipewire, audio playback and microphone input, and their related media keys and indicators
  • Videoconferencing with the builtin webcam attached to a qube
  • Suspend and wakeup, minus the fact that USB devices get disconnected and connected, hence why they need to be manually re-attached to a qube, to which they were attached before suspending.
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1 Like