Hello, unfortunately the motherboard on my Thinkpad X220 has buggered up and it's going to cost over $400 for a new part.
It's very sad news to me. I loved that little laptop and i expect a motherboard to last much longer than 2 years. The warranty is up though so i have to either buy a new part or a new laptop.

I'm thinking of just getting a new laptop. I'm considering a Thinkpad T430 as they've now been superseded and a little cheaper, Linux compatibility for its hardware has been pretty well tested, and it still seems like a decent machine.

I have found a decent second hand one available but it has the optional Nvidia NVS 5400m graphics card, which uses Optimus.
I know very little about graphics cards, so i need a little advice on this. I'm under the impression that if the computer uses Optimus, it would also have Intel HD Graphics *000 as well, is that right?
If it is right, am i able to use the intel HD Graphics exclusively, even if i have to remove the Nvidia card?
If i do use the intel HD graphics exclusively, would the Nvidia card being installed on the computer impact the battery life?

Thank you.

Optimus is a mess. Under Windows, the Intel graphics is normally used and it switches automatically to Nvidia whenever you run a program that uses DirectX. Under Linux you need to install Bumblebee, which lets you control the Nvidia chip from the command line, otherwise it runs continuously and eats your battery.

thanks DavidMcCann, do you know if it's possible to completely turn the nvidia chip off?
of if I remove it will my computer still function perfectly with the Intel HD graphics.
If I'm asking dumb questions it's because i know very little about graphics cards and other computer hardware.

It looks like Bumblebee turns it off as the default. I'm no expert on graphics cards myself: this computer I built without one.

https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/Bumblebee/wiki/FAQ

For anyone else interested i found out that the Thinkpad T430 allows the nvidia chip to be disabled in the bios. After learning this, i purchased the laptop. I have disabled the Nvidia chip and am using the Intel HD Graphics 4000 exclusively (i'm pretty sure). My battery monitor on kde reports a bit over 6 hours of use available on a full charge. It's important to realise though that the battery monitor isn't always accurate though and i haven't tested it realistically yet. I also haven't configured it yet and may be able to squeeze a bit more out of it once done so.

In other words, Bumblebee is not needed for this particular laptop, and of course the neither is the drastic action of removing the Nvidia card.

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