Picked up a ThinkPad E570 (i7-7500U, 8GB, optical drive) for $140 — good deal in 2026?
I’ve been looking for an older business laptop mainly for:
* basic productivity
* web browsing
* Linux
* retro gaming/emulation
* and honestly just the overall “old business laptop” feel.
One thing I specifically wanted was a built-in optical drive, which narrowed things down a lot. I was originally looking at older ThinkPads like the T420/T430/T440p, but prices on those seem pretty inflated now unless you get lucky.
I ended up buying a Lenovo ThinkPad E570 for $140 shipped with:
* i7-7500U
* 8GB RAM
* integrated Intel HD 620 graphics
* DVD drive
* battery + charger included
* no HDD/SSD
* no OS
I already have a spare 500GB SATA SSD from a PS3 upgrade, so I’m planning to install that and probably run Linux Mint.
The thing that attracted me to the E570 was that it seems like one of the last “modern enough” ThinkPads that still kept:
* the optical drive
* upgradeability
* decent ports
* and a traditional business-laptop design.
I know the E-series isn’t as premium as T-series ThinkPads, but this seemed like a decent middle ground between:
* retro ThinkPad charm
* and actual modern usability.
I’m also curious how these hold up thermally and long-term.
I don’t plan on heavy gaming, but I’d like to do:
* PS2 emulation
* older PC games
* indie games
* media playback
* DVDs/CD ripping
* etc.
For people who’ve owned or used an E570:
* How’s the build quality over time?
* Any common issues?
* Worth upgrading to 16GB RAM?
* How’s Linux compatibility nowadays?
* Any tips/mods/upgrades I should know about?
Would love to hear opinions from people who’ve used one.