[PLUG] I'm shopping for hardware, what about Lenovo?

[Bryan Linton]

On 2017-08-23 23:29:17, Tomas Kuchta <tomas.kuchta.lists at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Thinkpads had bad patch around Tx40 models 2-3 years ago - they went with
> plastic chassis and skipped real touchpad buttons, used single channel RAM,
> only 2x USB - thankfully they walked that back.
> 

Some of the touchpads *without* real buttons can be swapped out for
ones *with* real buttons.

I bought a T440p (an updated version of the T440 (non-p) with 4
USB ports, a better screen, better CPU, dual-channel RAM, etc.) so
was probably made after Lenovo decided to walk back some of the
changes they made.  I'm not sure if the chassis is plastic or not,
but it feels solidly built enough.

It came with the buttonless touchpad of the era, but I was able to
swap it out with minimal difficulty.  I just bought one meant for
the T5XX series from a seller on ebay and swapped it out.  The
seller also specifically mentioned that it was compatible with the
T440p too.

The only hard part is that the keyboard bezel has to be removed,
and rather than being held on with screws like my T60's was, it was
instead held on by a bunch of miniature plastic clips.  It took a
long time to gently wiggle everything apart with an old credit
card, and I still noticed a few tiny bits of plastic on my
workbench when I'd finished.

It still fit back on snugly though, so I have no major complaints.


One thing I like about Thinkpads is their upgradability.  If you
have basic hardware skills, you can buy a slightly-used model and
upgrade it to be comparable to a newer model for a great bargain.

I bought mine for about $400.  Added an 8 GB stick of RAM to the 4
GB that it came with for 12 GB total ($60).  The new touchpad was
about $20.  And I upgraded the screen from a 1366 x 768 TN panel
to a 1920 x 1080 IPS panel for only $80.

So for only $560 and about one hour of my time, I got a laptop
with specs comparable to ones that were selling for almost twice
that at the time.

I could still upgrade the CPU from an i5-4300M to an i7-4900MQ,
and plan on doing so one day, but for my purposes, it's fast
enough already.


Computers (and especially laptops) are a lot like cars in how
their value depreciates.  It's often far more economical to buy a
model a few years old and replace a few parts (and pay half the
price) than it is to buy brand new.

I just priced out a T570 that is comparably specced to the T440p I
built above.  It's $1,178 for a T570 build mostly comparable to
what I have.  My T440p was only $560 + one hour of time.

If we assume that they depreciate 10% per year, in three years
mine will have lost appx. $160 of value.  The new T570 above will
have lost appx. $350 of value.  Same as with cars, there's little
to be gained by buying new vs. <3 years old.

To the OP, unless you know that you will need the latest and
greatest laptop, I'd recommend buying a used model.  Unless you're
going to be building large software packages like LibreOffce or
Firefox regularly, a T460 will still have a lot of power.  A T440p
like mine will also likely serve you well.

If you're a student, then the $500 or so you'd save by doing so is
likely to be worth it.

-- 
Bryan