Recommendation for Next Thinkpad

My workhorse X200 finally bit the dust and I need to find a replacement. Wanted to get some advice. My priorities are:

1) Performance - Fast processer (prefer regular voltage) and hopefully user upgradable RAM and disk to SSD.
2) Relatively Thin & Light - Mostly stays in the house, but want something that is easy to carry around.

Touch screen & convertible tablet capability would be nice, but not critical.

Seems like my options are the Thinkpad Yoga, X1 Carbon, X240, T440s, X230t, and perhaps previous gen versions available in the outlet.

I would welcome people's thoughts. Thanks

 

Out of those options you wont find regular voltage cpu's, so basically it's down to the form factor. A very short (incomplete) summary of the models:
- Yoga has display issues with yellow and still not solved with the bios update, the resolution itself might even be a problem for windows users
- X1 is seriously overpriced for what you get, 3rd generation cpu,
- X230t also has a 3rd gen cpu and is therefore technologically already outdated
- X240 has more limited upgrade capabilities than larger notebooks (1 ram slot), the screen isnt really high res either. No fullHD panel as far as I can tell.
- T440s basically has the most upgrade options of all of the above laptops, incl FHD panel, 1 ram upgradable to 12GB total, For outside US customers it's possible to get an nvidia chip onboard as well

I think T440s would offer the most flexibility of all listed. Perhaps the Yoga is interesting because of its form factor, but it has its drawbacks as well

 

The closest thing to your X200 would be X220/T or even X230/T if you don't care about the keyboard layout. These will take up to 16GB RAM which should make them reasonably future-proof. I wouldn't be too worried about the "outdated" CPUs if you've managed to stay with X200 up to now.

X1C is getting a refresh soon. I'd wait and see what its successor looks like.

T440s is an interesting offering and might or might not be what you're looking for, but should be considered far more seriously than X240 in my opinion.

Good luck.

 

Right now I'm using an E6430 as a workhorse laptop, a thinner 12-13" would probably be your best bet, like an X230/X240. Don't compromise and get a thinner 14" laptop, they are still somewhat bulky compared to X series laptops (I've owned/used my share of thin 14" laptops).

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Kind of leaning toward X series. May see what the new Carbon looks like, but fear that 14'' may be too big for me.

I know the X230t is older gen, but the i7 processor (3520M) seems to compare favorably to the 4600U in the X240. I like that it is easier to upgrade and has an IPS screen. I will research this model more.

It's unfortunate to see Lenovo regressing a bit in terms of quality and upgradability. If it wasn't for my addiction to the Trackpoint I would consider other brands.

 

wouldn't the x230t be extremely bulky? look at youtube videos, this thing is big!


Tsunade_Hime: would you consider the thinkpad yoga a compromise?

 

lol thinking that ivy bridge is "outdated" is not the best way to think of something when purchasing, it is in technical terms if you look at literal definitions of "outdated" but in the real world, it isn't out dated, i believe the x230t is a solid candidate

 

A difference in a fraction of an inch isn't all that much of a difference (comparing the X230t to a "thin" laptop). The real concern would be weight, but this isn't all that heavy either.

 

Yoga Pro 2 has yellow color reproduction problem, but thinkpad Yoga has no such problem.

 

Another plus for the X220(t) or X230(t) is the ability to do a SSD via the miniPCI slot and hard drive. When I had my X200 I disliked having to carry everything on the external, but the 1TB drive in my X220i solves that problem.

Ivy Bridge is not outdated or even close.

 

Again, I don't understand: the OP wants something thin and light, but look here: Lenovo ThinkPad X230t Tablet Vs X230 Regular Comparison, What are the Differences - YouTube

I myself considered the x230t, but because of the size of it and looking into the thinkpad yoga. (the x230t is still expensive! >_<)

 

Well, if the OP is willing to give up the touchscreen/stylus aspect, he'll be served well by standard X220/230, but that's really up to him.

Having owned both the standard X220 and its tablet sibling, I'd say that while the difference in weight most certainly does exist, the latter is not an obese machine by any means.

I'm not under the impression that X230T is expensive. They show up at the Outlet at ridiculous prices at both end of the spectrum...but one must act quick.

 

Also take note that the x220/230 tablet versions has less battery options than their regular counterparts and poorly thought out tablet alignment guides that are prone to dropping out.

 

There's a 3 and a 6 cell battery option. Obviously not as much as a standard X series, but X series tablets have always been niche.

If you custom order it from Lenovo it's pretty expensive. There are resellers like Provantage, Cost Central that has pretty good deals on preconfigured models. YMMV.

I haven't personally owned a standard X220, but the tablet isn't THAT much heavier. And as ZaZ pointed out, Ivy Bridge is by nowhere near "obsolete", considering OP was using an X200 for that long, it should last a long time. Is it less modern than say the newest Alienwares/consumer end stuff? Sure. But business users have no need for the newest technology, and most corporations and government agencies lease laptops, so they get a new one every 3-4 years. In fact they want stability more than anything. Dell just releases new business models so the next set of refreshes can be done by waves.

Using that logic, my work laptop E6430 is "obsolete" from a technology standpoint, but all I do on my work laptop is look at my email, look up the ticket queue and manage AD accounts. I have no need for a 4900MQ processor.

 

True, I assumed we were talking latest here. The Yoga wouldnt make much sense as a choice for a new laptop imo

 

The fact of the matter is that it is old technology and the battery life is less than 4th gen. So in a fact it is outdated. Your perception may be different, but that doesnt negate the facts

 

okay, with your logic, all newer thinkpads are out dated, since they took a step back in quality and durability.

 

Everybody's usage patterns are different, so outdated is all relative. TBH I could do all my work on a Core 2 Duo machine, but I was given this Latitude to do work. From OP's standpoint, a X230 would not be outdated considering he was using an X200 for so long.

 

sorry to hijack the topic, but for using a T420 until now, what would be a good laptop w/ digitizer for me?

 

You can twist my words all you want, we're talking purely about technology. You're talking about laptop construction. But whatever, I think I have made my point. The OP can gather what he wants from this info and that's the main point for this thread. Cary on

 

This has been tremendously helpful. Since yesterday, Lenovo has dropped the X230t from the store, so I would have to rely on Outlet availability if I were to get one (only one currently in stock). I would definitely consider a regular X230, but they don't seem to be available at reasonable prices.

So unless things change over the next few weeks, I will likely go with an X240. Hate that it has only 1 RAM slot, but at least the rear battery is removable. Is the touch screen worth an extra $150 over the regular IPS? Also, have there been any reports on how easy it is to replace the stock HD with an SSD?

 

That statement is kinda stupid. Anything is going to be outdated in a matter of months. With Skylake coming in, what's the point of buying a Broadwell machine? Oh and then there's Cannonlake after Skylake, I guess that will be "obsolete" too, can't buy Skylake. And then after that, another tick is coming. With your logic, you shouldn't EVER buy a machine as they keep getting faster. What machine do you have? I bet it's outdated.

 

Facts seem to be a difficult poitn for you to grasp, technology is a thing that has a tendency to develop quickly and therefore PC's get technologically outdated very quickly. I know this is an incovenient truth for you, but it's just a fact im stating. I wish you best of luck dealing with it.

 

I think that the mod's original point was that you shouldn't dismiss a (very slightly) older laptop simply because it has a slightly old technology in it (Ivy Bridge), especially when the newer stuff doesn't bring too much to the table (Haswell's battery life claims). Actually, at worst, some OEMs decide to take Haswell's slight power efficiency advantage over Ivy Bridge to get away with installing batteries with less capacity than IB-era batteries, so the battery life argument is sometimes moot.

Besides, you have to look at it from OP's standpoint. Currently OP owns a X200, something that's dinosaurs-old (in your vision, judging from your few posts here). So, by your logic, wouldn't it still be a massive gain to buy an Ivy Bridge system for OP? Battery life improvements between, say, the X200 and X230(t) would be a hell of a lot more important than the differences between IB and Haswell (for a higher cost relative to an IB upgrade). So I wouldn't dismiss "ancient" technology like the X230(t) for OP.

(Also, spelling. I'd work on that. It'll go a long way in life)

 

Considering the X230(t) has better CPU performance than the X240 due to full-voltage CPU it is indeed a better choice (imho) especially when cost is factored in.

The only advantage the X240 has is the "Apple-ified" look and the better integrated graphics, but let's be honest here.... one does not simply buy an X series for gaming, or even a thinkpad for that matter (inb4 hurr durr jobine look at my sw4g egpuz!)

 

What are you looking to spend?

 

I am trying to keep the price under $1500 if possible, not counting the cost of an SSD and RAM I would install myself.

 

I don't see that as a problem...

Lenovo ThinkPad X230 i5 3320M Premium IPS HD 16GB 128GB SSD 6GB s SATA III | eBay

I'm not affiliated with the seller in any way, so proceed at your own risk. There's at least 50 more new/sealed units on feebay well under your price range...

 

Or if you want a tablet, here's a genuine Lenovo refurb...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thin...50720560?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item3f2dc36830

Not affiliated with the seller, proceed at your own risk.

 

1500 is easily attainable if you buy outside of Lenovo. New units are kinda pricey directly through Lenovo, preconfigured or CTO (custom to order) and will ship slower (I believe all models even preconfigured ones come from China) vs buying from a reseller.