Thinkpad 11e 4th gen

So after all these years since falling in love with 11in thinkpads (starting with the X100e) I finally purchased one! Got a i3 4th gen with 4GB of ram and happy I didnt got Yoga this time! I wanted it to be more simple and spend its time in the work-in case as opposed to trying to use it as a proper writing tool. After trying to write on an HP x2 10in it just doesn't compare to a proper active digitizer like my old yoga 260, and I feel you give up alot to trying to add a makeshift "active" screen.

So glad I got the i3 version despite the news about intel, as its leaps and bounds better then the other chips Ive used in this segment from atom to pentiums to celerons. While the lesser chips were great on battery and heat, this i3 version isnt power thirsty and also doesnt produce heat while mutlitasking/power use. So I feel I made the right choice this time around.

Specs:
Intel i3-7100U
4Gb DDR4 ram
128GB M.2 SSD
1366x768 11.6in Screen (with the multitouch touchpad and windows 10 this sint so bad!)

Plan on upgrading the ram to something with better timing and possibly 8GB, as well as soon as I can afford it Ill be getting a Samsung pro M.2 drive. But for now it more than accomplishes what I need it for with ease! Definitely geeking out as I have wanted this very setup since the movie The Net came out and she brought out the laptop on the beach LOL.

Some hands on videos!




Who else is enjoying their 11e? I know I cant be the only one reaping the benefits of this handy little rigs!

 

LoL I guess I am the only one! Yall are missing out!

 

I don't need that level of mobility, which is why I have a 17" notebook, but I think I'd prefer a X2x0 notebook.

 

While I appreciate the compact size, upgradeable RAM & storage - HD screen resolution is a giant NO for me.

 

Yeah I too have a 17in workstation with a GTX 1080 and a 15 in with a gtx970 for the heavier tasks. I had a yoga 260 and it was great, but costs almost 3 times as much. If you have the funds they make alot more sense, but for a mobile/on the couch/in the truck computing this is pretty nice. I wish it was a 10in TBH, but 11 isnt too bad. Plus the 12in are slightly bigger and wont fit in the awesome case, which to some isnt a big deal, but for me is as I like to grab and go and the work-in case allows for easy grab and go.

Yeah the screen resolution does hurt this machine a little, but with the multitouch touchpad (wheres my ultranav?!?!?!?) and windows 10 multitasking I found myself not worries much about the standard HD resolution and thats coming from a pixel elitist who has 4 screens for my main workstation (and I wish I had more). A backlit keyboard or the old school thinklight would also be nice but not a big deal.

 

This laptop continues to amaze me! Best $400 I have spent on a computer...heck best sub $1000 I have ever spent on a computer! The fact that I can game comfortably and work comfortably and both are seamless and smooth. Runs cool and quite while doing both! While there are shortcomings, one just needs to factor in the cost to realize you're still getting a killer deal.

Here is the 11e 4th gen with an i3 playing heroes of the storm. While I dont have the FPS, the gameplay is buttery smooth and feels like my gaming/powerful rigs just less pretty looking LOL. Usually this is the time frame where I start to see the flaws of a machine in this segment, but I have yet to find anything worth noting. My thinkpad fanboy-ness might be showing haha.

 

You're not the only one. I got one of these (1st gen, chromebook) second hand for cheap ($200). It's great for reading papers, the battery last 8 hours, and it's durable.

You can often pick them up for cheap since schools force students to buy them, then they are surplussed to requirements.

If you do go for a chomebook model, make sure it's been properly unenrolled from device management before you buy it. Mine had only been done half way and I struggled to get admin access. I had to open it up, disconnect the battery, then install galliumos.