Thinkpad: X230T or T440/s?

[krakkpott]

I'm thinking of getting a laptop for my work & school purposes. I have a desktop and had gone through a few laptops (all died, motherboard issues). Currently, I only have a Acer Chromebook running Linux and it obviously does not have enough juice to be my daily driver.

 

My options are either a X230T or a T440/s Thinkpad. X230T has a pen & touchscreen so I can write down notes (or doodles) whenever I want to. However, I also appreciate the newer hardware & performance that the T440/s can provide (also slightly thinner). Both of these are prices similarly in my region, with T440/s to be slightly more expensive. I'm also thinking of modding either of these, they seem fun.

 

Thoughts?

 

*Not in US.

[SenKa]

I can tell you, as an owner of several Thinkpad tablet models. You will NOT use it as much as you think you will. They are too bulky to actually be used to take notes, IMO.

 

I had an X201T, which I loved to death, but the simple fact was that It wasn't a great tablet for much other than laying it on my desk and playing OSU!.

 

T440/T440S are great machines. I daily a T430 and love it to death. If you wanna save some cash over a T440, pick one up. Ivy bridge to Haswell mobile isn't a big jump in performance, moreso battery life. But, I get something like 8-9 hours with my T430 with the best factory display option, and an HDD. Mind you, I do have a brand new 9 cell battery in mine.

[Streetguru]

28 minutes ago, krakkpott said:

I'm thinking of getting a laptop for my work & school purposes. I have a desktop and had gone through a few laptops (all died, motherboard issues). Currently, I only have a

If you want something super portable you could always get an older surface/surface pro

 

I'd rather have the added utility from the X series, over 2 extra CPU cores, so long as it has at least 4 threads.

Just need to add an SSD and replace the battery on either of them, also going to want at least 8GBs of RAM.

[krakkpott]

12 minutes ago, SenKa said:

I can tell you, as an owner of several Thinkpad tablet models. You will NOT use it as much as you think you will. They are too bulky to actually be used to take notes, IMO.

 

I had an X201T, which I loved to death, but the simple fact was that It wasn't a great tablet for much other than laying it on my desk and playing OSU!.

 

T440/T440S are great machines. I daily a T430 and love it to death. If you wanna save some cash over a T440, pick one up. Ivy bridge to Haswell mobile isn't a big jump in performance, moreso battery life. But, I get something like 8-9 hours with my T430 with the best factory display option, and an HDD. Mind you, I do have a brand new 9 cell battery in mine.

Thanks for your input. I never thought that the X230T would be too bulky for note taking.

The reason I thought of a T440/s is because the price around here is similar to that of T430 (within $10 of each other, used market here ain't that friendly), and I do plan to install a 1080p IPS screen on it in the future.

[krakkpott]

8 minutes ago, Streetguru said:

If you want something super portable you could always get an older surface/surface pro

 

I'd rather have the added utility from the X series, over 2 extra CPU cores, so long as it has at least 4 threads.

Just need to add an SSD and replace the battery on either of them, also going to want at least 8GBs of RAM.

The name "Surface" alone jacks up the price to around US$200-$300 here (where you can get Thinkpads for $100-$150).

I already have a bunch of spare DDR3 RAM & a spare SSD around to use with whichever laptop I'm getting.

Anyway, thanks for your input.

[panzersharkcat]

For a *40 series ThinkPad, I'd actually suggest the T440p for the potential upgrade to a quad-core CPU.

[krakkpott]

9 minutes ago, panzersharkcat said:

For a *40 series ThinkPad, I'd actually suggest the T440p for the potential upgrade to a quad-core CPU.

Too thicc to carry tbh, currently preferring a T440s.

[SenKa]

50 minutes ago, panzersharkcat said:

For a *40 series ThinkPad, I'd actually suggest the T440p for the potential upgrade to a quad-core CPU.

All T410 and up can be upgraded to a quad core actually, ignoring the models with soldered CPU's. 

 

1 hour ago, krakkpott said:

Thanks for your input. I never thought that the X230T would be too bulky for note taking.

The reason I thought of a T440/s is because the price around here is similar to that of T430 (within $10 of each other, used market here ain't that friendly), and I do plan to install a 1080p IPS screen on it in the future.

If theyre the same price then go for the T440 or T440s, for sure. I absolutely LOVE the X201-X230 line of tablet thinkpads, but the reality is that they aren't all that great anymore unless you can live with a dual core and limited RAM expandability. 

[krakkpott]

1 hour ago, SenKa said:

-snip-

By the way, what do you think about the X240? Its also a viable option since the price is also similar.

[SenKa]

14 hours ago, krakkpott said:

By the way, what do you think about the X240? Its also a viable option since the price is also similar.

Ive heard a lot of people say the 40 series have sucky trackpads, though i've never used one. I WOULD be weary of any dual core that isn't upgradable though. 

 

With that being said, there is a guide to replace the trackpad if you dont like it. http://diy.mironto.sk/thinkpad-x240-replacing-touchpad-and-keyboard/ 

[panzersharkcat]

I've picked out T440ps for a few colleagues and another has an X240. The trackpad's adequate. I find them infuriating to use, since I prefer the TrackPoint, but they seem to find it okay. The one with the X240 likes it fine. Does what she needs it to do.

[dizmo]

Definitely not the X230T. I had one, get the bigger laptop. Trust me, it'll be nicer in the end.
I myself plan on getting a T460, since they're cheap, highly upgradeable, and more than capable of handling word processing.