Laptop Purchase: Choosing a Thinkpad (or something else?)

[5x5]

4 hours ago, ggk said:

Hey all, catching up on this thread, thank you everyone for the input. The information regarding the PWM flickering is particularly helpful, this wasn’t something on my radar, I've now read up on it a bit and it will factor into my decision. With PWM flickering in mind, I’ve been cross-checking options on notebookcheck.net.

 

 

Regarding the idea of waiting for the T14 price to drop, although I don’t have a ton of flexibility regarding my timeline, I do have some. I’m stepping out of my job towards the end of August and would like to have something to replace my X1 carbon I’m currently using for work asap. Is it realistic to think prices will drop by then?

 

 

Outside of the T-14 and X13 are there any other viable options with next gen specs? The ideapad 5 and HP envy are on my radar, but I’m not sure they nail the keyboard and build quality I’m prioritizing (the “business-class” style machine, I think, is the thing that has me covered). I’m also seeing the Asus G14 all over, but the lack of webcam seems like a hassle (and while the specs are impressive, I don’t think I’ll use them—even with the music production luxury in mind, trouble-shooting audio issues on a windows machine is something I’ve been very happy to leave behind since starting to work on a mac, so I wouldn't switch over to this thing for music full-time, despite it blowing my mac out of the water). Overall, while I understand the Ryzen Renoir chips are where it’s at, given the laptops available with it and my use-case, I’m worried that placing the priority on getting the new tech will end up landing me with a machine that doesn’t deliver on my higher priorities (or I bite the bullet and pay a bundle on the AMD T14 and get it all).  

 

I’ve also had the thought that while I plan to be mobile, the fallout of the pandemic will mean I’ll be doing more work from home than I typically would, and hovering in a lower price-point could free up some funds for an external monitor/keyboard/mouse setup for use at home. And although the specs are pretty underwhelming on something like the X1 carbon, given what I’m planning to get up to on this thing I’m still not convinced this matters too much, and on the flip side, keyboard, build quality, screen brightness, lack of PWM flickering are all there—am I out of my mind here?

 

Prices will certainly drop soon. I'd say the T14 will be a lot more affordable in two or three weeks and it's by far the best Renoir business laptop. Alternatively, the ProBook 455 G7 also has Ryzen 4000

[Lord Vile]

10 hours ago, 5x5 said:

I wonder when you'll stop your trolling, I really do. Cause you have no evidence whatsoever and about two dozen people have called you out repeatedly for lying.

Again would you like a fucking picture? Being "called out" isn't you spouting BS and running away when I offer proof. 

[Lord Vile]

10 hours ago, 5x5 said:

I would love to see a consumer laptop or MacBook survive this. I would love to watch a video test as well

 

Because I regularly like to take my laptop to a beach and yeet it into the ocean...  

[5x5]

9 minutes ago, Lord Vile said:

Again would you like a fucking picture? Being "called out" isn't you spouting BS and running away when I offer proof. 

You've never offered any proof lol. Pictures of my cat don't make me a zoologist and don't prove I have a giraffe at home. Pictures of a 10 year old IdeaPad don't make you an expert on anything. Either provide credible sources or stop repeating laughable claims. Put up or shut up as the saying goes

 

9 minutes ago, Lord Vile said:

Because I regularly like to take my laptop to a beach and yeet it into the ocean...  

If only MacBooks didn't die just by being in close proximity to humid air

[Lord Vile]

5 hours ago, 5x5 said:

You've never offered any proof lol. Pictures of my cat don't make me a zoologist and don't prove I have a giraffe at home. Pictures of a 10 year old IdeaPad don't make you an expert on anything. Either provide credible sources or stop repeating laughable claims. Put up or shut up as the saying goes

 

If only MacBooks didn't die just by being in close proximity to humid air

I have a thinkpad with a 10th gen chip... I don't think you understand how analogies work either. I think a picture showing the thing having marks from just a backpack and if flexing to fuck would be a credible source. 

 

If only that were true.

[5x5]

1 minute ago, Lord Vile said:

I have a thinkpad with a 10th gen chip... I don't think you understand how analogies work either. I think a picture showing the thing having marks from just a backpack and if flexing to fuck would be a credible source. 

 

If only that were true.

You said it had an 8th gen CPU a while ago. Mixing up the lies? I'm ignoring the fact that it has changed model several times already. Get real.

[ggk]

9 hours ago, panzersharkcat said:

Sorry about the drama on the thread. I think prices should drop by August. They drop about two to four weeks after release, if I remember correctly. The Intel ones seemed to drop in price pretty quickly, at least. It should be less than the X1 Carbon and you can redirect those funds to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse setup. If you don't need that much performance, you can always just go with a Ryzen 5 4650U. It's still plenty fast, if Passmark is a good indication, and should save you some money.

 

The HP Envy seems to be okay, at least based on the review LTT did on it. The Flex 14 is alright too but it has a flexy chassis.

5 hours ago, 5x5 said:

Prices will certainly drop soon. I'd say the T14 will be a lot more affordable in two or three weeks and it's by far the best Renoir business laptop. Alternatively, the ProBook 455 G7 also has Ryzen 4000

Thank you both, sounds like the move is to hold tight into August watch the price on the T14. 

 

[5x5]

Just now, ggk said:

Thank you both, sounds like the move is to hold tight into August watch the price on the T14. 

 

The configurator is already online it seems so prices should normalize soon.

[ggk]

6 minutes ago, 5x5 said:

The configurator is already online it seems so prices should normalize soon.

[Lord Vile]

3 hours ago, 5x5 said:

You said it had an 8th gen CPU a while ago. Mixing up the lies? I'm ignoring the fact that it has changed model several times already. Get real.

Um when? Also what was the other time I've stated a model number? Seems like you're just mixing up you strawmen. My MacBook has an 8th Gen CPU. Again trying to attack the person instead of the argument. 

[5x5]

Just now, Lord Vile said:

Um when? Also what was the other time I've stated a model number? Seems like you're just mixing up you strawmen. My MacBook has an 8th Gen CPU. Again trying to attack the person instead of the argument. 

You don't even present an argument lmao, what else am I supposed to say? Provide a source to back up your claims or stop repeating false claims. And no, you are not a legitimate source

[Lord Vile]

8 minutes ago, 5x5 said:

You don't even present an argument lmao, what else am I supposed to say? Provide a source to back up your claims or stop repeating false claims. And no, you are not a legitimate source

Again would you like a fucking picture? My argument which you have failed to address is that business grade laptops are not suitable for the OP's needs as the keyboard, screen and trackpad are all C tier at best and build quality, while robust, isn't up to snuff with consumer options when it comes down to things like deck flex (which is important for typing feel) etc. When the OP's number one priority is keyboard followed by BQ and screen why does it matter that you can rub sand into the thing and it be more or less fine, though I wouldn't like to be the person cleaning it out. 

 

I am not a legitimate source based off what exactly? A picture is a picture. 

[5x5]

10 minutes ago, Lord Vile said:

Again would you like a fucking picture? My argument which you have failed to address is that business grade laptops are not suitable for the OP's needs as the keyboard, screen and trackpad are all C tier at best and build quality, while robust, isn't up to snuff with consumer options when it comes down to things like deck flex (which is important for typing feel) etc. When the OP's number one priority is keyboard followed by BQ and screen why does it matter that you can rub sand into the thing and it be more or less fine, though I wouldn't like to be the person cleaning it out. 

 

I am not a legitimate source based off what exactly? A picture is a picture. 

You entered a thread about a person looking for a business laptop and started screaming random gibberish saying "I am my own source" - grow, the fuck, up and stop lying about stupid shit just to get people to waste their hard earned money on garbage

[5x5]

1 minute ago, Kaloob said:

You can get some damn nice displays on business laptops, and their keyboards are so good that they ruin consumer options for me. Also, the deck flex on my business laptops has never been enough to affect the typing feel (aside from my ThinkPad P50 where the rubber casing would kinda sink to the magnesium frame (not an issue since it's a constant meaning the typing experience isn't affected)), and even if they flexed more than a slap-on watch, it'd be worth it for the better reliability and overall durability.

The trackpads aren't great on some business laptops, but Lenovo offers some models with a glass trackpad (their plastic one is fine, but has a powdery feel with Dell's Latitude/Precision trackpads being rough on some models (though the tracking is still fine)).

I believe that your ThinkPad is scratched up, but may as well provide the image you keep offering.

Again, I believe that the laptop got scratched up, but it's still gonna outlast consumer stuff even if it looks worse (and the subtle design of bushiness laptops means you won't feel too bad when they get scratched up).

BTW, I'd stop reacting to the posts you disagree with, even if they are funny they will give them more rep.

I don't think he cares about reputation and it's pretty clear from his posts in previous threads that he's just trolling. He's gone on and recommended MacBooks when people were looking for gaming laptops, Linux laptops, busines laptops, budget school laptops and etc. Basically, he always goes back to saying he owns a laptop from every family and that he will give us pictures but he never ends up posting one since he knows well track it back to the original source via reverse Google image search. So it's this endless game of mitigating the damage he does as when people aren't happy with his advice, he just ghosts and let's them deal with the wasted money on shot products that aren't meant for them

[panzersharkcat]

5 hours ago, Kaloob said:

Is the Coke discount still available? That could help OP get prices down.

It's down for right now. I don't think it matters since the OP is in Canada.

[panzersharkcat]

50 minutes ago, Kaloob said:

Oh, that's a bummer. Didn't notice OP was in Canada, would have been cool if they were able to get a discount.

Oh, it's working again for some models. Base model X13 for custom orders is at $740 now. Discount isn't applying for the T14 or T14s yet, though.

[Lord Vile]

6 hours ago, 5x5 said:

You entered a thread about a person looking for a business laptop and started screaming random gibberish saying "I am my own source" - grow, the fuck, up and stop lying about stupid shit just to get people to waste their hard earned money on garbage

Reference the title of the thread

 

Please quote post where I stated "I am my own source"

 

Stop being a child.

[Lord Vile]

4 hours ago, Kaloob said:

You can get some damn nice displays on business laptops, and their keyboards are so good that they ruin consumer options for me. Also, the deck flex on my business laptops has never been enough to affect the typing feel (aside from my ThinkPad P50 where the rubber casing would kinda sink to the magnesium frame (not an issue since it's a constant meaning the typing experience isn't affected)), and even if they flexed more than a slap-on watch, it'd be worth it for the better reliability and overall durability.

The trackpads aren't great on some business laptops, but Lenovo offers some models with a glass trackpad (their plastic one is fine, but has a powdery feel with Dell's Latitude/Precision trackpads being rough on some models (though the tracking is still fine)).

I believe that your ThinkPad is scratched up, but may as well provide the image you keep offering.

Yeah but to get a good screen on a ThinkPad you need to opt for the £160 add on. Personally I don't like the thinkpads keyboard, I can never get up to full speed on it whereas I pretty much can on the MacBook either on butterfly or magic.

 

They're just little nicks not mortal wounds but you can see the metal underneath and I've barely had it a month. All that happens to it is I put it in my work bag with some paperwork, a mouse and its charger and then take it out to do work sometimes and put it back when I'm done. It's not like I rag it around and I don't think I've had this one longer than a month. The Macs I've owned have been through a lot more and they're both mint. Hell my ancient HP Pavillion for all it's plasticy glory held up better. 

[Lord Vile]

3 minutes ago, Kaloob said:

A good screen is still available and that's my point. It's not like your locked into a crappy panel (though they seem to be decent enough on base models).

It seems the ThinkPad keyboards take a bit of getting used to, but they're still leagues better than any keyboard found in a thin and light. It personally took me a couple of days to adjust but for a short period I absolutely loved the keyboard on my P50.

Those scratches suck (and seem excessive even for a ThinkPad), but it will still take more abuse than your MacBook will even if it doesn't look mint afterwards. 

The OP does also have an old  MacBook Pro that they use for music production on the side of this laptop. If they hadn't have said they'd like a separate device so they can have a work and personal machine I would have just said to get a MacBook and use it as both. Especially as they're planning on upgrading down the line anyway. Would streamline things a lot. 

[ggk]

Hi all, 

 

I have a follow up question specific to configuring the T14 (I've found an active discount). I'm planning to order one through the customize option as the pre-spec'd one's all have the base 250nit screen and I'm wanting to get one with the low power 400 nit screen. Regarding RAM, I expect I'll likely only need 8GB, but do have the thought that if I end up doing some more music oriented work than expected on this thing having 16GB available would likely be beneficial. If I'm understanding correctly, I believe that non-soldered RAM can be added to the T14, which has me thinking that it may make sense to order it with 8GBs of soldered RAM (vs 16), leaving me with the (more price effective?) option of adding additional RAM after the fact. My thought is that this would save me the cost up front, and potentially entirely in the event I don't feel the need to upgrade, but will give me the flexibility to upgrade down the line. Is this viable/does this make sense as an approach?  I also saw passing mention (I believe on reddit) of the approach of ordering it with the 128GB SSD, and then upgrading with a larger SSD bought from a 3rd party, with the idea that this would be more price effective. The part of this I'm unclear on is what this would mean for the windows install (ie can it be backed up somewhere then thrown on the new SSD, would it require a fresh install and new key, or something else?)--does this make sense as an approach/is it relatively straightforward or a bit of a potential headache/am I potentially better off just grabbing a larger SSD from the get-go (the 512GB one would be ideal)? 

 

Thanks again

[panzersharkcat]

5 hours ago, ggk said:

Hi all, 

 

I have a follow up question specific to configuring the T14 (I've found an active discount). I'm planning to order one through the customize option as the pre-spec'd one's all have the base 250nit screen and I'm wanting to get one with the low power 400 nit screen. Regarding RAM, I expect I'll likely only need 8GB, but do have the thought that if I end up doing some more music oriented work than expected on this thing having 16GB available would likely be beneficial. If I'm understanding correctly, I believe that non-soldered RAM can be added to the T14, which has me thinking that it may make sense to order it with 8GBs of soldered RAM (vs 16), leaving me with the (more price effective?) option of adding additional RAM after the fact. My thought is that this would save me the cost up front, and potentially entirely in the event I don't feel the need to upgrade, but will give me the flexibility to upgrade down the line. Is this viable/does this make sense as an approach?  I also saw passing mention (I believe on reddit) of the approach of ordering it with the 128GB SSD, and then upgrading with a larger SSD bought from a 3rd party, with the idea that this would be more price effective. The part of this I'm unclear on is what this would mean for the windows install (ie can it be backed up somewhere then thrown on the new SSD, would it require a fresh install and new key, or something else?)--does this make sense as an approach/is it relatively straightforward or a bit of a potential headache/am I potentially better off just grabbing a larger SSD from the get-go (the 512GB one would be ideal)? 

 

Thanks again

If you don't need more than 16 GB of RAM, yes, it will be more economical to order with 8 GB soldered and then add an 8 GB stick yourself. You'll need a fresh install of Windows if you add your own SSD. It's pretty straightforward and doesn't take too long. You just need to download the Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft, put it on a flash drive, and then install. Windows will read the product key from the motherboard.