Is it worth getting a refurbished Thinkpad T480 in 2024?
Is it worth getting a refurbished Thinkpad T480 in 2024?
It has similar spec to my current broken laptop. Instead of a i5, it comes with an i7 8550U, 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. It is a renewed product, by the way. And it goes for around ₹24,000. Honestly, I feel like it is too expensive, considering how there are better spec laptops available.
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you should aim at $200 max, that's way too expensive for 8th gen tech. ram and storage aren't important as those can be upgraded stupid cheap; it's not a bad idea to buy the laptop without those,
what's infinitely more important are good batteries, you didn't mention what condition the ones you get are in. if you need to replace those, good batteries aren't cheap.
That's the last ThinkPad that's easy to upgrade those things though I believe.
not really, T490 are basically the same hardware with a modest CPU refresh, otherwise almost everything is interchangeable (also with earlier T470 models). similar with T14 Gen1.
what's troublesome are the S-suffix models and the Carbons and similar, they are slimmer and have one or both memory banks soldered and are single battery models. you can stll swap SSD, batteries, etc. and the serviceability is somewhat OK (way better than the mentioned e-waste but worse than non-S models).
I'm able to find them for as low as ₹19,000 (both T480 and T580 in i7, by the way), which is around $230, but I think I'm better off spending that money on my current Ideapad - maybe upgrade to around 12GB, fix the damaged body - all of which will be around ₹7k or $85, then I can probably buy a new device after two years.
do not compare thinkpads to ideapads (or thinkbooks or thinkpad V-series). the former are heavy-duty devices that cost thousands of $ new (and you can feel that the moment you grab one). they're built for road warriors and are meant to be used and abused for years. everything is so much better, from the build quality, easy repair and upgradeability (several generations share the same chassis, so replacing keyboards, screens, hinges, plastic covers, etc. is trivial and easily sourced) to way better keyboards, hinges, screens, etc.
the latter are cheap, drastic-plastic, deal-of-the-week future e-waste compatible only with themselves, maybe, with way worse build quality and very limited serviceability and cross-generational part compatibility.
same goes for hp elitebook vs probook, dell latitude vs vostro, and so on; there's a huge difference between enterprise-class devices vs consumer-grade.
as to CPU performance, you'll have to be the judge of what's most important to you.
Right now, I don't have a lot of money to spare, so unfortunately, after consideration, I'll probably have to give up on buying Thinkpads for now. I have a few broken laptops, and I'm not sure if I can cash on them, but I could try my luck. Maybe I'll be on the lookout for some cheap Thinkpad devices, because it really makes no sense to buy a new device with slight improvements.
sure, take it slow. they're only gonna get cheaper and if you're not compiling/building large code bases daily, they're still gonna be viable a year or two from now; same way you can today use something like a T420 without too much trouble (obv don't buy something like that, but if you stumble upon one for free, have at it).
I've gone deeper in the ThinkPad rabbit-hole, and I'm in love with the X220, the T420, T420s and the T520, if I had to be honest. Why don't they make machines like these - now that we also have low-profile mechanical keyboards? I'm almost considering to DIY-learn more about making my own laptop shell and stuff like that.
Photo of an old Thinkpad used by Drew DeVault, the founder of Sourcehut : https://fosstodon.org/@drewdevault/112478468031784230
it's a fun hobby; I got rid of my T420s a couple months back. yeah, the keyboard is otherworldly, compared with what's standard these days. and the expandability and serviceability (you can fit FOUR drives inside) - insane! there are custom BIOS available for them, enabling you to whitelist unsupported PCI cards, overclocking, 1866 DDR3, etc. cross-model compatibility is exceptional - I replaced my defunct soaked keyboard with one from a X220!
but then the novelty wears off and you can see them for what they are - really old tech.
like, the screens are dogshit, even if you get the "premium" 1600x900 ones. even with heavy tweaking you're still in double-digits W/hr territory and you're depending on shitty aftermarket batteries. the phenomenal keyboard isn't backlit and is accompanied by a tiny (and shitty) touchpad. the device is thick and bulky and its power brick is that - a brick (at least on my i7 + Nvidia model).
by the time you upgrade everything (1080p IPS screen + adapter, 16 GB DDR3, fast SATA SSD, high-quality battery - none of those come cheap) you've already surpassed the price of a T480/490 that runs circles around it.
so, if you stumble upon one for free (or close to it), it's a fun project, but absolutely not a wise purchase, especially not if you're tight on funds.