Suggestions for a Thinkpad

[Chunk13]

Hi All,

Looking for a laptop since I no longer have my 13" Macbook Pro (donated to family). I was looking at Thinkpads, particularly the T420/T430 and X220/X230 series. Mainly, it would be used for office work, web browsing, some programming/web development, and light gaming (Warcraft III only).
I am also considering the X220T/X230T variants simply for digital art purposes.

I already have upgrade parts available such as the RAM, SSD, mSATA, and OS on hand. I'm just trying to figure out which one would be a good choice for my planned usage. I'm hoping this next laptop would last me at least 5 years or so. Any thing you guys can recommend or provide suggestions on these Thinkpads would be greatly appreciated. Or if you have another suggestion for another brand or line of laptops, I'm open to that as well. My budget is between $300-$500, but I can stretch it further if need be. Also, I don't mind buying the laptop used.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

I've got a T420 and an X220 (and an X230 and W530 for that matter). Both are identically spec'd as far as internals go - i7 2640M, 16GB RAM, iGPU only, 240GB mSATA SSD + spinny drive for storage. I started out with the X220 as my daily driver but eventually shifted to the T420.

Basically the IPS screen option on the X220 is by and large its biggest benefit over the T420. It really does make a difference - the X230 I have only has a TN panel and its viewing angles are much noticeably worse. The TN panel is also way too cool, but iono what sort of calibration is done at the factory, if any.

Downside is it's only 1366x768, which is primarily the reason I moved to the T420. I lost the IPS, gained a much physically larger form factor, lost some battery life (8.5+ hours to ~5.5 hours), but going up to 1600x900 was worth it enough for me.

If you use the touchpad be aware the X220 moved to a one-piece touchpad, akin to the MBP's. Just pointing it out since a lot of people hate it. The T420 retains the dedicated buttons for the touchpad.

Note that the X220 only takes 7mm drives in its HDD bay - the T420 takes up to 9.5". If you remove the optical drive in the T420, the ODD bay supports 12.7" drives (I've got an older 1TB 12.7" HDD in there right now).

I don't have the X220 with me, but I do have the T420 and a 13" non-Retina MBP with me if you want a few pics or something. And a 15" non-Retina MBP too. Just lemme know.

Oh and I paid $370 for my T420 off ebay about a year ago. Came off corporate lease and looked brand new. Just had to replace the RAM (it came with 8GB) and add in the mSATA SSD, so your budget is definitely enough.

 

[Chunk13]

Thank you so much for the information and suggestions! It really helped me identify which of the two Thinkpads would be a more sound choice for me at the moment. The T420 would be a better fit for my needs in comparison to the X220, since it will be my primary, portable workhouse. Thanks again for the support on this!

 

[skriefal]

The T430 keyboard is certainly a downgrade from the T420. For programming and office work that may be a significant factor in your purchase decision.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

The T430 keyboard is certainly a downgrade from the T420. For programming and office work that may be a significant factor in your purchase decision.

It's a big factor for me (programming here). I touch type, and I'm not giving up my dedicated function keys or delete/home/end cluster. Thank god SB is still competitive even 4 years later.

I'm still baffled at why Lenovo gave the X240 and on only one memory slot. They've blurred the difference between the business and consumer lines too much imo.