My lappy has bitten the dust, and I’m in the market for a laptop. I’m thinking about going Thinkpad.

I only plan on this being for web browsing, text editing, coding, etc. Any gaming is done on my desktop.

What would be a good Thinkpad model? I do t mind getting an older/refurbished one. Haven’t been on the laptop market in nearly 8 years, so I don’t know what to look for anymore

  • Corroded
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    1710 months ago

    They’re also significantly more expensive than ThinkPads and might be a bit much for what OP plans to do

    • Tlaloc_Temporal
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      610 months ago

      This is definitely the biggest concern. Somewhat short battery life is also significant.

          • Corroded
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            210 months ago

            Oh it’s fine. Do Framework laptops have a lower battery life than ThinkPads?

            • Tlaloc_Temporal
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              210 months ago

              Than Thinkpads? I don’t know, but probably lower. My Framework only gets 8 hours of use, and 30 hours sleeping if I’m lucky. Definitely not the best, but being plugged in isn’t too bad, and the adapter is nice and small.

    • Corgana
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      10 months ago

      I hear this a lot but in my experience the Framework is often in the same range and sometimes slightly cheaper. Right now a framework with i7-1360P and 16GB Ram is $1469. An X1 carbon with a (slightly slower) cpu is $400 more. Ryzen is similar. Not hating on Thinkpads but the Framework is a lot more competitive than you’ll often hear and the upgradeability is obviously a massive financial incentive too.

      • Corroded
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        10 months ago

        I think normally when people are referring to buying a ThinkPad they aren’t talking about a modern model. Usually not even the X1 Carbon series; especially past the 6th gen. They’re referring to models in the X,P, or T series before the T490. Models that can be bought relatively cheap and upgraded however the user wants.

        The T480 can be bought for around $200. The CPU is going to be a fair amount weaker but for $1,200 some people are willing to make the sacrifice for a casual personal use machine.

        • Corgana
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          210 months ago

          That makes sense. Buying used is always going to be more economical (and ecological) than new, no matter how “anti waste” it is.

          • Corroded
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            110 months ago

            I think a Framework laptop could make sense for a power user who is using it for work or gaming but I feel like upgrades are needed less frequently with web browsing, coding, and word processing.

            I’d be curious to see how many people essentially use ThinkPads as a secondary computer that’s just a bit more traditional and customizable than a Chromebook.

    • @teawrecks@sopuli.xyz
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      610 months ago

      For a new laptop, the initial cost is higher. But the idea is that future maintenance and upgrades would significantly lower the long-term cost of laptops. If a part breaks, you don’t need to buy a new laptop, just that part. If a new CPU comes out that you want, just upgrade your mainboard for less than the cost of a new laptop.

    • @atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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      410 months ago

      But it’ll arrive with Linux and it’ll work. You also don’t have to spend a week googling wifi chips to see if they’ll work.

      • @sping@lemmy.sdf.org
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        010 months ago

        Just throw in a $20 Intel Wi-Fi card if necessary, and don’t buy the first models of the latest CPU, as with any manufacturer, and Thinkpads are some of the another for Linux.

          • @const_void@lemmy.ml
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            310 months ago

            This is a prime example of why we should be supporting manufacturers that ship open source firmware like coreboot and not the proprietary junk Lenovo ships.

          • @sping@lemmy.sdf.org
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            210 months ago

            None I’ve ever used have been. I have a card I dropped in working right now on a 2 yr old Thinkpad.