[sf-lug] Considering purchasing a lightweight laptop: thoughts Thinkpad X1 carbon vs. Thinkpad T460S

[Michael Shiloh]

Thanks for the great feedback Antonio. That is indeed food for thought.

Regarding weight, according to the Lenovo website the 460S starts at 3
pounds, while the 460 starts at 3.8 pounds. But I appreciate that the
X1 is lighter.

Thanks again for the information!

Michael

On Sat, Dec 24, 2016 at 6:24 PM, Antonio Malcolm
<antonio.malcolm at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Michael,
>
> I might not make your actual decision any easier, but I think I can supply
> some food for thought.
>
> I recall opting for a Yoga 460 over the X1 Yoga, for the upgradeability to
> price ratio.
>
> (Difference here being in the touchscreen/stylus, but upgradeability is the
> same, across the product lines, for these models, IIRC).
>
> In the X1, RAM is soldered on-board, the base RAM is 8GB, witha ceiling of
> 16GB, and your hard disk upgrades are limited to an M.2 interface (which may
> not matter, considering prices have dropped nicely, for M.2 drives, over the
> past year), with a base of 256GB.
>
> In the 460, you have a RAM ceiling of 16GB, via a single DIMM, a standard
> 2.5” SATA III drive bay, as well as an M.2 slot (limited to half-length
> cards).
>
> The base model X1 is, as you mentioned, fairly pricey, compared to a
> similarly specced 460, and, likely, you'd save some cash by purchasing the
> 460 and installing your own upgrades.
>
> That said, the 460 isn't quite THAT light, for its size. I think my 460
> weighs in at around 4lbs. Lighter than one of Lenovo's 15-inch workstation
> laptops? Certainly. But, I've also had some hands-on time with an X1 Carbon,
> and that machine is incredibly light, incredibly thin, and incredibly solid.
> Both are well-built, sturdy machines, but I couldn't help noticing just how
> solid the X1 felt for its weight and size.
>
> Coincidentally, I was faced with a similar choice and came by owning one for
> similar reasons- I still use the W530 as my primary workstation, and the 460
> has a wacom digitizer screen, an excellent pressure-sensitive stylus, and is
> ideal for graphics work, and is, indeed, lighter.
>
>
> Cheers,
> ~Antonio
>
>
> On Dec 24, 2016 17:44, "Michael Shiloh" <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I hope everyone is enjoying a restful holiday weekend, whatever your
> persuasion.
>
> You might recall about a year ago I raised the question of a powerful
> laptop for Linux. I settled on a Thinkpad W541 and I am thrilled with
> it ... except for the weight.
>
> As I travel more and don't need the power of the W541 all the time,
> I'm thinking of a lightweight laptop for daily use.
>
> It's hard for me to consider anything but Thinkpads: I love the
> TrackPoint, the keyboard, the solid feel of the devices, etc. Given
> that, the top two contenders are the X1 carbon and the T460S.
>
> The X1 is about 2.6 pounds and more expensive than the T460S which
> weighs about 3 pounds. Additionally, it's a little unclear whether the
> RAM and SSD can be upgraded on the X1 (I've seen equally strong claims
> that they can and can not).
>
> I think for the extra .4 pounds I'm willing to go with the better
> price of the T460S, especially if upgrading RAM and SSD is not
> possible on the X1 (I usually purchase from Lenovo with less storage
> and upgrade on my own).
>
> Any thoughts or advice?
>
> Michael
>
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