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

[Michael Shiloh]

Thanks, Rick, for your keen observations. I'll probably call Lenovo on
Monday to confirm the upgrade-ability situation. Your observation
about the screensize is also important. 14" sounds pretty small to me.
I rarely work throughout a flight and can live with the battery
lasting only part of the way.

Thanks also for your recommendations of other laptops. I will check
them out for completeness.

Michael

On Sat, Dec 24, 2016 at 8:44 PM, Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> wrote:
> Quoting Michael Shiloh (michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com):
>
>> 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.
>
> Which is 5.95 lbs, for context.
>
>> 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).
>
> The ones that seem most credible suggest that RAM upgradeability depends
> on which CPU your unit has, and that the problem with the provided SSD
> is that it's a non-standard form factor, such that it's replaceable but
> probably only with a replacement you buy from Lenovo.
>
> You can finesse that problem by throwing money at the problem, i.e.,
> buying their highest-end SKU of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (4th Generation)
> model, the one shipped with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD PCIe device.
> Sounds to me like that's what you want -- if you don't mind dropping
> about twice as much dosh as you would for the excellent T460s.
>
>> I think for the extra .4 pounds I'm willing to go with the better
>> price of the T460S
>
> Reminder, for readers' context:
> Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 4th Generation: 2.6 lb
> Lenovo ThinkPad T460S: 3.0 lb
>
> The greater weignt of the T460S sidesteps numerous annoyances that come
> with the X1 extremely slim form factor (limited ports, difficulty
> getting to the bottom compartment with the RAM, storage, wireless).
> Have a look through this perceptive comparative review of the T460S
> compared to some similar Lenovo models for some thoughts on that,
> battery life, etc.
> http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/lenovo-thinkpad-t460s-hands-on
>
> Seems like one of the differences between the T560S and the other T560
> series is battery life and ability to hot-swap with an extra battery you
> carry with you.  It can be annoying to run out of battery runtime on a
> long flight or one following a long pre-flight wait in a gate area where
> there was no AC outlet near your seat.  (OTOH, my e-book reader runtime
> always outlasts makes it.)
>
>
> Lenovos are indeed a pretty reliable go-to choice.  Your aspiration
> about weight means you're pretty much limited to 13"-14" screen laptops.
> As you love ThinkPad ergonomics, you shouldn't look for anything outside
> their model range.  But _if_ you change your mind on that, here are some
> respected laptops for Linux from others:
>
> ASUS ZenBook UX305FA is 2.6 lb.
> Dell XPS 13 is 2.6 lb.
> HP ENVY 13-d099nr is 3.0 lb.
> Toshiba Chromebook 2 (2015 edition) is 2.9 lb.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> sf-lug mailing list
> sf-lug at linuxmafia.com
> http://linuxmafia.com/mailman/listinfo/sf-lug
> Information about SF-LUG is at http://www.sf-lug.org/<br>
> Related Information <br>
> http://www.shallowsky.com/blog/<br>
> http://explainshell.com/ <br>