I need buy a laptop for school in a design field and have decided on a Thinkpad, but am a bit confused on several points. I will be running intensive 3D modeling and rendering software including Rhino, Solidworks, and Keyshot, along with Adobe programs (mostly Photoshop and Indesign, I expect.) I have been looking at mobile workstations.

I was about to pull the trigger on a T15g that I decided on last night, but when I came back to the page today, a sale had ended and the price had gone from 1,800ish to 2,200ish. I really want to stay under 2k, so I am reconsidering.

My confusion mainly stems from the GPUs. I know I need a good dedicated graphics card for the work I'll be doing, but most of the GPUs in the Thinkpads don't show up on sites. For example, is a "GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q 8GB," substantially different than a "Quadro T500 4GB"? In what ways are they different? How much does this difference matter? I had been thinking that I definitely needed a 8GB GPU, but I'm not quite sure about that any more.

At first, I was set on UHD, but is it that noticeably better than FHD? How important is the greater resolution to design work?

I know I need i7 or greater and 16GB or more memory.

Any of these points that someone could speak to, I would appreciate. Thank you!

TL;DR: Getting totally bogged down in the specs looking at laptops. Particularly confused about GPUs -- how much dedicated memory is necessary for 3D software? Not sure how much screen resolution is noticeable/matters.

Hi,

According to Wikipedia:

"P series are the most advanced ThinkPad products offered by Lenovo"

So I was chasing P, as I wanted to buy one with only Ryzen processor. My target: 14", 2021+ model (gen2+), I need workhorse good performing laptop. I would love 15" or 16" but to me latest versions are screwed regarding ergonomy --> touchpad on very left side. Rather than making a bit wider casing, they decided to make keyboard on the edges, so the result is not much space to rest left hand on casing, so I've picked 14".

Then I realized the fact that most of my targeted "P" has RAM soldered. I'm not looking for troubles, soldered CPU is bad enough. I do prefer RAM in slots so I can do cheap eco repairs in case of problems rather than scrapping whole board.

So I was scratching my head why in top P series RAM is soldered like in cheap junk rather than in slots?

So I went on T page:

"The T series is officially the flagship ThinkPad product, offering high-performance computers aimed at businesses and professionals." But found RAM soldered as well.

Okay, so I assume in here P as a top top, while T as a flagship, okay, both RAM soldered.

So I gave up and started to read about budget stuff, L series:

"L series has an added focus on economy and value, they are the entry-level range for enterprise use, and are also used by students." To me it sounds like really budget entry level cheap lower quality laptop, but hold no: surprisingly 2021 "L" model (gen2) with 2 RAM slots, while "higher" T and P same year models has soldered RAM.

Does it means: ignore series as they have no clue what they're doing really regarding marking series logically?

Or I'm just the biggest nerd in here and no one else is paying attention if RAM is soldered on board or in slot?

EDIT:

SORTED! SOUNDS LIKE BRILLIANT COMMUNITY IN HERE!

Thank you for brilliant info!

I just bought L14 gen2 for now (Ryzen gen5 5650U with good single thread performance, socketed RAM), as really needed to upgrade to carry on with my day-to-day work more efficient way, but by majority notes sounds like T14 / P14s is best bet for RAM socketed version with good Ryzen CPU and nice options while keeping good ergonomic thing (centered touchpad), in second hand market currently.

Definitely I'll watch listings/marketplaces and upgrade my L14 when I spot T14 / P14s one in good condition. Then it will be just matter of swapping SSD between, especially I'll run Debian. I don't need to worry now if it will be next week, month or in few months time because for now L14 in here, well, not delivered yet but on the way. Thank you all :-D

What's the difference between these two outside of different years generations of cpu?

Work just mailed me my replacement ThinkPad a p15s. My old one was a t560, both have Intel i7 vpro cpus. I'm not getting gyped going to this new laptop right?

Hello everyone,

I'm in the market for a new laptop and after doing some research, I've narrowed down my options to the Lenovo Thinkpad P series and Thinkpad T series. However, as a newbie to the Thinkpad lineup, I'm seeking some guidance and recommendations from the community.

My primary requirements for the laptop are durability and a high-quality keyboard, should have at least 15 inch screen I don't like small screens. I'm looking for a sturdy and well-built laptop that can withstand the test of time and handle my day-to-day usage without any issues and should have a very good cooling system. A comfortable and reliable keyboard is also crucial for my work and typing experience.

While I don't play highly demanding games, I do enjoy some casual gaming from time to time. It would be great if the laptop can handle these games smoothly, even if it's not a dedicated gaming machine. A Gpu would be nice though.

Additionally, I'll be using virtual box for my Linux practice. So, I'm also interested in a laptop that can handle virtualization tasks efficiently.

Considering these factors, I would appreciate any advice or suggestions you may have regarding the Thinkpad P series and Thinkpad T series. Which series do you think would be more suitable for my needs? Are there any specific models within those series that you would recommend?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi all, I plan to buy a Thinkpad. Problem is I am not sure which series to pick: E, L , P, T. I have an old T420 so i know how T series feel. But what about modern laptops?

I'm looking at the E14 Gen 4 AMD, but in my country, E Series is marketed as "for those on budget". So in the long run, it would just break down?