4 ms·

I love Thinkpads, but the thing that really annoys me is just how much Lenovo charge for upgrades. I end up having to buy with the smallest memory and storage

I love Thinkpads, but the thing that really annoys me is just how much Lenovo charge for upgrades. I end up having to buy with the smallest memory and storage they have, and then separately upgrading them. The Lenovo prices are often up to ten times the market rate for the same items.

basch 11y ago
I view upgradability as a plus, i can buy the lowest end and do it myself.
- rogerbinns 11y ago
  Yes, being able to upgrade is great. But I do get annoyed at how much they charge. For example getting an additional 16GB of memory for the T450s is $309 at Lenovo (on big sale from the usual $430), while the same from Crucial is $180. A 512GB SATA SSD for that model is $430 (on sale from $580) while a comparable model from Crucial is $180, or a Samsung 850 Pro for $220 on Amazon. As a consequence I have a collection of unused 500GB laptop hard drives since you have to order with some storage and that is the cheapest Lenovo do. I immediately replace them, but this is wasteful and silly. If their prices were far closer to normal then I'd just get Lenovo to do it, and they'd make more money. Instead they see me getting the lowest specs, instead of what I actually use.
  - basch 11y ago
    i guess i would never even consider buying from the oem unless it is soldered on. crucial is overcharging too. 16gb ram kits are $75 i also have a large box of 500gb drives
    - rogerbinns 11y ago
      It only has one ram slot (the other has 4GB soldered in) so you can't use a kit - you need a single 16GB sodimm. Retail prices are around $150 everywhere. If Lenovo charged an amount substantially similar (or better) than regular retail, then I'd gladly pay them for the upgrades. But at multiples of the retail price it makes no sense.
- kale 11y ago
  It's true. The T530 has a socketed CPU. I upgraded mine with the highest performance i7 that was 35W (same as the one I removed) for very little money (net, after I sell the i5).
farresito 11y ago
Yes, I agree. I also buy the memory, SSD, and other stuff myself. They try to make money off the people that don't want to bother with it.

basch 11y ago

I view upgradability as a plus, i can buy the lowest end and do it myself.

rogerbinns 11y ago
Yes, being able to upgrade is great. But I do get annoyed at how much they charge. For example getting an additional 16GB of memory for the T450s is $309 at Lenovo (on big sale from the usual $430), while the same from Crucial is $180. A 512GB SATA SSD for that model is $430 (on sale from $580) while a comparable model from Crucial is $180, or a Samsung 850 Pro for $220 on Amazon. As a consequence I have a collection of unused 500GB laptop hard drives since you have to order with some storage and that is the cheapest Lenovo do. I immediately replace them, but this is wasteful and silly. If their prices were far closer to normal then I'd just get Lenovo to do it, and they'd make more money. Instead they see me getting the lowest specs, instead of what I actually use.
- basch 11y ago
  i guess i would never even consider buying from the oem unless it is soldered on. crucial is overcharging too. 16gb ram kits are $75 i also have a large box of 500gb drives
  - rogerbinns 11y ago
    It only has one ram slot (the other has 4GB soldered in) so you can't use a kit - you need a single 16GB sodimm. Retail prices are around $150 everywhere. If Lenovo charged an amount substantially similar (or better) than regular retail, then I'd gladly pay them for the upgrades. But at multiples of the retail price it makes no sense.
kale 11y ago
It's true. The T530 has a socketed CPU. I upgraded mine with the highest performance i7 that was 35W (same as the one I removed) for very little money (net, after I sell the i5).

farresito 11y ago

Yes, I agree. I also buy the memory, SSD, and other stuff myself. They try to make money off the people that don't want to bother with it.