6 ms·

>similar/better specs vs Macbook Pro at half the price I hear people say that and I always get excited. Then I just went to Lenovo’s site and I configured one

>similar/better specs vs Macbook Pro at half the price I hear people say that and I always get excited. Then I just went to Lenovo’s site and I configured one and for a small margin on error they are the same. Why do people say this when it doesn’t seem true? Is there a “50% Off all Thinkpads” website I don’t know about?

vtail 8y ago
I configured ThinkPad using Employee Perks website at work (many places have something like this), and got a 27% discount from the list price, which is only 2% higher discount vs. the promotion they have been running recently (thinkx25 discount code). I configured a machine with i7-8550U cpu (8th gen, 1.80Ghz, 8MB cache, up to 4Ghz Turbo boost), 14" WQHD (2560x1440) IPS anti-glare panel @ 300 nits, 16gb LPDDR3 2133mhz, 720p HD camera, integrated UHD graphics 620, and 256 GB PCIe-nvme hard drive for $1,396.47 before tax. I'm comparing it to a 15" macbook pro at $2,400 before tax (and it has DDR4 - so hungrier - memory).
- vtail 8y ago
  You can argue it's not a fair comparison, 15" Macbook Pros have a 6-core CPUs and a standalone GPU, and a 13-inch Macbook Pro with 8th-gen Intel core i5 and 16GB (which can be configured at $1,999 before tax) is a better one - either way Thinkpad is a better deal, and it's a very light laptop (only ~2 lbs).
- heyoni 8y ago
  Yea it’s ddr4 with a dedicated graphics card, probably has a better screen. You saved some money by downgrading. Go spec an actual MacBook Pro, I promise you it’s at least $2000.
zumu 8y ago
They have sales and the components are upgradable. I got a monster of a machine 2 years ago for < $1100, by buying during a 35% off sale and getting the SSD aftermarket.
- thrower123 8y ago
  Yeah, it is a bit of a rube's game to opt for top-of-the-line replaceable parts from an OEM. Hard disks, RAM, sometimes graphics cards, you can do a lot better going for the cheapest possible option and popping in better stuff yourself. Besides, if you optimize for this scenario, you filter out soldered in crap, and get a chassis that has the potential to be a ship of Theseus down the line.
closetohome 8y ago
Because they didn't actually look at MacBooks, they're just guessing the price and specs. Also for some reason people who say this never mention that they're happy with a 1080p screen.
- michaelcampbell 8y ago
  I just "refreshed" my work MBP to a Lenovo and Linux. I'm happy with a 1080p screen. I don't need a trackpad that's half the size of the laptop. I don't need keys that only mostly work. I don't need a strip of whizbang capable of playing Doom. I need function keys, that work, and give me tactile feedback. People like different things.
  - closetohome 8y ago
    If playing Doom at 1085x30 is wrong, then dammit I don't want to be right.
    - reificator 8y ago
      The ultimate evolution of cranking up Quake FOV settings right there....
- vtail 8y ago
  FWIW, I will be getting a highDPI (25x16) screen for my Thinkpad, and I think it's a worthy upgrade at ~$100. But Lenovo does give you a choice in case you would rather use 1080p.
- fao_ 8y ago
  > Also for some reason people who say this never mention that they're happy with a 1080p screen. Sorry what? Let's look at my work laptop from the year before last. It's a macbook pro with a retina screen from 2013. The CPU is a 2.4GHz dual-core i5 processor. (I'm specifically looking at the ME864LL/A). Currently they're selling for 500£, second hand. A quick look on thinkwiki.org shows the equivalent is an X201 or X230. A quick gander on Ebay shows an X230 with better specs: This one has an i7 with a 3.6GHz processor, an SSD already fitted, and 8GB of ram (2x more than the macbook in question). It comes in pristine condition with the charger and dock included. It costs $310.00, plus $20 shipping (There are others in good nick with roughly equivalent specs (~2.9Ghz) for $40 cheaper) The default screen is kind of crap, but for an extra $80 - $130 and a spare hour you can upgrade it. This specific redditor[0][1] bought a 2k screen (2560x1440 IPS) mod kit from China and it worked So that makes it, what, $400? It's $100 cheaper, for a better laptop with an equal or better screen. [0]: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/8c009g/thinkpad_x230_ips_screen_mod_not_1920x1080_but/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/8c009g/thinkpad_x... [1]: https://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1831613&extra= https://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1831613&... (you might need google translate)
TomK32 8y ago
My advice, get last year's Thinkpad for new or refurbished on ebay. Mine was actually two generations back when I bought it used (it had seen very light use) and it was incredibly cheap. Without webcam but with modem :D
iodiniemetra 8y ago
It's because sometimes, such as when Apple takes a year to update a line, that you can find an ultrabook that costs half of what Apple is offering for similar specs (or in some cases, same price, much worse specs). Take a look at the MacRumors buyers guide release date graph for the pro-line https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac It's not as severe as it used to be now that returns are diminishing on new generations of components, but even three/four years ago, it could be startling.
AsyncAwait 8y ago
The XPS line is significantly cheaper than the MBP, at least in the UK.

vtail 8y ago

I configured ThinkPad using Employee Perks website at work (many places have something like this), and got a 27% discount from the list price, which is only 2% higher discount vs. the promotion they have been running recently (thinkx25 discount code). I configured a machine with i7-8550U cpu (8th gen, 1.80Ghz, 8MB cache, up to 4Ghz Turbo boost), 14" WQHD (2560x1440) IPS anti-glare panel @ 300 nits, 16gb LPDDR3 2133mhz, 720p HD camera, integrated UHD graphics 620, and 256 GB PCIe-nvme hard drive for $1,396.47 before tax. I'm comparing it to a 15" macbook pro at $2,400 before tax (and it has DDR4 - so hungrier - memory).

vtail 8y ago
You can argue it's not a fair comparison, 15" Macbook Pros have a 6-core CPUs and a standalone GPU, and a 13-inch Macbook Pro with 8th-gen Intel core i5 and 16GB (which can be configured at $1,999 before tax) is a better one - either way Thinkpad is a better deal, and it's a very light laptop (only ~2 lbs).
heyoni 8y ago
Yea it’s ddr4 with a dedicated graphics card, probably has a better screen. You saved some money by downgrading. Go spec an actual MacBook Pro, I promise you it’s at least $2000.

zumu 8y ago

They have sales and the components are upgradable. I got a monster of a machine 2 years ago for < $1100, by buying during a 35% off sale and getting the SSD aftermarket.

thrower123 8y ago
Yeah, it is a bit of a rube's game to opt for top-of-the-line replaceable parts from an OEM. Hard disks, RAM, sometimes graphics cards, you can do a lot better going for the cheapest possible option and popping in better stuff yourself. Besides, if you optimize for this scenario, you filter out soldered in crap, and get a chassis that has the potential to be a ship of Theseus down the line.

closetohome 8y ago

Because they didn't actually look at MacBooks, they're just guessing the price and specs. Also for some reason people who say this never mention that they're happy with a 1080p screen.

michaelcampbell 8y ago
I just "refreshed" my work MBP to a Lenovo and Linux. I'm happy with a 1080p screen. I don't need a trackpad that's half the size of the laptop. I don't need keys that only mostly work. I don't need a strip of whizbang capable of playing Doom. I need function keys, that work, and give me tactile feedback. People like different things.
- closetohome 8y ago
  If playing Doom at 1085x30 is wrong, then dammit I don't want to be right.
  - reificator 8y ago
    The ultimate evolution of cranking up Quake FOV settings right there....
vtail 8y ago
FWIW, I will be getting a highDPI (25x16) screen for my Thinkpad, and I think it's a worthy upgrade at ~$100. But Lenovo does give you a choice in case you would rather use 1080p.
fao_ 8y ago
> Also for some reason people who say this never mention that they're happy with a 1080p screen. Sorry what? Let's look at my work laptop from the year before last. It's a macbook pro with a retina screen from 2013. The CPU is a 2.4GHz dual-core i5 processor. (I'm specifically looking at the ME864LL/A). Currently they're selling for 500£, second hand. A quick look on thinkwiki.org shows the equivalent is an X201 or X230. A quick gander on Ebay shows an X230 with better specs: This one has an i7 with a 3.6GHz processor, an SSD already fitted, and 8GB of ram (2x more than the macbook in question). It comes in pristine condition with the charger and dock included. It costs $310.00, plus $20 shipping (There are others in good nick with roughly equivalent specs (~2.9Ghz) for $40 cheaper) The default screen is kind of crap, but for an extra $80 - $130 and a spare hour you can upgrade it. This specific redditor[0][1] bought a 2k screen (2560x1440 IPS) mod kit from China and it worked So that makes it, what, $400? It's $100 cheaper, for a better laptop with an equal or better screen. [0]: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/8c009g/thinkpad_x230_ips_screen_mod_not_1920x1080_but/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/8c009g/thinkpad_x... [1]: https://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1831613&extra= https://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1831613&... (you might need google translate)

TomK32 8y ago

My advice, get last year's Thinkpad for new or refurbished on ebay. Mine was actually two generations back when I bought it used (it had seen very light use) and it was incredibly cheap. Without webcam but with modem :D

iodiniemetra 8y ago

It's because sometimes, such as when Apple takes a year to update a line, that you can find an ultrabook that costs half of what Apple is offering for similar specs (or in some cases, same price, much worse specs). Take a look at the MacRumors buyers guide release date graph for the pro-line https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac It's not as severe as it used to be now that returns are diminishing on new generations of components, but even three/four years ago, it could be startling.

AsyncAwait 8y ago

The XPS line is significantly cheaper than the MBP, at least in the UK.