Question Buy a Lenovo T580 4k or a Lenovo X1 Extreme FullHD?

[andre_xs]

Dear All,
I'm about to buy a new laptop for work (University lecturer). The laptop will be my main work computer and most of the time on the desk, attached to two external screens, keyboard, mouse, etc. I'm working from home as well, but commute by car. I have 1-4 meetings per week for which I'll take the laptop. Very occasionally I'm off any power source for up to 6 hours or so. For work, I sometimes need a bit more power (complex data analyses), but generally it's mostly just office work. However, I often work with multiple windows (like two Word documents next to each other/multiple big Excel files. Finally, it will also be my private laptop for Adobe Lightroom (raw files), couch surfing, watching movies, and very occasional gaming.

The laptop is intended to last for 5 years at least (I had a i5 Thinkpad T430s until a week ago which I was happy with, but it was stolen).

As far as I can see, both laptops do fulfil my needs and can serve me well - which makes it so hard to choose
Given the budget I have available, I have the two choices:


Lenovo T580 4k Display
Configuration I'd choose: 4k display, i7 CPU, 8 or 16 GB RAM, 512 GB HDD to be replaced by a 1-2 TB 2.5" SSD, no dGPU (no MX150)

• 4K Display: I recently have seen one of a 15.6" laptop and really loved it. 200% scaling seems fine for most of the time, but when I need space (Excel) I could easily switch to 175% because it's so sharp and crisp.
• Exchangable battery and big battery (I'd take the 72h rear battery, though it sticks out), battery life should be good enough and, if not, a second battery is easily purchased and can be swapped without shutting down.
• The cheaper option of the two (£1350)

+/- numblock. I don't know yet whether i prefer "Numblock but offcentre keyboard" versus "No numblock but centred keyboard" simply because I don't have experience with that. So far I only had centered keyboards on 14" laptops (T430s and HP Elitebook 840 G0)

• bulkier and noticably heavier than the X1
• Although I'm not gaming yet, having no dGPU feels like I'm restricting potential further usages. I'm not going to be a hardcore gamer anyway, but still...
• "only" Core-U CPUs. They are surely fine now, but in 5-7 years time?
• I heard reports that with 4k, the T580 can be a bit sluggish, e.g. when switching browser windows.
• slightly weird / complicated storage situation (2.5 inch bay for HDD/SDD or m.2 SSD in a caddy plus the WWAN with harder to get short SSDs)
• I don't want the MX150 because there are reports that the laptop then more easily runs into heat problems and the fans are running much more. I prefer it quiet...

Thinkpad X1 Extreme
Configuration I'd choose: FullHD display, i7 Hexacore CPU, 8 or 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD later to be complemented by a 1 TB m.2 SSD

• Hexacore: Feels like having more power available for the future, given it's supposed to last 5-7 years.
• Lighter and smaller footprint, making it better suited for meetings, couch surfing, etc.
• Battery life for me sufficient.
• Having the nVidia 1050 feels more future proof
• Build quality/robustness better(?)

+/- numblock. I don't know yet whether i prefer "Numblock but offcentre keyboard" versus "No numblock but centred keyboard" simply because I don't have experience with that. So far I only had centered keyboards on 14" laptops (T430s and HP Elitebook 840 G0)

- "only" FullHD. Technically absolutely fine for 15.6 inch, but not as nice. I would get less content on the screen as compared to the 4k at 175% scaling. But overall, I don't need that too often.
- Fan issue: Many report the need to undervolt the CPU to avoid having the fan running during normal office work. Although I feel capable to do this, I don't fancy spending time on this.

• In case I need more battery life, no easy solution. USB-C powerbanks seem only a mediocre solution...
• More expensive (£1700)

After all it's ~£350 difference...

Did I miss anything here or is it really just coming down to preference? Lighter, more powerful FullHD versus bulkier, less powerfull 4k?

 

[Lutfij]

If you don't work with Lightroom like a professional, you're best off going with the 1350UKpound option. The Thinkpad's are designed for office environments and has less on the feature set. Can you please pass on a link to both laptops?

 

[andre_xs]

If you don't work with Lightroom like a professional, you're best off going with the 1350UKpound option. The Thinkpad's are designed for office environments and has less on the feature set. Can you please pass on a link to both laptops?

No, I won't work with Lightroom like a professional, just occasional hobby use.

I don't think I can link to the custom build-to-order models, but here are the general links:
T580: https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/ThinkPad-T580/p/22TP2TT5800
X1: https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/ThinkPad-X1-Extreme/p/22TP2TXX1E1