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Thinkpad x230 replacement for music production (Ableton)

Performance, hardware, software, general buying and gaming discussion..
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TOTAL
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Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:09 pm
Location: London, UK

Thinkpad x230 replacement for music production (Ableton)

#1 Post by TOTAL » Sun Aug 27, 2023 6:34 am

I am very happy with x230 16 gig ram but would like to make a smart switch to a newer model.
Which ones have the optimal performance to price ratio in 2023?

I suppose this is the last one with DIY architecture?
Would you consider different brands for the successor, such as dell xps13

mikemex
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Re: Thinkpad x230 replacement for music production (Ableton)

#2 Post by mikemex » Sat Feb 17, 2024 11:06 pm

Can the replacement be a little bigger?

If so, get yourself an L14 Gen 4. It has two DIMM slots for a whopping maximum RAM of 64GB. The battery in the L series used to be smaller, but in this generation you can get up to 63Wh, which is even higher than a T14. All the features available on the T series are now available in the L: IR camera, fingerprint reader, WWAN. There is basically no downside to buying an L series anymore, other than the sightly cheaper feeling plastic casing. Actually, I think the ergonomics on the L series are better now, since they retain the tilting and recessed Trackpoint buttons and long key travel for the keyboard.
X301: SU9600 | 8GB | 1TB | WXGA+
X1C9: 1185G7 | 32GB | 1TB | WUXGA | WWAN
X1Y8: 1365U | 32GB | 1TB | WUXGA
For the sake of ecology I donated all my classic Thinkpads.

axur-delmeria
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Re: Thinkpad x230 replacement for music production (Ableton)

#3 Post by axur-delmeria » Sun Feb 18, 2024 2:33 am

If you're looking into second-hand Thinkpads, there have been many T480 units being sold since last year. Of course, if you find newer ones like the T14 Gen 1 AMD, that's great too. :D
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

TOTAL
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Posts: 92
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:09 pm
Location: London, UK

Re: Thinkpad x230 replacement for music production (Ableton)

#4 Post by TOTAL » Thu Feb 22, 2024 3:38 pm

Thanks a lot for your answers and sorry for the delay - I must have overlooked the notification.

Getting back to this subject. L14 looks tempting but is sold at GBP 450 with energy-efficient, weak processors. The laptop does look impressive, yet I have established which corners I am ready to cut, considering the application, and it must be the laptop itself.

Purpose: Running Ableton Live and Traktor DJ software smoothly. No heavy sample libraries (meaning 16 gigs ram is good enough)
Processor: My budget maxes out around an Intel i5 12450H. Are there better value equivalents or cheaper options without sacrificing performance?
Budget: GBP 300 (max. 400)

Other Specs:
No external audio card needed (I can work with latency)
Budget-friendly, thicker laptop models are fine (like Lenovo Ideapad or similar)
Battery life isn't a priority
16GB RAM (can do without extra slots)
250GB SSD
Integrated graphics are fine
windows 10 is good enough (11 might be overkill - I am hearing the subsequent updates are increasing resource demands)

I'm open to specific laptop recommendations, but my main question is: what processor will give me the most bang for my buck?

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