Deciding between older models

[Hootenanny]

I am taking the plunge of buying my first ThinkPad and trying to get a handle on all the different models to find what is right for me.

My overriding concern is DURABILITY and LASTINGNESS. I want to be able to swap out RAM, the screen, the battery, the drive, when I need to. And not have to worry as much about exterior damage. I'm trying to buy something rugged which won't need to be replaced soon. Soldered RAM is a dealbreaker which as I understand it rules out a lot of newer models.

I want high performance and speed for music software like DAWs and sample libraries (which use large amounts of RAM), but I don't really care about graphics because I don't game or design. Aside from music stuff I just have lots of tabs open with articles and emails and stuff.

My third priority is screen quality. I'm willing to compromise a little but I find ugly dull screens very annoying. 4K or close is ideal but not mandatory.

Things I don't care about:

- battery life

- portability

- graphics

My understanding is that the best models for what I want are P52, P53, T480, or T580. However, there may be something newer that has everything I need but that I am overlooking. Please let me know your thoughts and recommendations.

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.

The foremost requirement is the size of your budget.
Without that, it's difficult to advise.