Shopping for a T-series -- advice, please

[BlueEdge]

I'm in the process of finding a replacement for my Thinkpad E535 that died (I think) prematurely at the tender age of two years. The motherboard failed when it was 2 months old, replaced under warranty, and now has apparently malfunctioned again. (It was a "refurb" purchased through the Lenovo outlet, so I guess I got what I paid for).

This time around I'm thinking of a T series, most likely a T540, but I'm open to any suggestions. I had always heard that the T was supposed to be sturdier than the E(dge) series, which according to some people was just an Ideapad with the Thinkpad name attached to it. My needs aren't that great: I use the machine mostly for web surfing, e-mail, a limited amount of streaming audio & video and some not very intensive spreadsheets. I'm used to a larger desktop display, which is why I want to stick with the 15.6 display.

My Edge had an AMD A4400 processor, which I think might have been part of its problem: The machine ran hot, with the cooling fan running at high speed even with nothing more than a single web page open. For that reason I think I'd like to go with an i3 or i5 this time.

The W series is out of my price range, I think, and I know little about the L. Any thoughts or suggestions with T (or other) Thinkpads will be appreciated!

[RealBlackStuff]

There's no need to go for a new machine, with your requirements.
I would suggest a used T520 (15.6").
Pick one of these three screen resolutions:
HD 1366x768
HD+ 1600x900
FHD 1920x1080

In future, stay away from any AMD CPUs in a laptop, they make them a craptop!
Also stay away from Ideapad, Edge, Essential and whatever other crappy NON-T or -W models.
The Tx30, Tx40 and Tx50 series all have some retarded keyboards, hence my Tx20 suggestion

[Ibthink]

I would say wait for Skylake if you want to buy a brand new ThinkPad. Skylake ThinkPads are just around the corner, they will be announced in early 2016.

[ZaZ]

Any thoughts or suggestions with T (or other) Thinkpads will be appreciated!

I'd rather have the T450 or T450s with the factory IPS screen, but that's me. If you want to spend less, the L450 is an option as well.

[Recife]

Assuming you're not going to lug it around in a backpack a T530 would probably serve you well enough. I have one and while I do miss the old mechanical keyboard from the T520 the newer backlit chiclet keyboard serves me well at night without disturbing my missus.

Here's two I just found on ebay, the first one only has 15 hours to run though neither make it clear what resolution screen they have. If you're patient I expect you'll be able to snag one for well under 300 dollars. Spending any more that then I'd rather buy a new T450.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-THINKPAD-T5 ... SwI-BWLTfR

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad ... SwQoFWOQSr

Don't forget the T540 has the detested flappy touchpad with no physical buttons although if you're not used to using the ultranav pointer might not bother you too much.

[BlueEdge]

There's no need to go for a new machine, with your requirements.
I would suggest a used T520 (15.6").
Pick one of these three screen resolutions:
HD 1366x768
HD+ 1600x900
FHD 1920x1080

In future, stay away from any AMD CPUs in a laptop, they make them a craptop!
Also stay away from Ideapad, Edge, Essential and whatever other crappy NON-T or -W models.
The Tx30, Tx40 and Tx50 series all have some retarded keyboards, hence my Tx20 suggestion

Thanks. I think you're right about AMD CPUs. I had misgivings about it in the first place but I thought "How bad can it be?". Answer: VERY.

[BlueEdge]

Thanks (everybody) for the suggestions.

You're correct -- this machine is going to spend most of its life shuttling from my den to my living room with an occasional detour to the dining room table when I need to spread out paperwork while I'm using it. IOW, it's not going to be very mobile, so weight and bulk aren't issues.

As for the keyboard and touchpad, I'm used to the "crappy" chiclet keyboard...it's what my Edge 535 has, and it hasn't been too bad. Ditto for the "eraserhead" -- I rarely use it except for panning on maps. Otherwise, I've adapted to the touchpad pretty well.

Assuming you're not going to lug it around in a backpack a T530 would probably serve you well enough. I have one and while I do miss the old mechanical keyboard from the T520 the newer backlit chiclet keyboard serves me well at night without disturbing my missus.

Here's two I just found on ebay, the first one only has 15 hours to run though neither make it clear what resolution screen they have. If you're patient I expect you'll be able to snag one for well under 300 dollars. Spending any more that then I'd rather buy a new T450.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-THINKPAD-T5 ... SwI-BWLTfR

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad ... SwQoFWOQSr

Don't forget the T540 has the detested flappy touchpad with no physical buttons although if you're not used to using the ultranav pointer might not bother you too much.

[systemBuilder]

I would say wait for Skylake if you want to buy a brand new ThinkPad. Skylake ThinkPads are just around the corner, they will be announced in early 2016.

Disagree totally. Nearly every review and benchmark I've read says that Skylake CPUs are 0% faster than Haswell, they are only an improvement if you are running Slowell (Broadwell) CPUs. They do have faster graphics but not if you allow Intel to dump an HD520 or slower into your laptop, which is what 95% of Skylake (and ALL Lenovo) CPUs ship with.

[Ibthink]

Whatever you say...

http://i.imgur.com/gWcF2k6.jpg

Skylake CPUs are faster then Broadwell or Haswell CPUs, and the HD 520 is faster then comparable Broadwell/Haswell iGPUs.

Skylake ThinkPads also have other improvements besides the CPUs. For example more and higher res IPS panels.