Is T450 Keyboard set in stone?

[julia]

Is it possible to swap out the keyboard on a T450 and install a backlit keyboard? I'm close to getting one. It's a gift and has to come from Best Buy so I'm limited and can't shop around like I'd like to. I know I can upgrade the RAM so I'm okay with that.

I was seduced by the Yoga 900, we bought it yesterday and it lasted all of 4 hours. I turned it off and... the screen wouldn't turn back on. Machine on, black screen. Okay it's only a couple of days out of my life but I'm traumatized now by anything that doesn't have a removable battery. I should never have strayed.

Is the Retro real or is it a pipe dream? I figure it will cost as much as a Rolls Royce if it ever comes out and I can't wait. I'm hoping the T450 will be good for now and flexible enough to upgrade the components -- and as reliable as every T I've ever owned.

Thanks for advice,
julia

P.S. I am NOT a gamer. I'm a writer so my computer is all Outlook emails, Office documents, movies; Skype; and internet research; plus it's my "TV" so it's TV shows and live stream too. It needs to be fast with a decent picture. And reliable!

[ZaZ]

It needs to be fast with a decent picture. And reliable!

If you get a SSD, I'd suggest a M.2 for the OS, then it'll be fast.

May I ask why you're limiting yourself to Best Buy? That'll leave your best options off the table. The one T450 I see at Best Buy, has a a poor TN 1366x768 LCD. If you want a T450 or T450s with a nice screen, the FHD LCD is the one that offers good PQ.

[julia]

It needs to be fast with a decent picture. And reliable!

If you get a SSD, I'd suggest a M.2 for the OS, then it'll be fast.

May I ask why you're limiting yourself to Best Buy? That'll leave your best options off the table.

I know. Best Buy is agony for me. My friend is getting it for me and needs to put it on her card. I need the computer but frankly would rather recondition my x220. I'm really at a loss. I thought I'd try the glamorous Yoga but God had other plans.

Is it true Best Buy owns Lenovo now? Their selection is awful. It seems the T450 is the easiest to modify. So I'll switch out the keyboard and add RAM and etc. Can I change the display too?

Thanks for reply.

P.S. What is an M.2.

[bit_twiddler]

AFAIK, Best Buy doesn't own anybody... they just do retail.

[brchan]

Best Buy is probably one of the worst places to buy anything in general. Almost always overpriced, poor service, and few quality products.

[agarza]

You could later replace the crappy screen if there's no other choice

[ZaZ]

My friend is getting it for me and needs to put it on her card.

Is it a Best Buy card? If not, they do accept credit cards other places. My suggestion would be a manufacturer refurbed T450s from eBay.

[julia]

Thanks for all your replies. They've been VERY helpful and confirmed my suspicions about what I see at Best Buy.

The card is a Best Buy Card but I've decided I CAN'T DO IT. I have some standards. I WILL NOT buy a prosumer piece of garbage from a store that doesn't even have windows! I'm going to thank my friend and pay to recondition my x220 until I can afford to get the right machine, configured the way I want it. From a reasonable source. Here, EBay, my computer guy. And I'll keep checking the Market board here.

I may have my friend get me a tablet just for meetings for our film project. I'll keep you posted. BTW, glad to hear BB doesn't own Lenovo.

- Julia

[Cigarguy]

My laptop usage is pretty much what you're using yours for. My X220 is plenty fast enough for everything I need to do. Even my T61 will keep up. For your usage type, I doubt you'll notice any speed difference. The keyboard layout however is very noticeable. I won't buy a Thinkpad newer than a X220, T420 and T520. HP's Elitebook for anything newer for me.

[bit_twiddler]

A pretty thorough review of your X220 can be found here:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Len ... 5639.0.htm

The above link may not work, you may have to google for it. They may be moving stuff around
on their site.

They really rave about the display. I've heard mixed reviews of new TPs with IPS displays;
I'd suggest checking with users of this forum and critical reviews online (like notebookcheck)
before plunking down money on one.

I briefly considered an X220 back when I bought my T420, but need more vertical resolution for
what I do. Starting with the Sandy Bridge models like your X220, an msata drive can be
installed. It only runs at SATA-2 speeds, but is still plenty quicker than a mechanical drive.

You could also replace your 2.5" mechanical drive with an SSD, and up the memory to 16G.

I don't think you'll have any complaints about performance. CPUs newer than Sandy Bridge
only offer incremental increases in performance. The only real improvement is in graphics
performance, and you won't need that unless you are playing newer games or doing certain
kinds of CAD work.

[julia]

A pretty thorough review of your X220 can be found here:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Len ... 5639.0.htm

- bit_twiddker

What a helpful post. Thank you. You must have been reading my mind. I was replying to cigarguy that I agree and am back in the Marketplace looking for a replacement keyboard for my x220.

I think reconditioning it is my best course now so this info is so relative! I may give BB a chance with a tablet -- they should be able to handle that -- but I'm going to refurbish the x220.

Thank you both kindly!

[julia]

Here's the newer link for the x220 review:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Len ... 639.0.html

Thanks!

[bit_twiddler]

You can always "upgrade" at some point to an X230, which is essentially the same machine with
an Ivy Bridge CPU and updated chipset. The main differences between the machines are:

(some?) X230 machines came with illuminated keyboards.
Ivy Bridge CPU has a more powerful integrated graphics processor.

Disadvantages:
X230 has a different keyboard layout, and does not have a cap-lock LED.
This is probably not a big deal if you just run Windows.

Because the old stuff gets dumped according to a depreciation schedule,
it's quite possible to get an inexpensive quality used machine that will last for a long time,
assuming that you or someone you know can refurb it properly, which means:

1 - re-applying thermal paste/pads & cleaning out the fan
2 - replacing worn out / obsolete components (keyboard, CMOS backup battery, etc.)

One thing to watch out for with the X series is that the CPUs are generally soldered in,
meaning that you can't upgrade them later. But, a nice feature of both the X220 and X230
is that the RAM is socketed, meaning that you can replace it in case of failure or
if you want to max the machine out. This is not true of many newer Thinkpads.