Replacing my X201 with a new X250...few questions

[Seks]

Never had any issues with my X201 since I bought it new from Lenovo. As a matter a fact, never got to use my 3-yr NBD warranty I purchased (which has since expired). Now that Win 10 is out (I have Win 7 on my X201), I figure it's time to get a new laptop.

1. I've decided on either the ThinkPad Ultra Dock 90W or 170W. What are the differences between those two other than the wattage of the power adapter that's included? Should I just settle with the 90W?

2. Since I never utilized the additional warranty on the X201, should I even bother with purchasing additional warranty for the X250?

3. Seems like it's difficult to find a single 16GB SODIMM out there. Other than having to pick 16GB memory during configuration, the only other one that I'm aware of is made by Intelligent Memory. Any know if other manufacturers going to make them?

[brchan]

I don't think an extended warranty is worth the extra money. Any issues usually come up within the first year, and even with a 3 year warranty, sometimes Lenovo blames the user for problems and tries to make you pay for replacements (unless you go for accidental damage protection).

If you get an X250, just remember that it will be a bit more difficult to service. X240 models have had issues with throttling, but I am not sure if this has been fixed. Also, Windows 10 doesn't seem available on the X250, so you would have to buy a copy and install it yourself. I wouldn't touch windows 10 because of its privacy issues, though.

[ZaZ]

should I even bother with purchasing additional warranty for the X250?

Here's the deal, if you buy the warranty, nothing will happen, but if you don't, it'll have a motherboard failure the day after the warranty expires and Lenovo will not help you.

Keep in mind, as always, luck plays a large role. Most ThinkPads will live out their lives without needing any warranty service, but if you happen be one of the unlucky ones who needs it, it'll be expensive to fix without the warranty. It's a small risk without the warranty, but I guess it would depend on how important you feel your notebook is to you, which I can't answer for you since we just met. If you need it every day, then perhaps the peace of mind is worth it. If you can go a few weeks without it and don't want to fork over the cash, go without. I'd agree the newest ThinkPads will be harder to work on than older models, which is something to keep in mind. Good luck and welcome to TPF.

[ansible212]

I've needed warranty service on both my X200s and X220.

X200s: a friend spilled wine over it resulting in a dead keyboard (but could have been worse), and then a second time when I dropped it and cracked the screen.

X220: turned it on after docking it one day and the USB 3.0 failed, resulting in a new motherboard.

In both cases warranty services were called upon >12 months old.

(Both with accidental damage cover.)

[Seks]

Guess I'll fork out for the warranty.

I'm just going to configure it with a regular 7200rpm HD since it's so much cheaper to get a 240 or 480gb ssd locally. Is it difficult to replace the HD on the x250?

Took me a few minutes on the X201.

[ZaZ]

You might want to consider the M.2 SSD, then you can keep the platter drive in the main bay for storage, where speed is not as critical.