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Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#31 Post by lead_org » Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:44 am

The spec looks interesting! Just wish the numpad wasn't there.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#32 Post by bhtooefr » Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:48 am

Here's the P70 specsheet (wasn't exactly hard to find): https://www.thinkworkstations.com/wp-co ... _Final.pdf

Wonder if they'll cTDP-up the CPU for it, or leave it at 45-47 watts.
Current: X201 (i5-540M, 8 GiB, 160 GB), 365XD (120 MHz, 72 MiB, 6.4 GB, 4x CD-ROM, 10.4" TFT)
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#33 Post by hhhd1 » Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:30 am

from the spec sheet:

"Upgraded touchpad resists wear and features new 3-button functionality"

:lol: :lol: :lol:

so now touchpad buttons are 'new' ?
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#34 Post by Ibthink » Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:32 am

Well, there certainly never has been a ThinkPad with 3 dedicated TouchPad buttons before. :wink: So in that sense its something new.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#35 Post by bhtooefr » Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:55 am

Oh, and they did sneak an optical bay into the P70, on the left side. (Which, to be honest, is a point against it having that much more power... although I'd still be surprised if it was stuck with a 55 W graphics solution, and I'd expect 100 W.) Also, there's an option for a 2.5" HDD or a travel bezel in place of the optical drive, and the travel bezel can apparently hold a SSD.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#36 Post by FryPpy » Mon Aug 10, 2015 12:32 pm

Cool ;)
I don't know if RetroThinkPad surveys have influence on this or not.
But we have thick workstation class ThinkPads in 15" and 17" chassis. The W701 reborn after 5 years (and 3 days after i've got one;).
Ultrabay, touchpad buttons (even more than we wanted;) Dual fan (it was great on original W70x). Display hinges are still in right place.
- Keboard, thinkplight aspect ratio. But something old should be kept for newer ThinkPad releases (blue enter key is planned for 2020;)
This features UHD that can cool down ThinkPadders who wanted workstation class RetroThinkPad in surveys. Business can get belief in Think brand back (if overall quality will be ok).

Conclusions (IMHO) - If even 15" can achieve success i think this line will stay in production more than 2 years (W700, W701).
Now Lenovo can experiment with small formfactor RetroThinkpad. And if innovations (returning to classic) will get success - it can be placed in this workstations in future. But it can be too risky to make more innovations in a single year (RetroThinkPad and P50/70). If both projects have failed - it will be bad :(

Honestly I can't afford new P50/P70 now :( And don't want this aspect ratio.

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#37 Post by bhtooefr » Mon Aug 10, 2015 12:41 pm

More details leaked about the mobile Xeons: https://twitter.com/thesoulfate/status/ ... 5653602304

35-45 watt SKUs, GT4e (the best Iris Pro) graphics.

So, unless there is a cTDP-up config, looks like the P70 isn't actually going to be that much to write home about, and the P50 may be where it's at.

Also, can I have that 35 watt SKU, with GT4e and all, in the retro machine? Please?
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#38 Post by laowai » Mon Aug 10, 2015 12:43 pm

FryPpy wrote:Cool ;)
I don't know if RetroThinkPad surveys have influence on this or not.
But we have thick workstation class ThinkPads in 15" and 17" chassis. The W701 reborn after 5 years (and 3 days after i've got one;).
Ultrabay, touchpad buttons (even more than we wanted;) Dual fan (it was great on original W70x). Display hinges are still in right place.
- Keboard, thinkplight aspect ratio. But something old should be kept for newer ThinkPad releases (blue enter key is planned for 2020;)
This features UHD that can cool down ThinkPadders who wanted workstation class RetroThinkPad in surveys. Business can get belief in Think brand back (if overall quality will be ok).

Conclusions (IMHO) - If even 15" can achieve success i think this line will stay in production more than 2 years (W700, W701).
Now Lenovo can experiment with small formfactor RetroThinkpad. And if innovations (returning to classic) will get success - it can be placed in this workstations in future. But it can be too risky to make more innovations in a single year (RetroThinkPad and P50/70). If both projects have failed - it will be bad :(

Honestly I can't afford new P50/P70 now :( And don't want this aspect ratio.
i'm honestly very happy that it was not something that i wanted. now i can go pick up my 420s tomorrow and be satisfied till they decide to release the retro.

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#39 Post by automobus » Mon Aug 10, 2015 1:18 pm

Benchmark Reviews wrote:Error 404 - Page Not Found
Sorry, I've looked everywhere but I can't find the page you're looking for.
If you follow the link from another website, I may have removed or renamed the page some time ago. You may want to try searching for the page:
Ja ja, I guess the press release was retracted or withdrawn. I did visit the page in time to read:
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) wrote:“We’ve built features into these machines that were previously unachievable in a notebook, making them the most versatile and highest-performing mobile workstations ever,” said Victor Rios, vice president and general manager, Workstations, Lenovo. “We’re focused on making sure users have the tools necessary to drive innovation. That is why we are expanding our portfolio and raising the standard of mobile workstation performance. Introducing the ThinkPad P Series unites our mobile portfolio with our existing award-winning line of tower workstations, the ThinkStation P Series.”

As the follow-on to the ThinkPad W541
Never a new W700, if ThinkPad W Series is replaced with ThinkPad P Series. I want to restate: the so-called "previously unachievable feature" of Xeon + expansive ECC memory, was achievable almost ten years ago.
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) wrote:The ThinkPad P50 and P70 feature a brand new FLEX Performance Cooling system. … This revolutionary design allows for both optimal uptime, as dictated by the needs of the application, giving the user the ability to push the system harder and for longer periods of time.
WTF? If this was only a draft, not copyedited, then I understand Lenovo wants it silently erased. This paragraph had better be rewritten before final draft reaches press…

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#40 Post by Puppy » Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:14 pm

automobus wrote:Ja ja, I guess the press release was retracted or withdrawn.
Specs are still there https://www.thinkworkstations.com/products/
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx is coming out? (small pics)

#41 Post by jdrou » Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:25 pm

bhtooefr wrote:Here's the P70 specsheet (wasn't exactly hard to find): https://www.thinkworkstations.com/wp-co ... _Final.pdf

Wonder if they'll cTDP-up the CPU for it, or leave it at 45-47 watts.
17" 4K IPS screen? Now that's tempting (depending on what the competition looks like; hopefully we'll see same/similar screens in Dell Precision).

Odd the P50/P70 docs both show USB 3.0 and not 3.1 though.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: P50 replacing W541, and 17" P70) is coming out? (small pics)

#42 Post by bhtooefr » Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:52 pm

It's worth noting that the M4800 has a 3200x1800 option today, and the M3800 has a 3840x2160 option today.

Still, those are 15.6", and the M6800 (the 17.3" machine) is just 1080p I believe.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: P50 replacing W541, and 17" P70) is coming out? (small pics)

#43 Post by jdrou » Mon Aug 10, 2015 4:54 pm

bhtooefr wrote: Still, those are 15.6", and the M6800 (the 17.3" machine) is just 1080p I believe.
Exactly. 17" models haven't had greater-than-1080p options until now that I'm aware of. And not many options with IPS for that matter.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#44 Post by ajkula66 » Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:55 pm

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#45 Post by sysiphus » Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:18 pm

On a positive note, it's nice to see traditional hinges and the new processors--good stuff. No doubt that for those who need it, ECC RAM can be a deal-maker on its own.

A 10-key makes sense on anything as wide as a 16x9 15" machine, and can be very useful for data entry. That said, I'm puzzled as to why they went for the 1" thick form factor for the P50--a bit thicker would have made it easy to fit an optical drive and have adequate cooling at the same time. The idea of a thin and light workstation machine strikes me as somewhat contradictory. The P70 looks more like what I'd hope for, though a 16x10 display would make so much more sense (in the P50 too).

For me, a Dell M4800 still makes more sense, given the prioritization of an optical bay/slightly thicker machine in the 15" form factor. Also, the Dell Precision M4800/6800 have a much better keyboard layout too (presuming Lenovo maintains their current layout). Same story on both counts for HP, which also offers top-quality displays, albeit at a steep price. So for me, HP is probably still top of the list for mobile workstations based on design/specs, with Dell winning on value. But this is at least a step in the right direction.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#46 Post by bhtooefr » Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:56 pm

Consider the success of machines like the MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch, though. While it's not ISV-certified, it's fairly similar hardware to a 15" workstation-class machine (contemporaries to the first generation (Mid 2012) were the W530, Precision M4700, and EliteBook 8570w).

And, I mean, the Precision M3800 exists, as a direct, yet ISV-certified, competitor.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#47 Post by lead_org » Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:21 pm

The P50 doesn't need to be thick, it has two separate cooling fan, which will help to dissipate the heat faster than a single fan system.

Also, If Lenovo ever releases something like T440p and call it a P40, then it will be interesting.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#48 Post by sysiphus » Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:46 pm

bhtooefr wrote:Consider the success of machines like the MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch, though. While it's not ISV-certified, it's fairly similar hardware to a 15" workstation-class machine (contemporaries to the first generation (Mid 2012) were the W530, Precision M4700, and EliteBook 8570w).

And, I mean, the Precision M3800 exists, as a direct, yet ISV-certified, competitor.

The MacBook Pro is something of a unique case, though--for anyone who requires OSX, there is no real alternative. Also, Apple laptops have become notorious for aggressive thermal throttling: their designs prioritize thinness and sleekness over bigger, louder, more effective cooling solutions.

As for the M3800, true, it exists, and I cannot speak to its performance characteristics, nor its sales numbers. So far, both Dell and HP continue to offer current-model full-size 15" (and 17") workstations as well, though, so clearly there is some demand for the less compromised designs.

ISV-certification is simply software compatibility/stability checks: you get some level of performance assurance, and tested/tailored drivers for major software packages (custom video drivers for things like CATIA, where the software seat fee easily outstrips the hardware cost). You can have the professional graphics cards that go along with ISV certification and still have a machine that is limited in hardware I/O etc.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#49 Post by sysiphus » Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:51 pm

lead_org wrote:The P50 doesn't need to be thick, it has two separate cooling fan, which will help to dissipate the heat faster than a single fan system.

Also, If Lenovo ever releases something like T440p and call it a P40, then it will be interesting.

Granted, it's possible that the P50 has adequate cooling--but given Lenovo's track record on their recent performance models, there is reason to doubt it. I hope they pulled it off. There is a general trend of mobile workstations with good cooling being on the thick side, and thinner ones not managing. The other thing is that thinner machines usually have fewer modular/replaceable parts, which is a big sacrifice when you're considering spending USD2000 and up. In that use case/price bracket, not only do I want a long lifespan but the ability to take down the machine (display, drives, memory, cards, etc) with normal tools without drama.

I'd love to see a P40-type machine...it could be a replacement for my 8460w when the time comes. But if they don't make it big enough to have a swappable bay, it'd still be a significant step down from the 8460w/8470w that HP did so well. The trend towards thinner and lighter machines in the consumer space makes a lot of sense, given how basic the requirements are of the average user. But I'm totally puzzled why the mobile workstation audience, who has both the budget and computing requirements to demand a no-compromise machine (processor, ports, slots, display, the works) would willingly choose a halfway measure for the sake of style (The Dell M4800 vs M3800 addresses this precisely).
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#50 Post by lead_org » Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:06 pm

Most of the workstation class machines are purchased by large enterprises, and they don't really need the upgradability. They do however need reliability and dependability, since many of the workstations are used in harsh environments such as hot desert, freezing tundra and on oil rigs or exploration boats.

While, i don't need all the latest features on the P50/P70, but i do like the sight of the physical touch buttons making a come back on the Px0 series ThinkPad. Hopefully, this feature will be implemented in other ThinkPad too.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#51 Post by sysiphus » Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:11 pm

lead_org wrote:Most of the workstation class machines are purchased by large enterprises, and they don't really need the upgradability. They do however need reliability and dependability, since many of the workstations are used in harsh environments such as hot desert, freezing tundra and on oil rigs or exploration boats.

Sure, I'll buy the part about upgradability, at least to some extent. For the individual purchaser (granted the minority market for these machines), it's a major turnoff though. Regardless, part of reliability and dependability is the ability to replace parts though--fans, memory, storage drive--wouldn't you agree? Downtime for a failure is significantly reduced if you can swap an easy off-the-shelf component instead of sending in the machine for service.


On other fronts, it's pleasing to see support for RHEL--good hardware compatibility with that is a must for me. Strange that the ExpressCard is only a 34-size one (in both the 15 and 17" versions)?!?
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#52 Post by bhtooefr » Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:42 pm

To be fair, I'm surprised there's an ExpressCard at all.

And, if you have to avoid downtime that much, that's why you pay for NBD on-site service, and possibly keep loaner devices around. (Or, if you're a big enough customer, you pay for a dedicated on-site tech - my day job is being a dedicated on-site tech for a client of Dell's.)

I don't believe any of these machines except for the Mac use proprietary RAM or storage, though. Not even the M3800 (although I don't support that platform (my client uses the M4800 in that role), but I just looked up internal pics, and it's using SODIMMs, and standard disks). (I'm not counting the display, because you're not going to Micro Center or Fry's and picking up even a 15.6" 1080p panel off the shelf and sticking it in your W541 or M4800 or ZBook 15 G2, let's be honest about that. You're going to make a warranty call if you're a business, and if you're not a business and the device is out of warranty, you're ordering the panel off of eBay.)

As someone who actually has to work on machines under warranty, I like a serviceable design, but that doesn't mean the same thing for a technician like me, that has cabinets full of parts to use almost at-will, as it does for someone who privately owns the machines outside of warranty. As I understand, the MacBook Pro Retina 15" is extremely serviceable for a tech - go grab the part that you need, there's not many parts in the machine to work around (I think there's a total of like 10 FRUs in the whole system - lid, chassis, system board, wifi card, SSD, audio board, heatsink, 2 fans, bottom cover), swap them, done. Contrast with something like the M4800, where everything is a spare part, but there's several layers to the onion that you have to pull apart to get to the system board. It's worth noting, though, that the M4800's level of flexibility, where even the GPU is a spare part separate from the system board, is appealing as a potential owner who could end up having to repair such a machine out of warranty, though. (Really, my next primary machine is a toss-up between a P50 and the next 15" Precision (M4900?) with a pointing stick... I think. Sometimes that changes to something else entirely.)

Also, as far as making the machine thinner and lighter... users like to carry less weight, and by modern standards, a M4800 (or a W541) is rather bulky.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#53 Post by bit_twiddler » Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:51 pm

(The Dell M4800 vs M3800 addresses this precisely)
The issue is that Dell is so well established in the workstation space that
they can justify producing 2 completely different machine types to cover the space.

Lenovo has lost a lot of ground in the workstation market, at least in the US, so proponents
of the concept inside the company have a harder time selling the concept to higher
management. They can only go after the broadest segments of the market.

Nonetheless, it's gratifying to see that they have made some positive changes,
such as the cooling system designed to allow the user to avoid throttling,
and a return to the 17" form factor.

Personally, I hope they are successful with these products. It's probably their last
chance to remain in the portable workstation space, and, if they do, the retro-thinkpad
faction inside Lenovo will be in a better position to get their machine out.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#54 Post by bit_twiddler » Tue Aug 11, 2015 12:55 am

As I understand, the MacBook Pro Retina 15" is extremely serviceable for a tech
Doesn't look that way to me... if you read through this you'll see that the battery is
actually glued in. Yes, that's right, glued to the underside of the trackpad.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook ... down/38300

And, let's not forget about the ram that's soldered in... amazing that someone would
solder something to the motherboard that has a 7% annual failure rate, according
to Google.

As far as upgradeability goes, that's essential for the workstation market. If a business
buys a couple of thousand machines that are all alike and not upgradeable, they're
not buying them for engineers or programmers. They're probably buying them for
salespeople or managers, but then they're business laptops - not workstations.
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#55 Post by sysiphus » Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:27 am

bhtooefr wrote:To be fair, I'm surprised there's an ExpressCard at all.

And, if you have to avoid downtime that much, that's why you pay for NBD on-site service, and possibly keep loaner devices around. (Or, if you're a big enough customer, you pay for a dedicated on-site tech - my day job is being a dedicated on-site tech for a client of Dell's.)

I don't believe any of these machines except for the Mac use proprietary RAM or storage, though. Not even the M3800 (although I don't support that platform (my client uses the M4800 in that role), but I just looked up internal pics, and it's using SODIMMs, and standard disks). (I'm not counting the display, because you're not going to Micro Center or Fry's and picking up even a 15.6" 1080p panel off the shelf and sticking it in your W541 or M4800 or ZBook 15 G2, let's be honest about that. You're going to make a warranty call if you're a business, and if you're not a business and the device is out of warranty, you're ordering the panel off of eBay.)

As someone who actually has to work on machines under warranty, I like a serviceable design, but that doesn't mean the same thing for a technician like me, that has cabinets full of parts to use almost at-will, as it does for someone who privately owns the machines outside of warranty. As I understand, the MacBook Pro Retina 15" is extremely serviceable for a tech - go grab the part that you need, there's not many parts in the machine to work around (I think there's a total of like 10 FRUs in the whole system - lid, chassis, system board, wifi card, SSD, audio board, heatsink, 2 fans, bottom cover), swap them, done. Contrast with something like the M4800, where everything is a spare part, but there's several layers to the onion that you have to pull apart to get to the system board. It's worth noting, though, that the M4800's level of flexibility, where even the GPU is a spare part separate from the system board, is appealing as a potential owner who could end up having to repair such a machine out of warranty, though. (Really, my next primary machine is a toss-up between a P50 and the next 15" Precision (M4900?) with a pointing stick... I think. Sometimes that changes to something else entirely.)

Also, as far as making the machine thinner and lighter... users like to carry less weight, and by modern standards, a M4800 (or a W541) is rather bulky.
About the parts~the whole point is that when my HP needed a replacement part, they'd overnight one to me under warranty. That's what I meant by an off the shelf part fix, not in the sense of buying one at a shop. Beats the heck out of having someone come onsite to fix it. Next business day onsite support can be had, but is costly, and then you have to schedule around it. My experience with it hasn't been impressive.

The layering in the M4800 (assuming it's like a 4600, never used/seen a 4800) is a bit tedious, but easy and logical to work on. The HP workstations are excellent too. So Lenovo has a high standard to match.

As for the Apple, you're mistaken. In addition to the soldered/glued parts, they also have a nasty habit of assembling things that snap together with fragile metal/plastic tabs that are a royal pain to deal with. Also, good luck ordering spare parts for your Apple from the OEM.
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bhtooefr
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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#56 Post by bhtooefr » Tue Aug 11, 2015 6:07 am

bit_twiddler wrote:Doesn't look that way to me... if you read through this you'll see that the battery is actually glued in. Yes, that's right, glued to the underside of the trackpad.
For a tech, not for an end user. The technician just grabs a new top chassis, which replaces the keyboard, trackpad, and battery all in one go. Battery replacement is probably the one job that's actually harder on a MBP Retina than a normal laptop, though (because it involves motherboard removal).
sysiphus wrote:The layering in the M4800 (assuming it's like a 4600, never used/seen a 4800) is a bit tedious, but easy and logical to work on. The HP workstations are excellent too. So Lenovo has a high standard to match.
It is exactly like a M4600.
sysiphus wrote:As for the Apple, you're mistaken. In addition to the soldered/glued parts, they also have a nasty habit of assembling things that snap together with fragile metal/plastic tabs that are a royal pain to deal with. Also, good luck ordering spare parts for your Apple from the OEM.
Hmm, I wonder if it's actually that way on the Retina. From all the teardowns I've seen, it looks like the Retinas are easy to get at the FRUs. Now, you couldn't break a FRU down into its component parts, that any other laptop manufacturer would have sub-FRUs for. And, service is highly restricted, and that's where Apple falls down, really.
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Past: T61p 15.0" QXGA, T60p 15.0" QXGA, X61 Tablet SXGA+, R51e 14.1" XGA, X21

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#57 Post by laowai » Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:15 am

sysiphus wrote:
bhtooefr wrote:To be fair, I'm surprised there's an ExpressCard at all.

And, if you have to avoid downtime that much, that's why you pay for NBD on-site service, and possibly keep loaner devices around. (Or, if you're a big enough customer, you pay for a dedicated on-site tech - my day job is being a dedicated on-site tech for a client of Dell's.)

I don't believe any of these machines except for the Mac use proprietary RAM or storage, though. Not even the M3800 (although I don't support that platform (my client uses the M4800 in that role), but I just looked up internal pics, and it's using SODIMMs, and standard disks). (I'm not counting the display, because you're not going to Micro Center or Fry's and picking up even a 15.6" 1080p panel off the shelf and sticking it in your W541 or M4800 or ZBook 15 G2, let's be honest about that. You're going to make a warranty call if you're a business, and if you're not a business and the device is out of warranty, you're ordering the panel off of eBay.)

As someone who actually has to work on machines under warranty, I like a serviceable design, but that doesn't mean the same thing for a technician like me, that has cabinets full of parts to use almost at-will, as it does for someone who privately owns the machines outside of warranty. As I understand, the MacBook Pro Retina 15" is extremely serviceable for a tech - go grab the part that you need, there's not many parts in the machine to work around (I think there's a total of like 10 FRUs in the whole system - lid, chassis, system board, wifi card, SSD, audio board, heatsink, 2 fans, bottom cover), swap them, done. Contrast with something like the M4800, where everything is a spare part, but there's several layers to the onion that you have to pull apart to get to the system board. It's worth noting, though, that the M4800's level of flexibility, where even the GPU is a spare part separate from the system board, is appealing as a potential owner who could end up having to repair such a machine out of warranty, though. (Really, my next primary machine is a toss-up between a P50 and the next 15" Precision (M4900?) with a pointing stick... I think. Sometimes that changes to something else entirely.)

Also, as far as making the machine thinner and lighter... users like to carry less weight, and by modern standards, a M4800 (or a W541) is rather bulky.
About the parts~the whole point is that when my HP needed a replacement part, they'd overnight one to me under warranty. That's what I meant by an off the shelf part fix, not in the sense of buying one at a shop. Beats the heck out of having someone come onsite to fix it. Next business day onsite support can be had, but is costly, and then you have to schedule around it. My experience with it hasn't been impressive.

The layering in the M4800 (assuming it's like a 4600, never used/seen a 4800) is a bit tedious, but easy and logical to work on. The HP workstations are excellent too. So Lenovo has a high standard to match.

As for the Apple, you're mistaken. In addition to the soldered/glued parts, they also have a nasty habit of assembling things that snap together with fragile metal/plastic tabs that are a royal pain to deal with. Also, good luck ordering spare parts for your Apple from the OEM.
yep, apple is garbage. thinkpad... i can literally find just about every single little piece i need to build a new laptop from scratch for many models. the parts are EASY to get ahold of over here at least.

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#58 Post by micrex22 » Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:29 pm

laowai wrote:yep, apple is garbage. thinkpad... i can literally find just about every single little piece i need to build a new laptop from scratch for many models. the parts are EASY to get ahold of over here at least.
I wouldn't say Apple is garbage, the hardware is actually built to decent quality standards (the major problems typically involve heat dissipation in favour of aesthetics). But a T60p can get pretty hot too...

Do the people in Beijing have direct access to manufactured parts or something? I often find otherwise hard to find parts available for sale there. Oftentimes brand new...

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#59 Post by brchan » Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:39 pm

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9503/leno ... xeon-chips

Interesting design. Seems like lenovo brought back some of the older designs cues from the older thinkpads. Indicator lights (although hdd only) and badging is now what it used to be on T430 and older models, and the clearplate seems to be glossy like on the T4* and X300/X301 models. Lid seems just a tad bit more curved and clamshell at the top, and there appears to be a middle scroll button for the trackpad. Could it be, that Lenovo is starting to go back to its designs around the T400/T410 era?
Current Thinkpads: W530 (functional classic keyboard mod), X301, T61, T60, T43, A31p, T23, 600X, 770
Other: mk5 Toughbook cf-19, mk1 Toughbook cf-53

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Re: Looks like a new W7xx (edit: 17" P70, and P50 replacing W541) is coming out? (small pics)

#60 Post by lead_org » Tue Aug 11, 2015 8:53 pm

brchan wrote:http://www.anandtech.com/show/9503/leno ... xeon-chips

Interesting design. Seems like lenovo brought back some of the older designs cues from the older thinkpads. Indicator lights (although hdd only) and badging is now what it used to be on T430 and older models, and the clearplate seems to be glossy like on the T4* and X300/X301 models. Lid seems just a tad bit more curved and clamshell at the top, and there appears to be a middle scroll button for the trackpad. Could it be, that Lenovo is starting to go back to its designs around the T400/T410 era?
Good chance that our ThinkPad will have these features too.
Current ThinkPad: T430u, T430s, X1 Carbon, X1, X230t, X220t, X230, X220, X201t, W520, W701ds, T500, T420 and many more

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