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Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

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thebetterpecker
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Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#1 Post by thebetterpecker » Mon Sep 21, 2020 11:01 am

I am considering either getting a Thinkpad p50 or a t480. The p50 with an i7 6700hq, 16gb or RAM, 500gb HDD, and the Quadro M1000M is going for $850. The seller is also saying that it's brand new, but I'm skeptical about that claim and I have not inspected the item for myself. The t480 with an i5 8250u, 8gb or RAM, 500gb HDD, 720p display, and guaranteed to be brand new is going for around $700. I like the aesthetics of the p50 and the 15" 1080p display would be great, however I'm a little concerned about its CPU power & efficiency when compared to the 8th gen i5 of the t480. If I'm going with the t480, I would probably upgrade the panel to 1080p. Any suggestions?

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#2 Post by atagunov » Mon Sep 21, 2020 11:32 am

Hi, I'd probably visit https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php and compare the CPU scores. For power you can compare TDP as advertised on ark.intel.com (just search online for your exact processor..)

Update: the P50 you have in mind beats the T480 you have in mind in CPU score :)
6481 vs 6007

However P50 has a 45Wt TDP processor versus 15Wt TDP in T480
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en ... 0-ghz.html
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en ... 0-ghz.html

So it seems P50 only takes one battery, plugged in externally and a 90Wh option is available. I'd probably trust these guys to measure how long a machine can actually last on battery: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Th ... 713.0.html

What about T480? I really don't know.. If T480 ends up having less Wh on board it means that it's 15Wt over 45Wt advantage is reduced somewhat. Also I wouldn't expect P50 to keep running at 45Wt all the time. It would probably reach that under load but otherwise should consume a lot less..

Also please be advised that so-called "slice" batteries exist. They plug from the bottom into docking connector.. But I'm not sure if either T480 or P50 can take one.

I understand P50 body is somewhat akin to T520 that I own and love, so I have a soft spot for this line.. Strong and sturdy it must be.
With a T480 you essentially need to be careful. If for example you put it into a backpack full of books - there's a real chance to bend the beauty!
P50 will be more resilient, it's not like my T520 can take any abuse, but it can take a lot of it.
Also P50 must be much easier to disassemble and put back together. I understand T480 and friends have become a little like cellphones with plastic clips while P50 remained true to the original design philosophy.

It seems if you want a bit more power and a stronger body P50 is better for you.
If you want a thinner/lighter machine with longer battery life it may be T480 is better for you.
Have a look at this notebookcheck website to get an idea of battery lives..

P.S. I was really confused when you mentioned HDD-s, but that simply can't be can it? These are probably SSD-s in both P50 and T480. And hopefully M.2 NVM.e SSD-s. If it's indeed an M.2 NVM.e SSD then 500Gb is a very decent drive. If it somehow was an HDD then it'd be up for immediately replacement after purchase
P.P.S. I would expect you're aware of the keyboard layout differences and the difference in the location of the trackpad between P50 and T480
X220, 2 *T520

thebetterpecker
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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#3 Post by thebetterpecker » Tue Sep 22, 2020 1:01 am

Thanks for the insights! I think it might just be the difference in region that the option for variants with a HDD is available and I would also swap it with an SSD. I am also aware of the layout of the p50's inputs, and I think it's fine. I'll definitely check the websites you suggested.

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#4 Post by atagunov » Tue Sep 22, 2020 7:12 am

I believe both machines are capable of using M.2 NVM.e SSD-s. Absolutely get one of those, not regular 2.5".
I would check how much Samsung EVO 870 cost on amazon first..
You will need to open the machine up to install an NVM.e SSD though. Possibly take keyboard off. Easier to do on a P50 :) There should be videos on how to open either model on youtube.
X220, 2 *T520

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#5 Post by thebetterpecker » Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:10 am

Based on what I found, the p50 only needs a small holder to use an m.2 drive while the t480 would need a special bay, so I guess that's an extra point for the p50.

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#6 Post by fiat682 » Fri Sep 25, 2020 4:13 pm

if i was you i would get an i7 t420/430, way better and still with ibm build quality and lot of features lacking in modern ones
Lenovo x220i t w7pro
IBM Thinkpad T30 p4 1gb XPpro
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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#7 Post by atagunov » Fri Sep 25, 2020 5:34 pm

fiat682 wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 4:13 pm
if i was you i would get an i7 t420/430, way better and still with ibm build quality and lot of features lacking in modern ones
Why not W530 then? :) At least you get 4 cores and a CPU score of 5k-5.6k.
But seriously what objections do you have against P50?

I used to think P50 is a direct continuation of T420/T430 legacy: thick body, rollcage (!!), external battery.
However it offers still bigger CPU score, much newer CPU so hopefully less power draw, NVM.e (!!), even two of them, Thunderbolt.
And it uses a eDP display connector internally unlocking access to nice modern screen panels.

What's not to like? Well I know why I'm staying with T520 ;-)
But if you're less stubborn nostalgic and okay with modern keyboards it's hard to argue against P50
X220, 2 *T520

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#8 Post by fiat682 » Sat Sep 26, 2020 6:28 am

i know but i said that because i think that the p50 is no longer as robust and reliable as the x20 30 series, also lacks some features
Lenovo x220i t w7pro
IBM Thinkpad T30 p4 1gb XPpro
IBM Thinkpad T22 BOD (looking for repair)
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[Restored] Lenovo sl500 win vista

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#9 Post by atagunov » Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:09 pm

Hiya I've never owned a P50 and actually I'm not planning to, so you can easily say this chatter on my part is devoid of any purpose.. But if you still feel like indulging me :) what do you feel P50 lacks in features? And does it really lack in robustness? It seems to have a body similar to T530, does it not?
X220, 2 *T520

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#10 Post by TPFanatic » Sat Sep 26, 2020 9:16 pm

P series is as close to the classic design language as the modern aesthetic gets. It even has an HDD indicator on the lid that's still green.

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#11 Post by xelonakias » Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:22 am

thebetterpecker wrote:
Mon Sep 21, 2020 11:01 am
I am considering either getting a Thinkpad p50 or a t480. The p50 with an i7 6700hq, 16gb or RAM, 500gb HDD, and the Quadro M1000M is going for $850. The seller is also saying that it's brand new, but I'm skeptical about that claim and I have not inspected the item for myself. The t480 with an i5 8250u, 8gb or RAM, 500gb HDD, 720p display, and guaranteed to be brand new is going for around $700. I like the aesthetics of the p50 and the 15" 1080p display would be great, however I'm a little concerned about its CPU power & efficiency when compared to the 8th gen i5 of the t480. If I'm going with the t480, I would probably upgrade the panel to 1080p. Any suggestions?
Hello, better check pricing though, over here, in my country of residence, Greece , EU, I found this:

Θηριώδες Lenovo ThinkPad P50 Mobile Workstation
Core i7 6820HQ, 4C/8T 3.6Ghz
16GB DDR4 RAM
512GB SSD M2 Nvme
Quadro M2000MX 4GB
Full HD Monitor 15,6" anti glare
4 x USB 3.0
USB-C/Thunderbolt 3
Mini DisplayPort
HDMI
Gigabit LAN
Dock
Headphone/microphone combo jack

Going for..670 euros

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#12 Post by rexr » Sat Feb 13, 2021 2:39 pm

We have used an i7 P50 with 64gb RAM and a fast SSD for years as our daily machine since it was introduced, and it is a beast. I definitely recommend it. I have no idea what it is worth today.

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#13 Post by edik » Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:57 pm

To add my little contribution.

770 series -> A series (esp "p" models) -> W series -> T440p -> P50
(750) 760 series/765 -> T (non p) -> T480

One marketing the high end desktop replacement - the other a portable with small compromises.
The gap between the A and the W was likely filled with the (15" from T42p) T4Xp/T6Xp (2003-2007). Some anomalies like the R52p with hi-res screen.

Would this be correct way to look at things? Having owned many of these models I'd like to think I'm roughly right )

2020: P50/E3-1535M/24GB/3xSSD/FHD
2018: T550/16/IPS 3K/72Wh
2007-2018: T450, T520/i7, X200s, T500, A31p, A30p, T42p, X60s, X32, X31
Gone but not forgotten 1998-2006: 2006 T43p 2668-H2G (2GB/60), T22 2648-8EG (128/20) 2005 X40, X31 2004 T30 SXGA+, 600X, 2003 770 P233+DVD Card, 760XD 1998 760XL+104MB

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#14 Post by unix_joe » Sun Jul 11, 2021 4:55 pm

edik wrote:
Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:57 pm
To add my little contribution.

770 series -> A series (esp "p" models) -> W series -> T440p -> P50
(750) 760 series/765 -> T (non p) -> T480

One marketing the high end desktop replacement - the other a portable with small compromises.
The gap between the A and the W was likely filled with the (15" from T42p) T4Xp/T6Xp (2003-2007). Some anomalies like the R52p with hi-res screen.

Would this be correct way to look at things? Having owned many of these models I'd like to think I'm roughly right )
There was the 15" G-series ThinkPads about 15 years ago. It weighed 8.4 pounds; 10 pounds even with the power supply. True desktop replacements.

https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:G41
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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#15 Post by axur-delmeria » Sun Jul 11, 2021 9:13 pm

edik wrote:
Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:57 pm
(750) 760 series/765 -> T (non p) -> T480
Isn't the T series the direct successor of the 600 series?
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#16 Post by edik » Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:11 pm

Isn't the T series the direct successor of the 600 series?
Fair point, 600 came before T series by 2 years, I was assuming the classic IBM (premium) business laptop was the 7XX series in the 90's (there wasn't much of else of any heritage other than the 5 series?) and the T20 kinda started where the 770 left off in timeline.

1990's 7 series -> turn of century -> T series (starting with T20)

600 (1998) series a continuation of the (up to 1997) 500 series?

Just a thought.

2020: P50/E3-1535M/24GB/3xSSD/FHD
2018: T550/16/IPS 3K/72Wh
2007-2018: T450, T520/i7, X200s, T500, A31p, A30p, T42p, X60s, X32, X31
Gone but not forgotten 1998-2006: 2006 T43p 2668-H2G (2GB/60), T22 2648-8EG (128/20) 2005 X40, X31 2004 T30 SXGA+, 600X, 2003 770 P233+DVD Card, 760XD 1998 760XL+104MB

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#17 Post by jelabarre59 » Wed Sep 08, 2021 8:39 am

Just for my own observations, I have a P50 for my work computer. It's a nice solid machine, although I haven't had to open it up other than to replace faulty memory, so I can't speak to ease of repair. Currently running Fedora 34 on it.

The one major problem I had with it was losing connection to my external monitors (attached to the dock) once it came up out of sleep (or hibernate back when that was easily configured with RHEL/Fedora). I would have to disconnect from the dock then re-connect, or I had to pull the power from the dock and plug it back in (obviously a full power off and back on worked, while rebooting only worked occasionally). Then I saw it had been sent to me in Legacy/BIOS mode rather than UEFI. Switching the system to UEFI and doing a fresh install fixed that, and my external displays work after coming out of sleep (and even in the correct layout as well, which I would have to rearrange with a xrandr command previously).

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Re: Is a Thinkpad p50 w/ an i7 still worth in 2020?

#18 Post by bishop » Tue Oct 05, 2021 10:06 am

Hallo, i am coming from Germany, i have p50 and it's working fine with win10 and win 11, but for win11, i must take the Bypass reg hack, to install win11, win11 say, the i7 cpu is not compatible, very annoying😁

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