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Comment by rennusmiklos | Hacker News Reader

My suggestion: get a used thinkpad that fits your budget. You'll be amazed.

Specifically which model? People at work were stretching their old HPs to avoid getting a Lenovo replacement that were just failing in the hands of their coworkers in all sorts of ways. Genuinely curious to understand the mismatch between experience and recommandations I see everywhere.

W541 was one of the last models with upgradable cpu.

I don't think you understand the purpose of a Framework laptop.

I guess it's important to consider your needs and values, but I wouldn't mind a second handed product until I really know that I want a Framework laptop.

I'll definitely add Thinkpad as my options. One of the worries I have is that you're completely reliant on a company to provide support. They can drop the ball anytime (not that I expect them to, but it's good to be aware of it).

I second this recommendation. Framework laptops are great but they are not without issue (firmware updates have been lagging, battery life is fine but not great). They are a great longlasting purchase that you can keep upgrading. But they are not without quirks.

But to me it looks like you just want a laptop that does it's job reliably and have a limmited budget.

Used ThinkPads are still tanks. My personal laptop is a used one, a 2017 model, and it still runs well, just slightly below the newer models which I use for my work. If you're going to be doing some heavy coding, you'll still be fine.

Wouldn't recommend Dells or Frameworks. You don't need an Apple for college work either.

Could you recommend a thinkpad model you feel is built like a tank?

I bought a used t540p 5 years ago and it's been the crappiest laptop I've ever used. Terrible display with about 15deg of visibility. Flimsy plastic parts that broke in multiple places during replacements. Display randomly got damaged while in my bag, keys constantly falling off, even after fully replacing the kb when keys just stopped functioning, worst trackpad ever, RAM just started failing.

Honestly the framework is practically macbook-quality in comparison to a used thinkpad IME but maybe I'm looking at the wrong series or era?

I use a 470s for my personal model and a p16 for work. Perhaps it depends on the previous owner, but yours seems like a one-off situation. In my case, I found a local reseller who sold mostly ex-corporate laptops that were used for a couple of years tops, and the ones they sold were in mint condition. The p16s we buy are brand new though.

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