That does look pretty glossy. I'll be re-reading this long thread again to reacquaint myself with the details.
What does that mean? I'm under the impression that both laptops can easily replace the battery.
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Lenovo X1 Extreme
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MaFlynn...
One very, very small correction, is that the X1 offers 5 yrs of warranty if you wish.
If the X1 does not work for me when I receive it, I will closely look at the razer offering. But the price does come into play and right now Lenovo looks good. Ports are some what OK on the Razer but Lenovo is so much better.
The X1E has a blueish antiglare coating which tended to tone down and mute the reflections of the lights better. Macbook Pro display is much more "mirror-like" and the reflected lights brighter.
The Sealed Battery Replacement Program basically means that you are pre-paying for a discounted battery replacement if it falls below minimum standards during the warranty period. Only of value if you plan to keep it long enough to need it. It costs $28 if you purchase it with the machine, while the battery otherwise retails for around $100 I believe.
Lenovo's wording on it:
Lenovo’s Sealed Battery Warranty is an extended battery warranty available with depot or onsite service and offers a single battery replacement in the event a covered battery fails to meet minimum performance standards.
Actually, drivers on Lenovo are as easy as it gets. Just launch Lenovo Vantage and let it do it's thing. As easy as that.
No crapware on Lenovo at all. Just Lenovo Vantage preinstalled, and that is one really useful tool!
I never saw Razer Blade 15 IRL, so can't comment on that.
But I see few more advantages for thinkpads:
- Build quality, even though Razer seems excellent, X1E is built like a tank. And it has water resistant keyboard.
- Second m2 slot, there is no need to explain any further
- Fast charger
I can't compare Blade to X1E, simply because I don't own Blade, and never used it. On paper Blade is a clear winner, better GPU by a long shot.
But I had the same dilemma you are having right now, and thinkpad built quality, linux support, keyboard, and especially that second nvme won me over. But I would love to test the blade in person as well, but won't have a chance to do so I'm afraid
Damn you all for using logic
Its true, I've been wanting to get into gaming on the PC as opposed to my PS4, but that is not its primary purpose. The reviewers, all have said that Lenovo is a tank (in a good way). It stands to reason I should focus on a machine that not only provides that but also should last well beyond 3 years. My selling of the MBP was that I didn't think it would last past two years. The water proof keyboard is one example of how much better the Lenovo achieves that.
I still have concerns with the Lenovo and I'll take my time to vet it out, but It does appear to me on paper and other people's usage, the X1E is the way to go.
My short list of concerns - heat management, I want to do a little more digging, as I've seen conflicting reports on out of the box thermals, though I suspect I can manage them with tweaks. Fan noise, a lot discussion in this thread has been focused on fan noise. I'm not terribly worked up by it but in the name of due diligence I want to do a bit of googling.
I will post my review over the weekend, hopefully that will helpful to you. But keep in mind, I probably use X1E in way different scenario then you will.
Heat is ok on my unit. No problems there. But...
... fans are aggressive! They often turn on to dissipate the heat, and they are loud. There is no denying that.
But for actual work, I want them to be this way. Problem is sometimes they will turn on with just light browsing. But I've managed to get then under control by undervolting + thinkfan control. Works like a charm.
My last resort was to repaste the CPU & GPU. Thankfully I didn't have to do that, just some software tweaks helped a lot.
But if you plan on running Linux, those software tweaks mean a lot of terminal + config files. Funny thing is, I'm more at home with tweaking via terminal + config files, then I am with GUI apps. And using Pop_OS is a bliss, even compared to Windows. You can easily switch between iGPU and nVidia. But it does require a restart.
My refurbished X1E should arrive tomorrow or Friday. I ended up getting it on eBay, as I was having some issues with my Amazon account. I’ll let you guys know how it goes.
Here are some links to the refurbs if anyone’s interested:
eBay links:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thi...Touch-16GB-512G-NVMe-SSD-1050Ti-/323645357973
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thi...uch-16GB-512G-SSD-1050Ti-Laptop-/283330950178
Amazon link with a few available from “Best Prices Computer”
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Think...=1547663257&sr=8-4&keywords=lenovo+x1+extreme
I’m pretty sure some of these sellers have a direct relationship with Lenovo. They all offer warranties and have 100% positive feedback. The “fastship_hotdeal” seller I ordered from only seems to sell Lenovo computers.
This same configuration was also available for around the same price from the Lenovo outlet, but they’re gone now. Still, it’s a good place to check for deals as well:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/outlet...pad-x-series/ThinkPad-X1-Extreme/p/20MFX006US
After I make sure all the specs are accurate and everything’s working, I’m going to do a clean install of Windows. I’ve read at least one user claim removing the Vantage app helps keep things running cooler and quieter, but who knows.
Here are some links to the refurbs if anyone’s interested:
eBay links:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thi...Touch-16GB-512G-NVMe-SSD-1050Ti-/323645357973
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thi...uch-16GB-512G-SSD-1050Ti-Laptop-/283330950178
Amazon link with a few available from “Best Prices Computer”
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Think...=1547663257&sr=8-4&keywords=lenovo+x1+extreme
I’m pretty sure some of these sellers have a direct relationship with Lenovo. They all offer warranties and have 100% positive feedback. The “fastship_hotdeal” seller I ordered from only seems to sell Lenovo computers.
This same configuration was also available for around the same price from the Lenovo outlet, but they’re gone now. Still, it’s a good place to check for deals as well:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/outlet...pad-x-series/ThinkPad-X1-Extreme/p/20MFX006US
After I make sure all the specs are accurate and everything’s working, I’m going to do a clean install of Windows. I’ve read at least one user claim removing the Vantage app helps keep things running cooler and quieter, but who knows.
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I'll look forward to it.
The more I research, the more I see references to the X1E running hot, for instance Toms Hardware
In an attempt to compare apples to apples, I pulled up the Toms Hardware review of the Razer, but they put the Razer through a different battery of tests and while they mentioned heat it was done a manner that does make it easy to tie into the Lenovo. Also Razer tweaked the vapor chamber in the latter portion of 2018, where it used to be painted now its bare metal which made it more efficient. My point is that it seems the razer does run cooler. I have no idea how hot the RTX 2060 will run, I'm kind of thinking it may run a bit toasty because the RTX 2070 and 2080 variants are Max-Q, so they're doing that for a reason (power = heat and the non Max-Q may use a lot of wattage).
Possibly true, but I have no way of knowing
I think newer RTX cards are more energy efficient then their predecessors, so if that is true, then Razer Blade could run even cooler then before.
Yeah, for me I'm opposite. I've had experiences with the Razer but not the Lenovo. For me the Razer is a known quantity, not perfect but known
Ahhh, I didn't know that and so that's encouraging
I haven’t had a hands on with the Razer but I recently checked out the latest X1 Carbon at Costco and if the X1e feels the same as the carbon, it’s a real winner. The build quality and keyboards on those Thinkpads are just amazing.
The more I google, the more I see there is a group of people that truly love both laptops. There seems to be a healthy mix of folks, content creators, other pros using the Razer, which surprises me a little, but then I'm not a hardcore gamer myself and I'm contemplating that laptop as well.
The Razer has a lot going for it, and my research seems to show a common theme, great performance, stellar GPU, nice screen, nice speakers and very good thermals.
The X1E, the first thing I see is people saying how great the keyboard is. Decent speakers though they are downward facing, performance is also decent (many benchmarks put it slightly slower then the XPS) and I see a fairly consistent theme of it running somewhat hot out of the box (but cooler then the Dell XPS). Fan noise is an issue that is mentioned. Some say its not too bad, others say its a bit too loud (but nearly everything I read about it is that its not obnoxious)
Comparing the two, the X1E comes out on top feature wise, thanks to the 30% coupon code which ends January 24th. The Razer comes out on top performance, thermally and design wise. I'll not discount that I'm spending a lot of money so I want to like what I'm carrying. The Razer is slightly smaller then the Lenovo but heavier. 4.56lbs vs. X1E at 4.06
Decision day is looming thanks to the 24th but the RTX version of the Razer is not available until January 29th, and that probably means the embargo will only be lifted beyond Lenovo's coupon code expiration.
Edit:
Seems that Lenovo updated the THINKJANUARY coupon code, its no longer 30%. its now 25%, still some nice savings. I configured a machine yesterday and the price was lower then what I see today. I opted for the more higher end yesterday but tbh, I don't need 32GB of ram, though a 1TB drive was nice. The next lower model is similar except its 512GB and 16GB of ram. That price point is 2,000.
The Razer has a lot going for it, and my research seems to show a common theme, great performance, stellar GPU, nice screen, nice speakers and very good thermals.
The X1E, the first thing I see is people saying how great the keyboard is. Decent speakers though they are downward facing, performance is also decent (many benchmarks put it slightly slower then the XPS) and I see a fairly consistent theme of it running somewhat hot out of the box (but cooler then the Dell XPS). Fan noise is an issue that is mentioned. Some say its not too bad, others say its a bit too loud (but nearly everything I read about it is that its not obnoxious)
Comparing the two, the X1E comes out on top feature wise, thanks to the 30% coupon code which ends January 24th. The Razer comes out on top performance, thermally and design wise. I'll not discount that I'm spending a lot of money so I want to like what I'm carrying. The Razer is slightly smaller then the Lenovo but heavier. 4.56lbs vs. X1E at 4.06
Decision day is looming thanks to the 24th but the RTX version of the Razer is not available until January 29th, and that probably means the embargo will only be lifted beyond Lenovo's coupon code expiration.
Edit:
Seems that Lenovo updated the THINKJANUARY coupon code, its no longer 30%. its now 25%, still some nice savings. I configured a machine yesterday and the price was lower then what I see today. I opted for the more higher end yesterday but tbh, I don't need 32GB of ram, though a 1TB drive was nice. The next lower model is similar except its 512GB and 16GB of ram. That price point is 2,000.
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Yup. You snooze you lose. I found that out as well after seeing what Black Friday would have given me in discounts over what I got with the 30% off but I’m still happy. Good luck with your decision.
To a point I suppose, I'm just not ready to make a decision. I have just about all the information that I need to make an educated decision it now boils down to choosing between a FHD/144Hz laptop equipped with a RTX 2060 for 2,300 Or a Lenovo 4k/60Hz running a 1050Ti for 2,000. I don't need to reiterate each model's strengths and weaknesses, I'm sure everyone is tired of seeing me post anyways
Now I need to just ruminate on the details and figure out what works best
Actually, I wouldn't call them decent. They are not good at all. Sound is muffled, and it's really low volume sound. This is the biggest downside with X1E that I have.
I didn’t find them to be that bad, compared to many laptops in the market. The models with great sound are more of a rarity than those with average speakers. Like the trackpad, speakers are another area where Apple competes well compared to the competition.
Who other than Apple has good sound from a laptop speaker? Asus NC90jq? That one may not be fair since it’s an 18”. I guess the XPS “15 has descent JBL speakers. I am sure there are a number of others, but more the exception than the rule.
Razer? Really? That was one of the bigger complaints that steered me away from the previous version. Complaints about poor and tiny sound. Huewai I had forgotten about. They do get good reviews for sound.
In the future I may wish to go 32 GB of RAM for my X1 extreme. Do any of you know what kind a ram would actually fit well with my existing 16 GB RAM from Lenovo.
Lenovo 16GB DDR4 2666MHz SoDIMM Memory
Lenovo 16GB DDR4 2666MHz SoDIMM Memory
Hmm. OK. These kinds of posts I thought were a bit of a warning sign. Just one of many similar I had seen.
https://insider.razer.com/index.php...tinny-and-thin-audio-internal-speakers.43953/
Edit: Is the varied opinions of the sound quality another "red flag" with the consistency of Razer QC?
https://insider.razer.com/index.php...tinny-and-thin-audio-internal-speakers.43953/
Edit: Is the varied opinions of the sound quality another "red flag" with the consistency of Razer QC?
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Lol no it's either good or bad. Simple really. The dell xps 13 has crap speakers compared to my old 2017 razer blade stealth
Well, I can only compare them to SB2 which I used recently. And when compared to MBP or SB2, they really do sound awful.
Every morning I have my routine, 5AM I go for a run, or to the gym. Afterwards I make myself a cup of coffee and drink it while browsing on my balcony. Lots of youtube, mostly tech videos. X1C and X1E are the only devices where I have to use headphones, because of the traffic I can't hear almost anything, even at max volume.
Well if that is the case then, users on the Razer forums find them not so good?