Pushing back on the whole 'new tech is always better' mindset - got burned by a used ThinkPad

I used to be the guy who swore by buying the latest hardware every 2 years. Thought anything older than 3 years was junk. Then 6 months ago I picked up a used ThinkPad T480 for $180 from a seller on Craigslist to use as a backup machine. I figured it would be slow and clunky. Turns out that thing runs circles around a brand new $800 laptop I bought last year for basic office work and remote diagnostics. The keyboard alone is a joy compared to the mushy chiclet keys on the new one. Now I'm wondering how much of the 'upgrade or die' talk in this trade is just marketing hype. Has anyone else here had an old machine outshine a new one, or am I just lucky with this unit?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_jackson1mo ago

Yeah that T480 is kind of a beast, right? I grabbed one a while back for messing around with Linux and it just works, no drama.

ellioth371mo ago

Makes you wonder why more machines can't just work that way out of the box, doesn't it?

dakotab931mo ago

Yeah I saw somewhere online that the T480 is basically the last of the true workhorse ThinkPads before they started changing stuff. My buddy has one and he swears by it, says it just runs forever on a charge.