First time buying ThinkPad, question about product refresh

Hello everyone, I will be buying my first laptop sometime this summer and I have decided to get a ThinkPad L430. As I'm quite ignorant of computer products, I have a few questions related to the upcoming Intel Haswell release:

1. Are new processors only introduced on new models, or do they add them as an option in the current model before the new one comes out?

2. Would there be some form of clearance price drop after the new model (or just the processor?) is announced, or would they be immediately taken off the shelf? I live in Canada, so I do not have access to the outlet.

3. Let's say I changed my mind and wants to buy the new model, is it possible to get the mid-range processor from the previous generation? When I look at the customization option on the website, I could only find the last-gen Core-i3, the Core-i5 option is only available as the newest gen processor.

4. I intend to use this laptop for quite a while without replacing or upgrading. Do you think touch- would become a prominent part of computing in the relevant years?


Thanks a lot for your help

 

Unlike with Sandy Bridge & Ivy Bridge, Haswell processors use a different socket than Ivy Bridge. This means that you will only be able to get a Thinkpad L/T/X/W _40 with a Haswell processor.

Lenovo has a number of promotions throughout the year. They will likely have something to encourage people to buy outgoing systems, but they do not drop their prices to clearance levels when new systems are released.

The prevalence of touch is likely going to be largely dependent on the success of Windows 8 & Windows Blue, that require touchscreens to properly interact with the OS. But the real question to ask yourself is do you want to be touching your screen for he next few years?

 

If you're truly wanting to buy a ThinkPad to use for years, I'd go for one of the T/X/W series. The L series is solid, but there's a reason most commercial departments like universities and hospitals rely on the T/X/W series. Since you don't sound like a power-user requiring CPU/GPU-intensive applications, I'd stick to the X or T series. Get the X230 if you want something portable and yet powerful and with great battery life, X1 if you want a larger screen + sleekness; and my favorite, the T series (T430/s or soon-to-come T431s). If you can wait until fall for Haswell and don't mind spending an extra $200-400, then do so, it will be that much better (not necessarily the CPUs themselves, but the overall ThinkPad package will be improved imho).

As for touch features...do not get a touchscreen. It will not improve productivity. It won't make your PC faster. It won't make your laptop lighter or thinner. It won't improve battery life. It won't be less expensive. It's like 3D TVs when they first came out. Nice and fun at first, but eventually you'll see you're reflection and sadly ask why did I get this gloss screen?!? You'd be much better off getting a peripheral tablet if you want to touch a big screen besides your phone. A touchscreen laptop is not a suitable replacement for a standalone tablet, which has it's uses due to portability.

You could also search ebay for deals on the T430/s. You're sure to find some amazing deals this summer as people upgrade to Haswell. Just buy from someone who seems credible (99+% rating) and you'll be fine.

Whatever you end up doing, get an SSD upgrade (add an external 2.5" HDD enclosure to use the old HDD as a backup drive). Samsung's 500GB 840 series for $315 on amazon is an amazing upgrade, well worth every penny and it comes with an easy-to-use clone software to migrate your data, assuming you don't upgrade right away.

 

1. Typically the new laptops come out when Intel does a platform refresh... it's pretty rare now that we get new processors within a product's lifecycle... I think the last time that happened was with the 800MHz FSB Penryns in 2008. In the same way most laptops have been locked to processors of the same generation, and things are likely to continue as such.

2. You will probably be able to find current products at a discount when Lenovo refreshes the lineup... the question is how much, and it may not be that much. You may be able to find better deals just by camping sales and coupon codes.

3. You can't generalize this one. It depends on a lot of different factors. Sometimes you can, more often you can't.

4. This:

I think it's still just a gimmick as well, but this is personal preference. If you think you're going to like using a touchsreen laptop, go get that touchscreen.

 

Thanks a lot for the advice guys, I have decided to buy a T430 instead after finding awesome discount.

Now I have a new question: discrete graphics or stay with intel HD4000? As I intend to use this laptop for longer than usual, I want it to make sure it will still suit my needs in a couple more years.

Currently I only use my laptop for productivity work. First of all, I don't see myself gaming on my laptop in the foreseeable future. But on the other hand, only starting my first year in university, I'm not really sure how my workflow would change in the future.

In a few years, would software generally become graphics intensive enough to overburden the intel hd4000?

 

Should "software" become so graphics intensive, it would overburden the puny NVDIA in the T430, as well.

T430 with integrated HD 4000 graphics.