Lenovo ThinkPad T430 i5-3320M 2.6GHz 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD DVDRW 14.1 inches, Windows 10 Pro 64 bit (Renewed)

This review is going to lengthy, so bear with me. I will try to be as unbaised as possible here, and to give you a more definitive answer I will compare this model with a 2016 Macbook pro, a 6 year old hp envy m6 (which was roughly in the same price bracket when bought new) and a 2018 Ipad.I am definitely not an average user, and the number one reason I needed two of these machines was to get ~48GB of ram (in total) and decent CPU performance without spending a fortune, or throwing out perfectly functioning old technology. For me, the cheapest option was to get two T430 and upgrade both with 16GB ram.The way I use both all of these machines together is depicted below:Machine 1: HP envy 1TB ssd, 16gb RAM(right monitor): main machine, used primarily for research and data storage.Machine 2: Thinkpad T430, the first one (left monitor): with 1TB ssd and 16GB ram: Used for office work and going through video materials: Machine 1 & 2 typically have 4 programs open side by side.Machine 3: Ipad 2018 with apple pencil: Used to make notes in onenote (which is synced across all machines), and do graphic designs (hence the apple pencil), which is also synced across all machines.Machine 4: Thinkpad T430, the second one (closed on table); currently only used to offload video encoding tasks when Machine 1 and 2 are busy. May eventually consider connecting it to another monitor, if required.All data is synced between machines using cloud storage. If any of these machines fail on the spot, I have the data mirrored between all three of them, which gives me piece of mind. I use software to share a mouse and keyboard between the two machines over the local network.T430 impressions:First of all, for ~300£ this may look like a bargain, and it is, only if you do not require a good screen or good battery life. Having bought 2 so far (and kept both) I feel like a can honestly give feedback on the performance of these models.My use case is very specific: out of all the laptops that I have I use them all with an external monitor + keyboard and mouse the majority of the time.The reasons I chose the t430 are:1- cheap2- I know for a fact ram/ ssd and cpu are indeed upgradable: this was an the only way for me to fit 1tb ssd into my budget.3- This is one of the few laptops you can get in this price bracket that would support enterprise security features, such as TPM.4- I have researched these models and can confirm that they do not overheat even under full load (at least, the two laptops I recieved do not). For someone who has another laptop from 2016 which regularly hits 100c at full load, and the HP which cannot run at full load without throttling, this is a big plus.Cosmetic damageThe units do come refurbished, with cosmetic damage here and there: scratches and bumps, but nothing that would stop you from using them. If you care about the clean look, don't get one of these.The screenThe screens on these models are ATROCIOUS compared to what you can get in 2018: it doesnt matter if you pick up the 1600x900 or 1366x769 models: both have old TN panels that are just NOT good to look at. The reason why I dont care about that is:1- I have been using high quality monitors for the last 6 years, and use the laptops with the monitors for the majority of the time.How to make the screen better: you can theoretically upgrade to an IPS panel, but that is not a trivial fix nor is it cheap, running to about 150£. I solved this problem by getting myself an ASUS pa227ac monitor (which I would strongly recommend). The thinkpad runs that 2k Monitor with no problems, it is even able to play 2K Video with no stuttering. 4K video is out of the question though.The performanceThe performance of the machine is good, by which I mean it would not have any issues doing common office tasks, browsing, even light gaming potentially. For 300£, you cannot expect a stellar level of performance without some upgrades (see below):1- The SSD model you get is a bit of a lottery it seems: One of my units came with a samsung SSD. The other one came with a "SOLID" ssd brand, which I have never heard of. Since I knew i will replace all SSD's with brand new ones, I didn't care that much. Both original SSD's were about as fast as each other, booting in about 5 seconds and chewing through common tasks: for example, open office installed itself in under a minute. Both SSD's definitely make the machines feel brand new (even though they are 6 years old!).To be on the safe side, I replaced both of those ssd's with brand new mx500 crucial drives: there are SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER than the default drives. with "overprovisioning" and "momentum cache" turned on via crucials software, I can easily push 300-600mb/s write speeds: for comparison, it takes about 10 seconds to copy a 4gb compressed folder, and about 5 minutes to make the backup of the entire drive (around 30GB of data): pretty impressive.To compare this to my HP envy which has 2 MX500 SSD's in RAID 0 (write speeds of around 1.5GB/s, comparable to brand new macbooks) and a 2016 macbook pro:Everyday tasks: there is really no difference between all three laptops. Unless you are working with massive files, copying around 1gb worth of data is near instantaneous on them all: T430 =~=HP=~=2016MBP.BIG files (photos, videos etc), over 20GB: the HP and the MBP are definitely faster. Will you notice the speed difference in a blind test though? probably not.Multitasking: the T430 only has 8gb of ram, which does make it quite limited if you need to multitask. This should be ok for most people, as you cannot easily get 8gb of ram for a new 300£ laptop even in 2018. The bump to 16GB makes a huge difference: this bump will cost you around 130£, if you choose to do so. Note that 16GB of ram is the maximum this machine supports.Upgrade and actual cost of ownershipI upgraded my thinkpads with a new (bigger) ssd and 16gb of RAM, making my unit cost me closer to 500£ each, and not the 300 odd that is advertised. If I ever decide to upgrade the CPU as well (around 100£ and half a day of work), the performance overall would be on par with brand new £1200-1500£ machines in 2018 at the expensive of having a good screen and battery life.The price for these does vary, it is definitely a bargain for 300 odd, possibly even 380 if you can find one with 16GB ram.If you buy this with the intension of using this with an external monitor, I would say go for it. If not, it would really depend whether you can tolerate the screen quality. Make no mistake, there is a night and day difffernce between the new IPS screens and old TN panels.for 200£ you can upgade this machine to easily match the new machines of 2018 that cost much more than 500-600£.for 300£ you can get this machine upgraded to 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, something that you will struggle to find in a budget model in 2018Overheating / Heat dissipation performanceThe CPU in this machine does not go over 80c at full load, and even then, the fan noise is not annoying. Having said that, the fans do spin pretty much all the time. It is a quiet hum: if fan noise bothers you, do not get this.Thinkpad vs IPAD (2018)For circa 500£ (my upgraded thinkpad with 512 SSD and 16GB ram) vs 479 (Ipad with pencil) which one is better for productivity?For simple youtube and consumption, buy the IPAD: the battery life is easily tripple the lenovo, the screen is usable, you can make notes with the apple pencil in onenote etc etc. It is a no brainer here. If you require multitasking and office support and extra connectivity options, the recommendation is more difficult to make.I found that even with a keyboard, I simply cannot use the Ipad for everything I use my lenovo for. Several reasons:1- The ipad can connect to a keyboard, but you cant connect a mouse. It simply isnt supported.2- You can run multiple programs on both (and alt tab works on the ipad to switch between applications by the way), but the ipads screen is far too small to run two programs side by side. The lenovo is in the same boat: I cant use two programs side by side on a 14" screen. I have been using 27 inch screens for the last 6 years, so that may be the reason.3- You are reliant on cloud storage with the ipad: you cannot connect any harddrives (unless its for photos only), there is no real file system. If you already only use google drive / other cloud services, this should be a problem.4- As far as I am aware, to connect the ipad to a monitor requires a 50£ dongle, or an appletv or the airbeam app (+ a compatible monitor). Not an easy procedure at all. To connect a lenovo to a display you need a 12£ minidisplay port to HDMI or a similar cable.Some considerations / questions and answers for the T430.1- Will the screen be better than the new models?:NO2- Would the battery last as long on this T430 as the new models? definitely NO3- Would it be more upgradable than most new machines: YES (if this is important to you)4- Would the unit last the next 5 years, or am I buying a cheap "low performance" machine for the next year?: for non intensive use cases, I do not see a reason why this would not last you. If you require more performance than this machine can provide, get a refurb desktop at around the same price / buy a new desktop. That is the most cost efficient option.5- Can you connect several screens to this machine?: you can connect one 2k screen using displayport. It is possible to connect two by either using Minidisplay port and VGA OR purchasing a dock. Realistiically, I do not think the GPU would be able to drive 2 2K monitors smoothly.6: Does this machine support RAID configurations: NO, however nothing is stopping you from settting up software raid.

Having used a similar model for work I already knew this laptop was durable and well specified for a machine dating back to 2012. Even so it has been a pleasure rediscovering how fast and fresh the ThinkPad T430 still is. Arriving within 48 hours of ordering the laptop was well packaged and presented with very clear, simple instructions on how to activate the pre-installed windows 10 OS. The laptop has been carefully cleaned inside and out with a good sized Samsung SSD fitted. Damage to the top of the case has been skilfully concealed with a vinyl cover with cutouts still revealing the logos. Opening the screen out reveals the solid and well designed island style keypad with only a small amount of damage in the form of a loose speaker cover. Once switched on the boot up is very rapid with updates, activation and Microsoft office installed and all files transferred within the first hour and everything up and running. Although the satisfyingly rigid keyboard isn’t backlit the think light allows me to continue working as the light fades. After a first evening of work I feel very satisfied with this purchase. For just under £260 I have got a very capable and solid laptop that would outperform many brand new models of double the price. I have also been quite impressed by the rugged ascetic that the T430 has which together with a good array of usb sockets, other connections and even a functioning fingerprint reader have really won me round. I have a feeling I’m going to become quite attached to this versatile laptop. I would recommend this to anyone looking to secure a really good machine for not much money, if it continues to operate as well as it has tonight it will represent a real bargain.Update: And so it proved. After over three years this laptop has been solid, especially through Covid. It still works well in 2023 ( bought in 2019) and is only now showing its first minor stutters. The main issue is the aging battery though and so it is with reluctance that I’ve replaced it today, though the Think Pad continues to soldier on. The problem was finding a replacement that lives up to it - tough call. A great endorsement for buying renewed.

I find the laptop screen slightly too small so I have used the VGA port to add an extra large monitor. It would have been better if a HDMI port was fitted on the laptop as the additional screen resolution isn't very sharp through the VGA connector. I use this laptop for music production and it works very well indeed, it is quick and handles a lot of music processing very well. I don't use the fingerprint reader so can't comment. The battery life is ok, I generally get around 4 hours of life from it but it is used for processing music applications as opposed to light invoicing or word document applications. Overhaul I am very pleased with this laptop, it is a great work horse and the speed of opening aplications is very good.