ThinkPad T460 with high RAM/Storage & i5 or ThinkPad X1 Carbon with medium RAM/Storage & i7?

Question

I am currently deciding between two laptops:

1. ThinkPad T460 with 512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, & i5-6300U
2. ThinkPad X1 Carbon with 256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM & i7-5600U

(Both Refurbished)

The X1 is a fairly new model, much more so than the T460, but it has lower RAM and storage than the T460, an older model with better RAM and storage. The X1 is superior in terms of CPU, however.

I want to pick the laptop that will have a longer lifespan and will give me solid performance overall for the tasks that I will which include:

• Software Development in Python, C++, Java (VS Code and Github Desktop)
• Browsing with 15-20 tabs open (max)
• Working with Wolfram Mathematica
• Basic work with CAD software
• A lot of ML

Video/Photo editing will have a frequency of rare to none.

Which laptop is better for my purposes?

Answer 1

Some things to consider:

• the i7 is not that much better than the i5 (https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-5600U-vs-Intel-Core-i5-6300U/m22612vsm27864)
• T460 has full size HDMI output and ethernet port
• X1 is thinner and lighter (more portable)

I would go with the T460 because of the additional RAM and storage. I think you will be able to use it longer.

That being said, both are great laptops.