Is anyone using a Lenovo 300E Winbook for Vexcode?

Programming Support VEXcode Pro V5 Text Tech Support
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We are refreshing out laptops this year and have the option from our district to go with a $1,050 Lenovo Thinkpad L490 or a 300e Winbook for a third of the price. I know the L490 would be better but if we can get 3 Winbooks instead I would like to do that. Does anyone have experience with the winbook?

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TL;DR: You really haven’t provided enough information to make a properly educated decision. Regardless, there is no way I would even consider the ThinkPad 300e. Some configurations of the ThinkPad L490 should be okay though.

From the ThinkPad L490 specs:

Processor
  • Intel® Celeron® 4305U Processor (2.20GHz, 2 Cores, 2MB Cache)
  • Up to 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-8665U with vPro™ (1.90GHz, up to 4.80GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8MB Cache)
Memory
    Up to 64GB DDR4 2400MHz
Display
  • 14.0” HD (1366 x 768) anti-glare, 220 nits
  • 14.0” FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, 250 nits
  • 14.0” FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, touchscreen, anti-glare, 250 nits
Storage
  • Up to 512GB SSD PCIe
  • Up to 2TB HDD 5400RPM
  • 16GB Intel Optane Memory
  • Dual Drive Configurations available. (HDD + SSD)

Based on this, the ThinkPad L490 could be configured to be anything from a pretty bad laptop I wouldn’t even pay $500 for up to a pretty decent $1050 device.

So a lot more information will be needed to assess the ThinkPad L490.

As for the ThinkPad 300e, it’s not clear if your option is the 1st-gen or 2nd-gen model.

However, both generations come with a mere 1366×768 resolution display, which I would consider unsuitable for most purposes in 2020 and, without a doubt, inadequate for programming. You simply will not have enough screen space to fit everything you would want to see at the same time (for example, a block of code you’re debugging and a terminal window of output from the robot).

It will also be literally impossible to install VEXcode on either generation of the 300e if you cannot get Windows 10 out of S mode, which is something you may not be able to do depending on your district’s restrictions.

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300e winbook is just a terrible computer. If it takes me a while to compile with my i5, theres no way the celeron that comes in that will be up to the task.

As for the L490, the “quick ship” option is actually a pretty good laptop (though it doesnt seem to have a dedicates graphics card), although a bit expensive. I wouldn’t touch the base model with a 10 foot pole though.

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Thanks for the info. Made the decision easier.