this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2026
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You can get newer machines for about the same or less money. People like the T480 because it has 2 upgradable ram slots. The T480s had half soldered ram so you’d might as well get something newer.
I got a T14 Gen. 1 (same thing, but 2 gens newer and slightly thicker) for $200 3 years ago, and a T14 Gen. 3 for $250 over a year ago. Machines 3-5 years old are the sweet spot for value. $200 is about the floor for any machine capable of running windows 11. Anything older is worthless. $300-350 can get you a machine that’s so new it’s still under the factory warranty.
I’d generally avoid any “refurbished” machines unless they’re actually from Lenovo. You’re paying $100 extra to have someone physically and virtually wipe the machine.
If you already have a high power USB c charger for your phone you can get a machine without a PSU for like $100 off. And if you don’t any >45 watt adapter will be enough and those can be had for like $50 new. Used OEM power supplies typically go for nothing.
For $40 and a power supply this machine is way better than that T480s. Or $250 with a PSU for a Gen. 1. But to find a truly good deal you need to buy local (the only thing I use Facebook for is marketplace and it’s excellent for finding good deals), or set up saved searches on eBay. If you make a saved search just make sure it’s specific enough that you’re not getting 50 listings for parts for the machine.
Is that T480s a ripoff? No. But it’s also basically the floor for a typical deal.
Also if it is a scam just report it to eBay. They’ll gladly fuck over the seller any day. Just be sure you look at the photos and descriptions first.
Thanks so much. I actually ended up finding a P15s i7 1.80GHz 40GB RAM 1TB NVMe SSD for $250
Noice. That ram and ssd is worth that $50 alone in the current market.