TL;DR:
Thinkpad E485 and E585
14" IPS FHD, Ryzen 5 2500U, 8GB (4+4) 2400 MHz DDR4 Dual Channel RAM, 128GB NVMe
$680.74 after promo code and CR 12% cashback.14" IPS FHD, Ryzen 5 2500U, 8GB (4+4) DDR4 Dual Channel RAM, 256GB NVMe
$720.83 after promo code and CR 12% cashback. (<- Best value pick for E485)15.6" IPS FHD, Ryzen 7 2700U, 8GB (4+4) 2400 MHz DDR4 Dual Channel RAM, 128GB NVMe + 1TB HDD
$841.10 after promo code and CR 12% cashback.
If you are purchasing or have purchased, when you receive(d) your machine, it is recommended that you update all the firmware/BIOS and related services to the latest version to fix/iron out bugs and improve usage experience.
EDIT (17/10): CashRewards is currently having 12% cashback rate for Lenovo AU, and the AMD10 promo is INCLUDED (exclude GST amount, and confirmed with TA).
See https://www.cashrewards.com.au/coupons/get-up-to-25-off-sele… , and I'll quote TA's tips on using CR and tracking:
A small education piece if I may - please ensure your last click before purchase is from Cashrewards. Simply click Shop Now and complete your purchase without leaving the Lenovo site. A lot of untracked claims come from the fact members have other tabs open and/or are using Google or comparison sites to review their product/s before purchase. All cashback/rewards sites work off a simple principle - last click. The winning affiliate is always the one that receives the last click. Also, please turn off any AdBlock/uBlock/Ghostery as well as Safari (mobile and/or desktop) Cross-Site Tracking.
I recommend you to customise the configuration you want, save into cart, and then go to CashRewards' Lenovo Webpage and Access the Link, and then pay.
Lenovo Thinkpad Ryzen deal again, similar to the previous ones (Extra 10% off limited time sale for the new Thinkpad E-series, E485 and E585, with Ryzen Mobile APUs using coupon code AMD10, which is automatically activated upon "CUSTOMIZE", that's how the "button" is spelled on the website).
Very slightly higher price ($9) than the previous deal for the base config, however the SSD upgrade cost from 128GB to 256GB is $45 cheaper than previous.
Brief spec of the 14" E485, and storage options:
- AMD Ryzen™ 5 2500U Quad-Core (4 Cores 8 Threads, 2 GHz base frequency, 3.6 GHz boost)
- Integrated AMD Radeon™ Vega 8 Graphics
- 14.0" FHD IPS (1920x1080) AntiGlare Display
- 8GB(4+4) DDR4 2400MHz Memory
- Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- WiFi Qualcomm QCNFA435AC, 1x1 + Bluetooth 4.1
- 2 x USB 3.1 (1 x AlwaysOn), 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x HDMI, Ethernet (RJ45), MicroSD, Combo audio/mic jack
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 329 x 242 x 21.9 mm
- Starting at 1.75 kg
The base config with "128GB Solid State Drive PCIe OPAL2.0 M.2 2242 (16GT/s)":
$764.10, 12% cashback (excl GST) is $83.36.
$680.74 after cashback.
Upgrading to "256GB Solid State Drive PCIe OPAL2.0 M.2 2280 (16GT/s)":
$809.10 ($45 more, even though it lists as $50 due the 10% AMD10 discounts).
An acceptable price and less hassle than DIY upgrade.
12% cashback (excl GST) is $88.27.
$720.83 after cashback.
Higher storage capacity options:
The E485 comes with an internal 7mm (Thanks N1NJ4W4RR10R) 2.5 SATA3 bay, which you may DIY to add either extra SATA SSD drive, or a HDD (E.g. 1TB HDD from $59 if you can pick up, staticice, or eBay delivered from $61.05 using P5OFF. Of course, as an option Lenovo can also add it for you for an exorbitant amount of your hard earn cash.) See this comment here for a video link that shows how to access the internal 2.5 SATA3 bay.
The 15.6" E585 is worth a consideration as well, thanks to CashRewards' 12% cashback rate.
https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-edge/…
944.10 after promo code, 12% cashback (excl GST) is $102.99.
$841.10 after promo code and CR 12% cashback.
- AMD Ryzen™ 7 2700U Quad-Core (4 Cores 8 Threads, 2.2 GHz base frequency, 3.8 GHz boost)
- Integrated AMD Radeon™ Vega 10 Graphics
- 15.6" FHD IPS (1920x1080) AntiGlare Display
- 8GB(4+4) DDR4 2400MHz Memory
- 128GB Solid State Drive PCIe OPAL2.0 M.2 2242 (Upgrade option to 256GB available for extra $45), AND
- 1TB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm, 2.5", SATA3
- Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- WiFi Qualcomm QCNFA435AC, 1x1 + Bluetooth 4.1
- 2 x USB 3.1 (1 x AlwaysOn), 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x HDMI, Ethernet (RJ45), MicroSD, Combo audio/mic jack
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 369 x 252 x 19.95 mm
- Starting at 2.1 kg
Memory upgrade options:
For most usage scenarios for the E485 with 2500U, 8GB RAM should be sufficient, if you are in scenarios requiring 16GB RAM, it is more likely that you should be looking into laptops that are more powerful than this portable all-rounder (probably above this price category as well), e.g. the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 that often goes on sale at just below $1000.
But if you really want to upgrade to 16GB (8+8) RAM, the Lenovo factory upgrade option of extra $112.51 is fair, considering RAM market prices are still high. If you don't mind DIY, 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 SODIMM can be bought for $181.50 delivered (at the time of posting) over at Newegg, then swap and sell the 8GB (4+4) RAM to recuperate some cost. Please do note that it is current forecasted that DRAM prices will drop by ~5% by the end of the year. as pointed out by DonWilson below, you can switch the memory config to single stick 8GB RAM, and then purchase the other 8GB stick later when price drops later this year. (Or if you want it now, from $91.30 delivered from Newegg , or locally in Australia from $99 pick up depending on your location).
So enticing, slap extra 8gb and a Graphic card that can play medium games, Iwill throw in extra $300