Which Thinkpad Is the right one for me?

[kaanaslan]

Hello, I want to get at least T series Thinkpad. I don't want to be under premium quality. But I want to be able to play games sometimes although I'm going to use my laptop mostly for stock exchanges and coding, I don't think I want to have Intel Graphics 620. I

I don't want a laptop over 14" so it has to be 14". No less no more.

But I can't find a site where I can create a laptop according to my preference. I checked X1 carbon but in my country Turkey, I only have the option with intel graphics. I checked the T490, I can't find one in my country. Only 490s which has limitations. I have never had a Thinkpad before. I've been using Macbook Pro for a long time and I really like it. But I'm in need of using a PC with Windows + Linux OS. That's why I'm considering to get Thinkpad. But If I can't find what I'm looking for, I'll skip it and look for something else.

I came here to find some help Is there a place where I can just build by own specs? Lenovo doesn't do that.

Thanks.

[RealBlackStuff]

If you can't configure what you want in Turkey, find a friend in Europe or USA, who CAN configure, let them order it for you.
Alternative: find an earlier model that has your specs (or can be easily updated to them) and buy it used, e.g. in UK or Germany.
Have it shipped to a friend in neighbouring Greece or Bulgaria and pick it up there yourself, to avoid import duty and taxes.
T480 comes to mind here.

[kaanaslan]

Thank you. I'll think about this. The only problem to have it made in Europe or US would probably the keyboard layout. But I'll try to have a solution for that too. Is there a website where I can create my custom configuration online and have it shipped to an address both in Europe or US?

[RealBlackStuff]

Buying from Lenovo in any country requires a buyer IN that country, with an address IN that country, and with a credit card issued IN that country.
E.g. you can not buy a Thinkpad from Lenovo USA, pay with a Turkish credit card and have it shipped out of the country.
For that you need a US resident with US address and US credit card, who is also willing to ship it on to Turkey/Greece.

Where you buy a Thinkpad from is less relevant, because it is possible on every machine to replace the keyboard.
The specific things to look for (also in a used one) are: no BIOS password, CPU/GPU/RAM (because nowadays they are mostly soldered), good batteries, and less urgent: LCD (should be at least IPS).
On most laptops you can swap LCD relatively easy, so if you find one with a low(er) resolution or cracked screen, but the rest is good, go for it.
On some you can still add RAM, which is cheaper to buy than from Lenovo, so don't stare yourself blind on that.
HDD/SSD, wifi, WWAN and charger can be bought separately and also usually cheaper than from Lenovo.

Have a look at the shops that advertise at the top of their webpage: https://thinkpad-forum.de/
They would probably ship (duty/tax free) to anywhere in the EU, and maybe also to Turkey.

Finally, buying last years model, such as T480, will be a lot cheaper than the latest/current models.