Windows is getting pretty heavy in terms of memory, to say nothing of frequently-used applications like Chrome. That’s why it’s hard for us to recommend any new Windows machine, even a deal, with just 8GB of memory. Fortunately, Lenovo is selling a new ThinkPad laptop with a generous 16GB of RAM for just $364.99. The refurbished deal is over on eBay.
Normally, we’d hesitate to feature a refurbished item as a deal, but this one has a couple of extenuating circumstances. First, it’s being sold directly from Lenovo, so it’s truly “certified refurbished” and not just a used laptop with a sticker slapped on. Second, it’s being sold with a two-year service warranty from Allstate included in the price, so it actually has even better coverage than this laptop had when it was new.
The ThinkPad L14 is a mid-range design packing a Ryzen 6 5670U CPU, the aforementioned 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. That’s enough power to handle pretty much any standard workload, though the integrated graphics won’t handle high-end games or 3D design. The screen is 14-inches at a standard 1080p resolution.
My favorite bit of this laptop’s design, aside from the excellent ThinkPad keyboard, is a generous selection of ports. The left side includes double USB-C (one always on for charging), USB-A, and full-sized HDMI and Ethernet ports. With a second USB-A port and a MicroSD card slot on the right, you can leave the dongles at home.
This laptop originally sold for around $900 and even now commands something in the $450 range for refurb units, so this is a great discount if you need a machine for everyday tasks.
