This Lenovo ThinkBook laptop is an upgradeability dream – and it is affordable – NotebookCheck.net News
The Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 8 does not cost a lot, starting under $1,000 – and for that low price, it has awesome an upgrade potential, as all the components apart from the CPU can be upgraded. And while the processor is not upgradeable, Intel Arrow Lake H is far from slow.
In times of high inflation, finding good deals when buying a new laptop computer is more important for more people. One way to save some money is to buy a device that you can upgrade yourself, as manufacturers usually charge more for RAM and SSD storage than when you buy it yourself. Additionally, having the ability to upgrade your PC can significantly prolong its life, as RAM and storage requirements continue to rise.
Case in point: Lenovo’s ThinkBook 14 Gen 8, which we recently reviewed. This 14-inch laptop that Lenovo designed for small business users starts below $1,000 in a basic configuration with 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD. With two RAM slots, memory can be expanded to 64 GB of RAM. Even more unusual for such a compact 14-inch model: The Lenovo laptop features two M.2 2280 slots, one of which is completely open ex-factory. According to Lenovo, up to 4 TB of storage are possible.
The upgrade potential of the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G8 does not end there. The Wi-Fi card is also socketed, so it is possible to upgrade the Wi-Fi 6E card used in the ThinkBook with a modern Wi-Fi 7 one. Additionally, while the screen and battery life are not great on the ThinkBook, both components can be potentially upgraded, as there is a bigger 60 Wh battery available and 14-inch screens are a standardized component.
Of course, these two mods are not quite as straightforward as the other upgrades, but the point still stands that the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 8 IAL (available at lenovo.com) has great upgrade potential for users who like to tinker with their hardware.
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Benjamin Herzig – Managing Editor – 1333 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2016
I was an ardent reader of Notebookcheck’s laptop reviews even back in school. After writing reviews as a hobby, I then joined Notebookcheck in 2016 and have worked on device reviews and news articles ever since then. My personal interest lies more with laptops than smartphones, with business laptops being the most interesting category for me. Technology should make our lives and work easier and good laptops are an essential tool for that to happen. This is why laptop reviews are not just my work but are also my passion.
Benjamin Herzig, 2025-07-30 (Update: 2025-07-30)
