Looking to replace my aging desktop and notebook computers, I thought I'd look at the Microsoft Surface to see what the deal is and whether it could replace both. I found out that Dell and Lenovo make similar form factor PCs with newer/better specs.

I was zeroing in on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet 3rd Generation. Then one day the model I was looking at popped up with a larger hard drive and 10% off, so I went for it. (The next day they were sold out and are still out of stock.)

Anyway, I got the i5 version with 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. It has two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, It has a 13", 3000x2000 IPS display with touchscreen and it is very nice. The detachable keyboard feels just like the excellent ThinkPad notebook keyboards, and it even has the little red trackpoint mouse pointer. It also comes with a pen, but I haven't tried it.

With the low-power mobile CPU (a 15W Intel i5-8250U), I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of performance as a desktop replacement. In fact, it feels every bit as fast as my Lenovo M83 desktop. I looked up some benchmarks to compare it to the CPUs in my current M83 desktop and T430 notebook:

Here's the power consumption comparison:

So it's a little faster than my desktop and almost twice as fast as my notebook. I'm able to run VMWare with a bunch of legacy development stuff, Photoshop, Lightroom and Premier Elements, my music server and all the usual other stuff, no problem. Still waiting on my DBA (The Mrs.) to install SQL Server (she's very particular about how it's set up), but it ran OK on my tired old notebook so I don't expect any problems.

As a notebook, it is amazingly thin and light, and the keyboard works great. The keyboard folds back so you can use it as a tablet, or you can remove it completely. The magnetic attachment seems secure and really grabs the keyboard and aligns it when you get it near. This is a pretty cool design.

As a tablet, nobody will mistake it for a proper Android/iOS tablet with apps designed for a tablet, but the touchscreen features, pop-up keyboard (and touch pad for apps that aren't designed for touch) make it usable. They claim it is 1.6 pounds without the keyboard, but mine is closer to two pounds. That and the size and the lack of tablet optimized apps make it not very useful as a tablet, but it's fun to be able to sit on the couch instead of at the desk and do desktop Windows type stuff.

Battery life seems pretty good, but nowhere near the claimed 9.5 hours. It's more like four or five hours.

I am most impressed by how it works as a desktop replacement. You have to get a bunch of extra stuff, but it's worth it.

I started by looking at "docking" stations, which are really just port extenders. After a bunch of research, I landed on this StarTech Thunderbolt Docking Station. It connects using a single USB-C Thunderbolt port and has a displayport adapter, a 1GB ethernet port, an extra USB-C Thunderbolt passthru port, a USB-C 3.0 port, a couple of USB-A 3.0 ports, and headphone/mic outputs. It also has a power supply for charging your notebook.

Amazingly, I can run my monitor, my wired network connection, a wireless keyboard/mouse USB transceiver, two external hard drives (one super fast USB-C 3.1 SSD) and a USB hub, all while powering/charging the X1, and all over a single USB-C Thunderbolt connection. When it's time to go mobile, I can unhook one cable and go. I need to figure out how to reduce the cable clutter on my desk, but here's what it looks like:

Another benefit I didn't think about is that it also eliminates an extra notebook license for stuff like VMWare, anti-virus, etc.

Other stuff I got to complete my desktop setup:

• SanDisk 1TB Extreme SSD: This thing is amazing. It's tiny and seems as fast as the 1TB SATA spinner in my old desktop. It's supposed to be rugged, too. Hope it holds up.

• Logitech MK545 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse : I tried a couple of wireless keyboards, and settled on this one. It's bulky and looks a little dorky, but it's full size, has all the keys in all the right places, and almost feels like a real keyboard.

• LG Electronics USB DVD RW Drive: Used to rip CDs and burn the occasional DVD. I don't leave it hooked up, but I tested it and it works great. It seems a little slower than the one in my old desktop, but hey, it's only $20.

• Kingston USB Multi-Card Reader: The X1 has a built-in microSD card reader, but my cameras use SD and a couple of older ones use CF so I got this. I only get it out when I need it. It's ugly, but it's USB 3.0 and really fast. (StarTech has a version of the dock with a built-in card reader, but it costs $140 more and this is only $17.)

• Amazon Basics 4 Port USB Hub: The StarTech doc only has two USB-A 3.0 ports, and I used them both for the keyboard/mouse transceiver and an external USB hard drive for backups. So I got this to be able to plug in a thumb drive, the DVD drive, the card reader, etc. when needed. It uses a USB-C 3.0 connection to the dock and it's really fast.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this new setup that replaces my desktop and my notebook. Ask me again in six months or a year and we'll see how it holds up.