To be clear, Apple’s compatibility layer is mostly inaccessible to the user. Even with the latest macOS, so you should have GPTK (Game Porting Tool Kit), you can’t just run a Windows game. You have to do some work… or use something like Whisky. And the guy who made Whisky stopped working on it so people could pay subscription fees to CrossOver (which is not a bad product; in fact, it funnels money into WINE which helps everyone). So in theory with CrossOver your CAD software may work… or may not… but it sounds like it wouldn’t be worth it for you to try.
But wait — just out of curiosity, how upgradeable is a ThinkPad? Typically the motherboard limits what you can do (e.g. if it’s an AMD system, an AM4 means you can use most of the newest stuff, but there’s some stuff locked behind AM5 you won’t be able to touch, but it’s the same on the Intel side as well). So, just curious how far you can actually take a $300 used ThinkPad. I used to build, so it’s just that, a curiosity.
The Steam Deck is the most upgradeable, you can do all sorts of crazy stuff (I probably phrased that poorly in the prior comment), but the used thinkpad’s milage probably varies based on which model you buy. Standard stuff like RAM, storage, and so on are easily uograded though (unlike Apple who SOLDERS THEM IN for some “fuck you” reason).
All fair.
To be clear, Apple’s compatibility layer is mostly inaccessible to the user. Even with the latest macOS, so you should have GPTK (Game Porting Tool Kit), you can’t just run a Windows game. You have to do some work… or use something like Whisky. And the guy who made Whisky stopped working on it so people could pay subscription fees to CrossOver (which is not a bad product; in fact, it funnels money into WINE which helps everyone). So in theory with CrossOver your CAD software may work… or may not… but it sounds like it wouldn’t be worth it for you to try.
But wait — just out of curiosity, how upgradeable is a ThinkPad? Typically the motherboard limits what you can do (e.g. if it’s an AMD system, an AM4 means you can use most of the newest stuff, but there’s some stuff locked behind AM5 you won’t be able to touch, but it’s the same on the Intel side as well). So, just curious how far you can actually take a $300 used ThinkPad. I used to build, so it’s just that, a curiosity.
The Steam Deck is the most upgradeable, you can do all sorts of crazy stuff (I probably phrased that poorly in the prior comment), but the used thinkpad’s milage probably varies based on which model you buy. Standard stuff like RAM, storage, and so on are easily uograded though (unlike Apple who SOLDERS THEM IN for some “fuck you” reason).