[jyl]

Ok, the lighter laptop now + later a desktop makes sense. Ordered the P1 with the highest CPU and GPU choices (i7 6-core 2.60GHz and Quadro P2000 4GB), 32GB RAM/other slot empty, 512GB SSD/other slot empty, standard screen. I figure if he stays in architecture this plus a large external monitor can serve him for awhile, there's still upgrade headroom for RAM (to 32GB + 32GB) and SSD (to 512GB + 1TB), and we can add a desktop workstation in 2 years if needed. If he changes fields then who knows. Just a bit over $2K, before I added on-site repair and spill/fall insurance (because, college kid). Thanks everyone for the help!

Edit: well, I tried to. My online purchase didn't go through. Trying again today

Edit: Not sure why it takes 5 online attempts, 3 chats, and a phone call w/ Lenovo to buy a laptop through their online site. There is a reason why Amazon is taking over retail, and its called being competent.