[tjohns]

Keep in mind your Thinkpad probably doesn't have ECC RAM, probably can't accept 2 TB of RAM, and doesn't have a Xeon processor.

This is a workstation for complex engineering/design/research use, not a general purpose desktop. You buy a workstation when you need as much compute power and expandability as possible, irregardless of price.

You can find similar workstations on the PC side as well (e.g. a Lenovo P920 or HP Z840). And they tend to be roughly as expensive.