SAMSUNG 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E500B/AM)

It's an unfortunate consequence of the ridiculous markups on hardware add-ons, but if you're willing to apply a little elbow grease and look at resellers, it's not too hard to get what you're looking for for 1000$.

New:

  * 818$: cheapest T460 on the website
    * +270$ for i3-6100u => i7-6600u
    * +390$ for 500GB HDD => 512GB SSD upgrade
    * +470$ for 4GB RAM => 32GB RAM

Here's your 1000$ build:

  * 700$ for a T460 with an i5 on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_Sold=1&_udlo=700&_dmd=1&_ipg=200&LH_Complete=1&_sop=15&_nkw=t460%20i5)
  * 170$ for a 500GB 850 EVO (https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-75E500B-AM/dp/B00OBRE5UE)
  * 108$ to 170$ for Crucial's 16GB RAM kits (depending on specific specs)

If you're willing to part with another 200$-300$:

  * <800$ for a T460 with an i7 on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_Sold=1&_udlo=700&_dmd=1&_ipg=200&LH_Complete=1&_sop=15&_nkw=t460%20i7)
  * 340$ for Crucial's 32GB RAM kit (http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/thinkpad-t460/CT8304418)