Thinkpads Forum

Hi guys !

I'm new here.. It's time for me to replace my almost 4-year old Msi wind U100 notebook.. The charger is getting unstable and i'm missing two keybuttons . However it has been lasting a long time without a need for spare parts.

I need a new laptop! I have been looking at the forum for a month now, and im getting one of these:

x220 with i7, t420 or t520 with i5.

I was hoping you guys could help me put the last nail in the coffin.

I'm a chemical engineering student and i need a good and reliable thinkpad, i will be using these programs:

Matlab / maple.
TeXworks.
Word, excel powerpoint frontpage/publisher.
Watch movies.

Since i have been using a 10 inch laptop (wind u100), it has been really frustating for me to work on it. Not so much for the keyboard but for the screen, excel and working on matlab has been very irritating. I also often work with two documents side by side.
But i also travel alot (about 5 times a year), as i travel to italy alot, and would like to be able to work there and during the flight with n.p.
And i often work in small groups, so at times 2-3 people will sit around me watching the laptop, and all need to read it well.

So i'm torn.. x220 light and practical.. t420 practical but big and bad screen (Seems from reviews and the forum that it's not worth the money it costs, however if i could be sure to get the right panel, i would get this one).. or the t520 which is good and perfect but bulky


The questions for tl;dr

How can i be sure i will get a good panel when ordering t420s ?
Is the t520 too heavy to cary around all day?
Is the x220 alright for working on large excel sheets and programming in matlab?

I would also love to know if anyone could answer this:
I would like to get the on-site warranty just in case.. How ever if i order the laptop from germany and i live in denmark, will the warranty work here?


thanks guys!..

PS: this weekend extra 6cell battery for free on my order so i would like to order it soon

Welcome to the forum!

Responses from forum members will vary, but I strongly recommend that you take a look at a T420s with an SSD. The screen resolution is better than the X220 (HD+ vs. HD), which is huge. Plus the T420s comes with powerful i5 processors and weighs only 4 lbs.

The last and only four T420s machines that I purchased for clients had very nice screens.

If you need an SSD larger than 160GB, you can just swap in an Intel 320 series, up to 600GB. Good luck.

(I don't have experience with international warrant support.)

If an item is bought within the European Union for use in another EU country then the warranty will apply.

Weight in the US is measured in pounds, shortened to lbs. Elsewhere in the world it is measured in grams. 4 pounds is under 2 kilograms, more precisely 1.8kg.

I hope this helps.

Thanks

I think the t420s is an amazing machine on paper and probably just what i need! A nice mix between the t420 and x220.

I really want an SSD but unfortunately by budget cannot hold it i think

However the website i'm ordering from can get me a t420s with
i5 8gb ram 80gb msata 320 gb 5200 revs with intel 3000 graphics for 1.266 euro (1665 $)

or the
i5 4gb ram 160 SSD with dedicated hrapgics for 1370 euro (1800 $)

Will a msata card do the job for the OS + programs?
(on my MSI the OS + programs only occupy 30 gb, so 80gb should be plenty)

I probably will never need the dedicated graphics so i think the first one will be a better deal for me, eventhough i dont need 8gb of ram.
Also i will probably get the ultrabay battery and lenovo headphones.

RAM and SSD are much better bought later and installed yourself. It is much more economical that way and you have the choice of whatever SSD you choose, as there are many different options.

Typically, the models with the dedicated graphics will come configured with the higher resolution screens.

Hi guys

the ssd or msata upgrade is out of my budget .. will get it aftermarket in a year perhaps when prices have gone down a bit.

i will probably buy this one:

t420s
i5-2520M
6gb ram (4gb to 6gb was only 14$)
320 gb 7200 revs (SSD or msata is very expensive, will probably get it aftermarket)
1600x900 with optimus and webcam
6cell + bay battery and bay dvd drive
3year on-site warranty
windows 7 64bit pro
Lenovo headset and topload case

1310 € (1720 $)

How is the price?

I think you should check prices in USA before buy in Europe :

T420 USA sale(Feb2012) from $ 749 to $ 1219(with SSD) :
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/cont ... ction=init

You can check your config what it comes to ,by click customise button in link above.
To ship your unit from USA ,you may use a service like myus.com & use their USA address to buy the notebook from Lenovo USA & myus.com can ship it out to you.

Even add $ 100-150 max extra for shipping to your location, you may still save on the high Euro price/buying anywhere in Europe.

SSD prices in USA are the lowest worldwide, you should take advantage of this fact.

3-4 or even 5 years warranty prepaid is a must in my opinion as its like insurance <grin>

Rgds
Ska

Bimm3rcc wrote:the ssd or msata upgrade is out of my budget .. will get it aftermarket in a year perhaps when prices have gone down a bit.

Bimm3rcc wrote: 1310 € (1720 $)

How is the price?

It is my opinion that if you are spending that much on a laptop and you don't get an SSD, that you might as well be throwing money in the street. To each his own, you probably could be happy either way.

I don't want to sound disrespectful, but where I come from, that would be considered an insane decision.

If you guys think thats alot.. check these prices..

Thinkpad W520 from germany with student discount:

i7-2670QM (2,2GHz), 4GB, 500GB 7200U, 15,6" HD+ LED 1600x900, 2GB nVIDIA Quadro® 1000M, DVDRW, Intel a/g/n WLAN, HD-Cam., FP, BT, UltraNav, Sec. Chip, 9-cell battery, Win7 Prof. 64, 3 years on-site warranty.

1623 $

Same thinkpad from the DANISH lenovo website: (no student discount exists)

2648 $

I know.. It's insane!!

But if i buy anything from USA the package will get added 25% VAT..
I know everything is cheaper in USA.. but thats how prices are here..

However i only see these high prices with Thinkpads in europe, and think thats why no one buys them.

I can get a probook 4530s from denmark:

CPU Intel Core i5-2410M 2,3GHz
Ram 3072 MB
Harddisk 320GB 7200RPM
Drev DVD-burner
Skærm 15,6" TFT (1366x768) WXGA, LED backlight, Anti-glare, w/ Webcam
Grafikkort Intel HD Graphics 3000
Netværk Gigabit LAN / WiFi bgn / Bluetooth / WWAN (3G)
Porte 3 x USB 2.0 / 1 x USB 3.0 / VGA / HDMI / cardreader
Software Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Batteri 6 cell Li-Ion. 6,25 hours

for 864$

or Lenovo G570

CPU Intel Core i5-2430M 2,4GHz
Ram 4096 MB
Harddisk 500GB 5400RPM
Drev DVD-burner
Skærm 15,6" TFT (1366x768) WXGA, LED baglys, Blank skærm, m/ Webcam
Grafikkort Intel HD Graphics 3000
Netværk 10/100 LAN / WiFi bgn / Bluetooth
Porte 4 USB 2.0 / VGA / HDMI / 5-i-1 Kortlæser
Software Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Batteri 6 cell Lithium-Ion

for 790 $


What do you guys think?

A Macbook pro 14" costs about 1412$

But i really want a thinkpad :X.. However... will a HP probook or lenovo essential do the job?
I actually really like the numpad on the lenovo essential

I just researched a bit on danish sites and their experience with buying from LENOVO USA.. And they said i need to do this:

Buy from lenovo.com with amazon payment (Lenovo doesent accept foreign credit cards)
Send to international carrier.
Package gets to danish border, about 10$ fee.
If the laptop weighs less than 10 kg no customs %fee.
about 30$ for shipment from the border to home.
And then add 25% VAT on everything (Laptop + fees)
And the laptop is mine.

Then i of course only need to change power cord and keyboard (If i'm correct this does not break warranty).

Quick calculations:

T420 from lenovo denmark: 2300 USD
Same laptop from US: 1240 USD
From US + VAT and Fees about = 1675 USD with coupon THINK6GB (Assuming 25% Vat and 100$ shipping fees)
and about another 100$ for keyboard + power cord worst case cenario)

in addition to coupon code i can also get an additional 10% off if i sign up to lenovos communication center.


It seems its worth it! Also thinking that i can customize it myself.

However, t420s is not on sale right now in special offers. Might get t520 then

What is differnce between sepcial offers and outlet? And any difference in warranty?

Special offers are time limited offers in USA (for new units sealed in box), you can add warranty as you need, when order these from Lenovo USA website.

Outlet offers are for repaired/refurbished units (not new) bought in USA -normally with 1 year warranty in USA , must extend in USA only ,so unless you have a friend in USA to who can buy it for you, extend its warranty and then ship it to you it may not be worth to buy from outlet.

Above is my understanding, I'm sure others will correct me if I said anything wrong above

Rgds
Ska