buying question: T430 or T430s and compatibility with Linux

[Sydney]

Hi, with XP running out and my T61 falling apart it's time for me to get a replacement laptop as well as a new OS and I do want to give Linux a try. I have chosen Linux Mint Debian Edition (Mate) as an OS and I'd like to run it on either a T430 or a T430s. I have not as yet made up my mind with regards to the hardware. Both seem o.k. for my purposes.
My questions are:
- from a Linux point of view, is there any particular reason to get either the T430 or the T430s ?
- are there any specifications in either laptop that I should avoid if I want to use Linux?
- e.g. I have read that there were problems with Nvidia Optimus, so should I try to get a machine without ?
- there seem to have been some problems with Ubuntu and the brightness control, would this be an issue with my setup also (brightness control is very important for me) ?
- Anything else at all that I should take into consideration with regards to Linux from a hardware perspective ??
- also, something that I read and that confused me was a review that commented that the HD+ screen with 1600x900 resolution just made everything look too small on the screen that the laptop was returned for this reason. However in Mint there appears to be the possibility to decrease screen resolution which should increase the font size I think ? Is this not the case ??

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If there are no differences between the T430 / T430s with regards to Linux, are there any pros/cons that I am not aware of ?
The differences I read about are the following:
- slim-model is lighter, thinner, louder (fan), colder (hand-rest) and slightly less sturdy (?) than the regular model.
- the battery in the slim-model does not last as long and the optical drive is thinner than that of the regular model
- the slim-model has a cheaper heat-sink but a better internal design (based on the X300) than the regular model
- the regular model has more volume hence better ventilation hence presumably slower aging
- the slim model has 1 USB-port less, regular has one more but the position of the two ports on the left side is impractical
- hinges on regular model are bigger and sturdier

anything I missed ? I took most of the above information from various reviews that were released when the machines came out. How do they fare in "real life" in comparison ?

As I said both would be o.k. for my purposes. I wouldn't carry the machine around, so weight is not that much of an issue, neither is the battery as it will be plugged into a power source almost all the time. But my laptop typically gets used all day every day, so I do need a work-horse (my T61 does get quite hot at times). I also do want a sturdy laptop as I have had endless problems with my current T61 (see this thread if interested: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=111624).
A lot of sources seem to imply that the slim-model is the same as the regular one, just "sexier" which almost sounds too good to be true. Both would cost the same.

And one last question on the side: will I be able to use my AC-adaptors (90W) from the T61 with the T430/T430s also ?

Thanks a lot for everybody's time and sorry about the length of the post...

TL;DR: any probs with T430/T430s and Linux Mint DE ? Any hardware components that I should avoid ? Pros/cons T430/T430s with regards to Linux ? Pros/cons T430/T430s in general ? Thx a ton.

[wolfman]

Good evening Sydney,

Right up front, I don't have a T430 or T430s, so take this with a grain of salt...

I have the T420 in my signature. I've run Ubuntu linux on it exclusively since I purchased it. I booted into windows to burn the recovery disks so I have them in case I sell the laptop. Then I took out the drive, installed an SSD and upgraded RAM and installed linux.

Everything that I use the laptop for works great. I have Intel integrated graphics and no need for discrete graphics, so I chose to avoid the nVidia model. If I were to purchase again today, I'd do the same.

Since you mentioned that you don't travel much and the weight between the two doesn't matter, I'd get the T430 instead of the T430s as it'll likely be cheaper. I have a 750gb 7200 RPM drive in the ultrabay instead of the DVD burner, I use this for running various virtual machines.

I also use my T420 almost exclusively in a dock (Thinkpad mini dock plus series 3 for mobile workstations) connected to external wireless keyboard, mouse, speakers and a 24 inch HP ZR24W (1920x1200) monitor.

I personally find the 1600x900 resolution (except for the vertical height) sharp and easy to read and about the right pixel density for the display.

One thing I've seen about the T430, T430s and other Thinkpads of their generation is a lot of complaints about the Intel Centrino 6300 wireless card - which is a shame as I have that card in my T420 and it works flawlessly. I'd likely go with the 6205 wireless card to avoid any possible issues with the 6300.

Of course the other issue with the T430 is the fan issues they have had. They have released BIOS updates to address this, etc, but there is about 100 pages of detail on the post at the Lenovo forums about this... With the T440p set to be released in the next month, I might consider holding for three weeks or so to check out those machines prior to ordering the T430. You'll have a Haswell processor which should give a boost to batter life, better display options including IPS panels, etc.

If you want to buy now, I'd personally get the T430 based on what you said. Good luck!

Steve

[Ash]

Just interested in, what you mean "falling apart" ? It may be all down to easily repairable things like replacing the screen hinges and the like

I installed Linux on a few Thinkpads without any unsupported hardware issues, however the newest of them all is a T61 so i suppose this does not really answeryour question....

[Sydney]

@wolfman: thanks a lot for all the information. I much appreciate your taking the time to type all this out. I am leaning towards the T430 based on what you said. And I'll avoid nVidia. I'd be getting an exhibition machine which is why the T430 and T430s would be the same price. I am not willing to pay full price which is what I'd have to do if I wanted to get the T440s.

@ash: thanks so much for your help. Yes, these have been fixable issues so far, but there has been a constant stream of them under warranty and off. And I just need an absolutely reliable machine. I posted about this in another topic, if you're interested:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=111624
I only replaced the hinges last week, and the new ones are miles better than the originals, but when I took the machine apart I also noticed that the casing has small cracks in various spots. This is entirely unacceptable given how pampered a life this notebook has been leading (see other post for more information)...
All this is why I am not willing to pay full price again for one of these machines and want to get an exhibition model instead of a brand new T440 (see above).

Sydney