t420s - time to move on (retire it) or no?

[johnmccarron]

So I am looking for people's thoughts on the state of affairs regarding sticking with Lenovo. I have been using Lenovo laptops since about 1999, probably having 10+ different models since then...mostly higher end models. When I was an IT Manager, I would swap a new one to myself almost every year. When I switched over to practicing law, I actually purchased my own T420s and built a nice little setup for myself...2 22" inch screens side by side, one turned vertical for document view (very nice), on a dual monitor stand. The docking station does not have usb 3.0, it is the one just before that, with 2 display port ports which I use to connect the two Lenovo monitors. I went from doing pure IT work up to 2009, then switching over steadily to the practice of law, where I find myself now doing 100% law and pretty much no IT work...change in needs.

So my t420s just went out of its 3 year warranty about 3 weeks ago. I never kept a Thinkpad past its 3 year warranty period...that is all I would ever trust any laptop, Thinkpad or not, but it was easier then too, as I wasn't really paying for the replacements!

My machine now is nicely upgraded...8GB, 256GB SSD, i5 2.6, 1600x900, on board video, 80gb ssd in the msata slot, and its in pretty good condition, as 80% of usage is in office, in the dock, lid closed. I bring it home a night or two during the week, to court a few times a week and home on the weekends. But with its age and recent exit from warranty, I am possibly looking to pull the trigger on something new. There are a few directions I could go...

Maybe add another year warranty to this machine. If I did this, I would also really need to consider replacing one or both batteries (I have the ultrabay battery) as they are holding less than 1/2 a charge each. One has almost 500 cycles, one has 300+ cycles and both were put into service in August 2011 when the laptop was put into service. Two new batters at $150 each and a warranty extension would likely be pushing $500.

A new t440s topseller config with 8gb, 256gb, onboard video and either 1600x900 or 1920x1080 (really? on a 14" screen) would run $1600-$1700. I wouldn't cry losing the msata storage. This would put me in a new 3 year warranty and a machine that is most likely much higher performance and battery life...my power needs are pretty much gone...I actually uninstalled Adobe Master Suite...that was the last thing to go. The most power used is probably acrobat pro parsing large pdf's for ocr. Long battery life is appealing for when I am on the run to court...I cant be bothered with power adapters in the courtroom and I cant worry about the laptop losing juice...which I do now. I have not looked into whether or not my dock would work, but I am thinking it might. If it didn't, that would be one reason not go move in this direction.

Then there is this other direction that I am very interested in, but am hesitant...that is the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. 256gb, i5, 8gb, cost with a dock and keyboard for on the run is about $1600. Because my monitors are not display port daisy chain-able, I would likely need to invest in an external video card to drive them, or just replace them with daisy chain-able models or maybe just a 27" touch screen. I've played with it in the store a lot, typed on it a lot, and while my error rate is not nearly as low as on the TP keyboard, I could see myself getting used to it. With the majority of my heavy duty typing going on in office, this isn't the biggest deal, but its a consideration. The thing I really like the idea of is the "instant on" feature, not having to open a laptop...its just so much easier in court when going to pull up a document / file on the fly. (I rely heavily on Google drive as it is integrated into my practice management software, and with the client installed locally, I usually have every file available to me on the go).

But when I look at leaving Thinkpad, I get scared. I tried it 2x before...one with an HP slate spin screen laptop...hated it, crap quality. I also tried a Samsung laptop (the one that looked like a Macbook air) and that was sh*t too. Its the same reason why I re-lease a Mercedes every 3 years...I hate the payment, but when I go test drive other cars...they just don't have the same quality. So, I am truly stuck. I'm somewhat removed from my top notch IT latest and greatest intricate knowledge. (I miss it!) What are your guys thoughts. Please, no flaming...really looking for everyone's input, pro/con good/bad, in order to synthesize a decision.

Thanks all.

[Temetka]

Considering your needs, I would go with a new dual battery Thinkpad.

I work in IT and I can understand where you are coming from. What you need is a reliable machine. While the SP3 is nice, I just don't know if it is ready for prime time use as the primary machine in your environment. It would make a great second machine though.

That being said, I love my T410 and would have a pretty hard time swapping it for something else. You sound like you have a good setup going with your dual monitors and dock so a case could be made for sticking with what works. If you really need USB3, get an express card to USB3 adapter and move on. Since you posted some pricing and seem somewhat on the fence here is what I would do in your situation given the details supplied.

I would extend my warranty and get a fresh set of batteries. I am probably too busy to deal with getting a new setup going, loading all the needed software, configuring the environment, etc, etc. That would be the cheapest, quickest solution.

Let us know what you decide.

[dr_st]

Once your warranty has expired, extending it is not trivial. It will not always be possible, and when it is, it will cost way more than doing so before the expiration date. That is, unless they made significant changes to their policy lately.

In any case, I would not extend the warranty. If the machine still satisfies your needs - continue using it, but extending warranty on it is likely to be a waste of money, and nothing else. If and when something breaks, you can decide on a case-by-case basis whether to repair it out of your pocket or just buy a new machine.

[RealBlackStuff]

Another serious thing to consider:
From T430/T530 onwards, Lenovo has the increasing stupidity to change the keyboard.
Major keys are moved elsewhere, major keys are deleted,even whole rows are deleted/moved and cramped into other space, their stupidity has no end!
If you are a touch-typist, you'd have a hard time adapting to this weird layout, which is now also a mass of collected chicklets, not keys.
I have not personally seen this, but read the tons of complaints about these many shortcomings of the new(er) keyboards.
Also, Windows 8 or 8.1 is a huge NO-NO on laptops. Stick with W7 or wait for W9.

[ajkula66]

I hate the payment, but when I go test drive other cars...they just don't have the same quality. So, I am truly stuck.

I would *strongly* suggest test-driving a *40-series ThinkPad in person if you're intent on buying one. The changes in keyboard/TrackPoint setup are drastic enough to warrant such an approach, whether one ends up loving the change, or hating it.

T420s is still a powerful enough machine for everything and anything apart from gaming, video rendering and heavy number-crunching, none of which seem to be present in the user profile that you've presented in your post.

I'd agree with dr_st on not extending the warranty as well.

Get a replacement battery or two and call it a day.

BTW, none of the docks from the *20 series will work with *40 series.

My $0.02 only...

[johnmccarron]

So I am currently leaning toward sticking with the t420s for the time being. Temetka, what you said really rang true...I am just too busy to get a new machine going right now, at least as a primary machine, config, et al. I can get the two batteries on Amazon for about $200 total, OEM 43 & 81+. The t440s having an entirely new dock, power port etc, requiring me to replace everything is really a drag... more than $.02 worth of a drag!

I don't really need usb 3.0...the only thing I use that is USB 3.0 is my scansnap, and I don't think its going to make much of a difference.

The keyboard issue is surely not lost on me. I'm not a fan of chicklets and didn't even think of that and the keyboard complaints that were in the back of my mind. Even the SP3 has a non-chicklet keyboard, although space constrained and not the best keystroke.

Thank you everyone.

[Temetka]

Glad to be of service.

I read ove rmy post again and realized that I contradicted myself by first suggesting a new machine, then listing reasons to stick with what you have. As I was writing my post, the end of the workday was kicking in and I had just gotten home. So I started thinking about what a pain in my [censored] it would be to swap primary machines so I could only assume you were a busy professional as well. The only reason I suggested extending the warranty was because it it might be able to be written off as a business expense. That and I know I would feel more comfortable as a busy professional having a machine that is under warranty.

I hope things work out for you.