T500 - Looking for some idea of upgrade

[IBMlenovo123]

Looking for some idea of upgrade. I think i will put up a poll. price tag right now is 655.20. Options are not CRU (customer replacable units) in general. Limit budget, so can't get all of them.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) 25W1
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic12
15.4 WXGA TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD
1 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm4
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5
No Bluetooth
ThinkPad 11b/g Wireless LAN Mini PCI Express Adapter III10
Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable65
6 cell Li-Ion Battery60
2242: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller7

[ssd_thinkpad]

The CCFL WSXGA panel has greatly improved contrast of 500:1 if I remember. Display and keyboard are the most important output / input tools for my computer, therefore I'd invest in them.

[dr_st]

Well, it really depends on what you are doing with the computer.

If you intend to play 3D games or run 3D-intensive graphic applications, then the Radeon 3650 motherboard is the best upgrade by far. Other than that, I'd go for the WSXGA+ screen, since the higher resolution is always nicer (unless small print gives you severe eyestrain).

Webcam is a good upgrade if you like video chats or video conference calls, or if you like recording presentations. Pretty pointless otherwise.

A fingerprint reader, IMO, is also a pointless thing, unless you are in a security environment that requires it.

[tomh009]

Unless you need large print (for poor eyesight, for example), I think the WXGA on a 15.4" display is really the weak point of the configuration. Vista and Windows 7 do a good job of adjusting font sizes etc so even if you find WSXGA text to be too small, you can adjust -- and still get the sharpness of a high-DPI display.

[IBMlenovo123]

Can someone explain to me the difference between

WXGA with LED light (+$50)
WSXGA with CCF backlight (+$75)

The difference is $25.
I understand it as LED will save battery. And which one is good for outdoor display like under sunlight?

And nobody cares about the wi-fi adapter?

Thanks guys, the knowlege is wealth.

[Tony Chan]

I think the difference is 1680 x 1050 vs 1280 x 800.

And I do care about the wifi, as I see very noticable improvement on a 5300 vs 4965, but if I am only allowed 1 pick, I would go with the screen upgrade.

My 2 cents.

[ssd_thinkpad]

The WSXGA with CCFL backlight has much better contrast so it is better viewable even when the backlight is dimmed. I'd highly vote for this display but I also notice that other users like to have a display which can be very bright. In this case the led backlight displays are the best.

[Marin85]

I would say, go for the WSXGA screen and the ATI card. More powerful graphics (than the Intel integrated) can always come handy and is IMO more future-proof (considering Vista and the upcoming Win 7 and God knows what next). Even if you find it hot and noisy, you can always switch to integrated graphics. A side note: the bigger the resolution, the harder for the graphics card (pretty much depends on what you are going to do), and with better gpu Vista and Win 7 feel snappier (if Aero enabled).

Just my 2 cents,

Marin

[ZaZ]

Unless you need large print (for poor eyesight, for example), I think the WXGA on a 15.4" display is really the weak point of the configuration. Vista and Windows 7 do a good job of adjusting font sizes etc so even if you find WSXGA text to be too small, you can adjust -- and still get the sharpness of a high-DPI display.

I find that I prefer the extra vertical resolution the most in Office and Internet type applications. On the desktop it doesn't really matter as much to me. In Office and browsers too, you can just make the text smaller, which in turn fits more stuff on the screen. It's kind of like having a higher resolution screen.

[Dead1nside]

It's worth spending more now, than trying to upgrade later when you find some things not suiting your need. I'd always pick the Intel WiFi 5300 over the 5100 if I had a choice. I'd also go with the discrete graphics (ATI) as it's switchable anyway and there might come a time when you want to run a graphically intense application or play the odd game. Things like the webcam you can always get cheap external ones that do as good if not a better job than the integrated.

I'd definitely get at least 2GB RAM and I'd preference a smaller 7200RPM hard drive if necessary for costs.

For most of these upgrades it's really very little money in comparison to the performance gains you'll see.

The processor is good.