Thinkpads Forum

Well, after a few false starts due to incorrect information from the sales desk, and one defective T510, I'm very happy to report I'm composing this message from my new (replacement) T510. The keyboard on this one is excellent, as solid as any T series I've owned, it has very good tactile feedback, it's quiet and the best of any ThinkPad I've owned to date, which quite honestly is saying a lot. The display lid is quite strong as compared to the last one, I'm glad I didn't hesitate to get it replaced, since this one is simply stellar. No distortion when pressed on, just the normal amount of torsional flex for a screen so wide, when you pull the upper left and push the upper right (for example). The hinges have a nice amount of drag as is customary of the T series and they are very robust. Setup was a breeze and the only "bloatware" was Norton and Office 2007 trials which I uninstalled first thing along with removing the stickers from Intel, MS, Lenovo, etc. The display itself is the 15.6” HD+ 1600 x 900 16:9 aspect ratio, antiglare, 220 nit. Opening a blank notepad doc, just to give a quick check, there are no dead pixels, the white is pure and not blue or showing any other hues, yet that said I will color calibrate it just to insure precision as I continue the setup. While I'm a huge fan of 4:3, and 16:10 on my T500 if it has to be a wide screen, I went ahead and bought this 16:9 as it's the future and I wanted to see what it's really like. So far, not as bad as I intially thought. If nothing else, I wasn't going to let 16:9 keep me from checking out the lastest in the T series. Also for me, 14" displays are just not enough real estate. I'm so used to carrying a 15" that I prefer this size by a wide margin.

So far the bottom line is I'm very pleased, this machine has met all my basic expectations and then some, as admittedly I lowered them just in case....

Basic Config: Core i7-620M | Win7 Pro 64 | 4GB 1067MHz | NVIDIA NVS 3100m 512MB | 500GB HDD @ 7200rpm | 15.6" HD + LED

Good to hear that your problem was solved, however i think customer should get an Excellent ThinkPad from the first time just like IBM days and i don't care what people say about IBM i never had a problem with them but unfortunately i had many problems with my Lenovo ones

This is great news, thank you for posting!
I for one have been very worried about the latest ThinkPad models, I'm very glad my worries have been put to shame.
May your new T510 have a long and trouble free lifespan

It's Day Two...

This new T510 is quite nice, a definite improvement over my T500. I'm very happy to have a centered display. It really was an annoyance on the T500 but one that you end up living with. Sometimes it's the little things, and having a centered display as well as equal size hinges placed evenly on each side gives a very nice symmetrical look. It feels like home to have such a nice keyboard once again, this one is really solid.

When doing light to medium work it runs fast, cool and quite. Then I did about two hours of resource intensive work, pushing it hard. The fans are noticeable but not objectionable, the high pitched sound from the new fan blades is not bad at all. I had read a report that was critical of them, but it's not an issue for me. After all since it keeps it running only moderately warm, I'm certainly not going to complain. Frankly I thought it would get hot, but that's not the case. This machine demonstrates the fastest speed bump of any recent T series I've had. That said, I will be replacing the conventional HDD with a SSD shortly. Then we should really see some speed. So far so good...

Cheers...

Good to hear! Now I'm lusting after one... and just when my T500 was delivered from the outlet too...

Hmm... now to resist the temptation to sell it and get a T510 before I've even used my new toy!

ThinkRob wrote:Good to hear! Now I'm lusting after one... and just when my T500 was delivered from the outlet too...

Hmm... now to resist the temptation to sell it and get a T510 before I've even used my new toy!

Return it, you will _not_ be disappointed I assure you. A T510 is _so_ much better than a T500.

This is a really nice looking, fast, cool & quite machine. I am very impressed. The interfaces are great. The display is so bright I had to turn it down, it's clear and sharp, great color saturation, balance and contrast, the very best I've had yet. Even better than the IPS from a standpoint of colors, sharpness and even backlighting. Keyboard as I mentioned above is so much better than that of the T500 there is simply no contest. The spacebar, is quiet as is the mouse buttons for the TrackPoint and TouchPad, just everything about this machine is terrific. Great speakers with lots of range of adjustment, just like the display brightness. There are 15 steps for brightness, and 50 for volume. The quality of the buttons for power, volume, etc, are simply 100% better than anything prior.

Believe me I've had so many new ThinkPads that it would be easy to be jaded. But this one is truly exciting as it's just the way it should be. A very viable and prominent member of the ThinkPad Family as it was in the T60 days. I also got the 6 cell battery which is flush with the back (it ships with 9 cell) and it feels quite light to carry. I carry my T500 or W500 everyday, so I noticed the difference the moment I picked this one up. I've yet to weigh it, but it's got to be close to what it says in the tabook, instead of heavier as some of the past T's were. I don't expect to get terrific battery life out of the 6 cell, but frankly I could care less as I rarely use it on battery anyway, other than to maintain it's condition.

I highly endorse the T510 without reservation.

Cheers...

Hi archer6,

Many yet again for another great T510 First Impression...

I'm wondering, how long does the 6-cell and 9-cell batteries last?

archer6 wrote: Return it, you will _not_ be disappointed I assure you. A T510 is _so_ much better than a T500.

Well... Lemme check the outlet's return policy.

Oh. 21 days. Well fortunately, they managed to delay my order enough that I don't really have much time to decide. I've got the machine, but I haven't opened it yet as I'm on the other side of Atlantic. There still might be time to return it, but selling it might get more of my money back...

I'm not sure if I'd go with the T510 over the T410 though. The T510 has a 16:9 display and is a bit big for my tastes. I assume that the design and build are similar between the two?

Also, how's the keyboard compared to the T6x keyboards?

I allow my self to steal in here.

The question asked above is of certain interest for me too. I am used to a T43 15" Flexview, so I am curious as to which one (410 or 510) will be closest to what I am used to. The 500/510s seem to be very wide, with the large area on both sides of the keyboard. Since I have yet not had the chance to see either of these "live", it would be interesting to hear if someone has some advice on which one will be closest to what I am used to.

Thanks!

ThinkRob wrote: I'm not sure if I'd go with the T510 over the T410 though. The T510 has a 16:9 display and is a bit big for my tastes. I assume that the design and build are similar between the two?

Yes, the design, and build quality between the T410 & T510 is identical, so it's merely a matter of personal choice. My best friend ordered the T410, and I ordered the T510. The single most noticeable difference when comparing them side by side is the brilliance of the T510 display. The contrast difference (300 vs 500) is quite noticeable and makes for a much nicer display. Also since I tend to prefer having space for multiple windows, the T510 has a definite advantage when it comes to screen real estate. I have listed the physical sizes of the displays below. At just 0.5 lb. difference when weighed on my very accurate industrial scale, I have no qualms about the T510 at all.

Here are the specs:

Dimensions:
T410: 14.1W" (WxDxH): 13.2" x 9.4" x 1.1–1.3"
T510: 15.6W" (WxDxH): 14.6" x 9.6" x 1.2-1.4"

Display Specs:
T410: 14.1" (358mm) WXGA+ (1440x900) color, anti-glare, LED backlight,
220 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 300:1 contrast ratio
Display size: 11.96" × 7.47" = 120.43 PPI

T510: 15.6" (396mm) HD+ (1600x900) color, anti-glare, LED backlight,
220 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 500:1 contrast ratio
Display size: 12.48" × 9.36" = 128.21 PPI

ThinkRob wrote: Also, how's the keyboard compared to the T6x keyboards?

I really like the keyboard, and I'm very picky. I keep every new ThinkPad I buy, so I have the T42/43 & T60 to compare it to and I'm very pleased. Much better than that of my T500. Overall this is one truly good ThinkPad in either the 410 or 510 model.

Cheers...

Norway Pad wrote:I allow my self to steal in here.

The question asked above is of certain interest for me too. I am used to a T43 15" Flexview, so I am curious as to which one (410 or 510) will be closest to what I am used to. The 500/510s seem to be very wide, with the large area on both sides of the keyboard. Since I have yet not had the chance to see either of these "live", it would be interesting to hear if someone has some advice on which one will be closest to what I am used to.

Thanks!

Prior to my T500 I too was used to years of working with the 4:3 display format and a 15" Flexview IPS display. I got my T60p the first week they were released and used it for well over two years, when usually I upgrade to the newest model each year. However the T60p was so perfect for my work that I just kept using that. Now that 16:9 is the reality we must deal with I will say that I'm actually quite pleased and a surprised at just how nice the display is on the T510. I gave up 14" machines years ago, as the extra space a 15" display offers is too beneficial for me to give up, especially since there is usually only about 1/2lb difference in weight. Even though I've weighed my T510, (5.8lbs. w/6cell) it actually feels lighter. I'm probably one of few that would notice it, only because I carry my ThinkPad daily.

These new models are great!

Thank you!

I think these two posts pretty much answered my questions.

I am debating on whether I should buy a good used T60 to use for a couple of years, or simply skip the T60 generation and go directly to a T410/510. T-series seem to have become cheaper these days, I think even the most basic T43s were around $1500 back in 2005. With some options, the price skyrocketed. Today I priced a "decent" discrete graphics 510 with a port replicator, upgraded processor and RAM etc. to $1800. This with a 2 years warranty. Seems as I will have to put some serious thought into this..

Hey Archer, I've been following your thread for some time but I've kept quiet(had stayed away from posting for a while).
I remember your old thread(first glance) and I was alarmed at the flaws, but it seems that they have redeemed themselves.

I had a few questions comparing the T500 and T510.

*Size and weight, spec wise, the T510 is bigger and heavier, but it seems from your impressions that this may not feel so?
What do they look like side by side? Is the T510 noticeably thicker than the T500 when closed, or is it only thicker because of the rubber feet? And is the weight noticeably heavier?

*Heat, how do they compare in efficiency? I read that you said the high pitch fan noise of the T510 was not bothersome, but does it keep it reasonably cool?

*Durability of lid and base. How's the flexing on the lid? I remember in your old thread you mentioned how it twisted quite a bit. I usually carry my laptops filled with books, so having a strong lid that won't cave in is a priority(so far the T41 has held up nicely, although the lcd does mash against the keyboard at times)

Here's the official specs from Lenovo's website:

T500 dimensions on paper:
-357.5 x 255 x 29.7 to 33.5mm
-starting at 2.63kg/5.8 lbs

T510 dimensions on paper:
-372.8mm x 245.1mm x 35.8mm
-Starting at 5.89 lbs. /2.67kg


I ordered a well equipped T500, but they gave an estimated ship date of 5/12. I'm now considering cancelling it, and placing an order on a T510. My only concern is that the T510 is(at least on paper), heavier, thicker, less durable(the lid), less screen real-estate(1680x1050 vs 1600x900) and has a weaker dedicated GPU. I haven't held or played with either one in person, and I know that it can be very different from the paper specs, so I'm asking for some insight. However, IMO in many ways, the T510 does seem like a slight step backwards...at least on paper.

vtohthree wrote:Hey Archer, I've been following your thread for some time but I've kept quiet(had stayed away from posting for a while).
I remember your old thread(first glance) and I was alarmed at the flaws, but it seems that they have redeemed themselves.

I had a few questions comparing the T500 and T510.

*Size and weight, spec wise, the T510 is bigger and heavier, but it seems from your impressions that this may not feel so?
What do they look like side by side? Is the T510 noticeably thicker than the T500 when closed, or is it only thicker because of the rubber feet? And is the weight noticeably heavier?

*Heat, how do they compare in efficiency? I read that you said the high pitch fan noise of the T510 was not bothersome, but does it keep it reasonably cool?

*Durability of lid and base. How's the flexing on the lid? I remember in your old thread you mentioned how it twisted quite a bit. I usually carry my laptops filled with books, so having a strong lid that won't cave in is a priority(so far the T41 has held up nicely, although the lcd does mash against the keyboard at times)

Here's the official specs from Lenovo's website:

T500 dimensions on paper:
-357.5 x 255 x 29.7 to 33.5mm
-starting at 2.63kg/5.8 lbs

T510 dimensions on paper:
-372.8mm x 245.1mm x 35.8mm
-Starting at 5.89 lbs. /2.67kg


I ordered a well equipped T500, but they gave an estimated ship date of 5/12. I'm now considering cancelling it, and placing an order on a T510. My only concern is that the T510 is(at least on paper), heavier, thicker, less durable(the lid), less screen real-estate(1680x1050 vs 1600x900) and has a weaker dedicated GPU. I haven't held or played with either one in person, and I know that it can be very different from the paper specs, so I'm asking for some insight. However, IMO in many ways, the T510 does seem like a slight step backwards...at least on paper.

The first T510 I received clearly had significant defects in the case & lid. The new one is truly impressive, it's very solid & highlights just how bad the first one was (and clearly a fluke). The difference is night & day. The structural rigidity of this case is excellent. I am 100% happy. This one has a terrific keyboard, very firm with great tactile feedback. In fact it's the first one since my T60 to have a keyboard this good. I prefer it to any of my other ThinkPads. After double checking the weight just now (T500 vs T510) it turns out that it's 0.21 lbs lighter than my T500. That's why it felt lighter as I mentioned in an earlier post, where I mistakenly transposed the numbers. With a 6 cell, it's flush with the back of the case, saves weight, and easily fits in the padded laptop slot in the same case I was using with the T500. The only dimension larger is the width which is minor, since the display is so much brighter and clearer that's a worthwhile trade off as far as I'm concerned. It's not 16:10, but it is not a deal breaker for me. The difference in the display lid flex between the two is very minor, with the new composite plastic being very good. I no longer feel that the lack of a roll cage up top is an issue. In fact it's much more rigid than the initial reviews I've read, would have one believe. I believe this is every bit as durable as it's predecessors. Also it's important to note that if I had a single concern, I would voice it, as I'm very picky. Heat is not an issue either. This in one of the best processor upgrades I've experienced yet. Fast, cool, and very quiet for all normal tasks & then some. Only when running my 3D design, and other resource intensive software does it get warm, & yet still not hot. The sound from the fans is due to the newly shaped hi flow blades, so the acoustics are just different, not louder when pushed hard. During regular use it's actually quieter. Thermal management of this model is excellent. The best so far. Considering mines running the fastest Core i7, I'm very pleased. Now that I've had this T510 long enough to really put it through it's paces, I prefer it over the 500 by a wide margin. I really like the larger buttons for the TrackPoint, and if one likes a TouchPad, this ones far better than one on the 500. Personally I only use it perhaps 5% of the time, when casually surfing the web, as I'm a die hard TrackPoint user. One thing of note, is the high quality feel of the buttons, and how quite they are. No loud clicking. The power, volume & other buttons are also of high quality. Far superior to the 500. Finally, I find I really like the new large delete and escape buttons. At the end of the day, I am very happy with the T510, and suggest it to anyone looking for an excellent laptop worthy of the ThinkPad name.
.
Cheers...

Thanks for the insight Archer. It's interesting that the T510 is actually lighter. It's reassuring to hear that the lid is rigid as well. And thanks for letting us know that the cooling is top notch. I also like that the T510 has a larger touchpad. I guess I'll have to wrestle with myself a bit longer to call the shot of whether or not I should cancel my T500 for the T510.

Cheers!

The specs on the T510 screen look wrong. Can't increase height and PPI for the same number of pixels. I calculate: 15.6" diagonal 1600x900 = 7.65" height, 118PPI

archer6 wrote: Display Specs:
T410: 14.1" (358mm) WXGA+ (1440x900) color, anti-glare, LED backlight,
220 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 300:1 contrast ratio
Display size: 11.96" × 7.47" = 120.43 PPI

T510: 15.6" (396mm) HD+ (1600x900) color, anti-glare, LED backlight,
220 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 500:1 contrast ratio
Display size: 12.48" × 9.36" = 128.21 PPI

jonathanmedwards wrote:The specs on the T510 screen look wrong. Can't increase height and PPI for the same number of pixels. I calculate: 15.6" diagonal 1600x900 = 7.65" height, 118PPI

Thanks for catching that!

I was in a hurry when I wrote that post and inadvertently copied and pasted from a list of all my laptops, and grabbed the wrong line.

It should read: Display size: 13.61" × 7.65 = 117.68 PPI

Cheers...

vtohthree wrote:Thanks for the insight Archer. It's interesting that the T510 is actually lighter. It's reassuring to hear that the lid is rigid as well. And thanks for letting us know that the cooling is top notch. I also like that the T510 has a larger touchpad. I guess I'll have to wrestle with myself a bit longer to call the shot of whether or not I should cancel my T500 for the T510.

Cheers!

Your quite welcome!

The more I use this new T510 the happier I am with it. I simply cannot say enough good things about build quality, the excellent keyboard and creak free chassis. The solid one piece palm rest is one of many great improvements. Frankly it's restored my confidence in Lenovo, as I was rather disappointed with the offset displays, and other less than stellar features of the T400/500 & W500 series. While not seriously flawed, they simply did not live up to the standard that ThinkPads should in my opinion.

Cheers...

Hey archer6, you mentioned earlier that you have both macbook pro and t510. How does the t510 screen compare to the MBP screen? Which one do you prefer?

rangen wrote:Hey archer6, you mentioned earlier that you have both macbook pro and t510. How does the t510 screen compare to the MBP screen? Which one do you prefer?

That's a great question. The display on my new MBP (I chose matte, as opposed to glossy) is quite good, and yet it's not as sharp (when compared to the T510) and crisp when it comes to the lines or borders around menus, tool bars and fonts. Nor is it as black as the corresponding elements on the T510 display. I'm quite impressed with the T510 display, (considering it's non-IPS) and can easily endorse it. It' got great color balance, lots of contrast and is a very bright display. To those of you who may have been disappointed with other ThinkPad displays, you will find this a great improvement. It's certainly much better than the one on my X301 for example. Now some might argue, "well that's not saying much", to which my response is, I am _not_ using the X301 as a benchmark, but simply mentioning it as one example of the less than great displays.

Cheers...

Thanks. That information has been quite helpful

It's not all hardware differences. I find that Windows running on a Macbook looks sharper than OSX! I think this is mostly the differences in anti-aliasing. Windows aggressively snaps display elements to pixel boundaries, even if that changes the layout. Apple maintains strict fidelity to printer output, so does a lot more fuzzy anti-aliasing. Apple is making the right trade-off for design professionals. MS is making the right trade-off for information professionals. One of the reasons I stick with Windows.

archer6 wrote:The display on my new MBP (I chose matte, as opposed to glossy) is quite good, and yet it's not as sharp (when compared to the T510) and crisp when it comes to the lines or borders around menus, tool bars and fonts.

jonathanmedwards wrote:It's not all hardware differences. I find that Windows running on a Macbook looks sharper than OSX! I think this is mostly the differences in anti-aliasing. Windows aggressively snaps display elements to pixel boundaries, even if that changes the layout. Apple maintains strict fidelity to printer output, so does a lot more fuzzy anti-aliasing. Apple is making the right trade-off for design professionals. MS is making the right trade-off for information professionals. One of the reasons I stick with Windows.

Well said!

I concur, in fact the biggest problem with running Windows on a MacBook Pro, (all three of my MBP's) is heating issues. There are times when I'm running Maya that it gets so hot it shuts down. Apple says it's designed to do that, I say, I Love my ThinkPad W510 workstation that will running anything I throw at it fast, cool, and never shuts down. Even under the most arduous tasks with high ambient temps, it runs only warm at the most.

That said I largely avoid using Windows anyway (on my Mac) as it's only for syncing my BlackBerry with Outlook.

Cheers...

I'm back with an update.

While generally it doesn't sell, in my book there is nothing as delightful as good news. Well I'm here to tell you that this T510 is one heck of a good ThinkPad. Fast, cool & quite it's a wonderful example of a well thought out model. Build quality continues to impress, and being completely devoid of chassis and palm rest creaks is the icing on the cake. Under the category of "there is no perfect model" is the only area I find an issue with, and that's the 16:9 display. Brilliant in clarity, contrast and color accuracy, if it was 16:10 that would be ideal. Finally * sigh of relief * we are back to the great keyboards that have been a hallmark in years past. Thus I am happy to report that I can endorse the T510 without hesitation.

Cheers...

archer6 wrote: While generally it doesn't sell, in my book there is nothing as delightful as good news. Well I'm here to tell you that this T510 is one heck of a good ThinkPad. Fast, cool & quite it's a wonderful example of a well thought out model. Build quality continues to impress, and being completely devoid of chassis and palm rest creaks is the icing on the cake. Under the category of "there is no perfect model" is the only area I find an issue with, and that's the 16:9 display. Brilliant in clarity, contrast and color accuracy, if it was 16:10 that would be ideal. Finally * sigh of relief * we are back to the great keyboards that have been a hallmark in years past. Thus I am happy to report that I can endorse the T510 without hesitation.

Good to hear!

It's on my short list of hardware, thanks to your endorsement.

(In fact, I'm trying to determine when/where to sell my T500 for exactly that reason...)

Yes I've been very happy with mine also, especially since the latest firmware came out (1.15) which fixed the keyboard issue.

My only complaints to this date are fairly minor: a bit of palm rest creak (I actually posted a video of it on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIV3y-ho8_w), and the CPU whine noise.

It's my understanding the keyboard issue you experienced affected only a small number of units. Much like the CPU whine. My T510 has neither of those issues. It's an amazing performer.

I'm planning to order my T510 today . I've got everything figured out except I'm not sure whether I should get the fastest i5 or the i7, I don't think I really have any reason to go with the i7, so here's the configuration I'm probably going with.

Intel Core i5-540M Processor (2.53GHz, 3MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)

Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64

15.6" HD Anti-Glare Display with LED Backlight and WWAN Antenna

NVIDIA NVS 3100m Graphics with 512MB DDR3 Memory

4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)

UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader

Camera, 2.0 MP

320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Multi Recorder Optical Drive (12.7mm)

Express Card Slot & 5 in 1 Card Reader

6 cell 2.6Ah Li-Ion Battery - Dual Mode

Bluetooth w/ antenna

Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000

ThinkPad Bluetooth Laser Mouse

All for $1408

i-SnipeZ wrote:I've got everything figured out except I'm not sure whether I should get the fastest i5 or the i7, I don't think I really have any reason to go with the i7, so here's the configuration I'm probably going with.

That sounds like a really nice configuration! You probably don't need the i7, that's true. I'm extremely satisfied with the speed of my i5-540M. One suggestion though: I'd strongly recommend you think about upgrading to the HD+ screen. Most have said the HD screen isn't very nice, and I've seen pics on another forum of very visible grid lines on the screen. I'm not sure if that was an isolated incident (defect) or if they're all like that, but that alone would be enough to push me into the HD+ if I were on the fence. I've got the HD+ and am very happy with it, as is everyone I've seen post about it across 3 different forums.

Mutnat wrote: That sounds like a really nice configuration! You probably don't need the i7, that's true. I'm extremely satisfied with the speed of my i5-540M. One suggestion though: I'd strongly recommend you think about upgrading to the HD+ screen. Most have said the HD screen isn't very nice, and I've seen pics on another forum of very visible grid lines on the screen. I'm not sure if that was an isolated incident (defect) or if they're all like that, but that alone would be enough to push me into the HD+ if I were on the fence. I've got the HD+ and am very happy with it, as is everyone I've seen post about it across 3 different forums.

I haven't noticed it on my buddies T510 and upgrading the screen would cause me to have to wait for at least a month for it too ship! (At least according to Lenovo's site)