T420 comments and T420 vs E420s

[Carewolf]

I bought an E420s a month ago, but ended up sending it back due a several issues, but mainly that I couldn't live with the low-resolution glossy screen, and the non-replaceable battery. I have now bought a T420 instead. I would like to make a few comments on both.

The two machines are almost identical. The T420 costs only 10% more, the CPU is the same, E420s had switchable AMD GPU, T420 switchable NVidia GPU, same WiFi, both had camera and fingerprint reader, the T420 has GPS and 3G for some reason. The main difference is the screen for E420s is a infinite glass netbook-screen of 1366x768, the T420 has a 1600x900 anti-glare screen. Neither is available with a good screen, but at least the T420 ships with an acceptable screen as an option.

First of all, I actually like the Thinkpad Edge hardware design. It only weighed 1.6kg vs the T420 2.2kg. The Edge was also thinner. The DVD-drive on the Edge was integrated, this means it can not be replaced, but it had a nice fixed slot to put DVDs in instead of a tray. This means the DVD-tray won't shoot out when you pick up the laptop from a bag and randomly touch the eject button, something that normally annoys me with Thinkpads. I also like the way the lid on the Edge closed, it doesn't have a plastic lock like thinkpads, and can be opened much easier. The only bad think about the Edge design was the cheap-looking chrome-plastic running around the edge, which is just begging to break.

So far the Edge sounds better right? But now the [censored] parts.

I already mentioned the screen. I personally do not like glossy screen, but your millage might wary, much worse is the odd decision to ship the 14" and 15" Edge models with screens with netbook resolution. What are they thinking???

Second critical flaw is the battery. It is amazingly only a 4 cell battery, vs the T420 6 cell, and much worse: It is NOT replaceable, this apparently a new thing only tried with E420s series. With the integrated DVD-tray as nice as it might be, you can not expand the battery that way either. So the E420s is forever tied to a small low-capacity battery.

Touchpad. It is bigger on the E420s, this is a problem. You can not touch type with such a big touch-pad, and the way Lenovo has tried to compensate just means the touchpad is generally unresponsive. Additional the trackpoint has some issues with being detected in Linux for some reason.

Heat and noise. The E420s is a lot noisier than the T420. I am guessing it would work better with a less powerful CPU, it seemed whenever the CPU was pressed the Edge would lose its breath and starting whining loudly. The T420 is much more quiet. Both machines are obviously hot to touch when working, not on the bottom like many laptop, but on the keyboard(!). Your can feel they are working from the burning sensation in your fingers, and the heat radiating up from the keyboard.

GPUs. The E420s wins here. They are both [censored]. I have a few games that I haven't be able to get to work in either, but the E420s was a lot less confusing to configure. The T420 has separate video settings for both Intel and NVidia graphics, it is really confusing, and so far (2 weeks of trying), I have not been able to make the T420 output 1920x1080 to an external monitor, for some reason it sends the entire picture but does something that makes the external monitor detect it as 1680x1050 losing part of the screen. There was no such problem with the E420s.

Summary:

E420s:
* Nice looking
* Good effective physical design (lid, DVD-slot)
* Only ships with a crappy screen.
* Built-in low-capacity battery, that can not be replaced or expanded.
* Can not handle the highest-end CPUs available for it.
* Switchable GPU is problematic, but well-integrated

T420:
* Classic looking
* Solid, but clunky physical design
* A decent screen available as an option.
* Good battery, and even replaceable and upgradable
* Quiet, works with the high end CPUs
* Switchable GPU is very problematic, and seems duck-taped together software-wise


I really hope they get the software for GPUs sorted out soon, and I wish Lenovo would have the guts to make a nice modern machines like the Thinkpad Edges but with half-way decent hardware.

[blackomegax]

Try the verde driver installer from nvidia.com for the 520m.

Itll pick up optimus and the 4200m and act properly

Mine outputs 1080p60 just fine over hdmi and dvi.

[Carewolf]

Try the verde driver installer from nvidia.com for the 520m.

Itll pick up optimus and the 4200m and act properly

Mine outputs 1080p60 just fine over hdmi and dvi.

Thanks, I will try the verde driver.

I have no DVI output on the T420, and the problem is with the VGA-output, I expect HDMI to work just fine (being digital an all), but I use VGA because that is what my KVM-switch supports.

To update on the problem: I cannot get 1920x1080 through the VGA port in Windows, I have managed to get it to work in Linux by using a specific modeline, but in both Windows and Linux the video-driver claims the attached screen is a 1024x768, and in Windows I have not yet been able to make it output 1920x1080 properly yet. On the E420s and my former R61 the video-drivers either detects the screen correctly or says it doesn't know and accepts whatever I tell it. Not, so on the T420. Apparently someone though: Hmm, if they use VGA it has to be a 1024x768 screen(??!).

[blackomegax]

Does it work if you bypass the KVM?

[ttrickyy]

I have no DVI output on the T420, and the problem is with the VGA-output, I expect HDMI to work just fine (being digital an all), but I use VGA because that is what my KVM-switch supports.

It's quite possible your KVM switch does not support 1920x1080, I know that is the case for me, so I had to rework my setup to eliminate the need for the KVM. Please try bypassing the KVM switch and seeing if it works. I suspect that it will work just fine, as it would be disingenuous to base your assessment of the T420 GPU on an invalid assumption about your KVM switch.

--ttrickyy

[Carewolf]

It's quite possible your KVM switch does not support 1920x1080

No, that is not possible. I have four machine on it that output 1920x1080 through it just fine. Including the T420 in Linux after forcing a modeline on it, and the E420s in both Windows and Linux.

There is only the T420 and only T420 in Windows that can not output 1920x1080.

[Colonel O'Neill]

Does disabling Optimus in BIOS in favor of either the Intel or NVidia adapter help?