Finally joined the Thinkpad party (T420)

[bjordan]

After much research I finally joined the Thinkpad party. I received my T420 this morning. This forum was big help when I was researching things. I figured I'd lurked long enough and now that I have a T420 I might as well get active.

I haven't had time to play with it much yet because I'm at work. I have a SSD and 8 GB of RAM I'll throw in it tonight or tomorrow. Fortunately I'm going out of town this weekend so I'll have plenty of time to mess with it on the road. Looking forward to getting everything setup.

My only grief so far is that I accidentally ordered a 9cell battery instead of a 6 cell so I have unnecessary bulk hanging out the back. ... That's 100% my fault though. I guess in researching everything else I missed something obvious when I ordered.

[Harryc]

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with the new T420. Not a big deal about the 9 cell, just keep an eye on the Lenovo outlet and a 6 cell will pop up at a reasonable price eventually. Meanwhile you can post a WTT Ad in our Marketplace forum offering to trade a member with a new-ish 6 cell for your 9 cell. You never know ...
http://outlet.lenovo.com/accessories/batteries.html

[bjordan]

Harryc, thanks for the welcome and the ideas on the battery. The outlet was a great idea. Buying them new they cost way too much and I don't really want to get a 3rd party one. I'll also post a WTT in a week or so once I get things up and running.

[wkearney99]

Unnecessary bulk? It's a single row of cells. The power cable sticks out more. I'd hardly call it 'bulk', but to each his own.

I'm toying with the idea of picking up a 6 cell as a 2nd battery. But I'm not sure saving 5 ounces it really worth the expense. The battery life I'm getting out of the 9-cell is nothing short of amazing. In the limited use I've put it through thus far I've gotten more than 6 hours each time, with plenty left to spare. So while I've carried a 2nd battery for past laptops I'm not sure it'll even be necessary for the T420.

What I'm considering as an alternative is an external battery pack. One that can power any number of different devices, not just the laptop. That way I could recharge other stuff too without having to run it through the USB port on the T420. Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/HB-P18-Capacity-1 ... B004KADFIU

[Colonel O'Neill]

Maybe a slice battery?

[bjordan]

Unnecessary bulk? It's a single row of cells. The power cable sticks out more. I'd hardly call it 'bulk', but to each his own

I agree it's not THAT bulky. It just felt bulky to me because it was just enough to make it not fit in the case I was hoping to use. It's an older generic case I had laying around so it's not a huge deal. I'll end up getting another case.

I will admit the battery life on the 9cell is pretty amazing. I took it on a trip over the weekend used it off and on several hours and still had about 40% left when I got home Sunday night. I admit that is pretty amazing battery life. That alone may have made me change my mind on the 6 cell.