Thinkpads Forum

Hi all,
I am thinking about getting a T520 with the DOS license option, then installing Win 7 (pro?) from an OEM disc. Would doing this, plus the appropriate drivers from the Lenovo site, get me the same functionality as a preinstalled Windows 7 laptop? It seems like some of the other posts mention ordering a basic machine, and putting your own RAM/HD upgrades in to save money, but the DOS option seems to be the only way I see on the Lenovo shopping site, to order the lower-price configurations.

I also like the idea of having the Win 7 disc to fall back on, if I change hard drives or screw up something with the partitioning (I would be running a dual-boot system with Ubuntu).

It's piracy if you install the OEM OS, since you do not pay for the OEM OS when you order the DOS licensed Thinkpad.

For DOS licensed laptop, you can install Linux to save money, or you can buy Windows 7 at low cost if you are eligible (e.g. education discount)

The money you save is negligible and you will not get all of the Enhanced Experience 2.0 stuff. Lenovo also will not give you any Windows support if you get the DOS license.

Thanks, I wasn't sure that (order with DOS and install Windows myself) was the way to go or not. I assumed it was okay to buy an "OEM" disk with the understanding it's not transferrable among PCs. I've tried comparison pricing on Lenovo's site with 2 browser tabs open, with DOS and with Windows installed options, but the 2 tabs seem to share the same cookies or something, both end up with the same options.

I am still waffling on CPU and HD (disk vs. solid state). It will primarily be a "surf the net from the couch" machine, light business (Quickbooks) use, occasionally using it while traveling out of town on business. I may do light DAW (audio recording/midi sequencing) work on it, and watch an occasional DVD. I will setup with dual boot (Ubuntu or some other flavor of the month). It would replace a laptop (Toshiba Satellite M45-S265) which has held up pretty well since 2005 or so. I am leaning toward the "middle" graphics option (1600x900), I won't be doing any gaming or CAD work. I do like the 15" screen size (what I have now).

Something like this, $1009 at the moment:
System components
Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
Intel HD Graphics 3000
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD recordable multiburner
Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
6 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55+
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

Hey craigs63, I just saw your reply and according to the description of the usage, I think I can provide you an ideal T520 (I'm a top-rated power seller on ebay and an authorized Lenovo reseller).

The T520 is new open box (the inner plastic bag is still sealed, box was opened to throw a 2GB ram stick in it, which is a genuine Thinkpad part), coming with warranty till 7-23-2012

The price is $1099 and the specs are:
Intel Core i7-2630QM Processor (2.0GHz, 6MB L3)
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
Intel HD Graphics 3000
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (2 DIMM, 1 DIMM is preconfigured, the other one is in the box)
320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
DVD recordable multiburner
Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
6 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55+
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 90W AC adapter
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable


The difference from what you configured is:
1. CPU (i7-2630QM VS i5-2520m, the i7 quad core is way much better at handling multimedia editing and multi-task running)
2. ram (2GB*2 VS 4GB*1, 2GB*2 is better at performance due to the dual channel but worse if you'd like to further upgrade it)
3. OS (Win7 Professional VS Win7 Home Premium)
4. hard drive (320GB 5400rpm VS 500GB 7200rpm, 320GB one is apparently less fast)
5. bluetooth (No VS Yes, it's better to have it if you use bluetooth frequently, though it shouldn't be a tremendous drawback since it's easy to use a usb dongle to make bluetooth available)

Please let me know if you're interested in it, thanks

Personally I don't care what people do on their computers, 2011, SSD all the way, the difference is definitely noticeable, even my wife (almost strictly a web browser based user) commented on how fast the computer was when I upgraded to one. Lenovo likely overcharges for them, when I bought my X200, I configured cheapest HDD possible and windows basic, I put my own Win 7 Pro I bought through school. It's basically a matter of downloading system update and it takes care of everything for you.

craigs63 wrote:Something like this, $1009 at the moment:
System components
Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
Intel HD Graphics 3000
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD recordable multiburner
Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
6 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55+
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

I believe with current deals a config like this should run you much less than that. About a week ago I ordered a similarly-equipped T420 (i5-2410M, Win7 Pro 64, 14" HD+ 1600 X 900, HD Graphics 3000, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB 7200 RPM drive, DVD burner, 4 in 1 card reader, 9 cell battery, Intel Wireless-N 1000) for $804-- incluidng 3 year onsite support! That left enough money for an 80 GB Intel 310 SSD, and I still came in at my target budget of $1,000. HTH

craigs63 wrote:Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000

If you care at all about good WiFi connectivity, you will need to replace this 1T2R card.

Cheers,

Bill B.

I read some user impressions here about the Centrino-N after ordering. I dunno-- after some bad (buggy) experiences with Atheros in the past I will just give it a try. I doubt it will actually fail to connect or anything. I will definitely report back if I find it impeding me in any way.

I've had good connectivity for about eight hours now since taking delivery of my new T420i with the cheapo Intel card. Will report back after using it at the office for a while.

ETA: No problems at the office. Performance seems excellent, and I've never lost a connection despite being in a building surrounded by professional offices with their own wireless networks, etc.

ETA: 8/25 Over one week in, and I can report consistently very good performance both at work and at home. I haven't had any problems whatsoever.

From this I conclude that while it's not the highest-spec card out there, and is limited to the 2.4 GHz band, the cheapo Centrino card can work well. I will report back if I ever have any connectivity issues with the card, anywhere.