Dollar for dollar better?

[Skysurfer]

Is there ANY significant difference between the W500 and T500?

I have not been able to find a W500 review anywhere and I would like to know how much better this machine is over the T500. Dollar for dollar, are the two machines about the same???

Performance?
Battery life?
LCD?

Lawrence

[basketb]

Currently the W500 is cheaper than an equivalent T500 (the GPU being the only difference). So why would you consider the T500?

[Skysurfer]

Currently the W500 is cheaper than an equivalent T500 (the GPU being the only difference). So why would you consider the T500?

Hey, thanks for the feedback. Hoping you can clear the confusion.

I do intensive financial/economic modeling, so the the processing speed, the keyboard and the monitor are top priorities in selecting a notebook. And I've always gone with Thinkpad and have always been able to understand what the different models offer...the 'P' series being choice.

Until now.

Maybe there are just too few reviews out there...none that I can find on the W500. Does the 14" T400 screen have better clarity/graphics than 15" on the T/W500? Does "backlight" mean LED and is that now the gold standard? Is the price variance between the T500 and the W500 so small that choosing the W is a no-brainer?

I priced a W and it came to $1,500 (before tax). The T500 with the integrated graphics and the highest processor came to $1,600. (These are the special 2-day sale prices.) Still not clear what integrated graphics are, but cutting them saves $400.

Lots of questions. But do they all point to the W being the better buy???

Thanks again,

Lawrence

[awolfe63]

There is very little difference. The W500 has a 512MB graphics memory and a graphics chip that will do somewhat better on 3D CAD (but not game) applications. (The differences tend to be in wireframe drawing). Also - the W500 is available with a 1920x1200 LCD. Low-cost options (80GB disk, P8400 processor) are generally not available on the W500.

I bought the W500 instead of the T500 because I was going to get a pretty loaded machine anyway and in the past, workstation models have held their value much better. Probably cost me an extra $100 or so up front.

[basketb]

Lawrence, I am not familiar with "financial/economic modeling" programs. So I don't know whether they make use/need the performance of a discrete GPU. If they do, go with the W500. Also, as Andrew pointed out, only the W500 is available with a WUXGA screen, if screen real estate is a concern for you.
What I meant in my previous post with the W500 being cheaper than an equivalent T500 was wrt. the T500 having a discrete CPU. The T500 with integrated graphics is (much) cheaper than the W500, but I wouldn't consider those two machine "equivalent".

Re. "integrated graphics", here is a short description on wikipedia. Though you may find a better description by searching here on the forum.

[Skysurfer]

Lawrence, I am not familiar with "financial/economic modeling" programs. So I don't know whether they make use/need the performance of a discrete GPU. If they do, go with the W500. Also, as Andrew pointed out, only the W500 is available with a WUXGA screen, if screen real estate is a concern for you.
What I meant in my previous post with the W500 being cheaper than an equivalent T500 was wrt. the T500 having a discrete CPU. The T500 with integrated graphics is (much) cheaper than the W500, but I wouldn't consider those two machine "equivalent".

Re. "integrated graphics", here is a short description on wikipedia. Though you may find a better description by searching here on the forum.

basketb & Andrew,

Thanks for clearing up my graphics understanding. May I ask your opinion on the T500 vs the W500 for my needs?

The financial modeling stuff is primarily in Excel and Access. Most models can take a few seconds to recalc. But some models run a macro; push the button and wait 30 minutes for the answer. So, I need some horsepower. I also do some graphics-intensive designing (Web sites and printed materials). No gaming.

On the display side, I currently use a 14" 3x4 and I just don't want to give up the screen real estate moving into the "widescreen" world 14" T400. And I'm concerned that squinting at a WUXGA will make me to go blind.

So, I guess it comes down to either a T500 and W500.

Thoughts?

Lawrence

[awolfe63]

Get a 15" T500 integrated graphics machine with a T9600 and as much RAM as you can afford.

I have used WUXGA for spreadsheets on a 17" Dell and while the real estate is nice - I decided that I couldn't work with a smaller UXGA. A 15" SXGA+ is pretty much just like a 14" SXGA (which is what I have used for the past 7-8 years) but 1n inch and a half wider. Same vertical size and resolution with some extra screen tacked on.

You need CPU power and RAM - not graphics - so save some money and get the 15" integrated. The W500 will work just as well - but it will cost more.

On a good sale like today - you should be able to get a nice machine for $1200 or so.

[basketb]

I second Andrew's opinion/suggestion for your needs. Buy a good external monitor with the money you save today .

[Skysurfer]

I second Andrew's opinion/suggestion for your needs. Buy a good external monitor with the money you save today .

You guys rock!

BTW, I priced out both the W and T with the same processor and other features. W was $200 more.

Thanks again,

Lawrence