My W500 First Impressions...
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:12 pm
W500 First Impressions
Build Quality
As I unpacked my new Lenovo ThinkPad W500 I was a bit apprehensive as to what I might find. The first “Full Lenovo” Workstation Class ThinkPad I’ve purchased after years of IBM ThinkPad Txx p model workstations, I must say that I was less than confident that this "Lenovo ThinkPad" would be as good as the always stellar models of the past. The only reason I felt this way, was the variety of critical posts I’ve read. Well, the good news is that I’m here to tell you that this W500 is every bit as well made as any of my previous ThinkPads. And just how do I know this? Because after a very close inspection as I unpacked it, I proceeded to remove the palm rest, and keyboard for a good look inside. At this point I set it side by side with my T60p and my T43p, also with innards exposed. What a relief as I found that the insides are as well made, if not better than the predecessors listed above. On the outside the quality of the plastics, the cover and the base are stellar. The finish on the cover is a bit different than the prior p models as it has less of a metallic look than prior units. Personally I like it a lot better.
Keyboard
It’s a ThinkPad…. and I’m happy to report the keyboard is the typical solid unit and just as nice as any of those from the three different suppliers of the past. In addition, a nice new feature is the larger TouchPad. Even though I’m a hardcore TrackPoint user, I find that after a long day of computing, I often will take some time to browse the web and it’s under this type of use that I enjoy using the TouchPad just for something different. As most of you know the early TouchPad’s were a bit on the small side. This one is full size and it’s very nice.
Display
Coming from my 15” IPS / Flexview T60p for daily work, I expected to be disappointed and yet I must say this 200 nit WSXGA+ 1680x1050 is very nice indeed. Bright, clear, crisp, and very evenly lit from edge to edge and corner to corner I breathed a sigh of relief, at it’s fine appearance. Not a single bad pixel, this was my greatest concern as I had not only read so many complaints about the “dim displays” but had recently witnessed one first hand on a friends new W500. Now we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his is defective and is being returned as I write this. Yes, this is no IPS, but in lieu of that, it is a very nice display that I will enjoy for the duration of my time with this W500.
Performance
The Machine Type is: 4058 - CTO
2.8 GHz / 4GB / 160 GB @ 7200 rpm / ATI Fire GL V5700 512VRAM / 15.4”
DVD 8x Recordable Max Dual Layer / Intel WiFi 5300 (AGN)
Integrated AT&T Mobile Broadband Card / 6 Cell Battery
When placing my order I chose XP Pro downgrade / Vista Business since I have my other ThinkPads centered on XP, I will run it this way, then try Vista Business as I prepare for Windows 7 at which time I will choose the 64bit version. I am not going to comment on performance as I’ve only had it for four hours and am still in the process of setting it up. But with these specs it promises to be nice and speedy.
So there are the initial impressions I have of my new W500.
Frankly I could not be happier with this machine. For those who maintain that Lenovo is ruining the ThinkPad legacy, I simply do not see it. And this is not my only “Lenovo ThinkPad” as you can see by my signature at the bottom of this post. At the end of the day the good news is, I can easily endorse this model as a very good choice, a great buy, and another in a long line of great ThinkPad laptops.
Cheers…
Build Quality
As I unpacked my new Lenovo ThinkPad W500 I was a bit apprehensive as to what I might find. The first “Full Lenovo” Workstation Class ThinkPad I’ve purchased after years of IBM ThinkPad Txx p model workstations, I must say that I was less than confident that this "Lenovo ThinkPad" would be as good as the always stellar models of the past. The only reason I felt this way, was the variety of critical posts I’ve read. Well, the good news is that I’m here to tell you that this W500 is every bit as well made as any of my previous ThinkPads. And just how do I know this? Because after a very close inspection as I unpacked it, I proceeded to remove the palm rest, and keyboard for a good look inside. At this point I set it side by side with my T60p and my T43p, also with innards exposed. What a relief as I found that the insides are as well made, if not better than the predecessors listed above. On the outside the quality of the plastics, the cover and the base are stellar. The finish on the cover is a bit different than the prior p models as it has less of a metallic look than prior units. Personally I like it a lot better.
Keyboard
It’s a ThinkPad…. and I’m happy to report the keyboard is the typical solid unit and just as nice as any of those from the three different suppliers of the past. In addition, a nice new feature is the larger TouchPad. Even though I’m a hardcore TrackPoint user, I find that after a long day of computing, I often will take some time to browse the web and it’s under this type of use that I enjoy using the TouchPad just for something different. As most of you know the early TouchPad’s were a bit on the small side. This one is full size and it’s very nice.
Display
Coming from my 15” IPS / Flexview T60p for daily work, I expected to be disappointed and yet I must say this 200 nit WSXGA+ 1680x1050 is very nice indeed. Bright, clear, crisp, and very evenly lit from edge to edge and corner to corner I breathed a sigh of relief, at it’s fine appearance. Not a single bad pixel, this was my greatest concern as I had not only read so many complaints about the “dim displays” but had recently witnessed one first hand on a friends new W500. Now we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his is defective and is being returned as I write this. Yes, this is no IPS, but in lieu of that, it is a very nice display that I will enjoy for the duration of my time with this W500.
Performance
The Machine Type is: 4058 - CTO
2.8 GHz / 4GB / 160 GB @ 7200 rpm / ATI Fire GL V5700 512VRAM / 15.4”
DVD 8x Recordable Max Dual Layer / Intel WiFi 5300 (AGN)
Integrated AT&T Mobile Broadband Card / 6 Cell Battery
When placing my order I chose XP Pro downgrade / Vista Business since I have my other ThinkPads centered on XP, I will run it this way, then try Vista Business as I prepare for Windows 7 at which time I will choose the 64bit version. I am not going to comment on performance as I’ve only had it for four hours and am still in the process of setting it up. But with these specs it promises to be nice and speedy.
So there are the initial impressions I have of my new W500.
Frankly I could not be happier with this machine. For those who maintain that Lenovo is ruining the ThinkPad legacy, I simply do not see it. And this is not my only “Lenovo ThinkPad” as you can see by my signature at the bottom of this post. At the end of the day the good news is, I can easily endorse this model as a very good choice, a great buy, and another in a long line of great ThinkPad laptops.
Cheers…