Thinkpads Forum

W500 W510 High Resolution to buy Need Advise

I am looking for a Thinkpad for my dad. Since I already have 14" T61 & 12" X61T, I guess we could use a W500 in the family.

One thing we are look at is the WUXGA screen. Would like that. If not then a WSXGA+ would be nice.. on W5xx or a T5xx or T4xx.

What are currently the highest resolutions on these above mentioned series?
What were the FORMER highest resolutions on these series?

But I cant seem to find that available on the NEW W500 on the Lenovo site. I found a bunch on the outlet.
Whats the highest i.e. the HD+ (labeled) screens?

I am wondering if I should go for that or stick with the new W500 W510 series etc?

What would be the advantages.. since I would also get them for a good price I am guessing?

Whats the highest resolution on the new W500 / W510 machines?

I have access to CPP / EPP because most of my family / friends work in IT (IBM Consulting etc) so I would get a price benefit there as well.

I'd appreciate your guidance. Thanks.

PS: Also, I particularly liked these models from the Tabook: What are the differences between the two? Except for HDD size? For some reason the 5GU is 250G HDD FDE.. I am wondering if thats a special HDD or thats just something else?

PS: Are outlet W500s warranty upgradeable?

The W500 is not new and Lenovo is phasing these out in favor of the W510. The W510 eventually can be configured with a FHD screen, which with 1080 lines of vertical lines, is the highest resolution screen available from Lenovo in a 15 inch form factor. Unfortunately, Lenovo is having massive supply issues (maybe Apple has a monopoly on high resolution suppliers?) and only the crap resolution of 768 vertical lines seems to be in stock. I can't imagine anyone spending the money to get a W510 and then decide to get such a low resolution screen. Labeling these HD, HD+, and FHD is probably just a marketing ploy so people don't freak at the low vertical resolutions. At this point, most people wouldn't think 720p is really HD anymore.

To get 1200 lines (WUXGA) you need to move to the 17 inch W700/W701.

NClens wrote:Unfortunately, Lenovo is having massive supply issues

As of today, I'm finding this to be an industry wide problem. While some laptop makers that sell far less volume than Lenovo still have some HD+, the FHD panels are indeed in short supply. I'm told that May will be the month the supplies flow out to Lenovo and others again.

NClens wrote:(maybe Apple has a monopoly on high resolution suppliers?)

No, Apples 15.4" MacBook Pro has just one resolution (no other choices) and it's decidedly low-res at just 1440x900.

NClens wrote:The W500 is not new and Lenovo is phasing these out in favor of the W510. The W510 eventually can be configured with a FHD screen, which with 1080 lines of vertical lines, is the highest resolution screen available from Lenovo in a 15 inch form factor. Unfortunately, Lenovo is having massive supply issues (maybe Apple has a monopoly on high resolution suppliers?) and only the crap resolution of 768 vertical lines seems to be in stock. I can't imagine anyone spending the money to get a W510 and then decide to get such a low resolution screen. Labeling these HD, HD+, and FHD is probably just a marketing ploy so people don't freak at the low vertical resolutions. At this point, most people wouldn't think 720p is really HD anymore.

To get 1200 lines (WUXGA) you need to move to the 17 inch W700/W701.

Dont really want to do less than WUXGA esp on 15" W500 unless options are not available. I guess either we wait till May...
17" too big & heavy. I already have a Dell 9300 17" WUXGA.. So dont want another HEAVY to carry machine.

Whats the highest resolution on the 14" ones? T /R/ SL etc? Do they have WSXGA+ or are they stuck at the Apple Mac high of 1440 x 900?

With everyone moving from 4:3 ratio to 16:10 or 16:9 screens, a 14 inch laptop with more than 900 lines of vertical resolution is rare these days. None of the 14 inch Thinkpads have more than 900 lines. You can get a 14 inch Sony Vaio Z series with a 1080 screen. However, you loose the trackpoint and will be paying a lot of money, since I believe only the signature line comes with this level of resolution. The Z is a very souped up machine though - Core i7, up to 2 SSDs, blueray, carbon fiber housing, etc.

Current 14" models, as well as past ones (T400/T410) all have the same form factor and the same maximum resolution - 1400x900.

Now, with 15" the situation has changed. Previously the models were 15.4" screens with 1920x1200 being the maximum. That's the W500. The W510 on the other hand is the wider, shorter 15.6" screen, with the maximum resolution is now 1920x1080 (and as mentioned here, currently there is a big availability issue with these screens).

But at least, if I remember correctly, the HD+ 1920x1080 screens on the W510 are said to be better in quality compared to the W500 WUXGA 1920x1200 screens (with regards to which there were sometimes complaints about the screen being dim / washed-out / low-contrast).

Final tip: I would not get anything from the Lenovo outlet, at least as long as their mind-boggling policy of only 1-year warranty, no extensions (on a workstation machine, yeah right!) is in place. If the model is not available on their site, you may have better luck with resellers selling models out of the Tabook.

dr_st wrote:I remember correctly, the HD+ 1920x1080 screens on the W510 are said to be better in quality compared to the W500 WUXGA 1920x1200 screens (with regards to which there were sometimes complaints about the screen being dim / washed-out / low-contrast).

I have the ThinkPads you are referring to.

My W510 with it's 15.6” FHD 1920 x 1080, 16:9 aspect ratio display is stellar. Far superior to my W500.

Even my T510 with it's 15.6” HD+ 1600 x 900 16:9 aspect ratio display is an excellent screen.

14 inch Sony Vaio Z series with a 1080 screen

Its a 13.1" - [censored] 13" with 1080p. Wow! Thats something I'd love. Thinkpad / Lenovo.. are you listening?
(Even "Dam""n" removed by Mods?)

dr_st wrote:But at least, if I remember correctly, the HD+ 1920x1080 screens on the W510 are said to be better in quality compared to the W500 WUXGA 1920x1200 screens (with regards to which there were sometimes complaints about the screen being dim / washed-out / low-contrast).

archer6 wrote:I have the ThinkPads you are referring to.

My W510 with it's 15.6” FHD 1920 x 1080, 16:9 aspect ratio display is stellar. Far superior to my W500.

Even my T510 with it's 15.6” HD+ 1600 x 900 16:9 aspect ratio display is an excellent screen.

Nice. Thanks for the insight
BTW - So a T500 or T510 never had 1920 x 1080 or will have right? Because my dad showed me a page yesterday that did SHOW one. A mistake or something. I gotta check it again and will post a link.

I am guessing the one you have, thats the highest resolution on a T5xx ?

T500's have 16:10 aspect ratio displays.
T510's have 16:9 aspect ratio displays.
FHD 15.6” FHD 1920 x 1080, 16:9 aspect ratio display is the highest resolution offered for _both_ the T510 and W510. This display has been removed from the list of choices on the Lenovo site because Lenovo cannot supply these due to a shortage. Once that's overcome it will be an available choice again. ETA is currently approx 30days. Because Lenovos preferred method is to keep their customers uniformed and in the dark, the only way to find out the current status is to see if they have been posted back on the web site. Calling Lenovo is pointless as you will get as many unfounded stories & guesses as the number of times you call. Apathy reins supreme and accountability is outside their realm of understanding or concern. It's like Las Vegas... A crapshoot

archer6 wrote:T500's have 16:10 aspect ratio displays.
T510's have 16:9 aspect ratio displays.
FHD 15.6” FHD 1920 x 1080, 16:9 aspect ratio display is the highest resolution offered for _both_ the T510 and W510. This display has been removed from the list of choices on the Lenovo site because Lenovo cannot supply these due to a shortage. Once that's overcome it will be an available choice again. ETA is currently approx 30days. Because Lenovos preferred method is to keep their customers uniformed and in the dark, the only way to find out the current status is to see if they have been posted back on the web site. Calling Lenovo is pointless as you will get as many unfounded stories & guesses as the number of times you call. Apathy reins supreme and accountability is outside their realm of understanding or concern. It's like Las Vegas... A crapshoot

So what would be the difference W510 and T510? Why would someone take one over the other?

When the WUXGA 1920 x 1080 / 1200 screens are available I'll order one of these.. question is which one to go for? What are the parameters of differentiation to keep in mind?

T510's are Lenovo's mainstream business laptops. W510's are workstation class machines with more powerful, higher memory capacity graphics cards. They also feature the Quad Core i7 Intel processors as opposed to the Dual Core i5 / i7 Intel processors. Unless you do very graphics intensive 3D design, modeling & rendering, scientific computational work, etc. There is no need to buy a W510. You will save money when choosing a T510 and get a ThinkPad that serves you very well. I find mine an excellent improvement over my T500.

archer6 wrote:T510's are Lenovo's mainstream business laptops. W510's are workstation class machines with more powerful, higher memory capacity graphics cards. They also feature the Quad Core i7 Intel processors as opposed to the Dual Core i5 / i7 Intel processors. Unless you do very graphics intensive 3D design, modeling & rendering, scientific computational work, etc. There is no need to buy a W510. You will save money when choosing a T510 and get a ThinkPad that serves you very well. I find mine an excellent improvement over my T500.

Thanks. I am posting a new thread on T510 sub forum to weed out a config in that direction instead of a W5xx. Do share your thoughts there. Thanks
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 30&start=0

archer6 wrote:I find mine an excellent improvement over my T500.

Maybe me going here slightly off topic, but in what ways do you find your T510 improvement over T500? T510 comes with effectively lower resolution screens, both machines have graphics with almost identical performance, not to mention that the graphics of T500 is switchable, which allows for longer battery life when being on the road. Even cpu-wise, the performance difference is almost negligible, let alone the fact that T510 is wider (=bulkier?).

Marin85 wrote:Maybe me going here slightly off topic, but in what ways do you find your T510 improvement over T500? T510 comes with effectively lower resolution screens, both machines have graphics with almost identical performance, not to mention that the graphics of T500 is switchable, which allows for longer battery life when being on the road. Even cpu-wise, the performance difference is almost negligible, let alone the fact that T510 is wider (=bulkier?).

Loving it Do bring this argument to the other thread as well .. I'd like to know.

Marin85 wrote:Maybe me going here slightly off topic, but in what ways do you find your T510 improvement over T500? T510 comes with effectively lower resolution screens, both machines have graphics with almost identical performance, not to mention that the graphics of T500 is switchable, which allows for longer battery life when being on the road. Even cpu-wise, the performance difference is almost negligible, let alone the fact that T510 is wider (=bulkier?).

Great Question
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>> disclaimer I'm composing this on my BlackBerry while waiting at the airport for a flight* thus I'm working from memory, therefore I cannot be as accurate on some specs as I would be if on my ThinkPad. I'll do my best.<<
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There are many advantages to the T510 versus the T500. First is the decidedly better case design, structural integrity, and torsional stiffness. While I have the HD+ display, that's only because FHD was not available at time of order. As soon as they become available I will be ordering another T510 with that display. The reason I bought this one was to satisfy my desire as an early adopter to evaluate the new T510 model. Resolution aside, yes it's 16:9 vs 16:10 of the T500, however as you know, we no loner have a choice. It makes the physical size of the display approx 12mm shorter. That aside the new displays are a huge improvement in bright crisp colors. Good color saturation, great crisp blacks with terrific contrast, well defined fonts and icons. A beautiful display that once calibrated with the on board utility, snaps it into a well balanced high contrast display. As far as switchable graphics, that's a feature of marginal value and here's why. The new Core i7-620M runs at just 1.6 GHZ when doing light work, thereby saving more battery power than the switchable graphics combined with the fixed speed processor in the T500. When the demand increases so does the speed of the i7 chip all the way to 3.03 GHz. Thus the T510 is noticeably faster, even more that my modest expectations thought. It's cool, quiet and efficient. Battery life is also better. This is one of those situations where one reads about the computer and forms one opinion, only to find that once you own one and use it, your opinion changes based on personal real world usage of the computer. Finally to your comment on it being wider & bulkier. That was another pleasant surprise. Since it's narrower front to back and only marginally wider, it feels light (and it is by *0.4lb* via my weighing the two on my high quality, freshly calibrated small industrial scale).

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Believe me I've owned enough new ThinkPads to be quite jaded by now. And quite frankly I was headed that direction after the T & W 500's. With this latest round of new T & W series 510's I'm now excited about ThinkPads going forward. Are they Perfect ...No! Excellent... Yes!
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Cheers...

Hey archer,

In your listing of the advantages of the T510 over T500, you left out one (and I will attribute it to you being in a hurry, since you definitely brought it up before a few times).

Not ugly.

dr_st wrote:Hey archer,

In your listing of the advantages of the T510 over T500, you left out one (and I will attribute it to you being in a hurry, since you definitely brought it up before a few times).

Not ugly.

You are so right!

I forgot to bring up the fact that in my opinion this is the nicest ThinkPad in a long time.

We have our tasteful little red and blue trims back, and a one piece palm rest which really makes it creak free.

This is one excellent model, I only wish they would have kept the 16:10 display format. It's the only thing that I truly miss.


Today I bought the just released 15" MacBook Pro. Mainly because they are _finally_ offering the 16:10 hi-res 1680 x 1050 display that has Apple has resisted for so long. I will also admit that I've grown very fond of the speed of the Core i7 processor in my T510, seeing that Apple finally got around to releasing their Core i models, I was more than ready.

Cheers...

Thank you for your inputs

Now, my father is tending more towards the 14" T410 after seeing how smaller / lighter it is.

Any thoughts / recommendations on that front?
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 30&start=0

I was wondering how the i7-620 CPU you mentioned that comes on the T510 compares to the i7-720QM. From what you said, I formed the impression that the i7-620 is superior. Is that correct?

archer6 wrote:As far as switchable graphics, that's a feature of marginal value and here's why. The new Core i7-620M runs at just 1.6 GHZ when doing light work, thereby saving more battery power than the switchable graphics combined with the fixed speed processor in the T500. When the demand increases so does the speed of the i7 chip all the way to 3.03 GHz.

This is an interesting point: Nehalem vs. switchable graphics in the T5x0 series. This is what I have been able to dig out:

-> T500 (T9600, switchable graphics): T9600 has max TDP of 35W, Intel GMA X4500MHD can be assumed to have power consumption of ~4W for comparison purposes;

-> T510 (i5-520M, NVS 3100): The i5-520M has min power consumption of 16.6W according to notebookcheck, NVS 3100 has max TDP of 14W.

If I manage to find more information, I will add it here to complete the comparison

When I gave the other day my ThinkPad for warranty service, I stopped by some Lenovo shop and had a look at the T510. Without having my ThinkPad next to it, the difference in screen real estate was not that obvious at all. But now when I got back my Z61p, I notice the slight difference in vertical size. I am not sure whether I would be happy to use it in everyday´s work... I also noticed the weird keyboard layout in the ins/del area... and the fact that the caps lock key now has its own light buit in the key itself What I didn´t like, was the design of the new control buttons, now black again but not very ThinkPad-ish if I may say so, as well as that Lenovo has (re?)moved some LEDs from the front of the screen... Also, I didn´t like the look of the side speakers, kind of thick. At least the Lenovo logo was not engraved on the back of the lid in that ugly way...

BTW, have all ThinkPads lost the tiny signs over the various ports. I found this feature really cool and it makes working on different ThinkPad models much easier IMHO.

Cheers,

Marin

Are the new T510 WUXGA screens out as yet? May is close here.. ? Any news?

The W510's HD+ screen is significantly better than the W500's ever was is what I am inferring here. How much better is the W510's FHD display vs. its HD+ counterpart? I believe I remember that the FHD screen is an RGB LED screen, so would it be on par with the W701's 17" WUXGA RGB LED screen? Is the latter essentially a 17" W701 "FHD" screen?

NClens wrote:With everyone moving from 4:3 ratio to 16:10 or 16:9 screens, a 14 inch laptop with more than 900 lines of vertical resolution is rare these days. None of the 14 inch Thinkpads have more than 900 lines. You can get a 14 inch Sony Vaio Z series with a 1080 screen. However, you loose the trackpoint and will be paying a lot of money, since I believe only the signature line comes with this level of resolution. The Z is a very souped up machine though - Core i7, up to 2 SSDs, blueray, carbon fiber housing, etc.

https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/st ... 1644570897

Whats the LCD part number of the LCD in the Sony Vaio Z Series with 1920 x 1200 WUXGA LCD? If I wanted to where could I get one of those LCD replacement units?