T540p and T550 compared, need help.

[Quardah]

Hello.

Once again i come here for knowledge i know only here i will find.

I am currently running a T420 with the biggest battery configuration (70++) The system currently reports about 5h 30m of runtime at full screen brightness. It runs for quite a long time considering its 35W chip (i5-2520M Passmark score 3554).

I feel the specs are getting tighty, pushing me slowly for a change. Since it's my main computer (i'm a broke-butt student), i really feel the 1600x900 screen is lame (not FHD while FHD media is pretty much the standard over the web and in most video games), the GPU and CPU are running tight for every tasks i am doing and i will most probably use this laptop as a home server once i acquire a new one.

So yea, time to plan a change. I am currently looking at the 15.6 configurations (bigger is better since it's my main computer and the bag allows it) and before i make a move i would like some more infos when comparing two models : the T540p and T550.

Pros for T540p:
Much better processor Passmark score :

• Lowest i5 (i5-4200M - 35W) Passmark score 4037

• (Versus T550's lowest i5 (i5-5200U - 15W) Passmark score 3479

• Highest i7 (i7-4900MQ - 47W) Passmark score 9060 (astonishing!!)

• (Versus T550's highest i7 (i7-5600U - 15W) Passmark score 4257

Considerably cheaper than the T550 at this moment we are speaking (about 400CAD cheaper on the used market),
As far as i have seen, most T540p for sale have the FHD option and the NVIDIA GPU, which means finding a good fit seems easier overall.

Pros for T550:
Significantly lighter than the T540p, Power Supply is also significantly lighter (Both combined is about 30% lighter, quick estimate).

• T540p Laptop: 2.575 kg ( = 90.83 oz / 5.68 pounds), Power Supply: 454 g ( = 16.01 oz / 1 pounds)

• T550 Laptop: 2.1 kg ( = 74.08 oz / 4.63 pounds), Power Supply: 174 g ( = 6.14 oz / 0.38 pounds)

Expected better battery life (15W chip versus 35W or 47W chip in the T540p)
Somewhat better GPU (Nvidia 940M instead of Nvidia 730M)
ALL USB ports are USB 3.0 (Thinkwiki.de specifies superspeed only on one port on the T540p, it is not specified for the T550. Can anyone confirm T550 has SS USB 3.0?)
Is the new trackpad with physical buttons better?
Big issue, i cannot find any T550 with the NVIDIA 940M. Does it only exists on paper?


This is what i've compared so far, any insight would be appreciated.

Also, i would like to know if anyone has some actual battery benchmarks to compare the two. I have not found a 4th gen T-series vs 5th gen T-series battery comparison and i would be glad to get the numbers.

Also, can anyone give me some insight on the new TrackPads? Looking at both 4th gen and 5th gen, i'd assume, if they went back to physical buttons, it is somewhat better? Any info on this would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[RealBlackStuff]

Lots of people have put a Tx50 touchpad with buttons in their Tx40 machines without buttons.
It is apparently WAY better than the Tx40 crap.
No idea about the machines itself.

But I would go for a T430/T530/W530/X230 and mod the BIOS to put in a decent T410/T420/T520/X220 classic keyboard.
There's very little noticeable difference between Tx30/Tx40/Tx50.
And it would also be a lot cheaper!

[ajkula66]

As far as i have seen, most T540p for sale have the FHD option and the NVIDIA GPU, which means finding a good fit seems easier overall.

Do bear in mind that the FHD panel in T540p is sheer junk, not even close to what was found in T/W 510/520/530. The only good LCD for these two generations in the 15.6" format is the Panasonic 3K IPS one.

Also, can anyone give me some insight on the new TrackPads? Looking at both 4th gen and 5th gen, i'd assume, if they went back to physical buttons, it is somewhat better? Any info on this would be appreciated.

Given that you're coming from a *20 series machine, I would *strongly* suggest that you try before you buy...

I don't know about FHD being a standard over the web, but if video games are important to you, there are numerous other manufacturers whose offerings are far better suited for gaming than any ThinkPad...

[Quardah]

Thanks for the quick replies!

RealBlackStuff: Thanks for the tip. I will defenetly start comparing the T530 as well just like you mentionned. Also, if i get a T540p i will most probably change the TrackPad like you mentionned. It looks odd.

ajkula66 : Thanks, i didn't know the FHD were that bad. I'll look for a 3K display then. I guess that would be nice to have, it's a nice upgrade overall. Also, i will try to test the newer generations ThinkPads.

What i meant by "standard" is that youtube/most streamings/Movies/TV series/games are becoming quite common in 1080p. It's a sweet spot for streaming everywhere because it doesn't use this much bandwidth and the image quality is quite cool.

For the video game part, i play very little videogames, mostly old games/emulators/2.5D rpgs (LOX, Darkest Dungeons, MMX, minecraft, indie titles on steam). They do not require much, but "bruteforcing" them with a dedicated GPU usually does the trick well. Those games sadly have difficulties running on Intel HD (60fps any resolution), and any dedicated is overkill. Using Optimus technology i can choose when it's powered, therefore it's best of both world.

Any GPU is the sweet-spot for my need, turns out in the ThinkPads you get the option (in used laptop) at a good price. I don't really care the ~50$ price difference, it allows me to play everything i want to. It's about 20% of my usecase with the laptop therefore i'd rather get it. It's a work laptop first of all, that's why i gotta go with ThinkPad; they get the job done quite right.

[Quardah]

The 3K screen on a T540p is very rare on eBay

Except the marketplace here, anywhere else i could be looking for a ThinkPad?

Thanks.

[ajkula66]

The 3K screen on a T540p is very rare on eBay

From what I can recall it was a $300+ upgrade when these systems were new. And Lenovo was at one point pretty much giving away T540p units with standard FHD panels, they were well under $800 on sale and I'm not talking about the Outlet...so the 3K IPS systems are likely to be somewhat rare. Having said that, if you *must* have a newer 15.6" ThinkPad, that screen is worth the wait and extended search IMO.

Except the marketplace here, anywhere else i could be looking for a ThinkPad?

Your local Kijiji I guess....no clue, really.

[hhhd1]

The t540p with FHD can have the screen upgraded with a better one, usually the upgrade will cost between 70 and 100 usd for the new high quality panel.
unlike the t550, which can't be upgraded later on.

[ajkula66]

The t540p with FHD can have the screen upgraded with a better one, usually the upgrade will cost between 70 and 100 usd for the new high quality panel.

Where are you getting this price range from? Sheer curiosity on my end.

[hhhd1]

The t540p with FHD can have the screen upgraded with a better one, usually the upgrade will cost between 70 and 100 usd for the new high quality panel.

Where are you getting this price range from? Sheer curiosity on my end.

http://www.screencountry.com/index.php? ... IBM-Lenovo

FHD IPS compatible with T540p:
matte: 67usd
glossy: 92usd
+shipping

if you contacted their support, they will tell you which panel exact model they will send.

usually, most edp with 2 lanes with brackets mounts will work with this laptop, and their price is usually in the same range.

there was a thread on notebookreview.com that list exact panel models that can work, but unfortunately i can not find it now.

[RealBlackStuff]

Problem with screencountry is, they only send you compatibles, just like most crappy ebayers do...
Be warned!

[ajkula66]

Problem with screencountry is, they only send you compatibles, just like most crappy ebayers do...
Be warned!

Exactly.

Proper panel with a FRU will set you back $200 or so.

[hhhd1]

Problem with screencountry is, they only send you compatibles, just like most crappy ebayers do...
Be warned!

That is not always true.
if you contacted their support and requested a specific panel exact model, they will send you the exact model, they will confirm first that they have it in stock.

[Quardah]

Thanks for the responses.

I do not know if i am willing to get into all the fuss of changing the screen. It's not really cost-efficient; you get to pay for a device you plan never to use.

I am looking at the T440p model right now.

Pros for T440p:

• Less expensive than the T540p (about 200$USD cheaper for the FHD model)

• Stock FHD panel is IPS

• Same specs available as T540p (except the screens, no 3k available but wtv)

• Lighter than the T540p overall (considering the power adaptor, total 2790g vs 3029g, 239g lighter)

• No numpad, therefore no weird keyboard offset.

For some reason, notebookcheck's review of the T440p states that the power supply is heavier than the one that comes with the T540p. Can anyone confirm this is true? I feel like this could be a mistake from them. (Link to T540p review on notebookcheck here for reference)

Also, any insight on the stock FHD on the T440p? Is is considerably better than the one on T540p because it's IPS?

Can i change the TrackPad for a Tx50 generation TrackPad on the T440p as well?

Or, anything i am missing in my comparison that i should be aware of?

Thanks again for your assistance you guys are the best !

[ajkula66]

Also, any insight on the stock FHD on the T440p? Is is considerably better than the one on T540p because it's IPS?

While the "panel lottery" is present on these models, even the worse panel (LG) will beat the garbage labeled as FHD on T540p any day of the week and any hour of the day.

Can i change the TrackPad for a Tx50 generation TrackPad on the T440p as well?

AFAIK, yes.

Or, anything i am missing in my comparison that i should be aware of?

Not that I'm aware of. If you're intent on getting a *40 series system, T440p is a sane pick.

[Quardah]

Also, any insight on the stock FHD on the T440p? Is is considerably better than the one on T540p because it's IPS?

While the "panel lottery" is present on these models, even the worse panel (LG) will beat the garbage labeled as FHD on T540p any day of the week and any hour of the day.

Can i change the TrackPad for a Tx50 generation TrackPad on the T440p as well?

AFAIK, yes.

Or, anything i am missing in my comparison that i should be aware of?

Not that I'm aware of. If you're intent on getting a *40 series system, T440p is a sane pick.

I gotta say i really appreciate the help man. Thanks.

I'll stay tuned for a good deal for a T440p. Luckily i can get something great at a good price. I'll chip in to change the TrackPad module and i'll be set for another 4 years.

Some other questions comes to mind though:

Considering the T440p can come with either a 35w and 47w chip, is it the same cooling system? Sometimes under linux using the discrete GPU it gets super hot (over 90C lol), i'd believe a cooling system developed for a 47w chip using a 35w chip would be somewhat more efficient and less likely to be hot?

In other words, is it the same cooling mechanism whatever the chip is installed in the laptop?

And what do you mean by "panel lottery"? There are many manufacturers? Any way i can know before i buy?

Thanks.

[ajkula66]

I gotta say i really appreciate the help man. Thanks.

You're very welcome.

Considering the T440p can come with either a 35w and 47w chip, is it the same cooling system? Sometimes under linux using the discrete GPU it gets super hot (over 90C lol), i'd believe a cooling system developed for a 47w chip using a 35w chip would be somewhat more efficient and less likely to be hot?

Check the appropriate HMM. While I explicitly refuse to work on any ThinkPad newer than *20 series so I can't say I've gutted out a T440p, I'm reasonably certain that there were different heatsinks offered.

And what do you mean by "panel lottery"? There are many manufacturers? Any way i can know before i buy?

Screens were produced by both AUO and LG, and the latter was reported to have issues with backlight bleed and/or image retention. You'd need the serial number to run it against the Lenovo database using the "parts lookup" link on order to determine which LCD was originally installed in the system.

Happy hunting.

[Quardah]

To all my friends in here,

I found a good deal for a T540p on eBay. For reference, in October 2016, got it for 560US.

i7-4600M
nvidia 730M
57++ battery
1x8GBram
500GB HDD
FHD screen (will change later)
Ultrabay has dvd burner

I ordered everything to max it out instantly (256GB M.2 SSD, another 8gb ram, the 5th gen trackpad & an eSata expresscard 34)

Many thanks for your help during my time of choice. This laptop will be a TOTAL KILLER!!!

I AM SO HYPED TO GET IT

[David Shlo]

Lots of people have put a Tx50 touchpad with buttons in their Tx40 machines without buttons.
It is apparently WAY better than the Tx40 crap.
No idea about the machines itself.

But I would go for a T430/T530/W530/X230 and mod the BIOS to put in a decent T410/T420/T520/X220 classic keyboard.
There's very little noticeable difference between Tx30/Tx40/Tx50.
And it would also be a lot cheaper!

Hi.
How would one do this?

I can't stand the off-center T550 T540P keyboard and would love to swap it for a T510 or T520.

What change does one make to the BIOS and how does one change the palm rest, so that the trackpad will be under the trackpoint?

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.

Here's the touchpad how-to: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads ... od.769254/

NO chance to swap ..10/..20 keyboards into a ..40/..50, this option is only available into a ..30.

[David Shlo]

Thanks.

[Quardah]

Hi all.

Just an update here from my last post, i upgraded the T540p and i am very happy with the ThinkPad, it fits my need perfectly.

From the base specs i had, i :

- Removed the HDD entirely
- Dropped in an m.2 256gb Transcend SSD
- Upgraded ram from 8 to 16GB
- Changed the trackpad

Now it's a killer laptop.



Cheers!

[Quardah]

Hey guys. Kinda necrobumping this thread but it's kinda related.

I got my T540p right now, works great, but the panel is [censored], as you stated above (FHD panel has low color accuracy, and the left side has sometimes a yellow and green line appearing -_-)

I was planning an upgrade somewhat soon but i don't know if i should go 3K or try to fit in a 4K panel from the T570.

Obviously the 4K panel with be better than 3K, but the expected downside is the lower battery life first and the considerable GPU load, plus i can't know if it'll fit... and it's more expensive...

Which one would you get and why? Or maybe upgrade to a better FHD screen? (less costy option).

Thanks.