Thinkpads Forum

I mainly use my PC for everything. My backup laptops are outdated. My T43p is still in my closet as a bookend. Basically what I am looking for is a 14" or 15" Thinkpad T series. Which model is the best to get? I plan on using it as a project. I have seen the T410's as low as $180 from those refurb companies. The T430's in the $300-350 range. All the stuff I am looking at is i5 processors. I plan on putting in an SSD and probably 8GB of ram.

Skip the T410 and T510, the first gen 'i' processor that they have runs a bit warm and the next generation found in the T420/T520 is a good step up in performance. Basically, get a T420 if you want something a bit more mobile. If you want a better screen, and don't mind the extra size, a T520 with FHD display would be a good option. If you don't mind the keyboard layout, the T430/T530 will be faster and slightly cooler.

brchan wrote:Skip the T410 and T510, the first gen 'i' processor that they have runs a bit warm and the next generation found in the T420/T520 is a good step up in performance. Basically, get a T420 if you want something a bit more mobile. If you want a better screen, and don't mind the extra size, a T520 with FHD display would be a good option. If you don't mind the keyboard layout, the T430/T530 will be faster and slightly cooler.

Agreed on all counts. Not to mention faster integrated GPU performance between Arrandale and Sandy Bridge. There's a bigger jump yet between Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge GPUs, but the FPU performance jump isn't as much as it was between Arrandale and Sandy Bridge. Battery life/heat output is supposed to be significantly better in Ivy Bridge... though I get about 9 hours from a 9 cell on my T420.

I'm not a fan of the *30 and later designs, so I had it in the back of my mind to get a T420 for a year or two as a successor to my T61p before I found a good deal on one with the Quadro GPU option (I only paid $230 for it about 4 months ago - it was still in warranty too). I've since upgraded it with more RAM, an mSATA SSD (awesome option for keeping the HDD for storage without having to ditch the optical drive), i7 CPU (dual core) and a BD-RE drive. You can do the same upgrades (less the mSATA SSD on the *10 series) on the others. The T5*0 series can handle the heat from the quad core i7s, although not as high in frequency as the dual core i7s. Something to consider if you expect yourself in the upgrade market for CPUs and want the ability to scale to more cores at the cost of single threaded performance.

If you're looking for the best performing units, consider the W series. They're basically the continuation of the "p" suffixed lineup after the T61p.

Does the T420 have an M-SATA connections for an internal SSD? I am thinking if it does using the standard HDD as a media drive and getting a 128GB for the OS as a boot drive. Thanks for the feedback.

Here is one example of refurbished T420 on newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product $240 after rebate.

The 1 year warranty is pretty important to me. Not so much as needing it because I will heavily mod whatever I get. If they have a 1 year warranty on a refurb it means they are not selling junk.

I don't see the resolution listed in the link that you posted.
If you get a T-420, be sure to get one with 1600x900 resolution,
many were made with lower resolution screens.

Or just get a W-520/530 with FHD.

brchan wrote:Skip the T410 and T510, the first gen 'i' processor that they have runs a bit warm and the next generation found in the T420/T520 is a good step up in performance. Basically, get a T420 if you want something a bit more mobile. If you want a better screen, and don't mind the extra size, a T520 with FHD display would be a good option. If you don't mind the keyboard layout, the T430/T530 will be faster and slightly cooler.

I strongly agree with all above, you could still consider the *10 series, since you can find very good deals, much cheaper on the T410/T510, compared to the more recent generations *20/*30

The *10 series performance is still better than core 2 duo processors, which are still relevant for average office tasks.

So it may depend on what you will be using it for, if you need the better battery life, or the extra performance, you will have to skip the *10 series

if you do any light gaming, then consider the *30 series, with the much better iGPU

Hans Gruber wrote:Does the T420 have an M-SATA connections for an internal SSD? I am thinking if it does using the standard HDD as a media drive and getting a 128GB for the OS as a boot drive. Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, it does. I am using a 256GB Crucial M550 in mine alongside the original 320GB platter disk.

Based on the link, that machine is the standard 1366x768 screen and does not have the nVidia GPU. If you're leaning towards a T*20 but want to have the biggest amount of headroom in GPU performance, I'd continue to search for one with Optimus. The NVS 4200m is about 20% faster than the HD 3000; however the HD 4000 you'd find as a baseline in the T*30 is some 25% faster still compared to the NVS 4200m. The screen you can always upgrade later though. The highest resolution you can install in the T420 is 1600x900. You can get a FHD 1920x1080 panel for the T520.

Hans Gruber wrote:
The 1 year warranty is pretty important to me. Not so much as needing it because I will heavily mod whatever I get. If they have a 1 year warranty on a refurb it means they are not selling junk.

I'd beg to differ.

Refurbs sold on New Egg are third-party ones and I've seen many dirty, less-than-well kept systems from there. Pay a few bucks more and get one here on the forum from a reputable seller.

And no, I don't have a machine to offer you...

I get the newegg newletter with daily deals and they have Thinkpads. That is where I got the idea to get a cheap refurbished Thinkpad.
This one is a T430 on ebay with more bells ans whistles.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SALE-Lenovo-Thi ... 51cefb1b1c

Do the T420/430's have dual band wireless? 5ghz band.

Found this reseller on Ebay who only has A grade Thinkpads and he seems to have the reputation to backup his listings in his reviews. This is a T410 with discrete graphics $230. His 420's are $330.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-LENOVO-THIN ... 3f4aaa90a0

What do you guys think?

All T420 models and above support the 5GHz networks. I would avoid buying from newegg or amazon for refurbished models. Unless you know exactly what the unit looks like, you could get a bad unit and end up wasting time and resources.

brchan wrote:All T420 models and above support the 5GHz networks. I would avoid buying from newegg or amazon for refurbished models. Unless you know exactly what the unit looks like, you could get a bad unit and end up wasting time and resources.

I think I found a good ebay reseller. This one is the T420 for $320 with discrete graphics. All his stuff are A grade stuff.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-LENOVO-THIN ... 3f4aaaa7c2

Looks good. 4GB ram is a bit low, but ram is pretty inexpensive today anyway.

I think I found a good ebay reseller. This one is the T420 for $320 with discrete graphics. All his stuff are A grade stuff.

Looks like a good item/seller. Looking at his feedback he has sold a lot of these.
The only major advantage of the T430 vs the T420, IMHO, is USB 3.0, and
I have a 34mm USB 3.0 expresscard adapter which works well in my T420.

If you want some product information on it, I'll look it up.

What is most important to me is getting something that is in mint condition. You know how some people want the best deal vs something that comes with manuals and a seller with a long and good reputation. I think the T420 model is what I end up with 1600x900. This seller sells a lot of the Thinkpads.

I use my custom built PC for gaming. I have a 3570K @4.5ghz and 16GB of ram. Will the T420 run CS:GO and Insurgency type games well with the discrete graphics card?

The NVS 4200M found in the T420 is based on the GT 520m. It seems like it would handle your games fine.

Hans Gruber wrote:Will the T420 run CS:GO and Insurgency type games well with the discrete graphics card?

Yes, even with the integrated graphics, according to this:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-G ... 948.0.html

"We could measure smooth frame rates in games like Dead Space 3, World of Tanks, Fifa 13, Torchlight 2, Counter-Strike: GO reach, Diablo 3, and many older games, though usually only in minimal detail settings"

The dedicated should be a bit better.

I think I will go with a T410 to start with. I will probably be getting a couple of thinkpads over the next few months. Any thoughts? One with discrete graphics. I will see how 4GB of memory works and eventually upgrade to 8GB and add an SSD as the main drive.

Hans Gruber wrote: Any thoughts?

Make sure - and I can't stress this enough - to get a machine with a 1440x900 panel. These may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but the 1280x800 found on these systems are sheer junk.

Clean the fan and replace thermal paste immediately after receiving the system.

Apart from being stuck with 8GB RAM and SATA II speeds - as opposed to 16GB and SATA III on T420 and higher - these are fine laptops.

Do T410's with the NVS 3100 discrete graphics cards all come with 1440x900 screens? I contacted an ebay seller and I am currently awaiting a response. The other thing is a webcam, I don't really want one but do they simply come as a feature instead of a slew of options?

Hans Gruber wrote:Do T410's with the NVS 3100 discrete graphics cards all come with 1440x900 screens?

No.

The other thing is a webcam, I don't really want one but do they simply come as a feature instead of a slew of options?

No once again.

Ask for a 7-character model number (aka MTM) located on the same sticker that holds the serial and the production date on the bottom of the machine. Then run what you get against the "MTM" link at the top of this page, and you'll get the factory configuration for the machine in question.