T500 vs W500

[stuartf]

I am looking to buy one of these machines and the specs look identical:

The T500 is the 2441-58U
The W500 is the 4061-B13

They both have the 15.4 1680 X 1040 screen both have 4mg RAM, bot have 160 gb hard drive, both have USb 2 ports, both have Bluetooth, both have the same processor T9400.

Maybe the W500 has additional display capabilities and a camera which the T500 lacks., they are within $20 of one another.

Am I missing something crucial here? I thought the W series was the replacement for the old 61p, I do see it is ISV rated. Key for me is display and keyboard, so what are the details?

This is replacing an aged T43 with a wonderful IPS screen, not going to see the likes of that!

[ajkula66]

I can't pull either of the models that you've listed by their respective 7-character numbers...

W500 has switchable graphics which I believe T500 lacks.

I loved my "loaner" W500 apart from the screen (horrible WUXGA example). These are fabulous machines indeed. Not that there's anything wrong with T500, but its W cousin would be my choice.

And if you can't live without IPS...well, grab an EliteBook and make sure that you don't get caught...

Happy shopping.

[Anonymo]

W500 has switchable graphics which I believe T500 lacks.

I have the T500 and it has switchable graphics. ATI 3650, I believe. Unless that specific model he listed doesn't have switchable.

[ajkula66]

In that case, I stand corrected on the switchable graphics issue.

I do recall that W500 has V5700 GPU, which is supposed to be best one offered on any *00 series ThinkPad, though.

[stuartf]

Indeed, the W500 in question has the MobilityFire GL v5700 GPU, I can't find what lives in the T500.

There is also available a T500 with the 14 inch screen with the P8600 processor, also about the same price, I believe that this is an LED screen, as opposed to the CCFL of the 15.4 inch screen. In an almost 4 year old machine, might this be a concern? All the models come with a 1 year warranty and are "Ibm refurbished" at the IBM outlet

[dr_st]

What's interesting is that not only the Radeon 3650 in the T500 and the FireGL V5700 in the W500 are essentially the same GPU, in this model, the chip itself is even branded the same. Remove the heatsink on a W500, and you will be surprised to find "Radeon" markings on the chip. Even the OS often identifies it as Radeon, see here. It's really the same chip, only certain "professional" features are locked in the Radeon and unlocked in the FireGL.

[ajkula66]

Just went to IBM's site, and the T500 is actually a 2241-58U with WXGA LCD (1280x800) and Intel integrated graphics. Given the choice, W500 is definitely a no-brainer for $20 more.

[stuartf]

ajkula66

Thanks for the correction on the model number and the "no brainer" affirmation.