Help me choose T520 (HD+ vs HD, Optimus vs integrated)

[iadorjan]

I apologize for starting this seemingly redundant thread, but I've spent the last 3 days reading through all the relevant posts and haven't found a good answer yet to the following questions:
I. Screen:
1. Is the HD+ (1600x900) screen qualitatively better from the HD (1366x768) one on T520 laptops? What I mean is quality in the broad sense, not just resolution and sharpness, which are obviously better on the HD+. According to the TAbook, they have the same nit value and contrast value, but many posts in this forum claim that they are not the same. I've also read praises of the HD+ screen, but there's little info about the plain HD, except people saying that it's lo-res, hence bad. Is it as bad as the T420 HD? Since I'm trying to decide between the two and resolution is not of utmost importance to me, I'd like to know more about how the two compare in terms of color, luminosity, contrast, angle distortion etc.
2. I've found comments about the HD+ coming from two suppliers, and one having an unpleasant purple/blue tint, which cannot be eliminated. Any more info about this? Also, what about the HD screen: there seem to be 2-3 suppliers for that too; are any of them suffering from the same problems as (one of) the HD+?
3. I've managed to find surprisingly little about the correlation between higher resolution and the likelihood of dead pixels. Again, there is some anecdotal evidence of people complaining about dead pixels on the HD+ screen (and also the similar T510, not just the T520!). Is the HD screen a "safer bet" in this regard?

II. GPU and Fan:
Does the fan on the Nvidia Optimus model run just as quiet and cool as on the model with Intel integrated graphics, when Optimus switches Nvidia off (i.e. non-3D-intensive work, such as MS Office, light internet browsing etc.)? Again, there seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence (complaints) about Optimus bugs, but what I'm primarily interested in is to have a machine that runs cool and quiet. My intuition tells me that the Intel integrated graphics machine is the better alternative (my wife has a T510 with integrated, which runs very quiet, even with the fan on), but maybe the Optimus auto-switch can achieve exactly the same effect. Or do the Optimus models still come with a better (copper) heatsink than the integrated ones (aluminum heatsink)? Does that make a difference when Nvidia is switched off?

My two possible choices:

For various reasons, I need a preconfigured (top-seller) model, not a CTO one, around $1000, and have narrowed my choices down to the following two:
T520 424049U
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834246106
and
T520 42404AU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834246124

The price difference is $120, and I know that the 9-cell battery, Optimus, and HD+ on the 49U model are well worth that difference. However, I don't need the larger battery (makes it heavier too), and am not sure about the pros and cons of Optimus and HD+ vs integrated and HD.
I currently still use my old T60 14" (4:3 aspect), with XGA (1024x768) resolution, which is about 90ppi. I'm pretty happy with that, and the HD T520 already has a higher ppi (around 100). My wife's T510 with HD resolution seems ok to me, but I wouldn't want to miss out on the potential benefits of the HD+. However, I'm a bit worried about the higher ppi (118) and the need to scale up to 125 dpi for web browsing, reading documents online etc. I'm 36 and my sight is good (no glasses, yet), but I'm kind of used to the lower resolution of my T60. I don't do any video or photo editing work, just reading (but a lot; entire books in pdf, scholarly articles etc.) and writing. But I also watch movies occasionally (this is not a top priority, however). Again, I know about the supposed benefits of the HD+ (e.g. having two pages or windows, side-by-side), but I'm worried that the fonts would be too small.

I would greatly appreciate any input or advice.

Thanks,
Steve

[agarza]

You will appreciate the HD+ panel.

As for graphics, unless you do heavy architectural/design work I don't think you need a discrete GPU, consider you get less battery life and more heat. The HD3000 graphics performance is very nice.

[underclocker]

You will appreciate the HD+ panel.

As for graphics, unless you do heavy architectural/design work I don't think you need a discrete GPU, consider you get less battery life and more heat. The HD3000 graphics performance is very nice.

Completely agreed - HD+ with either GPU and you'll be fine.

I have an Optimus T510 and Optimus T520, both are great, no obvious differences between the two either.

Also, check out the Lenovo Outlet - outlet.lenovo.com - you can often find great deals on one-off units. Items are usually listed after midnight, so check in the morning when you wake up for the best deals.

[ThinkRob]

You want the HD+ display.

And if you're not sure if you need Optimus, you don't. An integrated GPU will be fine (and better, in fact, if you ever want to use something other than Windows.)