Looking at a T420s, anything to be aware of?

[Akilae]

Some of you may know my trials and tribulations with my T61P. It was a good machine that served me well, and for all of the GPU faults, lasted me 5 years almost exactly to-the-day. Today it finally died, and rather than finding creative ways to resuscitate it, I think it's time to put that old dog to rest. Which means new laptop!

I'm looking at a T420s, since I don't need anything cutting edge, but still need something respectable to carry out data analysis (via SPSS) and the occasional video editing (via Adobe Premiere), ideally with old-school Thinkpad ruggedness. Very importantly, I need it within the next 72 hours. However, the T420s listed comes across as unusual in that it has an i3, something that, according to my research, should exist only on T420i machines. Specifically:

ThinkPad T420s (4173-1A2); Black; 14.0" HD+ AG display (1600 x 900); Intel Core i3-2350M processor (2-core, 2.3GHz, 3MB cache); Intel vPro enabled; 4GB DDR3 Memory; NVIDIA NVS 4200M 1GB Optimus graphics; 320GB / 7200RPM HDD; DVD+/-RW; Webcam; Bluetooth; Fingerprint reader; Intel 6205 AGN WLAN; WWAN Ready; 4-in-1, Xpress Slot; 6 cell battery; Win 7 Professional 64

It seems like Lenovo just slapped on all the options and pushed out this last iteration of T420s machines, not that there's anything wrong with that. Other than the CPU, this thing seems to give all the current Thinkpads a serious run for the money.

If this is going to be my laptop for the next 5 years or more, is there anything horrible I should know about the T420s series, like how the T61P shipped with bad chips, bad thermal design, etc...?

[wolfman]

Good morning, I have a T420 (not the s version) and have been very happy with it. The specs are in my signature. One thing to know about that machine is that the CPU doesn't have vPro technology if that is important to you (it's listed above) you can confirm that with Intel here.

I'm thinking for video editing you'd need a fast CPU - if I had my choice, I'd look for a faster Core i5 or maybe i7 model with Intel graphics HD 3000. There are a number of T420 models (and some T430 at cheap prices) on the Lenovo outlet today. Maybe one of those would suit you, just might take 4-5 days to get one... I tend to avoid Thinkpads with discrete graphics (for reasons you well know).

Good luck!

[Akilae]

I need to be able to walk into any store and pick one up, or I need the thing to be able to be shipped to me within 24 hours, counting from Monday. Otherwise I'd love to stick to the usual CTO...

It looks like if I'm heading towards integrated graphics with a more powerful CPU, then the T430 would be the only way to go. And here I was hoping to avoid chiclets...

[wolfman]

Here you go... Thinkpad T420s, Core i-5 2520m, 1600x900, in stock, ready to ship: Tiger Direct - new and on sale for $729.99. Windows 7 professional 64 bit and a 3 year warranty to boot...

[wolfman]

Well good deals don't last.... now it's in stock and ships in 7-21 days... hope you got one before they were gone...

[Akilae]

I saw it too late Good internet deals always go fast.

[jayton4]

I spent a month going to the Lenovo Outlet page and checking the inventory about 5 times a day until my T420s popped up. I had to be quick as soon as I saw it. I couldn't be happier. It is my ultimate computer and by far my favorite.