Is W500 a good choice?

[Sleepy664]

Hello.

I'm looking for a laptop that would completely replace my aging desktop. As I don't play games anymore and I don't see a point in spending huge money on computers anymore (found out there are other things in life to spend on ), I'm looking for a good used one.

My idea is W500, which would sit in a docking station (connected to a stereo and 27" LCD) when I'm at home, and which I could take with me while going out.

W500 looks like a good bang for a buck, but maybe there are some other choices which I overlooked. So...what would you buy if you were me?

[QWERTY Andreas]

The W500 is a nice machine. It is quite similar to the T61s, but other than the Graphics Card (the FX570m of the T61p can be 25-50% faster with OC) it is better in a lot of circumstances.

It have discrete Graphics. Slow by todays standard, but capacble of playing a lot of games in "low" - but doesnt matter for you
It have Integrated Graphics when you are "on the go". Less power, and less heat.
It have 3G modem, when you are on the go. Other TPs have it too - but its quite common in the W500
It supports DDR3 RAM, which is a LOT cheaper than DDR2 on the T61s.
It doesn't have any major faults.
It is extremely cool. I can run mine, on Integrated Graphics, without the fan turned on. The temps will stay below 50C (idle is below 40C) under light load

The bad Things about the W500 is the awful screen. The IPS screens of the T60 (and before) is a lot better, so is the new LED screens. Thus you might consider one of the T510/410s.

But the W500 is a safe bet.

[underclocker]

Welcome to the forum!

In general, the T and W lines are nice, solid machines.

Not sure about availability there, but in the U.S., a used T510 is quite reasonable in price (about $300 and up). The T510 has the more modern and powerful Intel Core processor and newer chipset. These are fast and quiet machines. The displays are generally quite good with the FHD display being excellent.

The W510 adds a more powerful graphics chip plus USB 3.0, which is nice for backup. However, the AC adapter is much bigger, not great for travelling.

For non-gaming, you probably don't need the powerful graphics chip in the W500 or W510. Even a T500 would work, if you stayed in that Core 2 Duo-based series.

Good luck.

[Sleepy664]

I thought about the W510, but T510 seems like a better option.

Is the T510 FHD really so much better than WUXGA on previous models? I've read some stories about Samsung LCD's, but I thought LG is OK.

[underclocker]

I'd say that all the FHD panels on T510/W510 were gorgeous.

I'd also say that all the HD and HD+ panels that I've seen on T510/T520 models have been consistently good quality.

Without question, panels on T61/Z61m/T500/R500 were hit or miss depending upon manufacturer. Some looked great, others not so. It was luck of the draw.

An FHD T510 with an SSD would be ideal on the value/age/performance/quality scale, IMHO.

[QWERTY Andreas]

The FHD LED displays on the newer machines are extremely colour correct (once calibrated) - and have a nice 270nits backlight

[Sleepy664]

OK, It looks like T510/W510 it is. Will be checking eBay and Craigslist regularly Thanks.

[sbddude]

I just purchased a W510 to replace a 17" Mac. I am very happy with the purchase. The convenience of docking the machine and the compatibility with my X220 work-provided machine are great. I chose the W510 over the T510 because of USB3.0 and 4 RAM slots.

The W510 does just fine with a 90W adapter for travel with a simple modification to the computer or adapter.

[Sleepy664]

Hmm... I found out that instead of W510 I could also get a Dell M4500 or an HP 8540w.

Google Search revealed that this dilemma was quite common in 2010...

[ajkula66]

Hmm... I found out that instead of W510 I could also get a Dell M4500 or an HP 8540w.

Google Search revealed that this dilemma was quite common in 2010...

Indeed.

The final choice will depend on what your priorities are.

They are all pretty interesting machines.

For me, ThinkPad wins solely because of its keyboard. If you're used to "other" layouts, both M4500 and 8540W are good choices...

[Sleepy664]

OK, I've disqualified HP. Few years ago I had a 6830s, it got a two backlit buttons under the screen. Their light at night was unbearable and 8540w has even more of them. And its "ThinkLight" (or Night Light, how they call it) is rubbish

(Look! UFO! http://i.imgur.com/fj7VK.jpg )

///I think I'll get the M4500. I just hope tomorrow I'll think the same...

[600X]

I had a W500 once. Without any doubt a great machine. My ATI died though, which is starting to become a problem among W500's. However, it rarely happens and even if it does, you still have the Intel.

My W500 had a WUXGA screen but awful screen quality, so I got a brand new Sharp WUXGA (Lenovo never used this panel) and it looks great. Much better than the original.

Other than that a very solid machine, runs cool, easily upgradeable and enough performance for years to come. I can definitely recommend it. A T500 is almost identical apart from the screen and GPU. Might be an Option as well.