3EZ warranty question + suggestion on a specific machine.

[Wiking]

Hi,
Tried to get an answer but the info is not clear to me.
I found an T520 model that has 3EZ warranty that is still active by the Lenovo site.

System Summary
Product ID:
4240A17
Model:
4240
Serial Number:
**********
IMEI:
-
Location:
USA
Base Warranty
Start Date:
2011-12-30
End Date:
2015-01-08
Warranty Type:
3EZ
Status:
Active

I currently live in Ukraine and want to know if this machine will be covered here in Ukraine.
what 3EZ means ?

Also, is this a decent upgrade from my old T60 ?
Which parts can be upgraded (besides RAM and HDD) ? CPU upgrade to I7 is possible ?

[Cigarguy]

I would think Lenovo would be the one to ask concerning your warranty.

Yes the T520 is a significant upgrade (hardware wise) to a T60. My fondness for the T60/X60 generation is the Flexview IPS screens and 4:3 format which is not available on anything newer.

A T520 is a typical Thinkpad which means most everything can be upgraded. Wither you want to do this or not and wither it's feasible is up to you to decide.

[ajkula66]

Yes, it will be covered in Ukraine, according to this page:

http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/iwslookupthink#

EZ3 is your basic "depot" warranty, no clue on what the equivalent in Ukraine would be, you'd have to ask Lenovo about that.

As for the specs...

5-2520M(2.5Ghz), 4GB RAM, 160GB Solid State Drive, 15.6in 1366x768 LCD, Intel HD Graphics, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11agn wireless, WWAN option, Bluetooth, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure Chip, Fingerprint reader, Camera, 6c Li-Ion, Win7 Pro 64

The LCD sucks...the rest is passable...

[Wiking]

Yes, the LCD is basic. Which Fhd can I put in? Do I need to replace the inverter/LCD cable too?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[ajkula66]

Yes, the LCD is basic. Which Fhd can I put in? Do I need to replace the inverter/LCD cable too?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Any FHD from T/W 510/520/530 is a straight swap, using the same LCD cable.

[Wiking]

And Lastly to be sure: from the specs, it doesn't have nvidia discreet graphics.
Also, the seller saying that it has regular 500gb HDD.
Cosmetic it is 9.9 of 10. Worth 350$ ?

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[ajkula66]

Cosmetic it is 9.9 of 10. Worth 350$ ?

Local sale in Ukraine or ???

[Wiking]

Yes. My biggest problem with buying in the USA is the postage cost. It seems that nobody wants to postage for less than 100$.

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[ajkula66]

Well, T520 is a pretty big and heavy machine. I've shipped dozens of laptops to Ukraine, and it was always $60+ even for a much smaller laptop.

$350 is not a bad deal at all if the machine is right there for you to cash it out...

Then you can install an mSATA SSD in the WWAN spot and use the existing HDD for storage.

[Wiking]

Thank you for helping. You right about the deal. The LCD issue can be solved but my biggest concern is a lack of Nvidia GPU. I'm not play games but watching fhd movie is must, few programs running in the background is also.
This upgrade from my old T60 should be at least 50% Faster ( I know that using ssd in main drive will give me a great push in performance). Today my T60 equipped with duo 2 t5600 CPU, 3gb ram, 750gb Scorpio black in main drive and 500gb Scorpio blue as ultrabay drive. After using the Win7 for more than two years, the PC is not responsive as I would want.
Maybe I am wrong but having CPU with more l2/l3 cache will also effects the overall performance and Here the i5 has only 3mb.

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[ajkula66]

Thank you for helping. You right about the deal. The LCD issue can be solved but my biggest concern is a lack of Nvidia GPU. I'm not play games but watching fhd movie is must, few programs running in the background is also.

You'll be fine with FHD movies. As for "programs running in the background", it all depends on what these programs are...

[SkiBunny]

Maybe I am wrong but having CPU with more l2/l3 cache will also effects the overall performance and Here the i5 has only 3mb.

I just got two T520 units: a 4243WD1 (i5 with nvidia 4200) and a 4243B36 (i7 with HD3000 only). All have FHD.

I find no performance difference between the i7 and i5. None. At least for the dual core i7. Some "professional" reviewers have said the same. They said that because the i5 in laptops all have hyper-threading (unlike for desktops), so the performance upgrade from i5 to dual-core i7 is miniscule and a waste of money.

The main difference is that the i7 runs up to 10-degrees hotter. So I'd rather NOT have the i7 in T520.

If you need i7, go to the W520 because it is designed to handle the hotter i7 processor. My W520 with i7 Quad runs as cool as my T520 with i5.

As for FHD, the genuine FHD screens are no longer made, and you can probably now find only the inferior "compatible" panels. These should probably be avoided and you should limit your search to a 520 that comes with FHD. The 15" HD+ screens are flawed and cannot be properly calibrated, the 14" HD+ screens are better and the 15" FHD are best. So avoid 15" HD+. And as ajkula66 pointed out, the 768 screens are even worse.

Coming from the T60, you will be disappointed with all these panels, but the 15" FHD is best of the lot.

[ajkula66]

Coming from the T60, you will be disappointed with all these panels, but the 15" FHD is best of the lot.

OP's coming from a 14" T60, so his eyes were not spoiled by FlexViews like ours...he'll be fine...