Which one to keep? ThinkPad T420s or T430s

[technowiz11]

Hi!!

I've being a long time fan of ThinkPads, ever since my first ThinkPad T20 a long time back. I have in possession 2 ThinkPads, a ThinkPad T420s and a ThinkPad T430s. I was wondering which one I should keep, and which one I should sell.

ThinkPad T420s Specifications

Intel Core i5- 2.5GHz 2520M
8GB RAM DDR3
320GB SATA HDD
1600*900 HD+ Screen
Intel HD Graphics
Webcam+Mic

ThinkPad T430s Specifications
Intel Core i5- 2.6GHz 3220M
8GB RAM DDR3
320GB HDD
1600*900 HD+ Screen
Intel HD Graphics
Webcam+ Mic
Backlit Keyboard

I appreciate your help!

Thanks

[WVZR1]

I'd think it maybe only a "keyboard" layout to get over/adjust to. Your sig shows mostly older layout sooooo .....

I just got a T440 and an X230T and after all of the other earlier product I'm undecided. Adjustment for some is more difficult. T400, X201 and an older T60 are still hanging around and I need to decide also. My choice I believe is going to be easier because of technology changes.

Interesting keyboard comparison:

http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/think ... r-or-worse

[dr_st]

With the specs being nearly identical, it's a fairly trivial choice. T420s if you cannot imagine using a laptop without the classic Thinkpad keyboard layout, T430s otherwise.

[Kilkenny]

I would rather have a T420 over a T430 any day for the keyboard alone.

[brchan]

Agreed with T420s. The 3220M in the T430s isn't much faster than the 2520m in the T420s, anyways.

[hhhd1]

T420s: better keyboard layout.
T430s: much better iGPU and power efficiency, although, CPU raw performance is quite close.

[plympton]

T420s has an unlocked BIOS if whitelisting things like wifi cards is of any importance to you. I just put El Capitan on my i5 t420s. Neat.

[Puppy]

T420s has the right keyboard layout.

[lembang]

if i was you. I will keep t430s, I think i read somewhere that the latest t430 bios allow you to put t420 keyboard on it.
and also t430s run newer generation of i series.

[brchan]

T430 can accept T420 keyboards, but many keys (ie. 7th row) will not function, since they are absent on the default chiclet keyboard. There is no easy way of modding the bios on these *30 models.

[sktn77a]

T420s has an unlocked BIOS...........

Since when???

[systemBuilder]

Hi!!

I've being a long time fan of ThinkPads, ever since my first ThinkPad T20 a long time back. I have in possession 2 ThinkPads, a ThinkPad T420s and a ThinkPad T430s. I was wondering which one I should keep, and which one I should sell.

ThinkPad T420s Specifications
ThinkPad T430s Specifications

I have been fortunate to own almost exactly these two laptops (a T420 and T430s). I was so happy when the T430s came out because it appeared to mimic the more classic T42's that I have a fleet of (plus one T60p) at our house. Sadly, I have decided that the T430s is a TSO (Thinkpad Shaped Object). The laptop burns my thighs (cooling is not very good), has a 3.5 hour lifetime (not long enough to work even ONE evening without a sudden power-off under Linux), and the trackpoint - which I never ever used - snapped off by itself. Oh and the screen is almost as good as on my $150 chromebook (c720 i3).

The T420 (larger model) had an NV5200 accelerator, same screen, greater keyboard. I cannot discern a speed difference. It was a little bit thick and chunky but the giant 98+ battery lasted 8+ hours on a trip once when I forgot to bring the charger. T420, definitely. T420s? Sorry, I am unable to comment.

Don't make a mistake and become an owner of a TSO - Thinkpad Shaped Object.