just ordered a T410s today.. now I have a few questions

[pac8819]

Estimated ship date is 5/7/10.. I'm extremely excited for it to arrive.

The notebook I'm upgrading from is an old ibook G4 that I've had for about 5 years but is now dead. I almost purchased a 15" macbook pro today (am I allowed to say that here?) but came to conclusion that the T410s is superior in many ways for my intended usage. I kept everything pretty much standard on my order.. the only thing I changed was the "Thinkpad bgn" wireless card to "Intel Centrino N-1000" (it was a $0 cost option and I thought it would be better than the thinkpad bgn card). Choosing the right wireless card really confused me and I'm not sure if I made the right choice.

At my house we use an old 2Wire wireless router connected at standard DSL speeds.. I will also be using the thinkpad at my campus but I'm not sure what routers they use there. I was worried that the Intel 6200/6300 wireless cards may be too advanced and not compatible with the wireless in my house or other areas.. So I'm wondering if I made a good decision to go with the Intel N1000 wireless card? I understand that the intel 6200/6300 cards have 2/3 antennas but wasn't sure if I would encounter problems trying to use them at my house or anywhere else.

T410s Specs:
-Intel Core i5-520M
-W7 Professional 32
-WXGA+
-Intel Graphics. don't need dedicated gpu for anything and the option wasn't even available.
-2gb memory. will add another 2gb sometime down the road
-250gb hdd
-Intel centrino n-1000 wireless
-trackpoint/pad/fingerprint reader/camera/bluetooth
-6 cell battery

I'd prefer not to change my order but if the intel 6200 or 6300 wireless cards will be a significant improvement over the n-1000 I'd consider altering the order.

[Harryc]

The Intel N 1000 is backwards compatible with older wireless technologies. Looks like a nice card ...
http://download.intel.com/network/conne ... 323015.pdf

[pac8819]

The Intel N 1000 is backwards compatible with older wireless technologies. Looks like a nice card ...
http://download.intel.com/network/conne ... 323015.pdf

thanks for the reply. after some research it seems like the 6200/6300 are also compatible with older technology if I'm understanding things correctly. So I guess the only advantage for me to get the 6200/6300 would be the possibility of increased reception from having more than 1 antenna (if any increase at all). Does wireless coverage or reception normally increase by having more than 1 antenna or is that not the point of having multiple antennas? If the difference is marginal at best, then I'll probably just stay with my current order.

thanks in advance

[Harryc]

Well, MIMO is supposed to increase WiFi range/coverage, and the N 1000 has it. The issue in your case is your old router. You are limited to 802/11g, so it really does not matter which adapter you get, it will not take advantage of a 3rd antenna, Spatial Division Multiplexing, or MIMO. Now if you were to invest in the latest 'N' router, that's a different story.
http://hothardware.com/News/TRENDnet-Br ... it-Router/

[pac8819]

I've decided to keep the current configuration with the N-1000 that I ordered. The reasons for this are that I've never had problems receiving wifi on computers in the past (aside from a few apple notebooks) and even if I upgrade routers I'll still be able to receive signals in 2.4ghz. I'm sure that the t410s wireless performance with N1000 will be better than anything I've used in the past because of the case structure and antenna placement. I can always install a 6x00 card later if needed.. I also can't afford to push my delivery date out any further.

[pac8819]

UPDATE: Last week I canceled my T410s order b/c I wasn't completely happy with it. My dad just got a Thinkpad but this is my first so I should have done more research before I submitted the order.

So this morning I ordered a T410i b/c the deal was too great to pass up with everything that was included in the configuration. Some things that I didn't like about the t410s I ordered was the port location and 1.8" hdd since I don't want to go ssd right now. Also, since the screen is the same and the footprint is the same on both, I figured I'm better off with the t410. Price is also a factor, right now I can't justify the premium to shed a 1/4" off the chassis. I'll be happy with the t410 and wait 2-3 years for prices to come down on slim thinkpad models when they become more standard. I'm thinking the t410i should be a good starting point for my first thinkpad ever..

T410i Specs:
-Intel Core i3-330M
-Windows 7 Professional 64
-WXGA+/(1440x900)
-4GB DDR3 Memory (2x2)
-Trackpoint, Pad + Fingerprint
-Camera
-500gb/7200rpm hdd
-9 cell battery
-Bluetooth
-Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
-3yr warranty
-and I also threw in the Thinkpad bluetooth laser mouse

expected ship date is 5/14.