Questions about the T420

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BearlyBearable · #1 Post by **BearlyBearable** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 11:35 pm

Hi! For my highschool graduation, my grandparents are buying me a laptop. Now, they're both former educators, so they're being pretty generous, letting me spend up to $2000 on a laptop (included in that $2000 must be an extended warranty... I'll ask about that as well) for college.
Anyway, a couple questions I have are:

•Are the displays really that bad? Are they bad enough that I should at another laptop?
•T420 or T420s? I think I read that the 420s has USB 3.0 and the T420 doesn't? Is this something to take into consideration? Is the added portability of the T420s worth the extra money?
•HDMI port? I don't think the T420/T420s have one... what are my options for 1080p output (movies to TV, etc).
•Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters - I don't know what I'm looking at here... any suggestions?
•Battery - is the 9 cell a lot heavier? Is it worth the upgrade? Do I want ThinkPad 65W AC Adapter with USB Hub - US? I'm planning on mostly using my computer in my dorm, but it'd be nice to have at least a few hours of battery life when I'm in class, etc.
•Warranty - My grandpa is making it a requirement to make an extended warranty a part of the 2 grand. Do the T420's have a history of bad batteries? Is the 3 year battery protection worth it? Would the 3YR Onsite + 3YR ThinkPad Protection be a solid choice?

System components
Intel® Core™ i7-620M Processor ( 2.66GHz 1066MHz 3MB )
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
Intel HD Graphics
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz
14.1" WXGA TFT 1280x800
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
320GB 7200
DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
6 Cell Lithium-Ion
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR
One year
None
Services and software
3YR Onsite + 3YR ThinkPad Protection
3Yr Battery
Accessories
ThinkPad 65W AC Adapter with USB Hub - US

System components
Intel Core i7-2620M Processor (2.70GHz, 4MB L3)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
14.0 HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
Intel HD Graphics 3000
8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
720p HD Camera
500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD recordable multiburner
Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader
6 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55+
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
Bluetooth 3.0
ThinkPad b/g/n
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
Services and software
3YR Onsite + 3YR ThinkPad Protection
3Yr Battery
Accessories
ThinkPad 65W AC Adapter with USB Hub – US

My older cousins have mostly all bought MacBooks, just about topping out their $2000, so I'm not really too scared to spend it all. But I put the laptop that my school is offering for student discount just for comparison.

Okay, so basically that's all of my questions. Overall I'm really impressed with what I've seen from Lenovo. Right now I'm torn between the T420 and the T420s, and if not one of those, then probably a 13 inch MacBook Pro.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to help me! I'm a first time laptop buyer, so this whole process has me pretty excited!

TL;DR - Answer my questions.

Thanks!

#2 Post by **Harryc** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 5:29 am

I removed reference to student prices (not allowed to be discussed here) and moved the thread from General to the T4X0 forum where it belongs.

Q-Ball · #3 Post by **Q-Ball** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:26 pm

To answer your questions in that order:

No, the displays aren't really that bad, and I think the DreamColor IPS displays (HP) are out of that price range. Just make sure to get the 1600 x 900 option.

Yes, the T420 lacks USB 3.0, but the question is, will you miss that? Do you have any USB 3.0 devices laying around to use with this computer?

Also, the T420s is just a thin-and-light version of the T420. If you don't mind carrying a bit of a heavier load around it's not really all that worth it. It's also got less battery life, and reportedly lasts only a few hours (2-3) compared to upwards of 6 on a ThinkPad with a 9-cell battery (W520, even).

Yes, the T420(s) has an HDMI port- it's packed into the DisplayPort so you'll need an adapter- and it will output audio with the right adapter (make sure you get one that's got an audio pass-through).

Yeah, go with the Ultimate-N. When your wireless connection on campus isn't very good you'll appreciate the stronger connection.

No, the 9-cell isn't a lot heavier than the 6-cell. Yes, it's worth the upgrade. And if you're using this computer as your main machine I'd go for that extra adapter, if not a dock if you've got a larger monitor you want to use already or a large number of devices that you don't want to have to unplug every time i.e. external speakers.

ThinkPads are pretty good when it comes to batteries. I haven't had one "break" on me but they do wear out over time depending on how intensively you use the notebook. If you're using it for note-taking as I do you'll probably be looking at a new one in about 2 to 3 years' time.
Does your chosen college have an IT department that does warranty work for Lenovo? If it does, just get basic 3-year coverage since you can take it right in if it breaks, but if not I'd go to On-Site depending on how important the computer is to your work. Add Accidental Damage if you want it.

And now for a few more questions:

Does it need to be 14 inches? Since if you go to 15", you can get a vastly more powerful (and better-looking) laptop.

Case in point is the W520 which is 1838 before tax, which is outfitted with the following:

i7-2720M
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
15.6" 1920 x 1080 Full HD screen (97% colour gamut)
NVIDIA Quadro 1000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200 RPM
DVD recordable multiburner
9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
3-year warranty (depot)> ThinkPad Protection is pushing the limit at $1978

And this is leaps and bounds more powerful than either of those two systems (I wouldn't consider the first one since that's already out of date), it's got a better screen, and that also has a 6-hour (at least) battery life.

And this isn't using discounts/coupon codes, which (as referenced by the above post) you seem to know about already (and if you don't, Google it- it's worth your time).

hunterman223 · #4 Post by **hunterman223** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:30 pm

In my opinion, I would get the best T420 that you can afford, as you will definitely feel the extra weight of a 15" screen. I which is more important, weight or lots of power. The T420 provides the best balance if power and portability, and with discrete graphics, a good i7 CPU, and ultimate N wireless it will be very powerful and future proof.

Q-Ball · #5 Post by **Q-Ball** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:10 am

TL;DR? So you didn't actually notice that I answered every single one of your questions?

Here- since you don't want to read the detailed answers to your questions I'll do this instead.
In the order asked:

No; others are worse, except Macs and DreamColor HP's.

T420, unless you want a very thin-and-light notebook; you're right; have any use for the port now?; depends on what your usage is.

Yes- get an adapter from DisplayPort that carries audio; other than that you've got VGA only.

Ultimate-N 6300 (faster, better connection)

No; yes; yes-it's good to have a spare charger.

No; not really; depends if you are clumsy/don't have a dept. on campus or nearby that does Lenovo warranty work.

It's hard to harvest information if you're TL;DR'd, by the way- I need some information, and the question above was:

Does it have to be 14" or can it be 15"? Also, does it have to be thin-and-light or do you want more power?

Anyways- just price out different configurations: make sure to use the [redacted] when pricing out your options (you know what this is, not too hard), and see what that 2000 dollar ceiling will get you.

Vempele · #6 Post by **Vempele** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:30 am

Who are you talking to?

hunterman223 · #7 Post by **hunterman223** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 9:23 am

TL;DR'd? What makes you think that?

Q-Ball · #8 Post by **Q-Ball** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:32 pm

Thought the first post was edited. That's all.

hunterman223 · #9 Post by **hunterman223** » Sun May 01, 2011 5:59 pm

Ah. Just saw that at the bottom, had to click "see more" with the iPhone UI.

Nice. :/

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