Is this a good deal?

ThinkPad T420 i7 (4236-D85) for £600/$956
It's an upgrade from my T500 dual core (check my sig)...will i see a massive difference when using windows note pad ?? or shall i go down to i5?

Incase you don't know, i will be sticking 2 SSDsi in and 16gb rammed up it's backside for good measure.

I'm based in 'Rip off Britain' so spare me the 'its cheaper over here bull' : )

Thanks guys...any suggestions..or do you know of similar spec brand with more bang for buck?? i need your help right now.
I love and doubly hate Lenovo with all my heart.

Thanks.

 

Not that much of a good deal, there isn't that much difference in performance between the Dual Core i5 and i7 processors to warrant the extra premium. The Sandy Bridge Core i5 are decent processors and plenty fast for most applications, I never had times when I had second thoughts about my i5-2520M processing power and I tend to do graphical design work and occasional Virtualization. Then again, most processors nowadays should run Windows Notepad without any issues!

I would look around the £400-500 mark for a second hand T420 at this time, especially since you're already thinking of upgrading the unit anyway so you might as well start with a cheaper base. But do look out for systems with the HD+ screens (1600x900) and an Intel Wireless card fitted by the manufacturer.

 

I would say what would be more important is that it has the 1600x900 panel as having a 1680x1050 T500 to a 1368x768 T420 is a disappointment.

 

thanks for advice fellas!! I think i've come good.

ok I purchased a T420 its brand new!!! I thought they stopped making em? Anyway it's from some liquidation stock via a site called gumtree.

The battery had 1 cycle!! not a scratch/dust or a dink anywhere...so i believe its new. dates on the battery ac is 2012 and on laptop too.

Specs

4236-A22

i5-2520M(2.5GHz),
16GB RAM,
320GB 7200rpm
HD, 14in 1600x900 LCD,
Intel HD Graphics,
DVD, Intel 802.11bgn wireless,
WWAN option,
1Gb Ethernet,
UltraNav, Secure Chip,
6c Li-Ion,
Win7 Pro 64
Warranty Full inc parts labour till 2014 Dec 2 days turn around,

All for £450!!! Originally asking £500

Anyway next thing is to put my SSD drive in ..also order a ultra bay from china and an extra SSD.

Can i have a 3 drives? like the T430?

Yes i love the Screen...its acceptable!! not that different from the 1680 x .. also its lighter than T500, so i can carry it around without permanently damaging my spine!

Now i usually don't need thev bloat software thats comes bundled...so can i download a os from microsoft as i have a serial number...the chap told me it has to be a OEM? What would you do? I hate all bells n whistles...i make mine look like XP. I find its more efficent...or maybe with these specs it would't matter? I'm looking for near zero latency to work with audio.

I have a rescue partition on the HDD..at least i shold back that up to a dvd? before i take that drive out? there's no place for HDD on this system...ALL Ssds from on. I work with samples and audio.

Thanks all!

 

thanks for advice fellas!! I think i've come good. windows notepad works swiftly on this machine!!:thumbsup:

ok I purchased a T420 its brand new!!! I thought they stopped making em? Anyway it's from some liquidation stock via a site called gumtree.

The battery had 1 cycle!! not a scratch/dust or a dink anywhere...so i believe its new. dates on the battery ac is 2012 and on laptop too.

Specs

i5-2520M(2.5GHz),
16GB RAM,
320GB 7200rpm
HD, 14in 1600x900 LCD,
Intel HD Graphics,
DVD, Intel 802.11bgn wireless,
WWAN option,
1Gb Ethernet,
UltraNav, Secure Chip,
6c Li-Ion,
Win7 Pro 64
Warranty Full inc parts labour till 2014 Dec 2 days turn around,

All for £450!!! Originally asking £500

Anyway next thing is to put my SSD drive in ..also order a ultra bay from china and an extra SSD.

Can i have a 3 drives? like the T430?

Yes i love the Screen...its acceptable!! not that different from the 1680 x .. also i can carry it around without permanently damaging my spine!

Now i usually don't need thev bloat software thats comes bundled...so can i download a os from microsoft as i have a serial number...the chap told me it has to be a OEM? What would you do?

I have a rescue partition on the HDD..at least i shold back that up to a dvd? before i take that drive out? there's no place for HDD on this system...ALL Ssds from on. I work with samples and audio.

Thanks all!

 

That's a good price for the specs and condition, congrats!

Yes you can have 3 drives at once - Main HDD Bay, Ultrabay HDD and mSATA drive just like the T430. However unlike the T430 on the main hard drive bay you're not height restricted to 7mm drives, it can also take standard 9.5mm drives so your choice are greater.

Unless I'm mistaken the Windows 7 disc can cater OEM product keys as well as retail ones too, you can get a copy of the Windows 7 discs here. But to be honest you don't need to input the product key at all if you use the ABR method. On the standard factory drive just run ABR Backup application and it will copy all the activation certificates and product key for you, reinstall the drive with a fresh copy of Windows 7 matching the previous edition then run the ABR Restore application. From there it should automatically activate the OS for you with minimum fuss.

The Recovery DVD's will create a rescue partition anyway so you can safely remove the existing partition once you have completed your recovery discs.

 

thanks for the help man!!! very kind of you.. generally i image my drives..after i put load all my software.. thats an option right? rather than a partition thats useless if drive dies?

my t500 ultra bay fits and functions but leaves a gap...should i bother getting the 12.7mm from ebay...takes 28 days postage from china...pain in the *ss

Also whats better for now...ultra bay ssd or msata? which is more beneficial..?