Lenovo Thinkpad T410 Owner's Lounge

Could you upload some pics? What resolution do you have?

 

I have never owned a T410s. However, I have read on this forum that some T410s have problems with battery life and heat. I am not sure how valid these concerns are but they have been reported here. If I am mistaken, then I withdraw my comment.

 

I have the ThinkPad T410s Optimus. Battery life is fair (3.5-4 hours) on the single main 6 cell.

My machine runs VERY cool. Barely gets warm.

 

Thankfully, the Timeline (TM) is available for 10 easy payments of just 99.99. What's more, if you reply to this post within the next 10 minutes, we'll throw in this Timeline (TM) signature case for FREE. That's a 45 dollar value, yours free -- just reply within the next 10 minutes and its yours!

Kidding aside, the screens on the T410 units that I've seen aren't anywhere near that bad. You're either extraordinarily unlucky, or you're exaggerating by a good bit.

 

I haven't evaluated the new generation of the timelineX but I certainly did the ones that were out a few months ago. I seriously considered the 4820 but didn't like the chicklet style keys and keyboard, or the glossy 1366x768 screen.

I much prefer my matte 1440x900 screen. I do agree Lenovo needs to improve their screens. There's a big difference between the 14" screens and say the 15.6" screen on my W510. I color calibrate all of my LCD panels and laptops.

 

Guys, everytime I want to purchase one, I look at this thread. And always find something which tells me not to buy it...

 

Well, the you will never buy a laptop, because there will be always some issues, unless you have unlimited budget

 

if you are going by forum responses for your purchase, you won't get anywhere. I say look for a dealer to test out one in person or just buy it.

You'll always hear more cons than pros.

 

Another way to do this would be to do what kdhar suggests above (post#908) - go to a dealer/ reseller - handle the machine and then decide. After you have bought the machine, then come onto the forums and assess how your machine performs against the comments on this and suchlike forums. Either of two things will happen. You may be pleasantly surprised by your experience of the machine OR you could end up regretting your purchase.

 

OK. Thanks. Noted.

 

Like what? I have a T410 and the T410s Optimus. I don't have any problem recommending them.

Something in particular you would like to know?

 

I'm one of the people who have complained about issues with my laptop, however I've never stopped recommending them.

We seek perfection so naturally it is very easy to point at the 1 think we consider wrong instead of give praise for the 100 things that are right.

The T410 is a very good laptop. I suggest you try one.

 

Hi Lenovo Gurus,

I just bought a new t410 with dedicated graphics and being new to thinkpads I have a noob question. I can't seem to figure out how to turn on the dedicated card. The windows system rating shows a 3.1 rating for the graphics which I assume is for the integrated chip.

I apologize in adavance if this has been answered before but I couldn't find an answer. Any help will be duly appreciated. I just hate to think I might not have got a dedicated card and will have to return the laptop.

 

The T410's dedicated graphics will switch automatically via NVIDIA Optimus (seamlessly). The Windows Performance Index does not switch/turn on the NVIDIA chip therefore you only see 3.1 rating.

You'll see the performance bump when you load up graphics demanding applications like games, hd videos and sometimes youtube videos.

If you're unsure you have the dedicated graphics or not, head over to Device Manager and see display adapter.

Lastly, if you're curious to see the NVIDIA chip turning on/off based on apps you launch, you can download two test tools here. Screenshots of the tools provided in the link.

Enjoy your sweet new T410! I'm still waiting for UPS to drop mine off =\.

 

What is the exact model you have?

 

FYI: Latest Lenovo Intel HD drivers came out recently and I installed them yesterday. Took my WEI up a little bit so they must have some performance tweaks in there.

Graphics was 4.2/5.2, now 4.4, 5.3.

Not much I know, but each release adds a point value or two. For anyone on the original drivers it might be worth the update.

 

Thanks Khadr,

I do in fact have NVIDIA card, it says so in the display adapter under device manager. I also found it in the NVIDIA software under the manage 3d settings tab.

I will definitely enjoy this machine. I have always owned consumer laptops and the build quality of business machines is so much better that I will never get another consumer laptop again.

Good luck with your laptop.

Halobox, not sure of the exact model. Problem solved though.

Cheers,

 

thanks. i'm debating whether or not i should build my t410s with the nvidia graphics or just stick with the intel hd. if wireless display were to work on this machine, i think i would be swayed enough to forgo nvida.

 

The other option might be to disable hybrid graphics in the bios when you need to use widi. Optimus laptops may/not be the same, but with my T400 if I choose Integrated Only in the bios, the Intel sourced driver is used instead of the 4500MHD driver from Ati.

 

that's an interesting suggestion. i wonder if anyone can replicate results on a t410/t410s?

 

Where can I check if there are any new drivers for the Nvidia NVS 3100m?? I've been searching on the Nvidia website but haven't come up with anything useful...

EDIT: Never mind I found it. If anyone wants the link here it is: NVS 3100M Driver (Windows 7 64-bit)

 

Hello,

i am curious if there are any canadians in here who have the Gobi 2000 WAN option? have you used it, and on which network (fido, rogers, telus, bell?)

thanks

 

before i starting, i've got a message "FAN ERROR" can any body explain this messages. thank you very much. MY Laptop is Thinkpad T410

 

I'm a little confused. By the look of the specs of the Sandy Bridge processors and their sockets. It seems like the laptop sockets have not changed and we can upgrade to Sandy Bridge Quad-Cores if we want to.

 

Sandy Bridge cpu's will not be compatible with the current socket.

The Sandy Bridge Review: Intel Core i7-2600K, i5-2500K and Core i3-2100 Tested - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

 

That is the Desktop CPUs. I'm referring to the mobile variants.

 

The CPU fan are either not working or may possibly not be connected to the system board. See the T410 Hardware Maintenance Manual for more information on the CPU fan.

First check to make sure if the fan connector hasn't been accidently dislodged from the socket, otherwise you'll need to replace the fan. If you're under warranty you can get this replaced.

 

thank you very much brother, it's under warranty and i has send my Laptop to the dealer authorization maintenance

 

Hey fellow T410/Thinkpad owners!

So, ever since I received a new hard drive from Lenovo/IBM since my old one stopped working (it wouldn't get past the Windows logo during bootup), I've been getting a black screen with white text from Intel during bootup. I get the usual Thinkpad logo followed by this screen where it says its trying to find Intel drivers or something. It says it fails and exits. The next screen is the usual Windows logo screen. I'm wondering if there's a way to remove this since it seems to be making bootup times longer.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

 

Hello Lenovo fans,

I decide to buy T410 and need you suggestion regarding price.
for this configuration 1250$ is ok??:
Intel Core i7-620M Processor (2.66GHz, 4MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)1
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 6412
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight (WWAN antenna)
NVIDIA NVS 3100m Optimus Graphics 512MB DDR3 with AMT
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5
6 cell 2.6Ah Li-Ion Battery - Dual Mode60
Bluetooth w/ antenna
ThinkPad bgn Wireless10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65
2516: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller7

 

Sup folks!
Ive become sort of proud owner of T410, beside loud fan issue there is one thing Im interested in.
And that would be...
Build quality - while my unit feels more solid and stronger than my R400 that it replaces, ive noticed something that I would like to clarify as to whether it is just normal engineering solution and my machine is not faulty.

When I look at the left and right sides of my laptop above ports where the speaker grill is I see that speaker grill panel is not perfectly straight line nor is it geometrically accurate-symmetrical.
While it appears that there are no dents in laptop sides as in visually obvious defective plastic parts and everything seems to fit together tight there is slight downwards curve above VGA port and around the same area above DVD drive on the right part too, tho to bit smaller extent but still visible when looked from front or back laptop corners.
I dont have pictures of actual unit, Ill post them tonight/tomorrow, but here is example of what Im talking about:



And its not like its symmetrical on both sides nor is it visually appearing as being symmetrical form-wise on their own. Note that the dent/curve is not symmetrical by itself and it is of different location on each side and with different "depth" to it. So Id like to clarify whether its engineering quirk or, faulty unit?!

Edit:
http://msinetpub.vo.llnwd.net/d1/keithcombs/blog/images/t410/left.JPG

See above VGA its visible curved downwards, T410 is 2nd from bottom.
Overall the sides dont seem to be straight and appear to be rather curved.

Edit2: For the record neither of those pictures are mine or of my unit.

 

Looks like they may be adding some thickness to the plastic above the VGA connector, possibly for extra strength there. I have to say that my unit doesn't have this and it looks straight to me, but even if it did, it's so small a thing I'd never notice as it's on the side of the unit.

 

Trust me, when you take a look at it and compare to my R400 you cant ignore it.
And its not bumped upwards, its curved downwards, thus it doesnt appear like some additional plastic being added for strength over VGA port, take a look at first picture and second one - clearly visible what I mean with it if you pay attention to picture with red line and the next one with ThinkPads stacked

 

Yeah, the red line kind of killed it for me as it means I can't see the plastic.

I agree that looking at the second does actually show the plastic not sitting flat, not being thicker.

I'm guessing that was a bad assembly as mine is flat.

 

Thats the whole point - it doesnt look like plastic parts are mismatched, they all fit well and tight and doesnt seem to rattle or move at all.
Now, its either faulty palmrest that should have been of uneven thickness and thus be flat or its faulty laptop base, but in that case how on earth such base could have passed into the wild in apparently big quantities?

Im waiting for input from other owners, not sure this issue deserves its own thread, unless people are not responding in this thread by overlooking it.

That would not be cool if I cant remove fan noise and stay on high temperatures and at the same time I get faulty plastic parts, again

 

Actually, I just removed mine from the dock and took a photo for comparison.

I have the same issue in that the plastic doesn't sit flat.

However the 'ripple' in the speaker grill is a little further along sitting over the Ethernet connector.

 

Thats weird, go figure, could you post picture?
And take a look at the right side as well?
Not sure but I think Ive seen flat ones so would like to investigate a little bit further.

Also, hows the fan noise on yours, is it loud, did you have to do some mods to get rid of it, how is CPU temp?
Thanks!

 

Veer, see attachment.

Fan is never silent but I guess I'm used to it now. Definitely nosier than previous Thinkpads, main reason being the fan never stops.

 

I'll attach a picture later, but I just looked at my ThinkPad T410 and it does seem a bit uneven.

ThinkPad T410 Side - a set on Flickr

Here is a set of photos I took with my phone on the side. There's a little crease by the VGA adapter, but nothing as big as the others.

 

Taking picture from front corner would make it more visible, try that way
Well, looks like everyone has one, so its perfectly fine I suppose and I didnt get a lemon again
Tho it seems strange that others might have received perfectly flat ones.

Waiting for more pictures to come in just for the peace of mind

 

I can't say I'd ever noticed this before you pointed it out so I can say it's not something I'd even classify as an issue with the unit.

PC runs fast, is solid and I enjoy it which is what matters to me. There are bigger issues than this, but none of them are show-stoppers. It's not as good as some previous Thinkpads I've had, but I'm not unhappy with it.

 

Given that its not only on my unit Im fine with it as it doesnt appear to be defect then

 

Hopefully someone can help me with a quick answer. When I ordered my T410i a couple months back, I only had DDR2 ram put in.......and I believe you can't have a DDR2 and DDR3 stick be compatible together, so does anyone know if I can just put in two 4gb DDR3 ram sticks and actually have 8gb of RAM working on the T410i? or is there a limit to how much RAM this laptop can have and use?

 

Its impossible to put DDR2 RAM into T410. You have DDR3 1066Mhz or DDR3 1333Mhz RAM.
And yes, you can buy two 4Gb DDR3 sticks and put into T410 to have 8Gb of RAM with no problems.

 

Do you know what the maximum amount of RAM I can put in?

 

max of 8gigs

 

I've just had the same thing this morning. I've had my machine less than 3 weeks! Here's a fix that got mine to boot, at least for now:

Lenovo T410 fan error upon boot Apttech's Blog

Called Lenovo support and they said I'd have to send it back to be fixed and it would take 5 working days! They don't seem to care that I've had it less than 3 weeks! It's developed the fault the first time I've taken it home from the office (in a padded sleeve in a padded crumpler bag). I'm sure it would have developed the fault if I'd taken it home in the first few days! This is sold as a business laptop and I can't do any work without it.

Seems like it's a common problem:


Re: T410 dies after THREE HOURS of usage ? Extreme... - Lenovo Community

Re: T410 CPU fan failures? - Lenovo Community

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...zqi-DA&usg=AFQjCNHUNR8IGiIljS9mXVDTo99ClVM_kA

Lenovo fan error Problems

I thought I was paying for a good brand. Stay away from Lenovo I guess.

Rolo.

 

This is why I wish more companies would push fanless systems, even if it sacrificed some performance.

 

More creative cooling solutions should be applied instead of using the same old cpu-fan cooling system.

 

Does the ThinkLight still exist on the T410? Just as looking at some photos and I don't see where the light is?
Thanks