Looking to get a T500...but...

Looking to get a T500, but where are all the good deals of the pass?
The coupon thread doesn't list any good coupon codes or the codes don't work at all.

Also, the price seemed to have risen for a T500 last time I checked about a month ago.

Should I wait until August to purchase...maybe more back to school sales then?

 

The deals come and go. You will just have to wait and make different configs till you get the right one.

 

Hmm, I just ordered a T500 2 days ago and I got a total of 30% off and the free shipping. It's already 15% off the original price at the lenovo site and the coupon code I used was another 15% off. I used CAPSEARCHJULY (I don't know if it'll work on the USA site though).

 

USPVISTA

is for 15% off T500's with Vista Home Premium

 

Shoot me a PM if you're interested in the one in my sig - or check my FS thread.

 

So it seems like most of the codes work for non-USA site?

@mattmcss
May I ask why you are selling the T500? What has been your experience with it?

 

Good rule of thumb; don't buy until you NEED to do so. If you can wait, then wait. Keep checking prices and coupons and if you find a good deal build the config and save it as a Quote (an option on the checkout page).

You aren't obligated to purchase the quoted system and you have 30 days in which to order the quoted system at the quoted price even if the coupons/promotions have ended. Caution though, you cannot change anything in the quoted configuration.

 

Yea you guys...all those codes above that you all listed don't work. =\

Currently my T500 equipped with:

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) 25W1
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium12
15.4" WSXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with 256MB with Intel Advanced Management Technology
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN) with My WiFi Technology10
Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable65
9 cell Li-Ion Battery60
2081: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller7

= $1,302.00

trying to keep it around 1k, which worked for me a month ago when all I used was the student website, but apparently prices have shot up a lot.

 

actually, I just found a 15% off code that WORKS:

Save 15% on ThinkPad laptops and 10% on IdeaPad laptops [Exp. 07/13]
Use Lenovo coupon code USPSEARCH

Expires today though... it gets the price down to

= $1,106.70 which is alright I guess. Lets see if I can stack anything ontop of the student discount.....

 

ctbear,
Have you looked at sites like dealigg or techbargins?

 

Yes...I just took a look at dealigg, but last time I purchased my t61p, notebookreviewforum was my only reliable source for great discounts and the such. Times have changed it seems.....

 

CT - I tried to PM you but for some reason I cannot.

Only selling to build a desktop rig with dual monitors and a cheap laptop for school, my experience with the T500 has been wonderful, I couldn't have been happier with a lappy.

shoot me a PM if you want to chat more about it, or feel free to email me matt04wj at gmail.com

 

Well...specifically, I'm looking for any coupon codes that I can stack on top of student discount to get a great deal.

 

Alright, if you change your mind let me know, mine is in mint condition and shows no signs of use other than the battery count meter.

Also I can sell without the 2nd HD and adapter to give you a better price - just PM me.

 

damn CA tax and recycling fee =\.........

quoted build with coupon USPSEARCH = $1,106.70 + tax $107.91 = $1,230.61

 

15% might be as good as it gets for a few weeks... but prices go up and down day by day. I found that Monday is the most expensive day of the week... configured my T400 on Tuesday last week and saved $50 from the Monday price.

 

^Yea..it's so weird...prices fluctuate every day so much. Hoping it falls around 1k for a t500 configured with WSXGA+ screen

 

I think that price is doable, but you have to be patient if you can(if you HAVE to have it in 2 weeks for school etc, well, then you can't do anything about that).

 

You can try the outlet...I was checking there for T400 and found couple new ones...maybe there will be some for T500 too

 

Ok...one more thing that has recently been brought to my attention and may break my choice:

ISSUES with the switchable graphics on the T500 being very problematic and driver crashings

Are they still prevalent or has radeon/lenovo not successfully fixed them yet with a patch that's long overdue?

The issue seems to destroy the advantages of switchable graphics....

 

My T500's graphics drivers have never crashed on me, and switchable graphics works flawlessly. I have hooked my laptop up to external displays before, although I have never docked my T500 before, and haven't had any issues at all.

 

^hopefully it's only an isolated problem...but lots of people on other forums show symptoms...

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=T400_series_ThinkPads&thread.id=9898

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=T400_series_ThinkPads&thread.id=13387


Hopefully they've fixed the issue by now...

 

Do you need to have a discrete GPU?

 

Yes...CAD work with some gaming on the side.

 

If the focus is CAD work, you should look at the W500 instead, as it has a more CAD-appropriate FireGL graphics card.

 

I agree, the W500 with WUXGA screen res.

 

Yes...that's why previously I've owned a T61p with the Quadro workstation card. However, from my experience, I don't think it's worth the price premium especially when I'm trying to keep it around/under $1k.

Yep, I've been spoiled with WUXGA from my previous t61p before it died...

 

What kind of CAD work are you talking about? 3D or 2D?

 

Mostly 3D renderings for presentations etc.
I'm looking to get great components at a great price around 1k...I've been looking at ODMs like Clevos, Compals, Asus as well since they offer the best bang for the buck, yet I'm worried about build quality and they seem to lack community support over on their thread.....

 

ctbear,
So will you be looking at the W500 instead now? If so post what config you want and maybe we can try to come up with the best deal for you. Also are you against buying from Lenovo Outlet? There are some very good deals to be had there and they come with a 1 year warranty. If you are a bit more of a risk taker then you might want to check ebay. I just bought and got my machine from ebay, and it look great. This was the first time I bought such a large purchase from there but I think it is working out great. Just some ideas I am throwing out. I think you can get the W500 for the price you are asking(or very close to it) but you got to keep patient and keep looking for deals.

 

alright will post my two builds equipped as I want them to be...

wow weird...just noticed that for the t500

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor P8700 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) [$0.00]

$0.00 upgrade from the base P8600?

 

T500 as configured $1,302.00


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor P8700 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
15.4" WSXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with 256MB with Intel Advanced Management Technology
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
1.3 Megapixel Integrated Camera
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
Express Card Slot & PC Card Slot
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN) with My WiFi Technology
9 cell Li-Ion Battery
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 90W AC adapter

---------------------------------------------------------------------
W500 as configured $1,398.00


Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) 25W
Microsoft Windows XP Professional US English RDVD
15.4" WSXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 (512MB VRAM) with Intel AMT
1 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
1.3 Megapixel Integrated Camera
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
Express Card Slot & PC Card Slot
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN) with My WiFi Technology
Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable
9 cell Li-Ion Battery
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 90W AC adapter

(OPTIONAL +$200.00 for WUXGA...not sure if it's worth it..)



Remember, this is on the Lenovo USA regular site. Prices are lower for CCP and Student, but not as near 1k as I want it to be....

 

Oh..just remembered.

Is that AMEX (American Express) Tailormade discount still around? I remember stacking it with CCP/Student and even a discount code when I purchased my T61p back summer of 2007.......

 

any ideas?????????????? =]

 

ctbear: to me, the systems are very alike, but both the quoted systems are 1GB ram down on ideal: the T500 comes with vista, which ideally should have 3MB. the W500 comes with xp, which ideally should have 2GB. as the T500 has both ram slots filled I suggest upgrading to 3GB by replacing one 1GB ram with a 2GB. with the W500 just add a 2GB ram into spare slot. there is little between the systems other than OS - but you should consider going up to Windows 7 when it comes out anyway (free on both systems?) - easier to upgrade from vista than xp (requires clean install). i find the W500 with 3Gb ram and vista better than xp with 2GB (but not a quantum improvement, except for being able to use switchable graphics in vista, which is very very handy. for that feature alone, i would choose vista) - but I will be upgrading t 7 when it comes out for sure. if you want to remain with xp, just get the W500 with a little more ram. if you want to run windows 7 I would get the T500 and add a little ram. the only other difference is in the dedicated gpu, which is insignificant unless you are running CAD programs (choose W500), or have a game that needs the extra ram of the W500 gpu. be aware that the 9-cell battery sticks out the back. if you don't need the extra battery life, get a 6-cell, which is flush. only get the WUXGA if you really know what you are doing. many dislike it - it is trickier to set up, and some programs can never be got right for it. for others it is wonderful. do you really need the fingerprint reader?

 

how do i access a student discount?

 

thanks for your reply antskip

I'm not worried at all about RAM/OS at this point. I already have it/enough to upgrade a new laptop with, and RAM is dirt cheap to upgrade aftermarket anyways...

My previous T61p had a WUXGA screen...I loved it, but I think I can live without it, as it does put extra strain on the gpu.

Fingerprint reader is a plus.

I'm trying to find a great price...around 1k for either one. That would definitely seal the deal for me.

 

http://www.lenovo.com/shop/deals/usstudents

for USA of course....

 

thank you sir

 

my grandpa works for ibm so i got the employee discount on top of the 4th of july sale, i saved like 700 bucks!

 

1) only 2GB DDR3 ram is cheap at the mo. 4GB is ridiculously expensive still.
2) WUXGA screens put very little extra extra strain on the gpu compared to a WSXGA screen (the ppi difference is 147:128). In fact it runs just fine on the dedicated gpu. This is my third machine with these screens over 10 years and every gpu has got much stronger, but the screens have pretty much stayed the same. If you like WUXGA, it is really the best. If you just want maximum frame rates for games, probably don't get a Lenovo. There are plenty of much superior frame-rate machines out there! The best, though, just happen to have WUXGA screens because however good the frame-rate, you still have to look at the images pushed around on on the screen, and nothing beats HD for any image-laden activity, including text! It is the gpu(x2 if possible) and (less so) the cpu that makes the difference. But for 2D, even integrated gpu on the Thinkpad is almost overkill... . There is nothing revolutionary about a WUXGA that needs special consideration. It just has slightly more PPI than WSXGA+, which in turn has more PPI than WSXGA, etc etc...

As for price, you can often find great deals on e-bay. Just makes sure it is guaranteed new, and comes with current warranty.