MBP 15" 2.4 Core vs T410S 2.6 Core Duo

I'd sorely appreciate opinions on this one. Haven't had a Mac in a long time, and they're fun and trendy. But the T410S comes with a 128g SSD vs the Mac's 320G 5400 ATA. I'm not sure which OF THESE TWO would perform better for photo editing, which I'll be doing, in addition to the usual Office App stuff.

Both have 4g ram and are i5.

I'm trying to Think Different, as Apple encourages, but this requires inuring myself to the marketing images which say, Buy a Mac, Buy a Mac.

I do like my T400 -- so I don't think there's a huge downside to going with the 410S, apart from a slight tinge of remorse. Unless I'm wrong, on paper, the Lenovo looks like the clear winner.

 

When buy a Mac you are buying its design, marketing and their OS usability.

For photo editing there are many softwares available for the Mac OS, iPhoto to Aperture to Photoshop (which is available in windows too). The MBP LCD is also better than the T410s for photoeditting.

However, Thinkpads are easier to service and given that you have previous experiences with the T400, it is also easier to use. For Office App i would use thinkpads.

So if you are more into Photo editing then get MBP, if you are more into Office Apps then T410s.

P.S. It is much easier to service the thinkpads and the parts are more widely available, T410s is also lot lighter.

 

There isn't a screen out there much worse than the T410s. Definitely get the Mac for photo editing.

 

I have had fewer crashes on the OS and apps with Windows 7 and my ThinkPads than I've had with my MacBook Pro and Snow Leopard.

The current MBP has a better screen than the T410s, but I use external monitors for editing photos and HD video.

It you have a T400, I would stick with it and get one of the machines coming out this spring and summer. With the mix of slates hitting the channel, the laptops are going to have to move to IPS screens or something to prevent losing share.

 

Keep your great T400 for Office apps and whatever. Buy a MacBook Pro for a completely different experience. For a better display and tools suitable for photo editing/organizing, the MBP stands out.

For my work, I have access to various laptops by Lenovo, Dell, HP and Apple, and I would say that the T410s is not "the clear winner" in the context of your question. In fact, if you were serious about photography and had a serious budget, I would recommend another product.

 

Wow: I have to admit, this is not the answer I'd expected. I thought I'd be "evangelized" toward the Lenovo on the basis of the SSD and the hardier 2.6 Dual Core vs the 2.4 single core and standard HD of the MBP. Sounds like both can easily handle Office. so that's not the issue. I'm assuming build quality (which is one of my top considerations for any purchase) is about equal. But the screen and OS of the Mac seem more suitable to photo editing, and I do look forward to the novelty. Only thing I knew about the T410S was the Wired Review labeling it the Second Coming and the weight factor.

Oh: One more thing. The Lenovo comes with a three year warranty; the Mac with a one. I'd have to add the additional two myself.

 

Well, if you're keen on weight (or, actually, less of it), there's MacBook Air.

The "three year warranty" does not add anything to your photo editing/organizing experience.

 

You are correct sir!

 

However one thing to note is that Apple don't offer onsite or accidental protection warranty.

 

I know I haven't been on this forum long, but for what its worth:
I am a "Linux freak" first and foremost, and love to get down in the nitty gritty of my computers (hardware and software, and I've used Linux for quite some time), and I've used Windows 7 extensively on my HP Tm2 (for sale BTW), and on my hobble gobbled desktop; as well as OSX on my Tm2.

I much perfer Linux over them all , but that aside; Windows 7 is tops if you know how to run your computer safely (in other words, not infect it with viruses, and then complain your "windows machine" is crappy and slow!), OSX is basically a very closed source Linux that doesn't allow for much (in terms of changing things, or options for software you can run)


Now get this! all that hype of MACs being better for Graphics Design is all BS!! Windows 7 will run most all of the applications MAC runs, and I've found Windows runs them better than MAC in most cases.
In some cases MACs are better for some people, because stupid people get their Windows computers with the crappiest hardware (to save as much $ as possible), they then continue on to leave the bloatware on the computer (most computers have loads of bloatware; though I think that Think Pads are mostly exempt), then they visit their pr0n sites and get their computer good and infected with a bunch of viruses and malware (Anti-Virus won't save you from this, only really safe browsing habits, and using your brain will!); at this point their computer is running really slow and screwy, so when they go to launch their heavy duty Adobe Photoshop Application they have to wait forever, and it is always slow and crappy. on MACs you don't usually have to worry about this stuff, as most things are put together mostly correctly, and the OS is mostly secure (that is my quick summary of how the "macs are better" argument is usually flawed! but it depends on the user)

A correctly managed system (aside from having a dual boot with Linux ) will be extremely fast and super responsive the whole time, even with the most demanding applications. My Tm2 which had a Ultra Low Voltage Processor, and switchable graphics ran Adobe's programs quite well with a 7200rpm drive, but when I put a SSD in it, well it was amazing! 3 seconds to open Photoshop, ~18 second boot time, 3-5 seconds for wake/ sleep, and so on (SSD's are the best!)



My advice, Buy a really good Think Pad (one with a screen that is good, and with a decent graphics chip, and possibly one that has decent battery life, and above all a SSD!!). But if you feel you won't be able to manage your Windows 7 system all that well, then just get a MAC (but don't get one because "MACs are better for GD" though).

PS: these days it really makes 0.01% difference which processor you get, unless you are going to be doing some of the most demanding stuff possible (ie: the difference between i5's and i7's is very minimal)

 

Even the worst mac screen beat the t410s screen.

 

Buy a decked out T410s for the price of a MBP 15 inch + Get IPS monitor.

Problems solved

 

That will solve the problem if he doesn't need to do work on the go. I rather have my hopes up on newer version will have decent screen.

 

Get IPS monitor? Like a DreamColor2 panel? Yeah right, for over $2000 a piece.

Well, how about an HP EliteBook 8740w 17" 1920x1200 DreamColor2, then? Great for professional photography work.

 

Unless I am mistaken, Apple hasn't made a 15" single core MacBook Pro in like forever. They are dual core.

If you are comparing a 15" MBP to a 14" T410s, you are comparing apples and oranges. Pun intended but it's the truth. Those machines are really different. I have both.

So what do you really NEED? What are the key scenarios you want to support? Since you have both 14" and 15" machines up for consideration, it opens a wide berth of machines that people could recommend.

 

I'm learning a lot from these posts -- thanks for all the informative replies. I think the T410S I'm getting is "decked out." 128g SSD, i5 2.66mhz (no, not an i7) and 4gigs RAM. The SSD is extremely appealing, but the thought of a mediocre screen counter weighs that.

I won't be doing a WHOLE lot of photo editing, but I've been holding off waiting for a better machine to tackle my personal library of family audio and photo projects. (i.e., the photo editing is not $ related.) My $ work primarily involves Office and the cloud. I'm confident that the rapidly decreasing SSD prices will make a swap on the MBP viable within six months, if I feel like I need it. What I'm wondering about in a head to head is the following:
Screen quality
Battery
Heat
Portability (Weight, form factor, battery life)
Processing power.
Build quality.

 

Halobox: Can you describe your experience with the T410S?

 

One more thing: I'm not seeing much negative stuff about the screen in the major reviews I've been reading. What exactly is the panel issue?

BTW -- the exact model I'm looking at is 2904HCU

 

The LCD panel is fine. It has poor viewing angles so unless you are looking directly at it, it looks like crap from the side or top. It's very bright so I typically turn it down from 15 to about 10 or 11.

By comparison, a lot of other panels on the market don't have the same flaws. For instance, my W510 has non of those flaws.

I'll give you detailed feedback in the morning on the remaining questions. Time for me to crash.

 

Let me chime in. I was using a T410s for over 2 months, mainly for office-related tasks. The T410s is light, but the display is unimpressive and the battery only supports around 3 hours. It is fine for documents, presentations and emails, but is definitely not for graphics, photos and videos. The SSD has 1.8" form factor, which is something you should pay attention to. I ended up swapping it with a colleague for a T410: it is not that much heavier, the display is equally unimpressive, but I now have 6-cell and 9-cell battery options. The T410s is not a "wow" machine: its ṣlimness and lightness are not enough to impress me.

I am equally at ease with Windows and Mac OSX (and various Linux distros). I am also equally at ease with Adobe and Office suites on both Windows and Mac. The distinction is not there, not with such-and-such application, not with CPU and RAM and SSD. Because you are considering the MacBook Pro and plan to do some work on photos (especially "fun, personal" work), I strongly recommend that you enjoy the distinctive experience on a Mac. Organizing and searching photos are great fun: photos can be tagged, grouped and searched based on facial recognition.

If you happen to live in a city that has an Apple Store or a Best Buy, go check out a MBP in person: look at it, hold it up with one hand, feel the aluminum unibody, type on it, click on it, listen to it...

 

As far as the T410s display goes, notebookcheck got a contrast ratio of 85:1 and notebookreivew found 100:1. These figures are appalling, even more so in this tier of product. I've used this model in person at the local CDW store- yes it's that bad.

Screen quality was the primary reason I didn't change to the T410s. I'm with Kaso on that the marginal thickness reduction and 1lb weight savings aren't nearly enough to offset the screen and battery life (although an ultrabay battery would work fine for anyone who doesn't use the burner or put a 2nd hdd in there), not to mention the fact that you end up paying more for all this.

I'm unhappy about the switch to 16:9 panels in next gen Thinkpads, but it'll at least give Lenovo access to much better (matte) panels. They have no excuse now.

 

Have you looked at getting a Lenovo/ IBM X201t (or the X200t) they are Laptops first, with the added functionality of Tablet PC's (they have Wacom Active Digitizer screens, and some have multi touch as well on the screen) they are 12.1" screens, and have excellent colors and viewing angles on their screens. Also they are: light weight, thin, portable, very usable with the added Tablet PC functionality, sturdy build quality, fast running, can be bought with SSD, and more

You would be able to get a lightly used X200t on ebay for $500-750, then add a decent SSD for $100-200, and buy a USB hdd enclosure for the drive your X200t came with for $5-15. that would get you a powerful machine with good battery life, a great screen, Tablet PC functionality, a SSD, and some backup storage, for well under $1,000

 

Kaso, I appreciate your informed response regarding the SSD, the battery life and the display. I was bowled over by Wired's review, and I happen to see an LCD billboard displaying the headline on my drive home each evening from work. Christopher Null (and, frankly, I've never been a fan of his reporting, but he seemed so certain about this) very clearly states: "Top performance and brightest screen among all laptops we’ve seen." He goes beyond hyperbole.

(On a brighter and vastly unrelated note, I just used the Windows key + Tab to scroll through my open windows, for the first time. Very cool.)

 

Head to Head between the 15" MacBook Pro and the 14" ThinkPad T410s:

Screen quality - Mac has the superior screen.

Battery - Mac has longer battery life (with the standard batteries in each)

Heat - the T410s I have runs extremely cool. MacBook Pros run pretty warm. Not their strong suit.

Portability (Weight, form factor, battery life) - the T410s is much smaller and lighter than the MacBook Pro 15". The T410s is lighter than even the 13" MacBook Pro.

Processing power - the CPU/GPU combination on the T410s with the Optimus chipset is pretty decent. However, you can certainly buy a more powerful MacBook Pro.

Build quality - the MacBook Pro case is legendary at this point. You pay for and get solid build quality from Apple. The chassis is one of the reasons the MBP weighs more.

As for my experience with the T410s, I like it just fine. I use the ThinkPad W510 by day, and the T410s at night and on personal travel. The W510 is for work. The T410s was a personal purchase. I am using it for the first year and will give it to my wife on year 2. She is going to love it. She has a T400 now.

I have no plans to move my family and extended family to Linux or OSX and change all of our applications. Windows 7 is getting the job done nicely.

 

@halobox: Very balanced, informed and organized assessment. +like

@vilmosz: In your OP, you said you wouldn't want to be swayed by Apple ads. Yet, your excitement for the T410s is based mainly on a couple of "reviews"! I've been using T41, T43p (IPS), T61, T410s, T410, T510 and X201 as far as Lenovo laptops are concerned. From time to time, I also use Apple laptops as well as Dell and HP mobile workstations. I refuse to "drink Kool-Aid" from any company, be it in Cupertino, Palo Alto, Round Rock, or China. When something is blah, I say blah; when something is wow, I say wow. The T410s is not a worthwhile upgrade from your current T400, especially given its premium price tag, and especially if you plan to do photo editing/organizing.

 

Halo: Thanks for the smackdown play-by-play.

Kaso: Point taken! I'd like to think I'm not easily swayed by marketing, but I guess that's what those Madison Avenue folks (or their Silicon equivalents) get the big bucks for! I'll go with the MBP, but not because of Apple's marketing campaign -- no, the reason is because -- you know, I think different!

 

I actually ordered the MBP 15" 500gb 2.53gh and had buyer's remorse. I was swayed by two things: 1. The prevailing feeling among bloggers that an MBP refresh is imminent and 2. The excellent user experiences reported in relation to the MBA. Regarding number 1: I can hold out a bit longer. Regarding number 2: Everything I've read indicates the maxed out MBA is fairly nimble with iPhoto-level editing/manipulation and even some occasional video editing. Since I carry my laptop back and forth everyday, it's an appealing option. The MBP is headed back, unopened, and I'll hold my chips for a bit longer.