Need advice, suggestions regarding new Thinkpad for law school

Hi everyone,

I currently own a Dell Latitude laptop that's nearing the end of its useful life. I'm in my last semester of college and will be attending law school in the fall, so I'm in the market for a replacement laptop.

My main uses for this computer will be school-related stuff: word processing, Internet browsing, running exam software, etc. Nothing too intensive, though fast processing speeds and quick booting times are a plus. I would also need something durable and with a long battery life.

I was told the Thinkpad T410 would fit my needs well, and I'm very impressed by what I've seen so far. However, I noticed that a new model (T420) is coming out soon; would it be worth it to wait? Or would I be paying a premium for a new model that won't significantly improve upon (in terms of what I want) the older model?

Thanks a lot, everyone. My Dell is quickly losing steam, and I'm starting to get notices that the battery is at the end of its life. I also noticed that there's some pretty good deals on T410 laptops right now, so if it makes sense, I figure I might as well jump on these deals while I can.

Edit: Also, would it be worth it to pay for the 128 GB solid state HD?

 

The T410 should fit your needs just fine and save you money. Plus it has a 16:10 screen instead of the new 16:9 trend. SSD's are nice, but the price for them can be outrageous and you can always upgrade it later.

 

You are probably better off with a X201 or even the X220 that is about to be released, which should boast some amazing battery time.

But if you need a larger screen, then you could also consider a T410s from the outlet.lenovo.com.

You are probably better off with aftermarket intel ssd drive if you can't get them cheap enough from Lenovo.

 

The T420 is making good promises on improved performance and significantly improved battery life. If you want to buy a laptop that will last 4-6 years, then wait.

Yes a SSD is worth it.

 

Thanks for the responses. One last question: would it be worth it to upgrade to the T510? With Lenovo's current web specials, I can configure a T510 to be about $70 more expensive than a T410 with similar (almost identical) specs. The major differences (besides the screen size) are that the T510 comes with a camera and discrete graphics.

Is the upgrade worth it? I'm not sure how much battery power discrete graphics consume, but I'd much rather have longer battery life than higher-end graphics (which I likely won't need). I also can't see myself using the camera.

The big difference, then, is the size. How is the keyboard on the T410? Is it easy to type (as I will be typing through 3-hour law exams)? And is the T510 noticeably clunkier/heavier than the T410? Do discrete graphics/a larger screen size consume a lot of battery life?

Thanks again for putting up with my ignorance. I really appreciate it.

 

Thinkpads come in an array of sizes and weights. How frequently will the machine move around with you? The answer to this is your starting point.

 

The new T510 should have the nvidia optimus technology, which allows the computer to switch between the integrated and discrete gpu on the fly.

The T510 should be about 1 pound or so heavier. You would probably see about 20% battery difference in normal use between the T510 with nvidia optimus versus the T410 with integrated only gpu.

The keyboard should be easy to work on, it probably has one of the best keyboard in the industry.

 

I'll be hauling it to class with me everyday, but I'm a fairly big guy and 1 extra pound certainly isn't a deal-breaker. I'm more concerned with the 20% reduction in battery life.

So now the question is which do I value more: a larger screen and keyboard, or greater battery life? It's too bad they won't give me the option of integrated graphics on that T510...

Thanks again for the replies.

 

If you're taking to class everyday, definitely go for a X201/X220 (tablet) or T420s. I recently started trying taking my T400 to class and it's a bit chunky to carry around at 5+lbs. The T410/420 will be in the same weight range and T510 will be worse.

 

SSD is, once again, a very worthy upgrade. I bought an ultrabay HDD and placed the 500gb hdd that came with the machine into the ultrabay. The 80gb Intel SSD I ordered for $130 went into the primary drive.

It was the first time I've ever used SSD, and honestly... the machine was noticeably faster. Single best upgrade on a PC, period. With your needs, upgrading CPU, RAM upgrades are not going to be significant. Ultrabay HDD option would not compromise HDD space for speed.

Good luck.

 

If you don't mind 16:9 or are planning on getting the T510 which is 16:9 anyway, and you can wait a month to get it, I'd say wait. The 16:9 switch in the T410->T420 isn't really all that bad in my opinion because the maximum resolution increases rather than decreases.

Here are the upgrade options I'd say are worth it:

T410
- at least i5 processor (Turbo Boost provides a pretty nice performance advantage)
- 64-Bit Windows (Pro if you need it) - 32-bit can't take advantage of 4GB RAM, and you'll have a 64-bit processor anyway so why use a 32-bit OS?
- WXGA+ 1440x900 Display! - probably the most important upgrade. A higher resolution makes text and content slightly less huge, so you can fit larger documents and more windows on the screen at once.
- 3GB or 4GB of memory, preferrably 4
- 9-Cell battery - adds a bit of weight, and sticks out the back, but it offers you 150% of the battery life of a 6-cell

T420 - not entirely sure what options this will have
- minimum i5 processor if it doesn't cost too much more than an i3, if they offer an i3
- HD+ 1600x900 Display - not HD 1366x768
- 64-bit OS
- 3GB or 4GB RAM
- 9 Cell

T510
- i5 (standard on all)
- HD+ 1600x900 or FHD 1920x1080 Display - not HD 1366x768
- 64-bit OS
- 3GB or 4GB RAM
- 9-Cell

T520 - guessing on what options it will offer
- i5 minimum
- HD+ 1600x900 or FHD 1920x1080 Display - not HD 1366x768
- 64-bit OS
- 3GB or 4GB RAM
- 9-Cell

 

Between now and attending law school in the fall, you can investigate the new ThinkPad models (built on faster and more energy-efficient processors) before making your purchase. Lenovo is quite good with occasional discount codes and special weekends.

I suggest you consider both the X201/X220 and the T410/T420. For mobility, the X201 is an awesome notebook: light, compact, sturdy. I am sitting in a bookstore, waiting for a friend, and typing this on my X201. It, together with a 9-cell battery, is always in my bag whenever I am out and about.

An SSD enables significant improvements in system and application startup times. Also, consider 4GB of RAM, as Windows 7 makes best use of available RAM for caching of resources.

I second lead_org in saying that an X201/X220 would be suitable for your law school needs.

Edit: X201 keyboard is full-sized. Great typing experience.

 

Thanks for the replies. This community is a Godsend.

I'm hesitant to purchase an X201, as it just seems a little too small for my taste. I don't mind lugging a computer around (currently carry a 6 lb computer everywhere), but I'm trying to find the optimal combination of size, performance, and battery life. Right now, I'm definitely leaning towards the T410/420.

 

Excellent! I would discourage you from a T510/520, as it is on the big/heavy side.

The 1440x900 (T410) or 1600x900 (T420) display option is recommended.

 

Get a T420s then, it's mid-road between the X201/220 and T410/420. I speak from experience when I say that T400/410/420 is too thick and heavy to carry on comfortably on a daily basis. It may not seem like it now, but you'll find that to be the case like myself and many others.

 

The new t420 should offer a longer battery time if that is what concerns you at the moment. While the new x220 will have the same keyboard as the t410 and t510.

 

If you can wait, then wait month or two and see what reviewers say about T420/X220 laptops
X series have supposedly excellent battery life, while with T series you can get everything in small enough package to still have dedicated graphics, hi-res (1440x900 or 1600x900) screen, ultrabay with either optical disk drive, ultrabay battery or second HDD. Bit bigger, heavier and with lesser battery life than X220, but good if you dont use external monitors and need more screen real estate

T410 is good machine, but too loud to my liking, its fan runs constantly at high speed rpm's and has high pitched noise, which is very distinct and annoying. So if youre set for T series, then wait for T420 and see if it has fixed the flaw with loud fan.
Plus T410 doesnt have lcd roll cage, while T420 will have next-gen lcd roll cage, so that could be good plus for T420.
And T420 will supposedly have also much longer battery life than T410 did. T410 battery life with extended 9 cell battery isnt bad, but nowhere near as good as one would expect from updated machine T400 is superior in system noise and battery life over T410.
T420 should win its crown back as silent and longer running laptop from T series

 

Let's hope that will be the case!

 

Make sure you can deal with the x200/x201 as they do not have touchpads and rely solely on the trackpoint or a USB mouse. For some people this is not an issue, but it's your preference.

 

The X201 configuration has an optional touchpad (and I suppose the X220 will offer such option). Mine has a touchpad.

In any event, I use the trackpoint almost exclusively. Old ThinkPad habit!

 

As someone who is in law school, dont get a X210 or anything smaller than 13 inches. You will be looking at your computer for a good chunk of the day, doing a lot of typing, researching, etc...You also will be taking all your exams on your computer. There is only a very small minority of people at my school with anything below 13 inches, personally I don't know how they can suffer through it.

 

I would also recommend the X201 or the X220 when it comes out. Based on your needs, you could go with an X201i, which should be pretty cheap, and would be equipped with everything you need (make sure you get one with a touchpad, as suggested above). It would have plenty of processing power to get you through school and probably last for years. The same would apply to the X220 once it arrives, I would think the X220 will have an i version as well.

You do not need so much processing power that the i version would not be enough. What money you save could be put forward to an SSD. In my opinion (and experience, since I upgraded my X201i) the SSD would give a much bigger performance boost than a better processor. I do not know about prices in the US, but the price difference here in Europe between the x201i with a Core i3 and a x201 with a Core i7 is so much that you can easily buy an SSD from the price difference.

Last, I would not worry about the screen resolution and size - although I have to add that this is a thing of personal preference. I find the 12" screen to be enough to get work done, all day long. And the display is "only" 1280x800 in size. I run Visual Studio for development, and also occasional PowerPoint / Word editing.

The reason I got the X201i, although I had the T500, was because the T500 was just too big to haul around. Today it just sits on my desk almost all the time.

 

question to ask yourself: do you need a new notebook ASAP? If not, then wait. The T420 is comming out soon. The X220 will be announced soon also. However they are going to be more expensive also.

 

Most people don't need SB. Unless you've got a need to run CPU intensive applications frequently, this seems unlikely for law school, the T410 and the like offer much better value.

I'm also in favor of taking a look at X201. It's the best ultraportable on the market right now. Once you get it you'll wonder how you carried around a six pound notebook for so long. I've no trouble using my X200t for extended periods. At least go look at some 12" notebooks to see if you like the screen size.