The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
← Previous pageNext page →

    New Thinkpad Line up

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by rovisa, Jun 18, 2014.

  1. Faruk

    Faruk Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    36
    Messages:
    416
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Check this out:
    The X250 got a 55741 graphics score, and the W550s got 68913. That's a difference of 23%. Do they seriously think there is only a 23% difference between an Nvidia Quadro K620M and the IGP? The Quadro would leave the IGP in the dust. Obviously, the difference is due to the dual channel memory configuration in the W550s.
     
    ajkula66 likes this.
  2. hhhd1

    hhhd1 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    because:

    first of all, dividing users to either of 2 categories, .. 1 that need no performance, and another that needs quad core workstation is totally wrong, allot of people will accept something in the middle, trade of some 5% battery life, while still having descent -upto date- performance.

    1. The are the fastest available now if you do not want to wait for the summer release of 35w/45w, they offer something that can make you not wait
    i7 5557U (28w): 3.1GHz to 3.4GHz
    i7 5600U (15w): 2.6GHz to 3.2GHz <-- fastest 15w

    2. Same performance for cheaper: The i3 28w (2.5GHz) with no turbo performs similar to some i5 15w with full turbo, and might even be better than some i7 if the turbo is limited.
    i3 (28w) 2.5GHz , i3 (15w) 2.0/2.1GHz (20% difference)

    3. The extra GPU performance is always welcome in many tasks, for example:
    3a. vmware with GPU acceleration.
    3b. casual gaming
    3c. many applications that rely on integrated GPU (web browsers, photo editing, ..etc)
    3d. output to large screen or projector
    3e. casual (personal) video editing with high resolution
    3f. anything at higher resolution


    This is one of the thing that Apple do, why doesn't lenovo copy Apple in this?
    Lenovo seems to only copy the bad things that Apple do.
     
    BinkNR likes this.
  3. hhhd1

    hhhd1 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Sorry for the double post.

    If people didn't really need to balance being an ultrabook and some moderate performance, why even make the W550s series, just keep the dedicated GPU as an option for the T series and be done with it.

    Battery life will NOT be affected from 15w to 28w, assuming in idle or close to idle state, the 28 watts are only utilized on maximum performance, under normal operation or power saving mode, the 28w should have the same power efficiency.
     
  4. BinkNR

    BinkNR Knock off all that evil

    Reputations:
    308
    Messages:
    1,000
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Because most things today are browser-based and all browsers today use GPU acceleration? All the Core ix-5x50U CPUs have HD 6000 graphics which has twice as many execution units (more detail at AnandTech | Intel Releases Broadwell-U: New SKUs, up to 48 EUs and Iris 6100).
     
  5. ibmthink

    ibmthink Notebookcheck Deity

    Reputations:
    897
    Messages:
    1,936
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    101
    As you said, decent performance - thats what U CPUs are designed to do. They are not slow, especially not the Broadwell ones. Broadwell U i5 & i7 should equal Ivy-Bridge M i5 & i7, which is decent enough for many people I think.

    Lets compare these CPUs with the Intel specs:
    ARK | Intel® Core™ i7-5557U Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.40 GHz)
    ARK | Intel® Core™ i7-5600U Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.20 GHz)

    Some points for me to notice:
    - Despite being a much lower voltage CPU, the i7-5600U clocks almost as high as the i7-5557U - this is because of the fact that most of the increased TDP is being used for the much more powerful Iris 6100 (clocks higher, has twice as much EUs which consume power), and only a slightly faster CPU performance
    - i7-5557U lacks several protocols, vPro, Intel SIPP (both important for business, which makes this CPU a non-no for business notebooks) and also Intel TSX-NI, which is a performance feature
    - i7-5600U has a lower base-clock, and a lower cTDP (23 W vs. 7.5 W)

    You say 15 W vs. 28 doesn´t matter if in idle? Yes, it does. Lets compare two battery life measurements (Haswell 15W vs. Haswell 28 W obviously, because there are no tests for Broadwell just yet):
    X1C.PNG ASUS.PNG

    The one on the left is a notebook ( X1 Carbon) with an i7-4600U, and the one on the right is one of the rare systems with an Intel Core i7-4558U ( Asus UX301LA), taken from their respective linked Notebookcheck reviews. Notice that the i7-4600U system is better, even though the battery of the i7-4600U system is 10 % smaller (!) - choosing a 28 W CPU would cost much more than 5 % of battery life obviously. More like 15-20 % maybe.

    And for what? The CPU is faster in Multi-Core tests, yes (note in Singlecore its exactly the same as 15 W i7, but ok, thats not as relevant anymore). But really much faster, like 30-50 %? No.

    Whether you have an i7-5600U in your system or an i7-5557U, both will perform decent in the CPU part, which is, as you said, enough for most people. If you really want performance, there is no way around Quad-Core, and a dedicated GPU for that matter. A Quad-Core system even overtakes the 28 W CPUs by a large margin (like the 40 % the i7-3612QM is faster than the i7-4558U, and that one is one generation older and a low-end 35 W Quad-Core). Thats why I am saying, these CPUs are really for no one or a very small group of Consumers. For people who really need every single % of performance, Quad-Core is a must, and for people who just want decent performance and as much battery life as possibl, a i7-5600U propably fits better. Of course, you are right, you can´t divide sharply between those two groups, there is certainly a niche for the 28 W CPUs. But a small one I think. Thats the reason why there aren´t many systems and thats also the reason Intel announced 13 15W CPUs on CES and only 4 28W CPUs.

    Just my 2 cents on that CPU comparison...

    On to the W550s: W-Series is the T-Series with extras (it was since it replaced the T6xp series). Which means, the W550s is the T550 with nVidia GPU and (it seems) i7-4600U only (and no 1366x768 option).The main point here seems to be the nVidia GPU, which is ISV certified. T550 is Intel only AFAIK.

    Yeah, it might be - seems they forgot to take that into account.

    I doubt Intel has changed that much between Haswell and Broadwell - and if they didn´t, the HD 6000 is still a marketing joke. HD 5000 also had 40 EU, compared with the HD 4400 with 20, and barely provided any more GPU performance (in some Games even less than the HD 4400). This is due to TDP restricitons. Intel can´t conjure, a CPU with 48 EUs for the GPU with 15 W TDP can´t be that much more powerful than a CPU with 24 EUs for the GPU and the same 15 W TDP. Thats why there are the 28 W CPUs and the Iris 6100, which is basically a higher clocked HD 6000 with a real performance increase.

    HD 5500 should be more than fast enough for normal GPU acceleration.
     
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2015
  6. hhhd1

    hhhd1 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    @ibmthink

    I agree with regarding the lack of vPro, Intel SIPP also Intel TSX-NI in the i7-5557U,

    but,

    Regarding battery time, I still disagree with you, both the 28w and 15w should perform with similar efficiency at idle, except that the 28w have the upper hand when higher performance is required.

    The reviews you are referencing are using different laptops, where motherboard and screen and other components play a big role in battery runtime.

    i5-4200M/GPU HD4600 15.6" -- idle: 5.6 / 8.4 / 8.9 Watt
    i5-4200U/GPU HD4400 13.3" -- idle: 5.5 / 7.2 / 7.4 Watt

    The slight higher power usage for the 4200M could because of the screen difference, reference:
    Lenovo G510 Notebook Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews
    Review Acer Aspire S3-392G Ultrabook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

    Regarding speed:

    The 15w processors can only reach higher clock rate with relatively high turbo, and I doubt it will be able sustain 100% turbo all the time.

    The base clock difference is 2.6 GHz vs 3.1 GHz, and that 2.6GHz is for the highest i7, there are i7 with base clock 2.0 GHz (and also i5 with base clock 1.6GHz), and that is significant.
     
  7. miku39

    miku39 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5

    Actually, I've read from notebookcheck review that T440s can maintain turbo during a benchmark.
    For the performance comparison between U & M cpu (to illustrate the power difference), it is not really that large at about 15%.
    http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=890&cmp[]=2033&cmp[]=2056
    Of course being have not actually own these ultrabook, I don't know if it actually can maintain high turbo in long heavy task such as video encoding or video game emulation.

    Aside from power consumption aspect, there is also thermal aspect here. T440s has good review for its temps. Lenovo may not want to sacrifice that cooling performance. And also lower rated cpu may actually means better made ones, not just because they have different throttling programmed it in.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2015
  8. livebriand

    livebriand Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    276
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I own a t440s, and will say that under single-threaded CPU load, it's happy to maintain turbo speeds (closer to 2.5GHz on my 1.9GHz 4300U). However, use multi-threaded load, and it quickly goes right back to the rated 1.9GHz. Not sure about GPU load, although I will say that Goat Simulator (yes, seriously, not sure why I suckered myself into buying that off Steam) wasn't great on this machine. I do recall hearing that this will tend to throttle the GPU under load. Of course, the upside is that the machine doesn't seem to break mid 60's under heavy load - I wish they'd let me lift that temperature barrier a bit (or rev up the fan more if possible), and get more turbo speed. Seem to recall the MBA's doing that (but hitting temperatures in the 80's as a result).

    Edit: And on the gaming note - yeah, I could definitely use more GPU power here. But for everything else, it works perfectly and doesn't feel the least bit slow. And I didn't buy this machine to game anyways.
     
  9. saman.sh

    saman.sh Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I don't think it is small. rMBP 13 has 28 W CPU and they are selling well. According to Apple's Q4 FY 2014 fiscal results, Mac sales grew 21% year-over-year, and 25% sequentially.

    A loaded new X1 (15w i7, 256 SSD, 8GB RAM, QHD non-Touch) costs $2,049 and a rMBP 13 Mid 2014 (28w i7, 256SSD, 16GM RAM) costs $1,999. With extra 50 bucks and noticeably slower hardware, how much extra battery life do you get?
     
  10. oct

    oct Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    116
    Messages:
    402
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    31
    What is decent performance? The one that manufacturers are giving? I personally doubt they take in account future needs too. I mean, what seems decent now, will it be still in 2-3 years?

    Also, this decent performance is crap when you look at realtime encryption, or having a running anti-virus software and then new OS upgrade.

    It may sound paranoid, but due to Intel's monopolism, it and laptop manufacturers have their own reasons to push this low voltage hype:
    - SSD's being more popular, gives users the feeling of a faster computer, so no need to actually innovate, just make it thiner and ligher and brag about it
    - The low voltage CPUs gives them the feeling of battery revolution too, you know 8, 10 hours, etc... on what expense? Non movable battery, lower voltage cpu, lower voltage ram, etc...
    - What's the benefit of a soldered CPU to a customer/user?

    Also,
    - The default poor screen quality (HD) makes me sick. I think they held those for the right time and then they started to put better screens to distract users from the fact they are getting "not so good" CPUs, that may not be enough later (how an user would know?).

    Btw, ibmthink's defending low voltage CPUs reminds me when he was defending the "inovative" touchpad last year. Of course these are different things, at different levels, but still awful similar :)
     
    ajkula66 likes this.
  11. ibmthink

    ibmthink Notebookcheck Deity

    Reputations:
    897
    Messages:
    1,936
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    101
    Ah yes, the Intel world domintation plan^^ I see.

    What is decent performance? Depends from user to user. Can´t generalize there. Some users are still using C2D machines and saying that these put up reasonable performance. I personally would say decent performance means that you notebook can perform all the tasks you have fast, and it shouldn´t feel slow in everyday use (like ATOM CPUs do). Whether you are using a i7-5600U or a i7-5557U will make no difference there - you will see a difference in benchmarks and in games.

    Fact is, in the last years PC and notebook-buyers made the cycles for a new purchase longer and longer - because even 5 year old PCs can be used without problem for many tasks, so they don´t need to buy a new PC as often as 10-15 years ago. Now you are telling me a new ULV CPU, which is still more powerful than any 5 year old dual-core CPU, doesn´t provide reasonable performance? Good joke.

    What you are complaining about is called "progession of technology" - Intel has been trying to maximize their performance, now they are trying to maximize their week spot (efficiency). Its lke complaining that todays screens aren´t as thick and heavy anymore as they were 5 years ago. ULV CPUs have nothing to do with built in batteries. This is a decision of the OEM. You can build laptops with normal batteries and ULV CPUs (like for example, the newly announced L450). ULV CPUs only allow to make laptops thinner and more mobile, because thats what people want. But of course, its all a bad conspiracy^^ Logic be damned.

    Whats the benefit of a soldered CPU you ask for a user? Well, nothing, other than the fact that it allows to save some mm for the OEM. Whats the benefit of a non-soldered CPU? for most people? Also nothing...because, you can´t even upgrade the CPU to a newer generation on notebooks. Wheter the CPU is soldered or not, makes no difference for most customers.

    Not so good? Would anyone say that the 25 W P CPUs in T500/X200/T400 were "not so good"? In contrast, they were the top choice for many users, because they were cheaper, provided decent performance back then, and ran much cooler and efficient than the comparable T CPUs...I guess thats something bad today...

    And regarding your unneccessary touchpad comment: I stand stand by my opinion that the ClickPad was better and should have not been discontinued, but instead build-on with a new version, because it was an innovative concept which I liked - because I am, maybe different from you, open minded and don´t mind new ideas. So I am sad to see the ClickPad go, but I guess I can´t do anything about it, because the majority of users was thinking different about it. Oh well...

    And BTW, wasn´t ajkula66 the one who bragged about the TrackPoint getting removed within the next few generations, because of Lenovos evil plan to make ThinkPads into Macbook-clones? Just saying... :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2015
  12. ajkula66

    ajkula66 Courage and Consequence

    Reputations:
    3,018
    Messages:
    3,198
    Likes Received:
    2,318
    Trophy Points:
    231

    Give them a few more years and they'll remove it. This just wasn't the right time to do so.

    BTW, I've never used the phrase "evil plan" in any of my posts when referring to Lenovo, though. They are not evil. They are a corporation with an agenda, which are two vastly different things.
     
  13. ibmthink

    ibmthink Notebookcheck Deity

    Reputations:
    897
    Messages:
    1,936
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    101
    We will see about that.

    I am certain it will never be the right time for this in the near future (at least 10 - 20 years). There are too many people who love TrackPoints, including me, also in companies who buy ThinkPads. Lenovo has learned the lesson with the ClickPad-case. It was one step too far.
     
  14. ajkula66

    ajkula66 Courage and Consequence

    Reputations:
    3,018
    Messages:
    3,198
    Likes Received:
    2,318
    Trophy Points:
    231

    That's one thing we agree upon. We shall see.

    With that being said, I'm OK with whatever Lenovo chooses to do.

    They own the brand, after all.
     
  15. nontrivial_pursuit

    nontrivial_pursuit Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    6
    For real-time encryption you're fortunate that most SSDs (especially ones used in Thinkpads) have the encryption taking place on the SSD itself, and hence does not affect the CPU.

    I don't know if anti-virus or OS upgrades sucks all performance from your computer. It seems even Microsoft have been focused on performance since the Vista-disaster with Win7 and Win8 being quite efficient.

    SSD is the best thing that have happened to computers in at least 15 years.

    But you are absolutely right: They don't affect the computing power of the device.

    How large a percentage of Thinkpad customers regularly find themselves crunching numbers, where a 10% increase in computing power would reduce their wait time with 10%?

    I believe that percentage of users is much smaller than the percentage of Thinkpad users that find themselves launching applications, opening files, etc. on a daily basis, and note that it (as you say) feels much faster on an SSD compared to HDD.

    SSDs probably also brings energy savings compared to mechanical drives.

    I agree. I bought a T40 in 2003. Resolution? 1400x1050. That's more usable than the HD+ offering on current T440s.

    It seems screen technology have been at a standstill for about 10 years. The only development have been the unfortunate adoption of Hollywood-aspect ratios. And when Lenovo then tries to up the screen resolution, they fail majestically. On both X230 and X240 you had a selection of crappy low-res TN display, low-res IPS display or ghosting 1920x1080 display. The quality control has been so poor. In Germany retailers selling the T440s are pointing out which of their machines have a guaranteed AUO FHD display (and by deduction, which ones have crappy LG).
     
    ibmthink and ajkula66 like this.
  16. Incontro

    Incontro Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    21
    Messages:
    369
    Likes Received:
    44
    Trophy Points:
    41
    On the X240, the low-res IPS panel (LG) also suffers from ghosting, not only the FHD one. Yes ghosting is unacceptable, but I remember reading somewhere that LG are the only manufacturer who make 12.5" 16:9 aspect ratio HD/FHD IPS panels. So not entirely Lenovo's fault IMO - users kept longing for IPS screens, which they delivered in the end, it's just LG had certain manufacturing flaws/issues. To their credit, on the Lenovo forums, Lenovo publicly acknowledged the ghosting issue, and they obtained an improved part #, and supposedly updated all service centres with this new information.
     
  17. oct

    oct Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    116
    Messages:
    402
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    31
    @ibmthink - that has nothing to do with me being or not open minded. I'm all for new ideas, but I'm against leaving users without options. I mean, Lenovo has a bunch of Thinkpad lines (and many more non thinkpad), why not inovate there? Or give an option with or without buttons or centered keyboard. Or, in a perfect world, have a "classic" model/line, you know for those that still like old school things that can use for work, for do-ers. Latest example would be Blackberry Classic.

    This all comes from the fact that I'm just frustrated that being a Thinkpad fan (since my T61 for $1500) I feel like being ignored, I mean all I want from them is to keep the thinkpad legacy, which is build quality, reliability and great keyboard. And the statement "we listened customers" is just smoke, pure marketing from L.

    And the excuse of being expensive to produce/research more older style models is fluff, they recently bought motorola mobility, they're (still ?!) #1 PC maker, how much money they need to make this work?

    @nontrivial_pursuit - yes, SSD is the best thing since the invention of the wheel, I had one with my old X200 and will never go back (for main/system/os drive).

    My current feeling is that no Thinkpad workstation for me, off-centered keyboard defeats the purpose of a beautiful screen (it's just un-natural to be non-simetrical). I may get a 14" thinkpad to have that.

    PS: To me corporate = evil, and the innovations that customers benefit from usually is just a coincidence, other than that is just corp agenda.

    PPS: just my 2c :)
     
  18. ajkula66

    ajkula66 Courage and Consequence

    Reputations:
    3,018
    Messages:
    3,198
    Likes Received:
    2,318
    Trophy Points:
    231

    In all fairness...

    LG IPS panels have suffered from ghosting even back in the CCFL days. LED only makes it more prominent. Shame on LG for not addressing this issue *properly* a long time ago.

    What doesn't help on the X2*0 IPS-equipped models is the lid construction, since there's way too much flex in the lids, at least in my opinion.

    Now, how some of these machines - once assembled - actually passed Lenovo's QC is a whole another matter, and the one that would make me uncomfortable with purchasing a ThinkPad nowadays...presuming my other main requirement for purchasing a ThinkPad were met to begin with...:cool:

    My $0.02 only...
     
    nontrivial_pursuit likes this.
  19. nontrivial_pursuit

    nontrivial_pursuit Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    6
    @ajkula66

    I agree with you entirely.

    @Incontro

    I kinda agree. But the problem is both "structural" and limited to specific vendors.

    First of all, I initially noted that it was the "screen technology" as a whole, that have been standing still. No particular manufacturer og vendor. From a customer perspective, there seems to have been a "structural" problem with the development of better screens.

    Secondly, I agree that LG are somewhat to blame. But if the market economy in general eradicate poor products, how come nobody has challenged LG?

    Thirdly, we cannot exempt Lenovo from blame. If you buy a car and the windscreen starts cracking within a few weeks, you seek out the company who sold you the car - not the windshield producer. I believe Dell was quite a lot faster in acknowledging problems with the same screen in their XPS line, while Lenovo was dragging their feet with weird excuses and explanations.

    Also, there's a company named after a fruit, that does not seem to have the same quality control issues. The fruit company also does not tell their customers that "If your LCD has 2 or less visible defective pixels, it should not be considered faulty." Of course a brand new panel right out of the box with 2 dead pixels are not OK - except if you're Lenovo.

    I'm sure Lenovo could procure better panels, if they went out and said "we'll pay $5 more per panel than we pay LG nowadays", but for some reason they don't do that. Those $5 would probably turn into $20-30 before the computer reached the customer, and of course that's a no-go for the cheaper lines. But for Thinkpads, I believe most customers would pay a $30 "insurance" to get a higher and more consistent quality.
     
    BinkNR likes this.
  20. ajkula66

    ajkula66 Courage and Consequence

    Reputations:
    3,018
    Messages:
    3,198
    Likes Received:
    2,318
    Trophy Points:
    231
    This is actually one area where Lenovo has improved the state of affairs...in the IBM days it used to be 5 dead pixels...


    Some of us have been arguing pretty much the same thing going back to T60/p series in early 2007 when Lenovo ran out *both* of UXGA IPS/AFFS panels in stock *and* out of suppliers capable of producing one. Sadly, not much has changed...

    To their credit, Lenovo did give us the best 14" LCD ever seen on a ThinkPad with the *40 series...
     
    nontrivial_pursuit likes this.
  21. JimF

    JimF Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    55
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
  22. ajkula66

    ajkula66 Courage and Consequence

    Reputations:
    3,018
    Messages:
    3,198
    Likes Received:
    2,318
    Trophy Points:
    231
    I'm reasonably certain that none of Lenovo's current planars - including the upcoming *50 series - supports this type of drive...

     
  23. ibmthink

    ibmthink Notebookcheck Deity

    Reputations:
    897
    Messages:
    1,936
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    101
    You are wrong though, the X1 Carbon 2015 ships with this exact SSD.

    Edit: If you look closely, the shown SSD in the picture even has a Lenovo FRU. Found a better picture:
    SM951-16-9-1200-6896b201e4bcc16b.jpeg
    This part number is listed here: http://download.lenovo.com/parts/ThinkPad/x1carbon_3_frubom_20150106.pdf

    It is expensive though, costs 700 $ as an upgrade if you order an X1 Carbon 2015 now.
     
  24. ajkula66

    ajkula66 Courage and Consequence

    Reputations:
    3,018
    Messages:
    3,198
    Likes Received:
    2,318
    Trophy Points:
    231
    Well, if that's the case I stand happily corrected then.
     
  25. livebriand

    livebriand Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    276
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I jump from my HP 6530b running a C2D P8700 and 4GB DDR2 to my t440s with a 4300U and 12GB DDR3 all the time. That HP wasn't slow to begin with, and it absolutely flies now that I've tossed an SSD in it (Crucial M500 bottlenecked by the SATA 2 controller). It could use a little more RAM (I tend to keep a lot of tabs open) and definitely more battery life (~2.5 hours on a 55Whr battery with 13% wear), but it's otherwise just fine. (And discrete buttons, yay! Easy enough to load the generic synaptics driver and gain multitouch.) And quite honestly, that's why I'm fine with the newer ultrabook CPUs - seems just fine for plenty of people. On the t440s, I run VMs and heavier web/office work - still handles just fine.
     
    ibmthink likes this.
  26. Faruk

    Faruk Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    36
    Messages:
    416
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    31
    FYI everyone, rumour has it that Skylake is coming by the end of 2015, so Broadwell will have an unusually short lifecycle. The reason why there was the big delay was because of issues with the 14nm manufacturing process. But Skylake will be on the same 14nm process so it is apparently on schedule. Maybe Lenovo will update the Thinkpad chassis for the next generation, and reverse more of their dumb decisions (like not offering 2 RAM slots). I don't think they reuse the chassis for more than 2 iterations, do they?
     
  27. ibmthink

    ibmthink Notebookcheck Deity

    Reputations:
    897
    Messages:
    1,936
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    101
    Usually not much longer than 2-3 generations. Chances are very high for Skylake ThinkPads to be significantly different, because its already known:
    - VGA will go away
    - USB 3.1 Type C is coming with Skylake

    Both should affect chassis design very much, so it is very unlikely they will use the same chassis again.

    Actually, I have heard there will be some surprises with Skylake... :D
     
  28. oct

    oct Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    116
    Messages:
    402
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Ok, I looked again on some benchmarks on low voltage CPUs and they look better than I expected. I think I had older and/or i3 low voltage CPUs in my mind...

    Thank you for your patience :)
     
    ibmthink likes this.
  29. BinkNR

    BinkNR Knock off all that evil

    Reputations:
    308
    Messages:
    1,000
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Just to make certain I haven’t missed anything, do I understand correctly that the only way to get a panel that can do better than FHD is to get the X1 or the massive T550 and the only ThinkPad that has support for PCIe SSDs is the X1? I hope I missed something. Thanks.
     
  30. hhhd1

    hhhd1 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I still wonder if Lenovo will actually boycott the 28watt processors on this round on all of their Thinkpad lines or not .., they do have the higher base-clock with a good margin compared to the 15watt processors.

    If anybody saw the whole list can shed some light on this.
     
  31. fatpolomanjr

    fatpolomanjr Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    262
    Messages:
    282
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    31
    We can only pray they change the aspect ratios across the board.
     
    BinkNR, turqoisegirl08 and ajkula66 like this.
  32. fb1996

    fb1996 Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    80
    Likes Received:
    13
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Another option would be the W550s. In contrast to the T550, the W550s uses a NVIDIA Quadro K620M.
    You're right, the only ThinkPad that supports M.2 SSDs attached via PCI Express so far is the X1 Carbon Gen3. However, according to PSREF, its M.2 slot only supports PCIe 2.0 x4, so SSDs supporting PCIe 3.0 x4 (like the Samsung SM951) are propably thwarted a bit:
    (Source: Samsung's ludicrously fast PCIe SSD uses almost no power in standby mode | PCWorld)
     
    BinkNR likes this.
  33. ajkula66

    ajkula66 Courage and Consequence

    Reputations:
    3,018
    Messages:
    3,198
    Likes Received:
    2,318
    Trophy Points:
    231

    Somewhat disappointing but nevertheless better than anything we've seen on the previous generation...
     
  34. Jjbb

    Jjbb Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hi guys, any idea when these new thinkpads would be available in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia?
     
  35. ErasmusStudent

    ErasmusStudent Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    6
    Can't wait for the T450s to be available in the Netherlands. I really enjoyed the T440s except for the missing trackpoint buttons, so with those included along with probably a minor improvement in battery life and performance, I will certainly be purchasing the T450s.

    I'm guessing they probably won't fix the light bleeding, but I loved the machine either way. Excellent battery. Felt very solid and light. 14" perfect screen size. Loved the connectivity. Keyboard was so-so, but definitely better than most of the other keyboards out there.

    Anyone know what else they changed? Such as panel? Hopefully they scrapped the LG panel.
     
  36. GamerJoe

    GamerJoe Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    28
    Messages:
    199
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Anyone gonna wait for skylake?

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
     
  37. BinkNR

    BinkNR Knock off all that evil

    Reputations:
    308
    Messages:
    1,000
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    56
    I think I might—the lack of FHD+ in the T45* series and PCIe SSD only available on the X1 (once again Apple has these covered on the entire MacBook Pro line) is quite annoying. Maybe Lenovo will keep copying Apple and we’ll even see 16:10 or better panels.

    Perhaps someone can chime in on this related to the Skylake refresh and Lenovo’s timing here.
     
  38. sayhi

    sayhi Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    6
    i'm gonna wait at least until summer and hope these T1/W1 were not just rumours
     
    BinkNR likes this.
  39. BinkNR

    BinkNR Knock off all that evil

    Reputations:
    308
    Messages:
    1,000
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Do tell! I’m available via PM ;) !
     
  40. driveromw

    driveromw Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    6
    Can anyone confirm the T450s will be available with discrete graphics? And if the answer is yes, in the US?

    I've seen it reported in multiple places it will be an option but its not mentioned in the Lenovo press release or spec sheet.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2015
  41. pepper_john

    pepper_john Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    87
    Messages:
    1,391
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Thinkpad yoga 2nd gen weights about 3 LB.
     
  42. jedisurfer1

    jedisurfer1 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    39
    Messages:
    785
    Likes Received:
    50
    Trophy Points:
    41
    I would love to get a carbon with the qhd screen. Does it support at least 2 dimms.
     
  43. swindmill

    swindmill Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    21
    Messages:
    25
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Memory on the X1 Carbon is soldered to the system board so you're stuck with the 4 or 8 GB that you purchase it with.
     
  44. AcE Krystal

    AcE Krystal Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    21
    Trophy Points:
    16
  45. tomeka

    tomeka Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    6
    Hey guys, I need a new laptop for work, I have until mid march to buy one. I can't wait to see what the T450s has to offer. I just really, really hope that Lenovo's going to propose something based on 28w Broadwell, or maybe even something with a low-end discrete nvidia maxwell gpu, like a 830M. I need a business laptop, but I also would like something that allows me to play some video games, not AAA titles, just, you know, a little CS:GO or a DOTA 2 with colleagues, and it seems like 15w broadwell aren't going to do great regarding 3D.
    I spend a lot of time comparing the currently available laptops, and the only two laptops that fits my needs regarding power, 3D capabilities and weight are the rMBP 15" with his iris pro, which is 1) a Mac, and I use PC for 20 years, 2) very expensive, and the Asus UX303LN, which isn't exactly something that I would carry around everyday without fearing that it might broke, it's not a business laptop and for 800€, I'm afraid that the construction quality is just subpar.
    So, fingers crossed, waiting until february !

    EDIT : There's also the Schenker S413, but the build quality looks very average. and I also missed the Thinkpad Yoga, equipped with maxwell 840M GPU.
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2015
  46. sisqo_uk

    sisqo_uk Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    126
    Messages:
    1,446
    Likes Received:
    307
    Trophy Points:
    101
    actually you haven't missed it. they are releasing the refresh. it will still be the as before with 840m graphics only it will have dedicated mouse buttons and broadwell. me too is thinking this is the best thing in terms of form factor and graphics with a trackstick as a MUST. touchscreen is a bonus.
    just a shame it doesn't have HQ or MQ cpus inside. and that 840m is not really a big upgrade from a 8750m.

    I know what hp are offering but ill see what dell is offering. I got till march before I decide to buy an aorus x3 or p34w with 970m. but deal breaker for me is im a trackstick user so it be nice if thinkpad or dell or hp offered something in 14 similar to 850m GTX. id be happy to miss out of 970m to get "something I want completely"
     
  47. BinkNR

    BinkNR Knock off all that evil

    Reputations:
    308
    Messages:
    1,000
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Thread’s kind of stale… So, any news on the NEW NEW ThinkPad line up ;) ? Like a T46* with a 16:10 or 3:2 (go Surface Pro!) FHD+ screen and PCIe SSD? Why must I still buy a Mac to get this?
     
  48. not.sure

    not.sure Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    101
    Messages:
    480
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    That somehow fits how we feel about the devices in the 'New Thinkpad Line up'..
     
    BinkNR likes this.
  49. Injek

    Injek Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    221
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Well the thing is, the new thinkpads are what the t*40 series should have been. I guess that's why I'm not that excited, even though I'm kind of satisfied with what Lenovo is offering right now... I'll probably wait for skylake haha!
    I was looking at the dell xps 13... gosh, that nearly bezel-less display IS gorgeous! Can't wait for Lenovo's take on this
     
  50. trueg

    trueg Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    165
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    It looks like they finally moved the fan vent away from the corner, so that it stops blowing directly into the docking station, which makes me happy.

    I hate that about my T410 and they used the same layout for the T420, T430 & T440.

    I have a Haswell Dell XPS 13 for work. It's nice and light with a great battery, but I need a mechanical docking station, not USB.


    Edit: Hmm, I guess it's just the T440p & L440 that kept the corner fan vent. The T440 and T440s are moved farther down the side, like the newer T45x models.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2015
← Previous pageNext page →