Questions on L series thinkpads

Hello,

I'm looking for my next laptop and came across the thinkpads L530/430. I don't have any experience with Lenovo computers and i have a couple of questions that you guys might just be able to answer, or maybe have an educated guess at. It's a longer post, sorry about that.

1) How deep changes can you expect between reviewed models and the one you'll actually get, a few months later? With the ability to select many parts of your own configuration, i'd expect that lenovo has to change the model of hdd or TN panel more often than other brands who just build series and ship these out...
I'm mostly concerned about the screen, and in particular its brightness. I'd easily give up on resolution and/or contrast for higher brightness. It's simply to have the option of using it outdoors, but i really-really like that... For the L series, notebookcheck (i go to them because they test models sold in Germany and this is where i'll buy mine) tested both 14" and 15" models. The former had a very satisfying 270cd/m², while the latter rated just below what i'd consider minimal for my use, 200cd/m². To a kick to it, in each laptop you can elect a lower resolution screen when buying: would you think there's any way to guess the impact of that choice on brightness? (The tested screens were both 1600*900, the optional, 40€ cheaper ones are 1366*768. I can't figure out how to get more information about this. Email lenovo for panels' model numbers, then try and find tested models featuring them?)
If that's not much of an option, can i reasonably trust that if i get the 14" L530 in 1600*900, i'll get the bright screen? It seems to be performing poorly in all other respects, but at least i'd be comfortable working outdoors.

2) The price bump to go from a 300GB 5,400 hdd to a 500GB 7,200 one is 12€. That seems very little. Should i expect the smaller, slower one to be of a better quality (noise, reliability, maybe just brand)?

3) The L530 comes only with a dedicated nvidia graphic card. I don't care for that at all, but i wouldn't terribly mind having it inside as long as i can switch to HD4000 instead for my daily use, and get better battery life and possibly less heat. Is that something that is typically doable on thinkpads with dedicated a graphic card?

4) A more general question: from what i understood, a lot of thinkpad users are hardcore fans who really want some design features to be lenovo's way and not any other, pushing towards a divergence, to some extent, between lenovo and other brands' design. Does that mean that someone coming from other pc brands should be worried about getting used to thinkpad?

5) One last question that is not so much lenovo-related, but since i'm at it: i get to choose between wifi adapters; Do they make a difference? If so, in what: compatibility, speed, or signal strength? (i get to choose between: ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n,
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200 (2x2 BGN) and Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN)

Thanks to anyone who'll have been brave enough to read through all of this!

 

1) You should be able to look up the display models online. Personally, I don't pay much attention to the display models, but I hear that they're all a bit above 200nits, including the higher-resolution displays. And personally, I'd never use 768p in a 14" or 15.6" laptop; these screens are bright enough for outdoor use (from my hands-on review of the W530 w/900p display).

2) Hard drives, iirc, are pretty much the same build quality across the board (there's pretty much only 2 HDD makers anyway). The 500GB 7200RPM drive will be fast since it's a higher density and it's a higher RPM (spins faster).

3) It will have nVidia Optimus, which will allow you to select any of the following options in the BIOS: integrated only, Optimus, or dedicated only. However, the default is Optimus, which will default to the integrated GPU unless you run a program that needs the power (games, CAD, etc).

4) From what I see, and my personal opinions on Thinkpads, the TrackPoint, the conservative styling, and the keyboard (when it was the traditional keyboard, not the new island-style one, which I'm not a big fan of on any laptop). You'll also have your Thinkpad "purists" (like myself) who only consider the X, T, and W lines to be "true" Thinkpads (the Edge is just a consumer notebook with the Thinkpad brand, the L series is basically like a T but with all the higher-than-average build quality features taken out, like the internal rollcage). You don't really need to worry about this Thinkpad fan stuff, unless you want to get into it yourself. But in the end, a laptop is just a tool; use what works for you.

5) The Intel wireless cards are a bit higher in quality than the generics, and come with much better firmware. Not only that, but the 2200 and 6205 have two antenna instead of just one (hence the 2x2 in the name), which helps with range, connection strength, and data bandwidth. Since it's such a cheap upgrade, I'd just get one of the Intel cards.

 

Thanks Kuroi-Tsubasa!

I'm pretty much all set with these answers. I still don't have a clue about how to look up a model # for a screen on the lenovo.de website, they give only very generic information.
I had a samsung laptop with matte screen for work 2 years back, that was measured to 200cd/m² in its review, and i found it just usable outdoors: i would constantly adjust the opening angle, find myself squinting and still not be able to see clearly some stuff. All that even in the shade, on not-so-sunny days. So that's why i'm thrilled to see higher brightnesses. But then again, that one was my only experience of a matte screen, so maybe i got just unlucky on my unit or something...

I'm a little bit worried about the keyboard layout, but if that's the only "weird" new thing i'll have to face, i can probably live with it.

Thanks again!

 

As you say that the rest of your questions have been answered, some info re screen:
I have a .pdf file with a funny name, called “tabook”, with detailed specs. It was sent to me through email by a Lenovo rep, but I guess you can find it online. (I can email it to you if you tell me how.)
For L530, unfortunately, it gives exactly the same numbers for both screen resolutions (220 nits, 500:1 contrast ratio).
For L430 it gives 200 nits for the low-res screen and 250 nits for the hi-res. Both have a 400:1 contrast ratio.
(As you know, the number of nits quoted at specs is sometimes higher than the number actually found by notebookcheck).

What I find weird is that there is hardly anybody discussing these laptops, either here or in the Lenovo community forum. What does this mean?
I want detailed information about the fan (e.g. how loud it is and how often it kicks in during low usage – Office and Internet). For other laptops I get this info through forums, but this is not possible here…

Have you bought the laptop? If so, can you tell us about your experience with it? I am also concerned with daylight use and would like to know your experience.
As to your previous laptop, with 200 nit: did it use the same technology? (antiglare, led backlight etc.)