SL410 arrived :)

Well, I got my SL410 today. First impressions, I installed 4GB RAM in place of the 2GB that came with it. I'm very surprised at how fast it is for normal everyday usage. Browsing the web, flash video, just everything I do normally "feels" just as fast as my T410 (with core i5 processor). One thing of note, the SL410 runs MUCH cooler and the fan is hardly ever on . Especially during watching flash video, the processor temp never got above 47C, and cooled down rather quickly. On the T410, just watching youtube videos, temps would get as high as 58-60C. The SL410 is definitely a little thicker, and I noticed when I replaced the RAM that the cooling fan is actually quite a bit larger than that on the T410 (which really surprised me).
I definitely wont be gaming on this, this will strictly be for linux and web browsing, but overall for $406, I am quite pleased with it. No issues at all out of the box. Overall build quality feels very good, pretty solid. The screen doesn't flex as much when opening the lid as the T410, but the keyboard does flex a tiny bit more. The screen hinges though, I can't explain it, but just don't "feel" as strong or sturdy and that worries me a little. I hope they will last. :\
One thing I don't like, is the ethernet plug is upside down, which will require me picking up the notebook to remove the ethernet cable.
So ZaZ and others were right, you really don't need more than a core 2 duo for web browsing.

 

Unless you open like 100 or 200 browser windows then the Core 2 Duo Penryn CPU is enough.

The weaknesses of the SL series and early L series were the hinge, hence why Lenovo massively upgraded the hinge on the ThinkPad L420 and L520.

Another thing to watch on the SL410/510 is the usb port, as they sometimes have the tendency to break apart.

 

Great...... :\ Thanks for the heads up though.