Should I go with my head or my heart?

As much I love my T61 there are a few issues that made me realise that I may need to upgrade. The WXGA+ screen I have on my T61 is horrendous (probably no thanks to the Samsung panel) for doing Photoshop work as I’m constantly adjusting angles to get the right colours and even on full brightness I can’t help but feel it is a bit dim, even in a well lit area. It’s pretty much useless in battery mode for screen brightness against natural sunlight.

I am considering something newer alongside my T61 for the bulk of my daily work, but without opting for the bulkier models as I do move about occasionally. Naturally having some good experiences in the past I have considered the ThinkPad T410. However there are some thoughts that made me think (no pun intended) twice on that notion in which I elaborate later.

Firstly being based in the UK, I went on the Lenovo UK site and configured the following:

Lenovo ThinkPad T410

• Intel Core i5-520M Processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)
• Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
• 14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD – AMT
• 2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
• UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
• 320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
• DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
• 9 cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery - Dual Mode
• Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 (2x2 AGN)
• ThinkPad Upgrade to 3 Year On-Site Service Next Business Day

This whole package would’ve set me back a whopping £1,284.47 ($1953.42 USD) including taxes and shipping. Thankfully a coupon deal is on so I can get 10% (yes just 10) off so it’s £1,169.85 altogether (that’s $1779.11 USD).

However Dell recently did a refresh on their Latitude business line. Their T410 rival, the aptly named E6410 (notice the last 3 digits) is also available so I thought I might as well check it out. The Dell Latitude E6410 was specced up exactly to that of the T410 I did prior, they even thrown in Bluetooth and 3 years NBD warranty as standard which is nice. Their price comes together at £1,066.90 ($1,622.54 USD) including taxes and shipping - and I didn’t even have to put any coupons in.

So now there you have it, a £102.95 ($156.57 USD) price difference between similar specced business machines and that got me thinking, should I go with my head (Dell Latitude E6410 because it’s cheaper for the same/slightly better specs) or go with the heart and stick with the Thinkpad T410? I can’t help think that I will be disappointed with the Thinkpad T410, especially since they changed the build strength slightly in some places, altered the keyboard (coming from a T61 here, last of the solid backplates so it’s an issue for me) and the seemingly poor screens that Lenovo is renowned for of late. So I need a bit of convincing, any thoughts?

 

I know it's not portable much, but W700 with a WUXGA screen on the Lenovo Outlet for a little over 1000.... refurbished. I know i might get one of them.

Edit: Some even have the color calibrator and digitizer if you are into photo editing that much.

 

It looks like you've set yourself up to be disappointed with either one, since you'll think you should've bought the other. You definitely need to reconcile your head and your heart first.
As for which you should pick, it's hard to say, but I think you should see them in person, especially the screen.

I will note that since you posted in the Lenovo subforum it definitely looks like you want to be convinced to buy the Lenovo ^_~

 

The price difference is insignificant, especially costed over the expected life span of the machine. If you like the Thinkpad pedigree, stick with it. Keyboard is unbeatable - still.

 

I have seen both machines in my office and the T410 is superior, hands down.

I have a T400 myself (brand new in fact) and the screen (LED, WXGA+) is fine but I am admittedly not hugely picky about it. It is bright, clear (although the viewing angles could be better) and pretty damn solid to these eyes.

IMHO, when it comes to quality, you usually pay for it.

 

I think if you assume the newer machine are going to have significantly better screens that would be a mistake.

 

I tried out a t410 first hand and the screen was not only lousy, it was one of the worst I've seen. On the plus side, the price is right (well at least for Canadians, a full spec'd machine runs around $1200 cad after coupons).

 

Stick with your T61 for awhile, or get a T510/410. But, like the others have said, if your looking for a better screen (which it sounds like you are), than even the newer Thinkpads are kinda "blah".

 

What about the T510 with its 95% color gamut screen? Isn't that supposed to be a good screen?

 

If screen is important to you, then I suggest that you buy the t510 with hd+ or fhd. If 15 incher is too big for your taste, just get a dell.

 

Hey just want to say thanks for the input guys. The reason for the personal assumption that a newer system would mean a better screen is because i'm coming from a T61 with a CCFL screen. As most new systems come with a LED screen I would expect it to be a bit more vibrant than the older CCFL’s. I played around with a LED backlit screen (albeit from a Dell Latitude) and found it comfortable to use (even at half brightness) hence for the decision to upgrade. Obviously jumping from say a T400 LED to a T410 LED, i'm not going to see a noticeable improvement! Plus I heard CCFL’s dim over time and my T61 is 3 years old so it’s probably lost some shine over the years.

I’m going to take some time to weigh up some options, I can say that I’m assured with some of the comments of the T410 but I keep an open mind at this stage still. But again thanks for comments and help and I let you know if I decide to bite the bullet at some point.