Should I wait for T410s upgrade to SandyBridge?

Hi everyone,

After CES and all the laptops announced I was more then intrigued why Lenovo only pushed like 3 laptops in the whole show. Also Sony, nothing better there either.

Anyway, I might have missed something, but I don't remember Lenovo saying anything about Sandy Bridge in the Thinkpad T series. Now, I would like to purchase a T410s as soon as possible (don't need it soon, want it soon), should I just wait, is Lenovo doing some upgrades in the next few months or not?

Curently I have a MBP 2.66Core2Duo, 4GB ram, 256SSD and a SonyVaio Z (older, around 2 years old, but still decent - core2duo at 2.8Ghz, etc ..).
I provided that info so I can ask this: is the T410s a good replacement of what I have? I am looking the get the fastest possible laptop in the 13-14" (not bigger) with a docking station (MBP sucks at this!), mainly Office work, some basic video editing, almost no gaming, both my current laptops do the job perfectly. But I would like a change, I have them for a while now.. Budget is not important.

And I just found this for T410s on Lenovo(which temps me):
[add $400.00 $0.00] 14.1 WXGA+ TFT Multi-touch, w/ LED Backlight
FREE Upgrade to WXGA+ TFT Multi-touch, with LED Backlight ($400 savings)
Last week is was 400$ for good, no discount on this option. Don't need it but for free I'll take it

Thank you in advance !

 

The T, X and W series lines will come later. Probably like April.

 

wow, that's like 4 months of waiting. probably..
how sure is the April refresh? I mean is there a hint somewhere on the web, anybody know for sure about the time of adoption of sandy bridge in the T series?
sorry I know nothing about Lenovo, I was on Sony/Apple forums for years (I know their sweet points, refreshes and all)

 

I remember getting my new T410 around last April and that was when it first came out so I would expect it late March/early April.

 

By the way Pampas,

If you have a MacBook Pro and a Sony Vaio Z that are both still in good operating shape, I don't know why you would want to buy a ThinkPad T410s at the moment anyway. I could see it if they were on their last legs and getting ready to die.

I would probably wait until this summer if I were you. The entire Sand Bridge line should be out across all of the OEMs.

If you really can't wait, you might also look at the Samsung 9 Series 13" laptop. Pretty killer looking machine.

 

Well, the Z has too small screen/huge resolution, one on top of the other the Z is very hard on the eyes after lots of hours on it (mainly Excel,Word work). And the MBP/Apple/OSX sucks on the business side, with MS Office for MAC I can NOT do any work, so I have to use Win7 over MBP. It's decent but drivers (Bootcamp 3.2, last one I think) are far from OK.
Don't understand Sony for making such a high end laptop/resolution, I have 0 problems with my eyes (just checked with the doctor, don't need glasses) but I still get tired easily because of the very small text.
Also, I can not understand how exactly Apple can not build decent drivers for a stupid laptop. It's not like they have 30 models/variations like HP. And I'd like a docking station, too much for Apple's slick design.

Anyway, at more than 2000$ per laptop, I expected better. My fault for not realizing what I needed/wanted.
But as you said, I can certainly do it until SandyBridge gets into T420s.

 

The T410s isn't going to solve your eye problem. At 1440x900 with the fair LCD screen quality I don't think you are going to be happy.

You probably need to move to a 15" screen. You might want to consider the T510 with HD+ (1600x900) or the W510.

Bigger and heavier but in your case, should be seriously considered.

 

wow i feel like i'm in the twilight zone. i currently have a 5 yr old macbook pro, intel core duo 2.0ghz, 2gb ram and i totally empathize with how you feel with osx and office productivity - it just plain sucks. ms office is a joke on this machine and my productivity in day to day tasks in general is just slower compared to a pc. plus let's not mention how terrible flash run on osx - just watching youtube spins up the fans to hair dryer mode.

recently i had my hands on the vaio Z, intel i7, 1600x900 screen and i couldn't understand why sony would create such a high res lcd to go with a small 13.1" screen. the sony is a beautifully crafted machine and i love how snappy windows 7 performs on it, but i returned it after i started getting eye strain and headaches just browsing the net!

have you looked at this leaked report from a japanese blog who attended ces 2011 yƒŒƒ|[ƒgzCES 2011 - Lenovoƒu[ƒX‚ŁuThinkPad T420sv‚̃vƒƒgƒ^ƒCƒv‚ð”­Œ© | ƒpƒ\ƒRƒ“ | ƒ}ƒCƒRƒ~ƒWƒƒ[ƒiƒ‹. use google translator.

it highlights that the t420s would be release sometime in 3 months with the sandy bridge procs. integrated graphics will be released first, with dedicated gpus following another month or so after. most of the specs look similar, including dimensions, # of ports, built quality, design, etc.

personally, i'm not sure if i would/could wait for the t420s to hit the streets in april/may/june. the blog doesnt mention anything about usb 3.0 which would be a huge huge disappointment for me.

i've got some e-coupon codes good for 35% off expiring at the end of january. my plan is to wait for news about usb 3.0. if the t420s is confirmed to support usb 3.0 i might find the patience within me to wait...if nothing surfaces by then i'm biting the bullet and getting the t410s. i hope i can get used to the fn/ctrl keys and the thinklight (instead of a backlit keyboard) but that's a separate issue i suppose.

 

Do you need multi-touch, I see that it use a rather a useless feature to have for os that is not optimized for touch.

 

I hope it will be released sooner, maybe next month...
I find it weird that so many discounts are available now for the T-series, maybe a way to clear up the stock and to make room for the upgraded laptops. Of course, I might be plain wrong, I don't know how Lenovo works at the end of cycles.
Otherwise, I will wait 3 months .. I have my eyes on the 14" T410s now, is the lightest T, still strong enough for my needs. 15" might be too big, I carry the laptop from office to office a lot. I see a big dif in weight (T410s=4 lbs <>T510=6lbs). Hopefully the T420s will have a better battery.

Well, I am there with you. But for free I'd take it
I mean, why not?
I bet it won't be free anymore when T420s comes up.

 

i am dying to hear more news about the t420s. i agree, 15" is just too big. the footprint is too big to be comfortably grasped in one hand. the sony vaio Z was just the perfect size, imo! but too bad the lcd resolution is just un-useable. i am curious, have you considered x201?

 

I am on the verge of buying a T410 but wondering if the wait is shorter than I think. When is the T410 being upgraded with SB? If it's only a cpu upgrade, I rather just order now instead of waiting another few months. However, if it's being upgraded with a new graphics card, I shall wait.

What do you think?

 

I am there with you .. still, I think we should wait, the new SandyB should have a much better battery. For that only I wanna wait. I love having a laptop with like 8 hr of life in it.

 

From what i read on that Japanese site about the t410s, the model with discrete graphics will be released about a month after the one with integrated. I would imagine the same to be true for the t410.

I'm in the exact same boat as you but then with the t410s, I have a quote from lenovo for an awesome machine for only $1650. Grrr this is so frustrating.

 

Not upgrading the graphics would be pretty embarrassing for lenovo considering Sandy Bridge integrated graphics are on par with NVS3100m (also indicating how crappy NVS3100m was for t410)

 

I used 10" and 12" laptops in the past, too small to work decent on them. The keyboard is crowded, more or less, and for a fast typing person that can be anoying. Also the screen is a little too small. I found the best compromise in speed, battery life, screen size and portability to be 13.3-14". Not the 13.1" from Sony. And not the 15" which is too big. Even the 14" is big, but at least the T410S is very light for such a laptop. That's why I want it, actually the T420s (hoping for a longer life on batteries.

 

The X20x uses full size keyboard, and the X220 that is coming out should use the same keyboard as the T4x0/s, T510, W510, etc. So keyboard size is no longer an Achilles heel of X2xx.

 

Well it's part of the CPU anyways so if they change the CPU (which they will) then it comes with the new SB graphics core.

There are some benefits of Sandy Bridge but i'm still waiting to see how well they play out in the real world. How much more battery life does one get is what i'm curious about.

 

I think he was implying that the dedicated GPU would have to be upgraded as the new SB integrated GPU is as fast as the NVS3100m.

 

all I know is that if they switch the displays to 16:9, they better offer a 1600x900 option or they are going to lose a ton of sales.

 

I hate 16:9. Even 16:10 .. 4/3 was much better.
And I hope Lenovo isn't stupid enough to jump on the blu-ray/movie viewing display on their BUSINESS laptops, like Sony and others.. I mean, what good is a WIDE screen when all the documents are long, not wide? Also, all webpages, all autocad designs, etc. Besides Excel I see no reason for a business laptop to be wide. Even there, not 16:9 !!!

 

I am glad about the keyboard. I am sure there are TONS of people loving the x20x series. I like everything on it but the screen size ..

Still, to go back on the thread here, if anyone has some inside information about a release date for T420s, please please post it. It would help a lot of people decide.

Is the discounts offered until end of January for the T410s any indication of a refresh coming? Or is Lenovo's regular business style to discount here and there ..?

 

I made a little program due to the risks of getting a 16:9 on the t4xx line

here is what it boils down to
A screen of 14.1" Has a width of 11.9568", and the Height of 7.47299" (16:10)

AA screen of 14" Has a width of 12.2021", and the Height of 6.86366" (16:9) [edit: had the wrong screen size]
A screen of 15.6" Has a width of 13.5966", and the Height of 7.64808" (16:9)

if dell and/or lenovo are dropping the 16:10 screens, ill seriously consider getting a t410 or a latitude e6410 (dell)
the reason is that a "HD+" screen is just way too dense. i dont want to squint over such a narrow screen such as that.
a WXGA is good enough for me (1280X800) on a 14" (which is pretty dense as is)

 

Lenovo will probably offer a similar 1600x900 screen as offered on the HP Elitebook 8440w right now, so really, in terms of pure resolution, there are gains on the 14" platform's high-res screens. It's not so much that Lenovo is marketing movie-viewing on the Thinkpad screens, it's that there really is not much choice in terms of available panels. I'm surprised the E6410 and T410 were able to keep their 16:10 screens for so long as is.

Historically, Lenovo upgrades both the CPU and GPU every time Intel releases a new platform, so I'd expect to see the latest Nvidia (more likely, from the looks of it) or AMD graphics components in the next generation Thinkpad. That said, you probably won't get your hands on one of the Sandy Bridge-equipped Thinkpads until March or possibly even April, so if you need a new laptop, get a good deal now and live happy.

 

I have "complained" on Sony forums about the Z 13.1" resolutions (1600:xx and 1920x1080) and some people said they love it. Probably just some freaks who play blu-rays all day long, or some people with very very good eyes. It make sense to have more pixels, since you get more stuff on the screen, but the size of the display counts too.

I have tried huge res on tiny screens, is not good. I am still young, but if I buy a high res tiny laptop for my boss (his like 55) he will make me return it. I know, I do the shopping for whole company, tons of laptops. and most like and enjoy 14-15" with less (not even) 1280x720 or 1440x...

Also, to adjust text (to make it larger) in Windows 7/Vista/XP is clearly not doable .. not properly anyway ..

 

Really depends on each person, I suppose. My eyes aren't all that great (I wear contacts), but I can definitely work just fine on the Vaio Z's 1600x900 screen, which I have used for an extended amount of time in person. I haven't gotten the chance to see the 1920x1080 resolution on the Z's screen in person, but I don't imagine having problems with it, personally.

I would disagree on that point. DPI scaling works quite well in Win7, in fact, the default setting on high-res screens is not the standard 96 DPI.

 

No one who really knows is likely to post it in a public forum. Matt Kohut did share a few details about it, though, in this thread in Lenovo's forum yesterday and today:

 

Can't really justify spending 1500+ on a laptop anymore since they'll just be outperformed again and again. Got one with i7 and Optimus for $900CAD and still got the Desktop for more intensive gaming apps

 

Thanks for the info. As this person from Lenovo says the T420s should have:
•16:9 display HD+ resolution
•Integrated gfx, or NVIDIA NVS 4200m Optimus
•USB 3.0
•Slightly lighter weight
•720p HD camera w/new even lower light sensitivity

Yeah, not very happy about HD+ 16:9 .. will see about the end product, as this was a prototype still. Probably won't change much, Lenovo doesn't care about business side, now it's about fun and multimedia and stuff

 

Jesus, folks, stop bitc*ing about 16:9 trend, its not Lenovo's fault, every laptop maker moves forward.
Sure, if they all united then perhaps it would be possible to stay with 16:10 or maybe even 4:3 or get IPS screens... But guess what - profit is what plays key role.
And neither of your moaning about how bad it is will change a thing.

Im tired of seeing speculations and complaints about something, that isnt up to you to change, 16:9 isnt end of the world, less would be, 16:9 ISNT!
Accept it !
Its computer.

 

WOW nice~

BTW,

16:9 HD sucks, but HD+ is pretty good. Those complaining about the lack of screen real estate, 1600x900 means the same vertical space as 1440x900 found on the T400 series now - only with more horizontal room.

I'm going to keep an eye out for this one!

 

Well, maybe they listen to our complains .. I mean, we are the customers!!! Besides, to produce a 16:9 is not much cheaper than 16:10. Maybe a few $ per panel.

I will move over with the trend, what can I do .. but I don't really like it. I never watch movies on the laptop

Other than that T420s looks brilliant, if all rumors are true .. Basically now we need to know WHEN can we actually purchase this thing. If the battery life is improved I will definitely have one.

 

I dont know how much they save from 16:10->16:90 transition, but IF its for example few $ per panel then it saves lots of millions dollars in manufacturing costs.

 

And millions of irate customers.

 

Either millions or few dozen NBR'ers

 

"Lots" of people made this complaint on the Lenovo blogs when they changed their IPS panels in 4:3 format to TN panels 16:10... Lenovo listened and rejected it since they calculated the cost and realized it wouldn't be economically beneficial for them. So no, they won't change their minds just because a few people here make some noise.

 

"But guess what - profit is what plays key role."

Yet, no one really likes capitalism. Everyone complains about it and then theres the great unthinking silent majority.

Renee

 

i would disagree. the new text sizing options with Win7 (don't know if Vista has it as well, i've not bothered to use Vista) makes it both easy and comprehensive in resizing text size, system-wide. the downside of resizing of course as then you'd wind up having fewer lines & columns of text .

XP and earlier OS's, did do a very poor job of it...it was too complicated and not all text objects could be resized.

as for usable resolution versus screen size, [i'd agree with you] i think many users would have a problem running 1440x900 on a 12" screen using the default text size. a 14" display would be the minimum for me to consider it. even if the x201 refresh includes a possible increase to 12.5", i don't think that's significant enough to ease long-term eye strain at that resolution for the stated screen size, much less running 1600x on a 16:9lcd.

 

yes it is easy for win7 to resize text but win7 doesnt resize the text size for webpages in browsers. you will need to manually resize this and depending on your browser, it might not be as straightforward as "one-setting fits all" (for example, chrome requires you to set text size for every page, while firefox allows for global text sizing).

in any case, resizing text messes around with columns, rows, layouts and just makes it plain ugly. there's no way around that.

these are my experiences from using a sony vaio Z with 13.1" 1600x900.

 

YEAP !

No resizing will properly keep everything in all programs.

 

"every laptop maker moves forward."

How do you discriminate between forwards and backwards?


Renee

 

No discriminations. None

 

why wait? once sandy bridge comes after couple of months new technology will come out lol. if you can find a deal go for it. I wouldn't wait lol, and you don't really know how much sandy bridge laptop cost