T410 Help Decide

I am wondering if I could benefit, Mainly for Cad work in ProE & solidworks

Intel Core i5-540M Processor
Intel Core i7-620M Processor

Discrete or intergrated

Which Options should I pick I want good battery life so I am leaning towards the i5 & integrated because I have discrete on my t500 and a 2.8 ghz processor but I get poor battery life also I don't benefit from my ati graphics card anyways(I don't play computer games) but want your opinions.

 

If you do CAd work, then it is better that you have laptop with with a Quadro or FireGL GPU, since this matters more than CPU in most instances.

Integrated GPU is not cut out for CAD. Also, T500 that you have includes both an integrated GPU and discrete GPU. So if you don't need the grunt then you should switch to the intel integrated GPU mode to conserve the battery life.

If you are doing CAD work, you should get either the W500 or the the W510... anything else is really just for some simple CAD models.

 

You will get better battery life with your T500 by switching to intel graphics. Your T500 is equipped with Ati 3650 and the Intel GMA x4500MHD. Right click the power manager and under the switchable graphics menu select power saving. Depending on the size of your battery you could gain +2 hours of battery life by using this feature. Note: If you haven't updated any of the Thinkvantage ultilites, it may be a left click on the power manager icon.

Just my opinion, but I don't think it is worth it to upgrade from a T500 to a T410, the performance gains doesn't justify the cost. Generally, one generation to the next isn't that big of a leap. Once you start talking 2-4 generations then the leap is far more pronounced.

 

I do simple Cad work nothing complicated along with small assembly's , my t500 is too big to haul around I always run it on integrated graphics but get no more than 3 hours I run the screen on full brightness otherwise I cant see crap I might have a defective screen but lenovo screens are not the greatest either

I should mention I do not have a LED back light screen I ordered mine before they became a option on the t500

 

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, Minicoop.

I want a laptop that was more portable and had decent battery life, but could handle a light/moderate use of Solidworks.

Does the NVS 3100m in the T410 meet those needs?

 

Okay... so your current integrated GPU in the T500 cut the mustard for your CAD work? in which case, the new Intel integrated GPU should be even faster.