T410s vs X201

I am looking for a laptop for college next year, and right now I have my eyes on T410s and X201. I can get both for similar price with mostly identical spec, but X201 comes out slightly cheaper and has 3 years warranty included. I did a lot of research on the X201, plus my friend has an older model of it, I basically have a idea of what to expect.

I just started to look at the T410s recently mainly due to to it's higher resolution scree and looks more comfortable to type on. It's bigger and slightly heavier, but I don't think that will effect me much.

Here are some of my concerns:

How do the screens of the 2 models compare? I know screen is not Thinkpad's selling point but how do they compare to MBP matte screen, which is quite impressive?

And since T410s comes with an optical drive, is it possible to swap it with one of those HDD cage everyone is talking about and put another HDD in it? That way I can have SSD and storage drives running in the same computer.

Lastly, is it a good time to buy a Thinkpad now? How often does it offer big discounts?

 

The Macbook Pro screen are not quite impressive they have been lacking in quality lately.

I am sure you can swap out the dvd burner for a harddrive your self.

 

You're guess is as good as mine. Lenovo coupons fairly frequently. About the best you can do is watch for a while, so you'll know when it's relatively low.

My X200 has an excellent keyboard. I've not seen the T410s, but I can't imagine it's markedly better. Now if you want the extra resolution, the T410s or perhaps the X201s if you can find one, are perhaps a better fit.

 

Well, considering the X201 currently has a configuration that comes at ~$700 off with 3-year accidental damage protection, and a 15% off coupon, it's probably a good time to buy one of those.

 

Thanks for the replies. Right now screen what I concern the most. How's the quality of Thinkpad screens, especially the T410s.

@waloshin, my sister has a pre unibody MBP matte screen, I just took a closer look recently and it's nothing but impressive. The color is vibrant and the viewing angle is superb, almost 180 from what I can tell.

 

did you look to the x301 too?

 

If you go and look at the screen in person, you'll find the MacBook pro is quite far ahead of both. That is confirmed by the data on screen quality in the reviews at Notebookcheck.com. The 17" and 15" Macbook pro far outclass those two lenovo models in screen quality. And the X301 as well.

The 13" pro is not as outstanding in screen quality its bigger cousins, but is still way out ahead of these particular lenovo models.

If you are really wanting a Lenovo with a screen that can compete with the macbooks, you will need to get the hi-res screen option on the W510 and T510. But those are much bigger and heavier models than it seems you are looking at.

If you wish to get that quality of screen and stick to a lightweight PC laptop, you will probably want to look at the Sony Z. But Lenovo is not making any attempt to offer this quality of screens in its smaller laptops.

They have both promotions and price changes all the time, so I wouldnt focus too much on the "discount" aspect. That is the oldest trick in the retail book. Its a computer, not a designer ladies scarf - if you need it, buy it now.

 

Thanks for the replies. I just been to BB to check out some laptops. The only Thinkpad they have is the Edge. From the few minutes I got playing with it, the screen looks downright terrible. I'm not sure what exactly the problem is, but the color looked washed out and the image is not sharp. It's even worse than the 5 years old 13" Sony we have laying around the house. From the spec I see, other Thinkpads of similar size use the same type of screen.

This is probably the deal breaker for me as I spend a lot of time watching HD videos. What are some laptops with good screen I can look at besides MBP and Sony Z. I looked around and heard Dell latitude uses the same screen as MBP, can you give me more detail on that?

 

Use a laptop for class and on the go. Have an external display and docking station for your dorm. You will find this much more productive that way then trying to work on a laptop solely while at school.

And college kids work extremely unproductively on laptops (ex. on the bed with terrible posture).

But if you're concerned with having the best screen, then a thinkpad isn't for you if you aren't going to use an external display.

 

I second this ^

My T400 has a nice bright screen but the viewing angles just don't do it for me. I have an external monitor that is bigger and has a better viewing angle than my T400. OTOH when I take my T400 to class it's light enough for me to carry in it's sleevecase. When I get home I hook it back up to the monitor and I get an acceptable monitor for videos and web browsing.

 

These people are giving excellent advice. For school, a docking station is easily the best way to go. you can get all the benefits of having a large external screen, whatever keyboard and mouse you like, etc. while also having the convenience of being able to pop the laptop out and go whenever you need to. Dual displays rock for writing papers because you can have a lot of your research or reference sources on one screen to look at as you type papers on the other. I highly recommend this setup for college.

The macbook is going to have a better screen and a much better touchpad. The thinkpad will generally have better specs at a given price point, a better keyboard, a trackpoint (which I love), and the ability to use docking stations. While macbooks are definitely great computers and their battery life is great under OSX, a few factors would tip the balance (for me) towards thinkpads for a college environment:

1) The ability to use docking stations
2) The better keyboard
3) A less flashy, more robust design

Let me elaborate on #3. It may not be something that you've considered, but macbooks are visually stunning. Unfortunately, this means that they are a much higher profile target for laptop thieves. I would wager that your thinkpad would not be targeted quite as readily as to someone not "in the know", today's thinkpads are indistinguishable from some 8 year old laptop left around. In addition, while the macbooks are built well with their aluminum unibody, you have to be a little more careful to avoid dents and scratches on the case due to the ductile nature of the aluminum.

These are my opinions! I have had an x31, x61, and have a t410s on the way. I've enjoyed all of them immensely and none of them have ever let me down no matter where I took them.

As far as comparing the two models, I wish I had my t410s in hand so that I could give you a side by side comparison on my x61 and t410s. If you wait for a couple weeks (and lenovo ships when they promise) I will compare the usability and portability for you if you would like.

 

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I am in a similar situation to the original poster and am trying to decide between a T410, T410s, and X201 for college next year (I'll be dorming on campus).

I like the idea of the ultraportable X201 for class and the external monitor in the dorm room, but for those times when I use the laptop screen, will I regret getting a smaller 12.1" screen at a smaller resolution, especially after college? And will it be able to run older games like StarCraft and Halo:CE?

Also, for those with fingerprint readers, is it worth the extra cost and is it easy to fool with, say, scotch tape?

 

@meemer

How long are you going to stay at uni?

If you think the WXGA resolution on a X201 is not enough, then you should get the X201s with the WXGA+ LCD.

T410s is the best choice in terms of portability and size. The X201 is for ultraportability, and a T410 is for people whom wants a high quality laptop at an affordable price.

 

I'm not sure how many years out of four I'll be actually living in a dorm/apartment. I know for sure I'll be there for this coming Fall/Spring semester.

I'm looking all over Lenovo's website and I can't find the X201s. I'm also not sure if WXGA+ on a 12.1" screen will be the best choice for my eyes.

 

If you are tight on budget, the T410 is not a bad machine. I use to carry my T61 to Uni all the time, and it was not heavy at all.

 

I think you should ask yourself one question: what's your most concern? Screen, portability,durability or price?

For ultraportability+HR panel, go to X201s
For portability+HR panel, go to T410s or Latitude E6410, make sure you select WXGA+ panel
For better panel, go to T510, Latitude E6510, or even mac pro 15" 17"
For playing games, select a laptop with discrete graphics. All of above have this option except X201 series.

Anyway, all of them are good laptops and are more than enough for college use. If your budget is not tight, you have a lot of choices. Otherwise you have to give up something.

According to my case, I am being interested in the Latitude E6410(special program for my college). But because I've already had a mac pro 15", when I met the promotion of X201 with 3 years accident warranty. I select it without hesitation, and I was moved by the ultraportability.

Here is my configuration:

I just ordered this one:

i5-520
Win7-64bit
12.1" WXGA LED, 2*2 antenna camera
4G PC3-8500 DDR3
Trackpoint+Touchpad
320G 7200rpm
5-1 media card reader and modem
6 cell battery
Thinkpad bgn wireless
3 Yr onsite Warranty+3Yr Thinkpad Protection

Totally $993(tax included)

Good luck to u!

 

I don't think any discrete graphic Lenovo offers could cut it. They use enterprise class graphics which are expensive, weak, not optimize for gaming at all.

I agree the X201 on Lenovo's site right now is a good deal, though I cannot understand how T410s is affordable. Most of the light thinkpads cost way above average consumer laptops. I am okay with that if they offer superior overall quality. Having a laptop with great build quality is good, but I usually take care of my stuff every well. I just can't see how this would benefit me much. I am willing to pay the the extra if they offer a good screen on their light to medium models. After all, a better screen will be easier on the eyes, therefore improve productivity.

Probably not the best question to ask here. I heard Dell Latitude offers screen similar/idenitcal to that of Macbook Pro. Is this true?

 

@exe163 lot of consumer laptops fail not because people abused it or anything, but rather the laptop design and construction were not up to scratch. You just have to look at the various HP dv series to get an idea, the sort of mishaps you can experience with the consumer laptops. Also, the hinge problem of the Yx10 ideapad was also due to improper design by the ODM.

 

The thing about consumer laptop is the their ac connector does not last very long. If you are constantly unplugining the your ac, it going to last around two or two year. At least this is my experience with consumer laptop (especially with HP). On the thinkpad on the other hand, if the ac port crap out on you or or does not take in charge. It is easlier to replace it. The port is not hardwire onto to the notebook. I am sure some might disagree with on this issue, this is one reason when I buy a laptop, I alway opted for a business notebook, especially a thinkpad.

 

I don't own a T410s, but I do own a T400. In my opinion, the T410s is a waste of money. It's more expensive, while having essentially the same form-factor a T410 with less available ports. I purchased my T400 last year before the Tx10 series came out, and had to make a decision between the T400 and the x200.

In the end, I based my purchase on what I felt was the "best bang for the buck." I ended up getting a T400 with switchable graphics. But now, after using the notebook for almost a year, I've realized that I could have done just fine with a x200.

While I have a discrete graphics card, I rarely play games, and when I do, it's usually only StarCraft: Broodwar. I also hardly use my DVD drive, unless it's to burn a few copies of things from time to time. But the usage is quite infrequent.

I think the benefits of having the added portability of the x201 is greater than having a internal DVD drive in the T410s. If you're going to play games, you should use a desktop anyway.

I do agree that you should also get a external LCD display for your dorm. It's a great investment and I take advantage of being able to display multiple documents at once all the time.

 

Fingerprint readers, in my opinion, are pretty garbage. I would skip it if I were you.

You'd definitely be able to play older games with the integrated Intel HD graphics, but the real advantage of having integrated over discrete is that you get SIGNIFICANTLY more battery life.

I wouldn't use a x201 to play a game like Starcraft 2, unless at the very lowest settings.

 

Right now, I'm leaning towards getting the X201 and the ultrabase with an external monitor. Just wondering if I should skip the track pad. I've never used a TrackPoint, but I think I could adjust to it and live without a track pad. I'm also wondering if I should get 4 gb of ram if I get 64 bit Windows 7.

 

This might sound silly but the only reason I am against external monitor is because it takes up desk space. I already have a 24in LCD for my desktop. With the need of external keyboard and mouse, I have very little room to work with even on my average-large computer desk.

 

Ergotron 33-331-085 Neo-Flex® Combo Lift Stand

then you should consider something like this to free up your limited desktop space.

 

Personally, I'd skip the ultrabase. For $175, it doesn't even include an Ultrabay Slim DVD-RW drive, which you'll need to purchase separately. If you really need to use a DVD-RW drive, I'd purchase an external USB one.

As for the TrackPad, I'd skip that as well--but this is just personal preference. I hardly use the one on my T400, and find the TrackPoint to be more efficient (you don't have to take your fingers off the keyboard to scroll or click).

You should get the 64-bit version of Windows 7 regardless of whether you upgrade to 4 GB or not. This gives you the option of upgrading in the future if you choose to. I'd personally stick with the 2 GB configuration to save money and buy another 2 GB stick online and install it on my own.

As for another user's concern of an external LCD screen taking up too much space, that depends on how big your desk is. When I moved into the dorms about two years ago, my desk was plenty large enough to support one. I have a 21.5" LCD on my desk in my apartment and it's just fine.

 

it is a good idea.

 

I agree with this assessment fully. The Sony Z has this "diagonal lines" issue that bothers alot of people, and it hasn't been fixed from generation to generation. I noticed it right away and no one will ever convince me that it's normal behavior. Just be aware of that. If it doesn't bother you, the Z is a good laptop. But it has the potential to make macbook pros look cheap.