T420 Buy Now or Wait (College Student)

My old Sager died on me during finals and I am looking for a new notebook. Since I am done with school for the summer and won't necessarily be NEEDING a laptop until August, should I purchase this laptop now or stick with my old dinosaur desktop til August for better deals/ newer models.

Specs:
ThinkPad T420 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Intel Core i3-2350M Processor (3M Cache, 2.30GHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor graphics with dynamic frequency
4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) without Fingerprint Reader
320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD Recordable
9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery
None
Intel WiFi Link 1000
Mobile Broadband ready (no mobile broadband module)
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty

Price: $785.73 (After-Tax)

I am a senior in college and the needs from a laptop is pretty minimal; websurfing, word document, excel, etc. I think this laptop is perfect for my needs and is at a decent price. If you guys are any input about the notebook I chose, I'm open to hearing any other suggestions.

But the real question is, Should I buy now or wait? (Is this a good price?)

 

The T420 is a solid workhorse but if you don't really need a laptop till August I'll just wait to see what Ivy Bridge offers since it's not that far off now (around June 2012) before you make up your mind.

 

Wait. Ivy Bridge does have some improvements worth waiting for.

 

Depends at least a little on how you like your keyboard. The T430 will have a chiclet keyboard instead of the long-lived standard keyboard the T420 and its predecessors.

If you wait a little, there might be bargains on the T420 though as the T430 comes in. Something to think about as well.

 

There are already bargains. You can get a loaded i7, Optimus T420 for below $850 USD now.

 

Not saying there aren't --just that it could get better yet. There's often limited-time offers when a vendor is hoping to clear old stock to make way for new, and the closer to release date of new, the higher potential that can be.

 

I just wanted to provide a concrete example. It's end of model life shopping time. Would you like cheese on your burger?

 

for that offer , I would probably wait

785 for a i3 based 14" doesn't really sound

 

Most people won't be able to tell the difference between Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge. Buy what you need with what you have. No sense in waiting for a notebook if you NEED one right this moment.

 

not to hijack the thread, but how?

 

This is always good advice. It's a particularly good time to be watching for a deal you can't refuse.

There is no guarantee the T430 will be available by August.

 

Here's one starting at $700. The last one I bought was $850.

 

ah,

thanks

 

It's really hard to say on the pricing. For example I got my X220i the first day for $750 shipped. While it has dropped below that price a few times, it's remained a pretty good price. The T420s on the other hand was pretty expensive when released, but has slowly dropped in price over time.

If you're looking for value, the Dell Outlet is tough to beat. Something like the e6420 is a solid workhorse if not as elegant as the T420. You can probably get one for less in the Dell Outlet, especially if you can wait for the coupons that Dell offers in the Outlet with some regularity. There's a thread in the deals forum dedicated to Dell Outlet coupons. You may wish to check it out. Lenovo also sometimes has sales as well, but Lenovo Outlet purchases are limited to a one year depot warranty that cannot be upgraded. The Dell comes with a three year warranty standard.

Buying on eBay is always a little more dicey than directly from the manufacturer. The item linked is New Other, which can be hard to determine what that is.

 

Here's one for $879 from someone I have purchased from in the past so I know he's legit.

 

Golden Rule for buying technology: If you can, WAIT!

 

The T420 will come down in price when the T430 is released.

I'd wait until the T430 is released, then pick up a T420.

 

it is better for u to choose thinkpad x220.it is very robust..believe mem you never go wrong with it.

 

Actually, you could go wrong... such as if you were looking for a 14" laptop or a laptop with a 1600x900 screen -- both of which the OP appears to be (at least based on his initial post.)

 

Are there any retailers selling notebooks with these configurations that cheap? I can't use eBay.

 

Agreed on both. I'm not a fan on buying a laptop on Ebay unless it's something specific (usually I need a partial to repair a broken one).

I just got an E6420 for a family member with 4GB RAM, the hi-res 1600x900 display, Core i5-2520M, all of the toys except discrete graphics, and a 256GB SSD, in the mid-$800 range from the Outlet. The SSD (a Samsung 830, common on current Dells) is $300 on Newegg alone. A 3-year warranty came standard.

I would rather order ThinkPads for myself, but then I control the service experience. For others, I'd rather I get support from Dell, even if the design of the E6420 isn't quite as polished as the ThinkPad T420. It's still a decent laptop.