T420 Review - after 24hr use

I have recently bought a T420 from newegg. There seems to be a lack of reviews over the web, so for anyone who wants a better understanding before they buy this product, here is some insight before purchasing the product.

Here are my specs
T420
i5, 2.3Ghz, 3MB cache
Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics
4GB Memory
350 GB HD with 72000RPM
1600x900 Resolution
14 inch screen

T420 vs. X220

This was a substantial dilemma of mine before purchasing this product. If anyone has questions of the portability and the size of the T420, it really should not be of concern. The T420 is a very portable laptop, and I cannot stress that enough. It's not that heavy, given it's design, and is comparable to a 13.3 inch MBA. Seeing how small the T420 is, I am happy that I did not opt in purchasing the X220.

Build Quality, Design

This laptop is fairly attractive. It has a nice, sleek professional look. Underneath a light source, you will find that there is a nice sparkling finish to the skin of the laptop. Very subtle, but I feel that the little things are what really make the experience memorable.

Build quality is superb as far as I know. The metal hinges are a great addition, and the laptop itself looks very durable, yet feels delicate. Maybe it's the lightweight design that adds an aurora of vulnerability behind the product, but nonetheless, I am sure this thing will survive the perils of everyday use... hopefully.

Of concern - my product shipped with light scuff marks on top of the casing that doesn't seem to go away. I am not sure if this is of concern yet, but it does cause concern, seeing the premium price that I paid for it.

Keyboard

It's very exceptional. I am not used to typing on such a high quality of keys, so I make careless mistakes at time, but I do feel that I could type a lot faster in comparison to my previous Toshiba, or HP. Excellent feedback, and a very high satisfaction with feeling. Plus, the keys are coated in a matte fashion, so I feel that takes care of some of the errors the average person commits.

Note - If you are not used to the track point, you might have few errors with the G and the H key. That was of concern to me. Also, this might just be in my head, but when typing on some of the keys, it felt that my fingers were going a little bit underneath some of the keys, giving me the feeling that they were about to pop off.

Screen

I got the 1600x900, and from what I see, it appears to be very average. I am glad I did not opt for the lower resolution one, for I feel that would have undermined my overall experience with the laptop. The screen shows decent colors, and it can get very bright (sucks battery like none other), and it can get fairly dimmed, while still showing decent colors - so that's a pretty big plus.

The screen is not of quality like my friends HP, but it does get the job done. If you are looking to do some video editing, or focusing heavily on graphical intense applications, then maybe this product is not for you - I say opt for an MBA, or an HP.

Software

This might be my biggest concern with the laptop. After using it for 24 hours, I have experienced some hiccups with the system, which really makes me question how long this thing will last before the software will straight up give up on me.

Out of the box, right after booting for the first time, my thinkpad notified me that it was preparing the desktop, and then out of nowhere, it gave me a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). That really agitated me a lot, but after the computer restarted itself, it worked fine. That first impression of mine just straight up bothered me to the point where I had to call tech support. The guy was straight forward and said it happens with some systems - he insisted it was a glitch with Windows 7 application, and that a simple update would mitigate the problem. I updated, and so far, no problems.

With the Thinkvantage application - after updating it, and with use of it for no more than five minutes, the application crashed. I opened it up again, and so far it has not crashed on me, but it is still of relative concern of me to see programs crashing right out of the box.

The volume up/down function is not as fluid as I would like. The software shows me random increments of increasing whenever I hit the button telling the volume to ascend, or descend. I wish it was a little more fluid, go up by a level at a time, rather then going up randomly. Also, you can't really tap the volume button, you have to press down on it. So far, these set of keys have given me the most problems from my laptop.

Now onto the positives,

There are some great additions which makes this laptop worthwhile - such as a very sophisticated battery manager function, as well as a Rescue and Restore backup. It really feels that these applications are essentials, and help maintain a positive PC experience. Also, the thinkvantage application in itself provides battery checks, system checks, and updates on your system. The most comprehensive system check is found on this laptop, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Given this computer was an i5, I feel that it was a pretty smooth process running multiple applications at the same time - Google Chrome was running in the background with five tabs open, and I didn't even notice a speed decrease or anything. The CPU percentage level does jump around a lot, but I am not sure if that is of concern. Programs were quick to install - VLC and I tunes took no more than 3 minutes to install, and I was very impressed with that.

Cold bootup took around 55 seconds - 1 minute; which is pretty fast.

What was ironic though was that putting the computer into hibernation took a longer than shutting off, that was a little unexpected, but putting the computer into hibernation mode in itself took around 15-20 seconds.

Tech Support

I got routed to a tech support center in Atlanta, Georgia. The service was quick, but I feel that the operators were a little informal, casually dismissing my problems by saying a simple update would solve the problem. They did tell me possible solutions to address my concerns, but there wasn't a walkthrough process that they engaged in (how to's).

Also, if you're out of warranty, good luck trying to receive service. They had to check my serial number before they even considered talking to me on the phone - I was pretty surprised by that, but given that it's a 24/7 service, it's understandable.

Sound

I have only used it with headphones, but from what I am hearing, it's a decent sounding laptop.

It does make a weird noise when going into hibernation mode, but I just feel that this is a system response, so it does not worry me.

Conclusion

You get a thinkpad for its durability and it's keyboard. From this perspective, it suits the user well, as it's a dependable product that will do what it does in a very exceptional manner. Don't expect a fluid experience (volume up/down issue; random noises when going into hibernation) like you would find in a mac, but do expect a consistent experience.

I might have been a little critical of this laptop, but you'll find negatives with any laptop, it's only a question of weighing the benefits it provides, and you can clearly find that with a Thinkpad T420. This machine is attractive, provides ingenious software applications that enhance your overall experience, and over all program performance is fluid to say the least. If you're looking for something that will last, then I think you have your laptop.