T420/T520 up on lenovo site

The Optimus (graphics models) should be available on the site Mar 29.

I don't believe the T520 will be available with the quad core. Some of the announcements seemed to say it would be but the released models .pdf don't show a model with the QM chip. Only the I7-2620M.

I am waiting.

Perry

 

The preconfigured models are listed in the tabook ( www.lenovo.com/psref). As I understand it, these are models available for order through resellers (ProVantage, CostCentral, CDW, etc), and I don't believe that they are customizable (at least that's what I was told). Also, I don't believe you can order them through shop.lenovo.com, at least not at the prices you can get through one of the resellers.

In any event, I found and ordered a T520 that is very well configured to my needs, the 4240-49U. Here are some of the highlights of that model:

i5-2520M
4GBx1 RAM
HD+ display
NVS4200M (in addition to integrated graphics)
500GB 7200 rpm
6205 WLAN
9 cell battery
Fingerprint reader
Bluetooth
Camera
Win 7 Pro 64
3 year depot warranty (upgradeable to priority onsite and ThinkPad protection at very reasonable prices)

This is almost exactly what I would have ordered if I had gone through Lenovo, and the pricing is very good. Delivery estimate is 2-3 weeks (but I guess we'll see about that). In any event, it might be worth checking out some of these models to see if they fit your needs.

 

Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz) with Intel HD Graphics 3000
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
14.0 HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
Intel HD Graphics 3000
2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM) at 1066MHz
Keyboard US English
720p HD Camera
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
DVD Recordable
Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
6 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55+
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
IEEE 1394a port
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
Language Pack US English

2Yr Onsite Warranty Next Business Day

I can get this for $950 with a coupon, and would upgrade the HD as well as throw a 4gb stick of ram in it on my own. I've also checked out the student discount, but the 10% off coupons are around $40-$50 cheaper at this price!

Any ThinkPad users that could assure me that I will love the keyboard more than my ENVY 15 chiclet style island keyboard which I've never been much of a fan of? (The chiclet keyboards seem to be noisy?)

 

How do you know the NVIDIA T420 will be available on the 29th? I'm going to buy an ASUS or SONY unless they put it up soon.

 

Anybody know what my options are for using a T520 to drive a WQXGA screen via dual link dvi?

I know the t520 has a displayport, but lenovo only have a displayport -> single link DVI adapter, which cannot drive WQXGA

Much as I hate the idea of forking out a zillion dollars for a dock, I took a brief look at the ThinkPad Mini Dock Series 3 as well, but they seem to be only single link as well.

The 170W version doesn't have any information as yet either.

And on that note whats the deal with displayport in general. I see a lot of vendors selling their own displayport->dvi adapters, do these differ significantly from generic displayport->dvi adapters? I guess what I'm trying to figure out this is the usual vendor behaviour of stiffing users with overpriced peripherals or or there is an actually legitimate reason for it (and if so, then reflect on the irony of having a displayport 'standard' that requires custom adapters)

Earlier in the thread pkincy mentioned he talked to chat and they said it would be 29th. I'm not sure if there is other info, but I wouldn't consider that date set in stone based purely on that.

 

What monitor are you trying to drive?

 

Worst case scenario: You could use an assisted adapter like Amazon.com: Accell UltraAV B087B-002B DisplayPort/DVI-D Dual-Link Adapter (Black): Electronics

I know this adapter works with the W510 (without a dock) and some older 30" dual link monitors. I'm sure it'll work with a T520.

Me personally I'd rather invest in the dock.

 

So I have a question for all the current/former Thinkpad users out there. I just ordered a T510 during a sale about two weeks ago. I got a really good deal on it but am wondering if a t520 is worth the $$ difference.

The laptop I will get in 2 days(finally) is spec'd as follows.


INTELCOREI5-560MPR
GENUWIN7PROFES.64
G.WIN.7PROF64US ENGLISH
M W7 XP MD- E
15.6HD+ANTI-GLW/LEDBKLIGH
NVNVS3100MOPGRP512MBDDR3M
4GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM X 1DIMM
ULNAVTRPOITOUPADFINGREADER
CAMERA(2.0 MP)
320GB H.DISKDRIVE7200RPM
MULT.RECORD.OPTDRIVE12.7MM
EXPCARSL+5IN1CARREAD
6CELLLI-ION BATTERY
COUNTRY PACK NORTH AMERICA
IN.CENT.ADVANCED-N 620
WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR
3YR Depot

I am wondering if a 2nd gen i5 is worth the upgrade. This came to $958.86 w/ tax after sales and promo codes. A similarly spec'd 2nd gen would be about $250-300 more and the only difference being motherboard, processor and intel HD graphics. All other items would be the same as far as upgrades. I feel I got a really good deal on the T510 and hope it will work great but wonder what thoughts users may have on this. I have a 21 day exchange period to decide. My main use for this laptop will be audio editiing with Cubase 5 as well as running serato scratch live and some Native Instruments plug ins. I also may dabble in some photoshop on the go on this as well. I'm looking for this computer to be a mobile extension of all the software I use on my desktop, but stable to where I can use it for live dj gigs.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Do realize if you return that you will get hit with a 15% restocking fee. It's not a bad price for 960. You may want to look at SB, but see if you can find additional coupons to lower the price. Also realize a brand new model is going to drop the price of those less "desirable" older models.

 

The $250-300 more is with coupons and promos accounted for... Not cheap for more ram, faster hd, HD+ and all that stuff. Not to worried about the 15%. I got a pretty chill Rep I ordered from and explicitly asked about the return policy due to possible issues with the Serato unit I use(issues with legacy usb1.1 support).He said the 15% restock was up to the sales rep to charge or not. Mainly just wondering if the money spent is worth the performance boost? For reference I am coming from a gateway Core 2 Duo t2230(cough..) w/ 2 gig ram. So anything new will be blazingly fast in comparison. Worth the cash or no? Also I realize the prices will drop, but I have a gig the 21st of April and definitely need a new laptop in hand before then.

 

You would be much better off getting extra ram and a better hard drive from somewhere like newegg and not from lenovo directly.

 

Thinkpad T420 shipped today! Coming via UPS ground so it won't be here until next week.
Gonna order an additional 4gb RAM and 500gb 7200rpm HDD from Newegg and toss them in when they get here. If I have time away from schoolwork I'll post a mini-review of it when it gets here.

 

Cool, make sure you make some free time to do that !

 

I got an email that mine shipped today. I was expecting it to be shipped on the 31st since thats what I was first told. Its all good.

 

Ordered one myself today. $935 after LOGICBUY10 10% off coupon. Pretty base system, i5, 2gb of ram, 1600x900, upgraded intel wireless, fingerprint reader, and 9 cell battery. I bought a Kingston V+ 128gb SSD for $175 and 8gb of RAM for $55. So all told about $1,165.

Was going to wait for the T420s, but the one pound difference won't be worth it to me, I'm not some frail old man who can't carry a sub 5 pound notebook...

 

I have a question about the processor speed.

I'm on a budget and I really want to get the T420. I was planning on getting the T420i with this.

Intel Core i3-2310M Processor (2.10GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz) with Intel HD Graphics 3000.

Is adding 50$ to get Intel Core i5-2410M Processor (2.30GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz) with Intel HD Graphics 3000 worth it?

Will I be able to tell the difference or is there a major difference at all?

 

If you do "office tasks" (document editing, web browsing...) with the T420, you won't perceive any speed difference.

Save the $50 for additional RAM. I recommend 4GB RAM. No matter what your applications are, Windows 7 will utilize all available memory to cache file/network resources to speed things up.

One more thing: if you are on a budget, I recommend considering the T410i. You should be able to get good deal for one these days. The second-generation Core i3 won't make any major impact, speed-wise, to your ordinary tasks.

 

Thanks Kaso! I appreciate the fast reply.

 

How long is the real time battery for that thing and is there a big difference between sandy bridge and its predecessor on the t410?

 

Battery life is inconclusive yet, because no one has done a proper review. Lenovo is claiming 9 hours w/ the 9 cell battery, but other claims are 15 hours w/ the 9 cell. My guess is Lenovo's claims are pretty spot on, since they held true with the X220 which has been extensively reviewed.

Sandy bridge roughly brings about 30% increased battery life. If you can swing the extra price, a new T420 w/ SB is the way to go.

 

@amtbr

I was referring to the t410.

 

This.

@dboss619: I suggested the T410 to save you some money. But, for extended battery life, yes, the SB CPU/GPU does help.

 

Thanks Kaso.

I will probably go for the T420 but just get the bare essentials and upgrade the hd and ram later on.

 

^^^ That's the way to go. Don't pay extra for HD/RAM "upgrades" during CTO. Good luck!

 

I think two things you should never upgrade in CTO - memory & HDD (go with SDD)

CPU/graphics card/ screen FHD/ Win 7 Pro/ built in bluetooth & 6300 wi-fi card should be in CTO.

camera/ fingerreader are just add on you should get for FREE during promotional deals. but you can live without them.

 

does the wifi card give you better connection? sorry I keep asking all these questions I'm pretty noob at computer stuff like this but I'm learning!

 

I noticed a seller on ebay (actually the person I got my last thinkpad from) has the T420 in stock with discrete graphics! It's pretty loaded also. I priced it out on lenovo and not counting the discrete graphics option (which isn't available on lenovo until Tuesday), he was over $400 cheaper! I imagine it would be closer to $500 less by the time you add the discrete graphics and tax which seems like a great deal. Plus I have a 10% off coupon so I might bite. He is fully authorized also.

 

I think the Intel "Wireless-N" and "Advanced-N" let you connect up to 300Mbps
Where the "Ultimate-N" lets you get up to 450Mbps with 3 antennas

Wireless-N 1000 is a single band (2.4ghz) two antenna
Advanced-N 6205 is a dual band (2.4 and 5ghz) two antenna
Ultimate-N 6300 is a dual band (2.4 and 5ghz) three antenna

I'm not sure what the "Thinkpad" version is.
Tehcnically more bands and more antennas can give you a more reliable signal in some circumstances.
in the end, I dont know what the real difference is, its a cheap upgrade though.

 

wow, plus you'd save on tax too
I priced it out with my EPP and the coupon and he's about $100 more. too bad he can't just drop the ram and hd and lower the price.

 

Yup. I just added it up and I would be getting a near $2000 laptop from Lenovo (with the discrete graphics) for about $1400 shipped to my door. I might just bite. I didn't want to spend quite that much but my 3 year old R61 is almost on it's death bed. It's been a heck of a laptop though surviving a few drops by the kids, liquid being spilled on it, etc. Besides a loud fan, it still works perfectly.

 

What's the EPP? Can I get that? What coupon? Should I just wait and not jump on this? I didn't need 8GB of ram but I thought why not plus the 3 year warranty is good.

Could I conceivably get a better deal on a T420 on Tuesday with discrete graphics? Again I can get it for $1400 shipped with my $100 off coupon (thought it was a full 10% off but it's just $100).

 

Employee Purchase Program

If you're an employee of Lenovo, yes. Otherwise, no.

Here's the deal. This applies for every single laptop purchase you will ever make from any manufacturer ever. Ready?

1) Ask yourself: do you absolutely need a laptop right now?

2) If you answered yes, purchase one.

3) If you answered no, wait. The laptop you want now will be much cheaper in the future, and models with much better technology will be available.

 

did you add up the cost if you didnt get the upgraded ram and HD (and bought and installed it yourself?) and any other extras that you may not need?

it only added up to around $1300 for me and my EPP discount isnt that big. I think without my EPP and without the 10% it only adds up to $1600 and if you subtract the HD and RAM, its down to like $1300+. Maybe we are looking at different ads or I missed a few things. The ad I see is for $1499, upgrades the cpu, ram, hd, win, cam, wifi, fingerprint, screen, blue, batt.

 

I'm not an employee of Lenovo, just an employee of a company that lenovo gives a discount to. We pretty much have exclusively dell's at our company though. its not that big of a discount. like starting price for the t420 is $899, with EPP its like $845. other companies give better discounts.

 

Yes I definitely need a laptop now. I am set on the T420. However I don't want to overpay. When I priced out just a basic T420 with what I wanted (just 4GB of ram, integrated graphics, 3 year warranty, lower processor, lower resolution screen, etc), it was still right at $1200 compared to what I can get this loaded one for (and that's including the 10% off coupon from logicbuy that is floating around). It seems that for an extra $200 I am getting quite a a bit more (double the ram, bigger hard drive, higher resolution screen, discreet graphics, fast processor, etc). Since this laptop is just hitting stores, there won't be another update for another year correct?

 

See my post above. I was originally just going to get a stripped T420 (just 4gb of ram, 320GB hard drive, integrated graphics, lower resolution screen etc) for right at $1200 with a 3 year warranty. It just seems like I am getting quite a bit more for an extra $200. I don't have to get it but it seemed like a good deal on paper. Maybe not?

 

What is an EPP?

 

EPP is Employee Purchase Program. Most large companies/corporations buy lots of laptops from dell and/or lenovo so they offer their employee's a small discount. I had assumed that most people on this forum probably had access to an EPP discount themselves or through a friend/family but maybe not.


this is what I get with no discounts trying to match the ebay ad:

4177CTO ThinkPad T420 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Intel Core i7-2620M Processor (2.70GHz, 4MB L3, 1333MHz) with Intel HD Graphics 30001
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 6412
14.0 HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
Intel HD Graphics 3000
8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
Fingerprint Reader
500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable5
9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++60
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65
4177: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller7


Laptop Price: $1,679.00
3Yr Basic Warranty Extension: $99.00

Total: $1778.00

I use to see a lenovo 10% off ecoupon offer but I guess its gone.
But you can save $350 by downgrading the ram and HD, you can always upgrade later for cheaper. You also might not need alot of the addons.

 

That's the price I got. Now factor that the one on ebay has the dedicated graphics vs the integrated one and I assume you would add at least another $100 to that total. That would bring the one on lenevo to right at $1900 give or take a few dollars. When you add tax to that, it's over $2050 (at least for me in TX).

I just priced out a stripped one on lenovo. I did upgrade the screen resolution but I kept the processor the lowest possible, 2GB of ram, 250 GB hard drive, integrated graphcis, 9 cell battery, and 3 year warranty. The total with tax is $1221. If I factor in buying my own memory and upgrading the hard drive, the total would be right under $1400 ($1375 to be exact if I stay with crucial memory and the hard drive I found). That's pricing out 8GB of ram and a 500GB 7200rpm hard drive. For about $25 more, I would get a dedicated graphics card and the most powerful processor available on their site for the T420 (and a few other things like bluetooth and the fingerprint reader). In less I am not seeing something, it just seems like the ebay deal is a way better option.

 

When buying on eBay, how does one know if the seller is an authorized Lenovo dealer? I know you said that you bought from the seller before, so you've already checked him out. Also, do you have contact info for the seller, such as phone number, website, and email? Thanks.

 

OH, you were including tax. ok, I see what you mean.

Now the ebay ad I looked at was $1499. So its $124 more than if you went the other way ($1375). I'm assuming you dont need the bluetooth and fingerprint reader so you can value that at $0. The only thing you want added is the dedicated graphics. You assumed that dedicated graphics would be at least another $100.
So it sounds like you are pretty much breaking even unless you did want the bluetooth, wifi, etc or value that at great than $0.

If you actually need all that stuff, I think the ebay option is a good deal, otherwise, if its all the same, you might just wait and see if more ebay deals show up or if another ecoupon comes out.

Also, you might want to ask around (friends and family) and see if you know anyone that works for a large company that gets an EPP discount. You might save another $100 or so.

 

He is actually a business partner with Lenovo. When I bought my last one with him, I actually called up Lenovo to verify. Plus I registered my last 3 year warranty with him (that I purchased with the R61) with no issues at all. He has no negative feedback either. Surprisingly, there are quite a few authorized Lenovo dealers selling on ebay but there also many that are not.

 

Yeah I was factoring in tax. Plus I have a $100 off coupon for ebay so it would only be an extra $25 instead of $125.

I honestly think with dedicated graphics, you are looking at at least a $75-$100 increase compared to the integrated option.

I also just compared a T410 side by side on lenovo's website with and without dedicated graphics. There is a $100 difference in the price. The only different between them is the graphics option.

So even if I don't factor in that the processor is more powerful (on the ebay one) compared to the base one on lenovo's site, I am still getting dedicated graphics for about $25 more.

 

Hi all,
I am thinking of getting the T420 with Intel Core i5-2410M and the upgraded screen. Leaving everything else stock for money reasons.

2 Questions, Can anyone see any reason why Intel Core i5-2410M is not so hot?
And any coupon codes work on these things? I can't get any to work on the IBM stock site.

 

By not so hot you mean not good? Its a great CPU, it will do just about everything the average user throws at it. I bought one for internet, word processing, and watching movies. It will do all that and then some, its actually an overkill for what I am using it for.

Try LOGICBUY10 - 10% off, worked for me yesterday.

 

That only works on the normal retail site, not the SPP/EPP/CPP sites.

 

This link below will give you a 10% coupon. Just click on the coupon code and it will take you to the T models and select T420. Also, in the upper right hand side when you get to the check out site, there is another 5% coupon as well. At least early today it was still there

Lenovo Coupons, Coupon Codes, ThinkPad ideaPad Coupons from LogicBUY

 

I decided to go ahead and wait until tomorrow to see what lenovo has on their site instead of going for the ebay deal. I know there is a 10% coupon floating around until the 31st so I will see if it is cheaper. I am sure the ebay seller will list it again in the next few days so I will stay have that option also.

 

How important is the dedicated graphics of the T410 to you? Notebookcheck.net has the integrated graphics of the T420 ranked as more powerful than the dedicated graphics of the T410.
The i5 2540m is also ranked higher than than i7-740qm that is currently in my XPS 15.
No good i5 Sandy Bridge laptop reviews out just yet to quantify what Notebookcheck is claiming, but my T420 will be here in the middle of this week and hopefully I can see how good it really is compared to the T410 with dedicated graphics.

 

Oh, and I ordered base RAM and HDD from Lenovo (they're worse than Apple in charging for upgrades). I bought a WD Black 500gb and 4gb Corsair RAM from Amazon (free 2-day shipping, woot woot!) and will toss them in myself.
So you can save cash there as well.