T420 for CS major

Hi everyone,

So I had a thread about a month ago on a deal I scooped up from HP. Well, that machine was really not to my liking (to consumerist-plasticy garbage, plus the known ATI GPU issue), so I returned it. The specs were likely overkill for me, anyway. But from what I'm hearing, if Lion turns out to be as gimped as people are saying it will be, I do still want to go back to a PC (I'm a CS major), in which case, I've found the following machine:


ThinkPad T420 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty Edit
Processor: Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3) Edit
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Edit
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 US English
Display type: 14.0 HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready Edit
System graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 Edit
Total memory: 6 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM) Edit
Keyboard: Keyboard US English
Pointing device: UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader Edit
Camera: 720p HD Camera Edit
Hard drive: 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm Edit
Optical device: DVD recordable multiburner Edit
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader Edit
Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55+ Edit
Power cord: Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter Edit
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0 Edit
PCI adapter: IEEE 1394a port
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN) Edit
Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable Edit
Language pack: Language Pack US English

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YOUR SYSTEM SUMMARY



Price $1,700.00
Sale price $1,115.10
After eCoupon $1,003.59
Savings $696.41

Total $1,003.59

Use eCoupon code USX10TX0714
Estimated ship date: 7/28/11**

I know the coupon ends soon, but lenovo always has coupons, so I'm not worried about that. I would slap Windows 7 Ultimate and Office 2010 pro plus on here, and I think it would make a nice upgrade over my Arrandale i5 15 MBP, not to mention it would be a lot more durable. It would also be awesome when paired with a Mango WP7 device (down the road).

Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

Will this be your main computer?
Will you be using it in class (ie. on battery) or from home only?
What's your budget?

You might fill out the What Should I Buy? form so we get a better picture of your needs.

If you have your own Windows 7 Ultimate, you might look at getting the laptop with DOS to save a few bucks. Not sure which machines that's available for, but some have done that. You should also consider getting a single DIMM of memory and upgrading yourself.

 

My budget really doesn't have a limit, though I'd like to cap it at $1,200...
It will be my main computer, on which I will not game (I reserve that entirely for my Xbox 360). As far as usage, it will be nice for portability, but battery life will not be an issue (6 cell should be fine, I'd imagine), maybe 3 hours away from power, but usually the power is readilly available anywhere I go. So durability is a factor, with battery life important, but not terribly important.

I was considering getting the one DIMM of 4GB, then slapping another 4GB stick in to save money... so that is an option, I didn't know if it would be better to just have it come from the factory (ex. for warranty reasons). Unfortunately, the academic Windows is only an upgrade, and this machine isn't available with DOS, either.




General Questions

1) What is your budget?
$1,200, ideally, though there's room for more if needed.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

a. Netbook; 10” screen or less
b. Ultraportable; 11" - 12” screen
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screene. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
-United States/online

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Dell (pro line), Lenovo (pro line), Apple (pre-lion)
b. Dislike: Dell (consumer line), HP (consumer line), Toshiba, Sony


5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
-No, I prefer to get a fresh start.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
-Browsing, consuming media, writing and compiling code, video encoding my DVDs into MP4 for my external HDD from time to time, though I'm not terribly concerned about pure 100% raw speed for those tasks, so long as the integrated GPU doesn't lag, and the CPU can get them done reasonably without lag or overheating

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
-Mostly left on a desk, though I will be taking it in a backpack from time to time.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
-Nope, games are for Xbox 360, this is a work and media consumption machine (video and audio playback, causually throwing video together in something like WLMM)

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
-3-5 is fine, though 6/7 would be welcome

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
-I have seen and played with Lenovos at the IT department for my uni

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
-Windows 7 for this (I have an Ultimate Edition academic upgrade)

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.
-I need at least 900px horizontal, so the 1600x900 or 1440x900 would be fine, 1080p seems too small for the 14" form factor I'm shooting for.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen? -Matte, definitely, glossy would only be if I really, really had to.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
-I find Lenovo's utilitarian styling good, and that is the look I'm going for.

15) When are you buying this laptop?
-After Lion comes out and is the dumbed-down disappointment I'm expecting.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
-3-4 years, a year or two after I graduate would be nice.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
-500GB makes me comfortable, not ready to spend what SSDs are going for comparative to the storage.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
-Yes, DVD will be sufficient.

 

Sandy Bridge isn't THAT much more powerful than Arrandale. I believe it is only like 15 ~ 20% faster clock for clock. I'd just keep the MBP 15 if I were you.

Now, that is one expensive T420. Don't bother with the RAM upgrade, upgrade it yourself later. Configuring the T420 with 4GB of RAM costs you as much as 2x 4GB modules aftermarket.

If your university is like mine and don't offer electrical outlets, do consider the 9 cell battery as it is only $20 and will offer you around 50% more run time (around 8hrs on battery, depending on what you are doing).

If you configure it with 2GB of RAM and a 9 cell, and left the rest the same, around $850 would be fair for it (give or take a bit).

 

I'm an application developer by trade (JEE), and our company gives out the T410, the older unit. Yeah I know last year's. Our company doesn't give out brand new models until they get the kinks of them
I would say that's a great choice. Remember, a larger, heavier laptop for school means it's more of a PITA to carry around.

 

You can use an upgrade disk to do a clean install if you want. Use the "double install" method in this article by Paul Thurott.

Why do you want to use windows7 ultimate? just curious.

Two podcasts you might enjoy if you haven't heard them already.
Paul Thurott windows weekly twit.tv/ww
PCper.com podcast, has excellent discussions on SSD, graphics cards, etc.

 

I got Ultimate from my uni for $20, so why not, I just wanted pro and not home premium, so ultimate is even better.

I'll definitely check out those podcasts, too.