T420, or T430, or T431s?

Let me start buy saying it has been ages since I've been on this forum and I really miss reading up on laptops here. My previous windows machine was a T60 if I recall correctly. I am keen on getting a 14" ThinkPad for work and school. Gaming capabilities would be a plus but in no means necessary. I am (was) a die hard thinkpad keyboard fan, so I'm not sure how fast I would adapt to the newer keyboards. I need a machine that would last me 4 years, so I'm not sure if getting the T420 would be the right choice. Which of the above would you recommend?

 

i'd recommend the newest, fastest, lightest one.

 

If you're still not sure on the keyboard layout then sticking with the T420 is not a bad option. The T430 isn't that much faster than the T420 in real world terms, plus the T420 can handle 9.5mm hard drives natively meaning more choice on HD/SSD upgrades while the T430 can only take 7mm drives instead unless you buy an Ultrabay adapter. A second hand T420 would be value for money compared to the newer models at this stage and it should serve you well over the next 3 years.

 

I'd go for the T420, especially for the keyboard and the 9.5mm drive bay that Hearst pointed out. The T430's keyboard/mouse layout is pretty okay, but the T431s is diverting off to something very un-Thinkpad-like.

 

Not happy about it, but I can live with the chicklet keyboard on the 430. But the lack of dedicated mouse buttons on the 431 make it a deal breaker. I suspect that my current T430 will be the end of the road for me with Thinkpads.

 

If you indeed are a die-hard fan of the ThinkPad keyboard, there is only one choice for you out of these three machines, and that's T420.

 

I really like the new looks of the T431s, but I would like to see a good review of the new clickpad before deciding.

 

for the sake of upgradability and the likes, i would go with the T420, which also happens to cheaper than the T430. The T431s looks to be an okay system, but i am unsure about the hinge design, and it is not very upgradeable (T430s and T430u are better in that regard).

 

The problem with the T420 choice is that some configurations are getting scarce or they are over priced. For instance, if you want a T420 that is i7 based and includes Optimus, that is getting hard to find at a good value. I never should have sold my last one.

 

T430 probably have better LCD than T420. I have been hearing a lots of complaints about the grainy display on T420, but I didn't see that on the AUO LCD on my T430. Maybe I am getting old, but my two young kids didn't see it, though the narrow vertical viewing angle is still there.

 

What's a "quick reply, as opposed to a regular reply?"

***********

If MaX PL is recommending the "newest, fastest, lightest one". . . if not mocking . . . then why do you still have a T400? I honestly want to know. I have a T400 and I'm going to keep it forever probably but would like to get another one just as good as this T400 running its native Vista Business. I need a back-up notebook in case of total loss of my primary for whatever reason.

Like the OP on this thread, I haven't been around the forums for quite a while so am ignorant of evolution of the T series since the T410 and don't remember well what the concensus was on that one at the time I dropped out. I think they took something away that I think I've used at least once since that time. This thing even has Firewire, useless as that is but who knows? Have Thinkpads kept their sturdy frame, ThinkLight, great touchpad and UltraBays, etc.?

Is the T400 still considered the standard by which new Thinkpads are judged?

Thanks,

Mike

 

I much prefer the older keyboard; however, technology is obsolete when you buy it. If you have money enough to consider all three options, there's little reason to be conservative about it. Buy the new toy!

 

The new keyboard isn't bad at all, buy the newer model. But the T431s and the T430 has the same generation of processors so it's between if you want an ultrabook or not.