T420: Enhanced Experience or discrete graphics?

Yeah, it seems like an odd question, I know. The situation is that I've ordered (and payed for) a T420 from one of the German academic vendors. However, it has yet to be shipped, why I think I can still change my order (provided the price doesn't change), and I'm having second thoughts regarding one particular thing.

Among the available configurations, there are two that are almost identical and that have the same price. The difference is that one has Intel graphics and a Win7Pro preload. The other has Nvidia graphics and no OS. Now, I don't play games a lot, and when I do it's mostly older stuff. Also, I've lived with integrated graphics (with significantly less oomph than HD 3000) for the past 7 years and not once found myself wishing I had a more powerful GPU. Therefore, I figured I might as well get a Lenovo preload with Enhanced Experience (rather than use the Win7 license I have) instead of an Nvidia chip I'd probably just keep switched off >95% of the time to increase battery life.

However, I've now realized that GPU acceleration of non-game applications (such as the Adobe range, which I use every now and then) is becoming more common. Also, I've read on this forum that EE doesn't really change that much, and that a lot of people just do a clean install anyway. Thus my sudden hesitation. Could there, after all, be a point to having that discrete chip? Would I use it? And would I, really, be missing out on anything using vanilla Windows instead of a Lenovo preload?

And, perhaps more importantly, should I just stop worrying and get on with my life?

 

I think that answers your question.

 

As far as I can tell, you can have the entire Enhanced Experience 2.0 on a clean install. From Lenovo Blogs:

EE 2.0 and RapidBoot: Part 1
EE 2.0 and RapidBoot: Part 2

So you would do a normal clean install and add the RapidBoot component:

RapidBoot for Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit) - ThinkPad

Don

 

The Intel HD 3000 graphics support GPU acceleration of Adobe Flash, as well as Internet Explorer 9 and Mozilla Firefox 4. No need to worry there.

 

Also, from what online benchmarks I have seen (synthetic, but nevertheless) the HD 3000 and the NVS 4200 should be almost identical in performance.

 

I thought so too, hadn't it been for recent development in the area of GPU accelerated apps, but...

...it seems that's not much of an issue then.

Huh. That's interesting. Everything I've heard so far has indicated that you can only get the full EE with a Lenovo preload. That includes this image from the lenovoblogs post about the first version of EE:


Even if EE2.0 doesn't change all that much, and even if I could get it all with a clean install, given the input from you guys, I think I'm leaning towards not changing my order. If for no other reason, then to avoid the hassle. Thanks, all!

 

Side comment, but relevant: If it is true that you can only get EE 2.0 with a Lenovo preload, that seems to me that you only get EE 2.0 as long as your first install exists.

I still think integrated graphics is your best choice. However, I reload my system every year, year-and-a-half. So my EE 2.0 would be gone in twelve months or lest. I think Lenovo needs to make it possible for the end-user (or an IT organization) to re-create a full EE 2.0 experience when reloading a system, otherwise it isn't worth a lot.

P.S. --jazdc: The graph you posted is for Lenovo Enhanced Experience, but I believe the 1.0 version, not the new 2.0 incarnation for the Sandy Bridge systems. Note the ** refers to Montevina-platform systems, which are the ThinkPad R400-500, T400-500, and W500 systems, two generations back.

 

Sorry, I should have linked to this discussion regarding plans to make all of EE 2.0 available for clean installs with the addition of RapidBoot.

Don

 

That's good to know; thanks for linking it. I'm sure it's been a question on my others' minds in addition to mine. I think a number of us tech-savvy folks are adding mSATA drives on our own due to them not being available in every shipping Lenovo configuration as well.

 

Correct. I believe I mentioned that just above the image.

Very interesting indeed. Given that, I guess the upside of having a Lenovo preload is pretty much gone and the question, to be frank, boils down to whether or not I want an Nvidia chip for free. Even when positioned that way, I think I'll just leave my order as it is. As a couple of you pointed out, if I haven't missed discrete graphics for 7 years, it probably wouldn't start doing me much good now, all of a sudden. =)