T420s w/i7 2640M vs. T440s / T440p w/i7 4600U or M

Hi all,

My T420s has served me well. I've been looking (somewhat askance) at the T440s and T440p wondering what kind of difference I'd notice in day-to-day use if I upgraded.

My 4172 has an i7-2640M @ 2.8ghz, 8gb RAM, nVidia graphics, 240gb SSD & Windows 7x64.

Here is the Windows Experience Index:



I just today figured out how to force the 'discrete' graphics in the BIOS and now I'm running at 1600 x 900 not that terrible 1366 x 768 I've been dealing with since I got the machine! It's also noticeably faster.

Sooooooo, my question is ... say I am considering a T440s / T440p with the 2.1GHz Intel Core i7-4600U (Haswell), 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L RAM, 256GB Solid State Drive, Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400 ... would there be that much of a difference?

1920 x 1080 might be too small for a 14" screen, I think...

Appreciate any input,

-kj-

 

Welcome to the forum!

It's tough to say without knowing what type of workload/applications you're dealing with on a daily basis.

My best guess is that you won't notice any meaningful difference in performance. Battery life is the only area where T440s could rate notably better than your current machine.

 

Thanks for the welcome. I'm doing mostly web and office apps, some Minecraft, nothing super heavy.

You just saved me a bunch of money, I think. I asked here because I did a processor comparison on Intel's site and it showed the 4600 as very close to the 2640. I was like, what? Really?

So, thanks!

-kj-

p.s. thanks for the welcome and nice Citroen you have there! Secret Squirrel FTW!

 

According to the benches, the 4600U is about 10% faster, but that's only if you're pushing the system at or near capacity all the time. Since you're not, it's unlikely to make a discernible difference. In this situation, upgrading to a SSD if you haven't already, is much more likely to seem faster. The biggest plus for the T440s/p is the 1080p IPS LCD, which will offer better picture quality than any 14" ThinkPad to date, though you're stuck with the new trackpoint setup. If you're a touch pad user, that's probably not much of an issue.

 

Perfectly said. My T420s has an SSD so they're even there too. I'd have to see the screen to determine how much of an improvement it is over my current setup. The trackpoint does scare me (I've been reading a lot about it and watching Youtube videos), as does the elimination of the ThinkLight in favor of keyboard backlighting (which from what I've seen seems poorly implemented.) It's as if Lenovo is systematically eliminating the very features that made Thinkpads so very popular over the years...

 

Going from a 2640m to a 4600u will me more a downgrade than an upgrade, regarding performance; Intel HD 4400 will be an improvement over your NVS 4200m, according benchmarks.

Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist - NotebookCheck.net Tech
Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List - NotebookCheck.net Tech

If you need more power, you're forced to T440p with discrete graphics. Still, I would no go to 1080p route on a 14" display, I'm thinking about Windows/Windows applications scalability problems and such; better test before.

 

I think most would say an IPS screen is a big step over the TN panels offered in the T420. It'll net you wide viewing angles and high contrast. For some doing just Office and Internet, it's not a big deal, though I'm a bit of snob in this regard having been hooked on IPS screens since I first received one with my T42. I guess you'll have to decide for yourself, though it'll be difficult to see one in store.

 

the ulv 4600 and other low voltage cpus are not going to be impressive over your i7. If this is over cpu performance you are better off with the 2640m.