T430 Owner's Thread

I called up Lenovo today and they matched the price no problem. Was able to drop from $1159 down to $921 so it made a pretty huge difference. Also, for anyone that may use this info, I just recieved my Ultrabay HDD caddy from Nimitz on Ebay and it is working flawlessly so far.

 

I love you guys so much right now. If it weren't for you guys I wouldn't be able to lower the price of the T430 from 779 to 584 dollars! Now I can add some upgrades I could not add before since I was lacking in cash.
Once again, thanks!

Edit: Couple of questions
Is it worth it to go for the i5-3360M instead of the i5-3320M? Will I notice significant increase in performance in games like Team Fortress 2? I'm not sure the 50 dollar difference is worth it.

Also, I noticed the Nvidia card is now 50 dollars. Is there a noticeable increase in performance from the Intel HD 4000?

 

Here is my .02 worth. The difference between the 3320 and 3360 will be very minimal and most won't notice it. As for the GPU, if you play to do any gaming at all, I would go for the 50 dollar upgrade as it is a fairly small price to pay for a dedicated GPU. Although HD4000 is very good, it is always better to have a dedicated GPU for gaming.

Also, can anyone answer this for me. In HWInfo32, my monitor model number is LP140WD2-TLD2. Does this mean my screen is one of the better LG one's?

 

Yea, LP140WD2 means it's an LG. Don't know about it being "better," though.

 

I was under the impression that you want a Samsung panel first, then the LG, then the AUO. Is that not the case?

 

Ah, sorry, I was not thinking in terms of Samsung > LG > AUO for T430 HD+ screens.

 

Ya I understand it's still a subpar screen. I'm just glad I didn't get the AUO, although it probably wouldn't have bothered me all that much.

 

So if I am understanding this correctly, the 5400 dropped from 250 to 50 and Lenovo will price match it? Anything in particular I need to do other than call and request the match? My T430 is still in route and scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Ordered on the 9th.

On another note, has anyone tried BF3 on theirs with the 5400? I am not looking for highest resolutions; just if it is playable at reasonable settings and resolution. Blood is red regardless of the quality .

 

Hello from my new T430

 

Yes if you ordered on the 9th, Lenovo will price match it within 21 days. All you have to do is take a screenshot of the cart with the discounted machine and price. It has to be the exact same configuration as the machine you ordered. Just call and say you want a price match and they will ask you to email them the screenshot of the discounted cart and then go from there. I saved 238 dollars by getting my price match.

 

Hi Rezabrya,

I just got the reminder that Lenovo just shipped off my order. I can see in my bank account that they still charged me the old higher price. Will they do the price match later? I am a little worried since the sale representative that I contacted with never respond my email or anything... I sent the snapshot like five days ago. Thanks in advance!

 

I ordered on the third, recieved the machine on the 11th, and called to get a price match on the 16th. They said it would be refunded to me within 5 days. Just my experience. Have you called them or just e-mailed?

Honestly, I am feeling pretty stupid. Two days after I got my price match, they have a 3 day sale where I could have saved another 50 bucks. I'm still happy with my original $238 savings but $295 would have been better. Would Lenovo by chance do two price matches or is that asking too much?

 

I noticed that as well. I called in and they said they would be able to do a second price match where you will be credited a second time for the difference between the two price matches (ie the ~$50). So yes they would be willing to do two price matches!

Unfortunately, the dock that I bought has since gone up in price. Since it is not the same or lower than the price I paid, they claim they cannot do a price match

I am going to try calling again and only show a quote for the laptop without any accessories and see what happens.

 

Can't resist it anymore especially with the B&N coupon, total is $692 plus tax, I think I did okay price wise. I could have done without FPR and BT but you never know whether one day I will want to have them. Was thinking about 3 year warranty too but figure I'd either sold the machine or have opened it before the end of the first year thus void the warranty anyway.

T430 2342CTO

Processor Intel Core i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)

Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English

Display type 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready

System graphics NVIDIA NVS 5400M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory

Total memory 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard Backlit - US English

Pointing device UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader

Camera 720p HD Camera with Microphone

Hard drive 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Ultrabay DVD Recordable

System expansion slots Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader

Battery 6 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70+

Power cord 90W AC Adapter - US (2pin)

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200 (2x2 BGN)

Integrated mobile broadband Mobile Broadband upgradable

Language pack Publication - US English

 

Thanks Rezabrya. I called the customer service this afternoon. It took me 40 minutes just to wait in line. I mean, seriously? They really need to increase some hands in their call up center. Anyway, the representative told me that my request for price match was well received. After the order is shipped off, what they do is that firstly charge the original higher price and return the extra bucks back later. It may take several business days to process. Hope this information helps those who are considering a price match!

P.S., highly recommend you guys check the most recent price for the computer you just ordered frequently. Lenovo adjusts the price ALL THE TIME. During the time I was waiting for my order to ship off, it decreased twice. Will definitely do another price match. This would save me another 50 bucks.

 

Glad I could help Dizzy! I will be waiting in the line tomorrow then to get yet another price match. I think an extra $50 savings is worth a 40 minute wait.

 

You could probably just email your new cart snapshot to the representative that you contacted for your first price match to avoid the long wait call. But call them directly is definitely a better way to secure the price match since they are generally not very responsive with emails. Good luck!

 

How did you get the price to go so low?!! please explain

 

Are there any discounts for us UK fellas? I can't find any for this laptop. Does anyone know if there are any coming up? I need to buy this before September, so it'll need to be ordered within the next couple weeks.

 

There should be within the next few weeks. They had 10% voucher codes 2 weeks ago and Lenovo do sales quite often. Shouldn't be too long until the next lot appear.

 

I notice a lot of people earlier in this thread were able to get a thinkpad with a 2gig 5400m graphics, but now it is all 1 gig on lenovo's website/ WHat gives?

 

Intel Core i5-3320M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)
14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
NVIDIA NVS 5400M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory
4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM)
Keyboard Backlit - US English
No Camera, with Microphone
320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD Recordable
Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader
6 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70+
90W AC Adapter - US (2pin)
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200 (2x2 BGN)
Mobile Broadband upgradable

Just got this for 709 dollars, was wondering was the CPU upgrade worth it?

 

In B&N store the T430 starts at $545.30
Barnes and Noble Gold | Lenovo | (US)

Compare to the 3210M the 3320M is only marginally faster, however it offers VT-d and TxT which the 3210M lacks.

 

Thanks for the help, unfortunately i thought this sale was also happening in Canada but its only in the USA. However, when i use the paypal option it allows me to buy it in Canada. Weird.

 

Can someone please tell me what this is above the touchpad?

 

Those buttons work with the trackpoint.

 

This question may have been discussed elsewhere.

My T430 comes with a 4G RAM in 1 slot. I am planning to increase the total RAM to 12G by adding another 8G.

I have read elsewhere that this is not a good idea. It is best to install matching sticks of RAM. Will this 4G&8G combo cause any major problem?

 

This is my first time posting. I hope this doesn't break any rules of some sort.
I'm not too familiar with Lenovo's coupon/savings system but I managed to get the below configuration for $720. I don't have a lot of cash as a college student so I'm a bit hesistant to make the purchase. I was wondering whether or not the current Barnes and Noble Gold Coupon would make this a good deal or I should continue to make a couple more weeks/months since Lenovo always updates their site with more eCoupons. Thanks in advance.

Processor

Intel Core i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)

Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English

Display type 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready

System graphics NVIDIA NVS 5400M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory

Total memory 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard Backlit - US English

Camera No Camera, with Microphone

Hard drive 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Ultrabay DVD Recordable

System expansion slots Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader

Battery 9 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70++

Power cord 90W AC Adapter - US (2pin)

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN

Integrated mobile broadband Mobile Broadband upgradable

Language pack Publication - US English

 

How did you get that configuration for $720? I went through B&N Gold and configured the same setup and it came up to be $748.

 

Installing RAMs of different sizes will not cause any problem, you want to having matching speed though, if two RAMs with different speeds are installed they will both operate at the lower speed.

 

The backlit keyboard was free.

 

im sorry, but i am totally clueless about installing RAM. so if my t530 has a 4gb pc3 - 12800 DDRS (1 DIMM), i need a RAM that is pc3 - 12800 DDRS (1 DIMM)? Also, how do I find the speed of it? Also the timing? Or are they the same thing? Thank you.

 

Yes, you need a second RAM module of the same specification: 4GB PC3-12800 204-pin DDR3 1600MHz.

Something like this would be appropriate.

 

Thank you Kaso, I very much appreciate it. I'm just curious; what is the 1600Mhz? Is that the speed? If so, what is timing in general? Like the number x - x - x - xx

 

Weird, when I configured it earlier it was the a free option too, now it's costing $40, so if I select the options you chose right now the total price is $748, I guess if you were able to get it for $720 then go for it, the price seems to be getting back to previous levels.

The 1600Mhz is the RAM's speed, timing is the latency of the RAM, if you have two RAMs with the same speed generally speaking the lower the latency the better, but most consumer DDR3-12800 1600Mhz RAMs have either 9-9-9-28, or 11-11-11-28 timing, so the 9-9-9-28 is slightly faster. I'm not 100% sure whether the timing of the two RAM modules should match, but mixing RAMs with different timings never a problem for me.

 

My T530 came with a 4gb DDR3 PC3-12800 11-11-11-28 stick, you can check it using CPU-Z under the memory tab

 

Good to know, I'll order a 4GB stick and maybe it'll arrive even before my laptop.

 

I'm about to order my T430 but I currently have 500GB 7400rpm HDD selected. This may not enough for me.

I then noticed another option as:
- Ultrabay: 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm with Bay Adapter for an extra £100.

Does this mean that there'll be a HDD instead of the DVD drive? Or will it have both a DVD Drive/HDD. Finally, what is a 'bay adapter'? Will this increase the weight?

If I choose the DVD option instead, will I be able to add more HDD/SSD in the future?

 

PC3-12800 means 1600MHz speed. (In the previous generation, the CPU bus handles memory bandwidth up to 1333MHz only.) The x-x-x-x are the timings. The G.Skill RAM module that I showed to you, as an example, has very good timings.

If you select that option, Lenovo manufacturing will put in a second HDD in the UltraBay, together with the UltraBay HDD caddy adapter, during assembly. In this case, you will not receive an optical DVD drive.

The UltraBay HDD caddy adapter is a mechanical, passive enclosure that provides: (a) the place to hold a 2.5" HDD/SDD, and (b) the slimline SATA electrical/power connector for the drive, i.e. when you push the whole enclosure properly into the UltraBay, you are connecting the drive to the motherboard.



If you choose the DVD drive, yes, you will be able to add a HDD/SSD in the future by removing the DVD drive and inserting an UltraBay caddy adapter ( like this) together with a HDD/SDD of your choice. And, if you want to use the DVD drive as an external device, you can consider using something like this.

 

Just purchased mine for $720
Processor

Intel Core i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)

Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English

Display type 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready

System graphics NVIDIA NVS 5400M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory

Total memory 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard Backlit - US English

Camera No Camera, with Microphone

Hard drive 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Ultrabay DVD Recordable

System expansion slots Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader

Battery 9 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70++

Power cord 90W AC Adapter - US (2pin)

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN

Integrated mobile broadband Mobile Broadband upgradable

Language pack Publication - US English

 

Does anybody use Intel Anti-Theft Service? I got a notice says that I need to enroll that service but I cant seem to find any way to buy the activation code. Actually I am little bit confused whether this is an embedded technology found on all major anti-theft services such as Computrace or it is actually a stand-along service.

 

Finally got my optimized OS/App image laid down onto the T430 and it flat out screams --> boots into Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit in 7s from the time you power it on! Core i5 CPU (soon to be i7 QM) with 16GB (2 x 8GB Mushkin) RAM, 60GB (soon to be 120GB) Mushkin mSATA 80K IOP boot SSD (Sandforce controller), Hitachi 500GB 7.2K data drive, and the Nvidia Optimus 5400M chipset. Windows experience is 6.8 - disk scored an amazing 7.6! Cannot wait to fire up BF3 on this baby!!

Few scores:

3D Mark 2006 (default settings): 8987
3D Mark Vantage (default settings): 4367

 

Can anyone explain where the mSATA slot is? Do you utilize the WAN PCI-e slot, or do you have to dig around under the keyboard.

 

WAN slot. Just tape the cables to the side. Then make sure you add it as a boot option in EFI.

 

So something like this would work well? CT128M4SSD3 - 128GB, mSATA Solid State Drive , from Crucial.com
I assume it has to be a boot drive since you have to have a specialized chipset for RST speed raid with the physical drive.

Also does anyone see a problem with adding this memory? Newegg.com - CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9
It seems like it is the right speed and I have no idea what the rest of the numbers mean. How many DIMS does the T430 have, 2 under the keyboard and 1 on back?

 

Yes to the mSATA disk.

There is one memory slot on the underside and one under the keyboard. That memory would work, but I would spring for the 1600Mhz if possible for better performance.

 

I know this is the same question I had yesterday, but how did you get it to $720? I configured it yesterday and today, both times they were $748 through Barnes and Noble Gold promotion.
I want to find out whether somehow you know a place with even better promotion so I can have you configure one like mine and do a screen capture so I can contact Lenovo for price match.

See my attachment for the price I got.

 

The backlit keyboard is no longer free.

 

Have any of you guys tried replacing the hdd w/ an ssd and then putting the old HD into an ultrabay?

Does having two hard drives in the laptop put a strain on the battery/performance?

Is there a difference between 1. putting the ssd in the ultrabay (and booting from it) and keeping the hdd in place and 2. replacing the hdd w/ a ssd and putting the hdd in the ultrabay?

 

No, not in terms of speed, because Lenovo assigns the two SATA 6Gbit/s ports managed by the Intel QM77 chipset to the primary bay and the UltraBay. (The PCIe/mSATA port runs at 3Gbit/s speed.)

Certain users argue that the UltraBay caddy adapter is easily (accidentally) removed, so they prefer to put the SSD boot drive in the primary bay.

If you happen to purchase a 9.5mm SSD, you must put it in the UltraBay.