T430/s Configuration and Upgrade Help

All,

The current crop of B&N coupons is too good to pass up! I'm about to order a T430/T430s and I need some help! For background, I'll be using this in graduate school (lugging it around on my bike) and I don't do any gaming at all.

Here are my two possible configurations:

T430 - $758.8
ThinkPad T430 - 1 Year Depot Topseller Warranty Edit
Processor: Intel Core i5-3320M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz) Edit
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) Edit
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English
Display type: 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready Edit
System graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 Edit
Total memory: 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM) Edit
Keyboard: Keyboard - US English Edit
Camera: 720p HD Camera with Microphone Edit
Hard drive: 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm Edit
Ultrabay: DVD Recordable Edit
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader Edit
Battery: 9 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70++ Edit
Power cord: 65W AC Adapter - US (2pin) Edit
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN


T430s - $770
ThinkPad T430s - 1 Year Topeseller Express Depot Warranty Edit
Processor: Intel Core i5-3320M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz) Edit
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) Edit
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English
Display type: 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready Edit
System graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 with Intel Core i5-3320M Processor Edit
Total memory: 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM) Edit
Keyboard: Keyboard - US English Edit
Camera: 720p HD Camera Mic Edit
Hard drive: 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm Edit
Ultrabay: DVD Recordable Edit
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot Edit
Battery: 6 Cell Lithium Battery T81+ Edit
Power cord: 90W AC Adapter - US (2pin) Edit
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN Edit

Here are my questions:

1. Battery life on the T430s? I've heard it's pretty abysmal. If I get the ultrabay battery on the 430s what can I expect?

2. RAM upgrades after market? I'll likely install 8gb (even though I *know* 4 gb is all I need) can anyone point to good kits to buy on Newegg/Amazon for the T430/s?

3. Hard drive: This is a must. I will definitely upgrade to an SSD. Both the 430 and 430s use the 7mm drives, correct? Again, any tips on a good upgrade are appreciated.

4. i7 with Thunderbolt? Go/no go?

5. Are there any other differences between the two? I'm leaning toward a 430s with the ultrabay battery right now as a preferred option.

 

The decision should depend on what you need and want relative to the notebook, and not on difference in prices.

I would go with T430 and 9-cell battery. The T430 6-cell battery beats the T430s 6-cell battery plus UltraBay battery.

The Crucial M4 7mm SSD is a very good drive. The SSD prices are coming down significantly.

 

1. T430 6 cells = T430s 6+3 cells = 9+ hours
*The point buying T430s is because only weight 3.70 lbs with 6+3 cells, for T430 is up to 5+ lbs.

2. SAMSUNG has the best RAM, but hard to find because they don't do individual sale but only OEM.

3. Quality & Reliability: INTEL best, SAMSUNG second, other are fairly good, please check Amazon feedback on other brands.

4. It's up to you.

5. See number 1, all parts can buy on eBay or Amazon for up to 90% cheaper than Lenovo, except laptop. Ultrabay slim battery on Amazon is only $15.

 

For SSD you can't go wrong with the Samsung 830 series, they are all 7mm drives. The Crucial M4 is pretty good too, but make sure you pick the 7mm version. For the record T430 with 6 cell is 4.8lbs, with 9 cell (15 hour battery) is 5.2 lbs.

 

Going to buy the T430s configuration with the ultrabay battery. Adding the ultrabay battery as an accessory only cost me $76 (!).

I'm going to buy this RAM: Newegg.com - ADATA XPG Gaming Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model AXDS1600GC4G9-2

Seems to be a good performance buy and the lower voltage should help boost battery life a bit (perhaps?).

Potentially waiting a bit for the SSD for a deal on the Samsung 830 or Crucial M4. Hope this helps anyone else also looking!

 

That's a good choice and good price for the t430s. If you want to retain the stock drive and have an SSD, then it might be worth your while looking at either of these two mSATA drives from Crucial:

256 GB mSATA CT256M4SSD3 - 256GB, mSATA Solid State Drive , from Crucial.com

128 GB mSATA CT128M4SSD3 - 128GB, mSATA Solid State Drive , from Crucial.com

Pricing and specs are comparable to the 2.5" m4, but with the advantage that you can have 2 batteries + the stock spinner + ssd in the system

 

@yrc thanks for the tips on the msata. stupid questions: how hard is this to install? also, could I suffice with a 64gb drive for my OS only and still see comparable performance to a solo SSD solution?

 

Is the mSATA port 6Gbps?

 

I think the mSATA port on the T430s is located next to the memory modules and all you will need a is a good small philips head screw driver to open the memory slot cover and install the drive. You can look at the hardware maintenance manual for the T430s on the Lenovo support website here Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T430s and T430si. It has clear instructions on installing an mSATA SSD. Before proceeding, though, burn a set of recovery dvds.

The screw to attach the drive will be included in the thinkpad itself. The 64GB will be slower than a 128GB and a 256 GB; but will be significantly faster than the stock spinning drive for booting and program launching. If you go for the small capacity, then I would suggest you install the OS and programs on it and store all data/documents in the spinner.

Of course, my personal preference is the 256 GB and I am waiting to save up enough to order it next month for my T420 (I dislike credit card balances).

 

Good question. The T430s has the QM77 chipset and should have two 6Gbps ports; not clear if the mSATA is one of those. You might want to call Lenovo customer service/tech support to confirm. Otoh, I doubt if the difference btw 3Gbps and 6Gbps will be noticeable to most of us.

 

No, it is not.

 

Bummer, so the other sata3 port goes to the ultra bay? I guess I'll have to get a proper 7mm 2.5" then.