T430s owners'/would-be owners' thread.

Finally I got my T430s i5 3320 w/ NVS 5200M!

I play pes winning eleven w/ high quality without problem... but I haven't checked if dgpu is being used... what program should I use for checking this? CPUZ?

And one question: when I check in nvidia config, I notice nvs 5200 is not connected to the external monitor... (I only use my 24" mon instead of the laptop's), will it have any quality effect when gaming??

If you are not sure what I mean I can post picture later...

 

The 170W (0A65699) costs about $51 more.

 

I'm looking at buying a T430s to upgrade my T61, and I'm looking to get it with a regular hard drive, and then swap the Intel 320 ssd into it. I think this is a bigger ssd, but I read that some people were able to remove the rubber spacers from the top and bottom of the drive, and then it fit in the computer. Does anyone have experience with this?

Also, is $620 before tax a good price for the following T430s?
-i5 3320m
-Intel HD4000
-1600x900 14" HD+ screen
-500gb hard drive
-4gb ram

 

thats a good price

 

My specs and final price:

Has Nvidia graphics

Quantity Part number Description Availability Item price Line total
1
2352CTO ThinkPad T430s - 1 Year Topseller Express Depot Warranty Estimated ship date: 10/27/12** $2,840.00
$1,724.00
$2,840.00
$1,724.00


Processor Intel Core i7-3520M Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz)

Operating system Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)

Operating system language Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English

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

System graphics NVIDIA Optimus Graphics (NVS 5200M, 1GB), Intel® Core™ i7-3520M Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz)

Total memory 4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (1 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard Backlit - US English

Pointing device UltraNav multi-touch touchpad & TrackPoint with Fingerprint Reader

Camera 720p HD Camera Mic

Hard drive 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Ultrabay DVD Recordable

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

Battery 6 Cell Lithium Battery T81+

Bay battery 3 Cell Ultrabay Battery

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

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN

Integrated mobile broadband Integrated Mobile Broadband (Sierra Wireless MC7700 - Gobi 4000 for AT&T LTE and HSPA+)

Selectable SIM SIM Card for AT&T LTE

Language pack Publication - US English







Subtotal: $2,840.00

Sale Price: $1,724.00

[TOPSELLERS] -$431.00


1 2352CTO ThinkPad T430s - 1 Year Topseller Expres $ 1,163.70 $ 1,163.70
Subtotal $ 1,163.70
Environmental Fee $ 0.00
Taxes $ 46.55
Total $ 1,210.25

Had to call in for the 10% email discount. After tax and all it came to $1,210.25

 

Just ordered the following from the Lenovo Outlet:

T430s
Condition
Refurbished

Processor
Intel® CoreTM i53320M Processor (3M Cache, 2.60 GHz)( )
Only 1 left!
Operating system
Windows 7 Professional 64 English
Watch product videos
Graphics
Intel® HD Graphics 4000
Memory
4 GB PC312800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz SODIMM Memory
Display
14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlight w/720p HD Camera"
Pointing device
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
Hard Drive
500GB, 5400RPM Serial ATA 2.5" Hard Drive
Optical Drive
DVD Recordable Serial ATA
Battery
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery 81+ (44 Watt Hours)
Finger Print Reader
No Fingerprint Reader
Warranty
1 Year Standard Depot Warranty

Price:
$581.04
-$58.10 (EMAIL10 discount)
+$33.99 (tax)
=$556.93

It sounds like their refurbished laptops normally look practically new. Especially since they have only been out for a few months now, they can't have been used all that much, and it's worth the savings to me.

Does anyone have experience with putting an Intel 320 ssd in it? It looks like I need to take the spacers off, and put smaller screws on it. Any idea what screws I should order?

 

I installed the Core Temp tool and wondered why the CPU always runs at 3 GHz - even idle - with the default plan (Power Source Optimized) in Lenovos Power Manager.

The system performance is set to "maximum turbo", which sets the "minimum processor state" in the Windows Power Options to 100%. This is kind of a bs. I changed to "turbo", which changes the "minimum processor state" to 5%. Now the computer idles at 1.2 GHz and the core temp is 5 C less.

 

I have the same config, but with the i5 instead of i7 and paid the same in EUR even though the EUR is 30% more worth than the USD. It happens quite often that companies use a 1:1 rate instead of the official EUR:USD of 1:1.30.

Our VAT is 19%, but that doesn't explain the surcharge. An equivalent price would be more around 950 EUR for the i5 config.

 

I've read through sections of this thread, and hope I can live with the screen since I've just placed my order.

My question is about DIY upgrades. Obviously with the prices they're charging for RAM and SSD, we have no choice but to go DIY.

For SSD, there seem to be two schools of thought: replace the HDD to get the SATAIII fastest connection, or go mSATA to keep the existing HDD since it won't make much difference anyway. In an early post, I noticed someone called out that Lenovo cautioned against using mSATA. Has there been any agreement on whether mSATA works well long term as the main drive, and if there are any significant disadvantages to going this route?

For RAM, it comes with 1 x 4 GB. Assuming no gaming at all (work PC after all), would adding an 8 GB SO-DIMM at 1.35V to get 12 GB be recommended, or is it safer to replace the 4 GB with 2 x 4GB package to get only 8 GB (2 x 8 GB isn't an option)?

 

I don't understand why would anybody buy a T430s now. So far two months into this, there has been zero proof that a viable fix for the BSOD errors exists. All we have heard so far was lip service.

 

What do you mean lip service? A lot of people got their new machines manufactured starting mid September and there were no complains. BSOD issue was a consistent failure, its hard to miss it during every day use. I can't speak for those who were unfortunate to get T430s when it was first introduced and if they were finally able to replace their mobo under warranty, but new builds (at least with Intel HD Graphics 4000) are solid.

Oh, and considering a few last posts about new config and also outlet purchases - the price has dropped by at least $200 in comparison to what I have paid a month ago.

 

I have mine for 3 wees now and there were not blue screens yet. The only complaint is about the creeking arrow keys. Overall it's really a nice machine. The screen is just as mediocre as any other notebook screen that doesn't have an IPS panel. I'd really wish to have an IPS upgrade available. Perhaps with T440s. What I most like is the quietness and low energy consumption. The Core-I5 of the 1st generation require a lot more cooling.

 

1. I have upgraded my T430s by myself w/ 16GB ram kingston 1600mhz and my system is a i5 3320M w/ NVS 5200M + 500GB HDD 7200. its boot up time is around 40 secs and normally it is not a lot faster than my C2D laptop w/ 4G ram.

Does anyone know how to speed up its bootup time? (well.. for SSD I want to wait for the price drop of 512GB, I may go for the Samsung 840 Pro)

2. Screen quality - it is really not too bad at all. But does anyone replace it w/ a touch screen? I am curious if I can use a touch screen w/ my coming win 8 pro.

Thank you!!!

 

glad to know that the kingston 1600 works

 

I received my laptop earlier this week... Sadly the unit I have is not configured per my quoted device as it's missing the smart card reader w/ 4 in 1 card reader, video conference camera, backlit keyboard, and the factory installed XP virtual machine (least important as I could fix this myself). So it will have to go back... On the plus and minus side... This unit has the AUO screen and it's... well it's OK. It will get me through. Other notes are that the keyboard flexes like crazy when addressing the arrow keys. It's completely dwarfed by my W510...

It's thin and light, and just what the Dr. ordered. I can't wait to get the customizations corrected. Glad I went with the T430s...

 

All us t430s owners with defective machines are still waiting on a fix even though the issue was supposedly discovered mid-August. The "lip service" comment refers to the fact all we've heard from Lenovo was talk (not a lot of it) and no action. The way they have handled this situation (terribly) has really tarnished their reputation. If I had to choose between Lenovo, Dell and HP today, I would definitely choose Dell. This will probably be my first and last Lenovo product. HP's products and customer service are both horrible -avoid, avoid, avoid them! I know Dell sucks too, but Lenovo sucks harder right now. They are lucky that they are a Chinese company, because I would think they are currently violating U.S. consumer protection laws.

As I said before, I would not recommend anybody to buy a T430s now. Who to say that there aren't any undiscovered defects in the systemboards that they rushed into production last month? Instead of using them to test and resolve the issues with the defective laptops, Lenovo put the boards into new machines while ignoring all the broken laptops out there. Since they are clearly looking out for their wallet at the customer's expensive and not lifting a finger to fix the defective laptops, I am going to do my very best to cost them as many sales as possible until my machine stops blue-screening every week.

Also, I do not think a $200 less T430s is worth it. It's obvious that Lenovo is trying to dump it even without the BSOD problems, this laptop is subpar IMO. Your money is better spent on a laptop with a less devious reputation.

 

the shipping of T430s was stopped after the BSDs was discovered, and was only resumed after the problem was fixed on the new builds. So is it correct to assume the new builds are free of the problem? If so why should potential owners wait until your unit is fixed?

 

It is not correct to assume that. I never saw Lenovo confirm they identified a fix for Optimus based T430s models.

 

I'm running 8GB RAM and a 256GB M4 SSD. I just rebooted, and it took 20 seconds from clicking restrat to seeing the bios, 15 seconds to logon screen, and another 15 seconds until I was actually scrolling up and down on this page. With no password, I bet that would drop around 5 or so seconds.

 

I remember there was a poster about this, and found this on page 127

Updates regarding the BSOD issue

Lenovo:

A quick update - a hardware update for optimus models has been introduced into manufacturing yesterday. So, all pending orders from Lenovo direct whether integrated or optimus configurations will include the update.

Updated service parts are on order, and we are working to make these available to our global service network as quickly as possible. I am keenly aware of the frustration expressed here and I promise that we are pushing this as fast as we can.
Customer:

Do you mean that all of the people who have the BSOD 101 or 124 will get a free replacement of the motherboard for their T430s after Lenovo get new failure-free motherboard, right?
Lenovo:

Yes, if a customer is having bluescreen 101 or 124 on T430s built before 9/7/12, then we would replace their system board with the updated part. Please note that as this is a tolerance issue, not everyone with an existing system is going to see / experience this issue.

This would be covered under the terms of their warranty.
Emphasis added.

 

Ok, call me confused them. Here's a direct quote from Mark_Lenovo:

See http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T5...een-and-Stop-Code-101-Issue/m-p/879283#M67836 for that post on 10/01/2012.

He has not made any further clarification of that since. Here's my interpretation:

1. T430s Optimus models could still have a bug. You roll the dice.
2. If the BSOD issues rears its ugly head, Lenovo will fix it.
3. Get an onsite warranty to avoid depot service.

 

T430s BSOD thread

People are having all kinds of issues trying to get their boards replaced. In some reported cases the BSODs still continue after replacement. In other instances, replacement boards are back ordered for several weeks. It's really a mess. I feel very badly for these people.

Next time before you jump into a thread to defend Lenovo's honor, realize that your causing harm to others by reassuring them that something is a non-issue, when it's far from the case. I see you berate those with legitimate issues with Lenovo quite often. It's disrespectful.

 

Correct, you need the 90w adapter for rapid charge.

 

rapid charge? Would you please advise how I can get it?
I thought this function is dead that is just gimmick made by lenovo...

does it have to be 3 cell or somehow different adapter or software something like that?

 

According to Lenovo, you need a 4 cell (T82+) rapid charge enabled battery that charges to ~80% in 30mins using the 90w AC adapter.
T82+ is only available in Aus & NZ. I haven't seen it in North America, but it could be due to a delay in UL/CSA approval. Considering the rapidcharge feature is mentioned on ALL T430s feature & spec sheets worldwide, I presume Lenovo dropped the ball on this as well. Seems to happen a lot lately.

 

Having RapidCharge on the ThinkPad T430s would sure remove one of its most glaring weaknesses.

 

I agree, although with the combination of 6 cell (T81+) + 3 cell(43) bay batteries we're achieving 7-9hr runtimes (load dependant) which is pretty descent. I strongly suggest getting the 3 cell bay battery on the T430s. I can't remember the last time I actually needed the optical drive. I most use ISO and USB sticks for that now. Anyways you can always pop in the optical drive on the off chance that you need it sometime.

 

Wait, what? So this is BS for U.S. models? I can stomach embellishing battery life specs, but just flat out lying? Just wow...

 

I remember they said something in the Lenovo forums about the Optimus configuration being fixed too. It's here.

Just saw, this was already quoted. However, mine has Optimus and never crashe, but I have barely used the Nvidia graphics yet.

 

As Mark indicated in the post I provided, there are many combinations of the T430 and T430s. He indicates they do not have a test inhouse that will prove a system won't have an issue after it ships to a customer, Optimus or not. As he indicated, if you have BSOD, they will fix it.

Be glad yours doesn't.

If the machine has the possibility of running in that configuration, it isn't lying. Marketing 101. Just because you don't see it on the config to order site at lenovo.com doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

 

Are we talking about the new T430s (after the fix that Mark_Lenovo claimed to have put in production) or the ones before that fix?

When I was considering buying an X220 I read a lot of complaints of screen ghosting, random shutting down, overheating and throttling. There is a thread here in which a reviewer of X220 was accused of misleading people, which made me to hesitate and delayed putting in an order for several months until I realized that the most dissatisfied are most vocal online. Though my X220 turned to be almost perfect, I felt that even if it had (fixable) problems I still had made the correct choice because I DO need an ultra-portable. Many people buy something because they need it. It's not to say there is no defective units nor that everyone should be happy. The dissatisfied have the right to (and should) complain, but others have the rights to make their own decision.

 

duplication sorry

 

Hi,

Is the factory RAM module low voltage on T430s? i.e., 1.35V instead of traditional 1.5V?
And is it worthwhile to get low voltage RAM sticks when upgrading?

 

Here's the full paragraph from the tech specs page on Lenovo.com:

There's no "possibility" exception there, no mention of an option to config, no warning or qualification -- nothing -- to indicate that some models will not be either able or enabled to perform as described.

That paragraph reads that those features will be available for every T430s buyer. Period.

 

Yes, we're talking about the so called 'new and improved' replacement motherboards. All you had to do was read the posts in the Lenovo forum thread I provided you.
Lenovo BSOD forum thread

Lenovo has no idea what's actually causing the BSODs and has no means to reproduce the issue, nor test for it. You cannot fix something on an engineering level without knowing root cause to know what to fix.

Woops.

Reassured that Lenovo has this resolved and under control yet?

If that were true and you're so satisfied, why are you here?

Lenovo has tried to downplay it by stating that only a small percentage of T430s are affected by the BSOD issue and will only replace boards on systems that exhibit this specific issue. Why then are they replacing motherboards on EVERY T430s of this Univeristy's faculty, staff and students

Does this sound like a minor issue limited to only a vocal few posting on an internet forum?

 

It is interesting the link that you posted ( Lenovo ThinkPad T430s Problem and What it Means to You | IS Service Portal) indicates the problem has been fixed by Lenovo and Intel. If true, that is a fairly large sample size.

"If that were true and you're so satisfied, why are you here?"

Your idea of how to use this forum is quite different from mine. I come here to share information about the many notebooks that I have (3 thinkpads among them) and other notebooks I find interesting and probably will buy in the future, despite its noisy nature.

 

dup again, strange.

 

Take it out on Lenovo. See the New Zealand shopping site at http://shopap.lenovo.com/nz/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t430s where they offer the " 4 Cell Lithium Battery Rapid Charge T82+" on their models.

 

Has anyone had issues with Windows Update? I've run it numerous times and it fails every time. I've used the error codes to find suggestions but none of the suggestions have enabled successful installation of the updates. Very strange! Also, whats really weird is that in Windows everything seems fine after the reboot it indicates the failure and the same updates are suggested again.

Unrelated, but am I crazy or are the hinges on the T430s the easiest to budge ever.

 

There were some threads last month on the windows update issue. Apparently there is an install package in the mix preventing the rest from installing.

See if the instructions in Brand New T430 and Failure to Install Windows Upda... - Lenovo Community help you.

 

Thanks for the assist. My issue must not have been identical to theirs... But it was similar as that put me on a path that eventually worked. The single update that was suggested went smoothly and i was excited. After rebooting I attempted to install the rest, and the attempt failed analogous to my earlier failures. However after the reboot and restarting windows update only two of roughly 46 updates remained. I promptly installed them successfully, and all is well. Thanks again...

I really need to join and read Lenovo forums more...

When my replacement arrives I'll have to remember this tip!

 

Why doesnt lenovo offer the t430s with the nvidia chip? cooling insufficiency?
id like to get a new notebook this xmas but i want it to have thunderbolt for future egpu flexibility

 

Nevermind. It's lenovo Canada that doesnt offer the i7 with the nvidia chip. No freaken idea why.

 

the nvidia nvs 5200M still outperform the intel 4000

 

It is offered on the USA lenovo.com configuration buying site.

 

I think they know the cause. They said they indentified it and how would they fix it without knowing what it was? And I have little doubt that they fixed it.

 

yes, had this twice. MS offers a fixit. Look here: How do I reset Windows Update components?. It solved the problem for me.

 

This is one of the solutions that I tried unsuccessfully. With Thor's suggestions above I got to the bottom of it. Thanks for responding.

 

Glad you got the issue resolved. How are you liking the T430s? It is still on the candidate list for my wife. She's a T400 user so the transition would be easy.

 

YMMV but I have the t430s with i7 and nvidia, and there is no thunderbolt. I believe the only configuration that actually gets thunderbolt is i7 and intel integrated graphics only.