T440s up on Lenovo website (IPS Screen, 1080p)

Interesting! Have you tried a 4GB DIMM in there to see if it registers 12GB total?

S

 

no, mine is after tax. i use IBM epp.

and since i used discover, i get an additional 5% cashback making this $1265.

well he'll get the 12% off from the rep. for haggling, and likely 5% off from discover, but he wont be getting another 5% by going through the lenovo link on discover like he thinks he is. if theyre doing a 5% promotion for all online shopping, then thats all youre getting.

 

Does the BIOS show how much RAM is installed? Did you buy the correct 1.35 V DDR3L SO-DIMM?

 

Ok now I see, I take 3 yrs warranty but you selected only 1 yr plus I selected Win 8 Pro.

 

save yourself $50 and dont get Pro. the extra features are things you'll never use.

 

Almost all of the top 50 sites in the world (with the notable exception of stackoverflow) all run off linux, as well as thousands of corporations hosting servers for databases, email, web servers, applications etc.

 

Remote desktop server is almost worth it on its own for Pro IMO.

 

yeh true, for like 5% of users. most people wont use that. but true, if you need the features def. get it now rather than spending more later.

 

I'll keep the Pro version, thanks for the info.
Regarding the M.2 ports, which is something that I'm not familiar with: should we buy M.2 SSD drives to run the OS on? I heard that the rMBP uses some Samsung SSD on M.2 and gets crazy read/write speeds!
If yes, where can I buy such drive? I need 512Gb.
If not, I'll buy the Samsung EVO 500Gb unless there is something better in terms of price/quality out there?

Also, I was about to purchase 8Gb RAM from Kingston at $100, any compatible RAM that's less expensive?

 

Well I read pretty much everywhere that IPS had: better viewing angles, better color reproduction and is not as sensitive to temperature and touch. I mention touch because using VA with multitouch would then bring this up as a concern.
Then there is the terrible track record of Lenovo in terms of screen quality, so yep I am concerned about how the T440s AHVA FHD looks like. Even i'd like to compare to the beuatiful Macbook Pro display.
Since you have received your T440s, did you compare? What do you think, objectively?

 

I agree 100% re Remote desktop server - that's the only reason I go with the Pro versions. It's extremely useful for me to be able to access / run my desktop computer in my basement from other rooms in my house.

 

The M.2 drive is a good idea if you want your OS and apps on an SSD and a (cheap) HDD for media or other big files.

This aint a MBP. The MBP SSDs use a PCIe connection to the computer whereas the T440s uses the slower SATA. You still get SSD speeds which are plenty and far better than any HDD.

The only one so far is the MyDigitalSSD 128 GB, and it'll be years before 512 GB is available in 42 mm M.2.

On Newegg prices are around $75.

 

Why would one choose the T440s over an X1 Carbon with i7-3667, 8GB RAM, 180GB SSD @ $1400?, besides the FHD upgrade option and better battery.

 

Precisely those reasons you mentioned. A screen is something that is permanent. So even when my battery starts losing power I can always have a great screen. And technically I can replace the battery. Carbon is amazing (cheaper now) but everyone acknowledges the screens (and original price) is the limiting factor.

 

Not having swappable battery Is the biggest weakness of the X1 Carbon.

 

I also bought the same configuration as teagles, but with a 65W adapter and also planning on using a 128GB M.2 SSD for OS.
My understanding is that majority of R/W ops on OS drive are random and given the random R/W speeds of SSDs available today, we are nowhere near saturating SATA II bandwidth. So, the 128GB SSD in the M.2 slot for OS and apps should be fine.
Or did I miss something?

 

For the fellow canucks: just asked a Lenovo rep about the availability of the T440s in Canada...currently "no official release date as of yet". Darn.

However, he did mention that if Canadian prices are higher than US prices you can contact a rep to have them lowered. Same goes for a student discount.

 

Order it from US and have it sent to a forwarding company. Many Canadians and Australians have done that in the past.

 

Some people would like a lot more storage than 180GB.

 

Good idea. Do you happen to know if the warranty would still be valid in Canada? What do "forwarding companies" like that charge?

 

So are there any of the M.2 NGFF SSD drives available on the open market? If so, what prices are people finding? I was shocked to realize that a normal SSD drive is still about $1/GB, but would it actually be cheaper to get one of these M.2 drives in say 128GB and keep the spinning drive, or is it a better deal just to get a 512GB SSD drive and not have to deal with the hassle of two drives?

 

I'm confused. Are you saying replace the 500GB drive with the SSD drive rather than as an additional drive?

 

"Flimsy" is the wrong word. The base of the T440s is neither flimsy nor flexible, it is very stiff. The display is still stiff, but a bit flexible, for better shock absorbtion. There are no "flimsy" parts.

Flimsy would mean the chassis is weak and bad designed.

No. The M.2 2nd M.2 of the T440s slot has SATA 3.

 

Not sure about the base warranty, but if you get an extended it should be valid.

So far only the MyDigitalSSD 128 GB for $100.

 

Better screen seems pretty huge to me, and I think (not having actually used an X1 Carbon) the key travel probably isn't as good since it's thinner.

 

I actually returned an X1 Carbon to wait for a T440s for a few reasons:

1. No Docking Station capability
Yes, I know Lenovo offers its "One Link" solution and I tried that but it did not work well. The video screen would "tear" or pixelate whenever there was much movement on the screen. Plus, the USB dock was not stable and would always tip over. With the USB One Link Port, you're trying to cram 2 video signals, Gigabit Ethernet, audio and all other USB information all over a single USB 3.0 port. I don't think USB can match the speed and latency of a native PCI interface.

X1 Carbon too thin
For some reason, the X1 just felt too thin and fragile. Didn't seem like it could take a pounding. I prefer a slightly thicker, more durable feeling notebook.

Lack of Ports,
The X1 Carbon was too thin for an RJ45 port and other video ports. Not everything can be done wirelessly these days. When you have to service a router or switch, you need a direct cable connection. The X1 Carbon had an RJ45 dongle, but odds are you forgot that dongle at home or at your other location.

 

Would you clarify what you mean here, is it only the second M.2 slot if you order it with 2, or is it all of the M.2 slots, or what?

Thanks!

 

For the M.2 slot: should the double upgrade ($40) be gotten? It eliminates the third slot option as well.

 

I think the double option fills the third slot, but it's not clear if that actually means 2x16GB cache or if it's still 16GB total (but that would be stupid).

 

On that same topic, what do people think of the Thinkpad X3 slated for January instead of me getting the T440s? I didn't like the key travel on the X1 Carbon, as it was too small due to the thin laptop and the X3 is supposed to be even thinner. My other concern is the IPS screen will be QHD; the FHD resolution is already hard enough on my eyes and the QHD will be that much harder. I have never tried scaling but suspect it will not be a smooth experience. The other differences (lack of ports, non-upgradable are of no consequence to me). What do you guys think? Thanks.

 

Fair enough, so what about the T431s? at $935 you can get T431s w/ i5-3437U which outperforms the $1200 T440s w/ i5-4200U.
~20% increase in battery run time does not justify this kind of price difference. I think the T440s price is too high. Unless of course I'm missing something.

 

Far superior screen, of course.

 

Not in the basic $1200 configuration. You would need to upgrade and then you're at $1320 which is 41% more than the stronger T431s

 

Choose what you want. Also compare original price/release price vs original T440s if you must. And original configuration. The T440s a little is more than the T431s either way. But I know the screen and external battery, extra USB port, are important to me. Just figure out what is more important to you and then purchase accordingly.

 

Ever heard of discounts? If you're not willing to pay the premium for better hardware, then stop whining.

 

Yup, exactly, people here are pretty ridiculous. Anyway, I just got off the damn fence and put in an order for a T440s with the i5-4300U and FHD, wifi AC + 3 year depot warranty. The thing that sucks is that if I had ordered in the morning I'd probably be more likely to get it before Thanksgiving, as it is I'll probably get it after and it would have been nice to have it before but oh well :-\

I was trying to figure out how to haggle with a sales rep like some people seem to have done but in the end I figured it's not worth my time really, and I just feel weird trying to haggle anyway. Anyway, can't wait to get this awesome laptop and join you all on the Thinkpad side

The one thing I was a little waffley about was that I didn't want to get a new laptop after 3 years that was slower so I was debating the i7, but as it turns out even the 4200U is faster than my 3 year old i5-450m so I should be in good shape. Damn, Intel is amazing, seriously the engineers at that company are really talented (as an EE PhD student myself, albeit not in hardware, it blows me away how much better Intel is than every other semiconductor company). Faster at less than half the power consumption, and I was already satisfied with first generation Core so this will be pretty sweet.

 

about the discussion people were having earlier: i spoke to a lenovo rep today, and they confirmed that the pricematch guarantee is for 21 days from the order date. I forgot to ask if that excludes "limited time promotions" or however they want to word it. I.e. does that include black friday/other discounts.

other sites like newegg and their iron egg guarantee explicitly exclude things like black friday deals etc. are we sure that lenovo's pricematch guarantee apply to black friday prices??

 

i really hope they speed up my build.

shipment expected 11/22 with delivery 12/3. sounds awful.

 

Certain things cane be "too thin" but not really. However, you are the first person that has ever said the X1 Carbon was fragile. I felt and touched and used one and that is one thing that I could not say. It was quite the opposite. I thought to myself how could something so thing feel so strong and give you so much confidence that it won't break. Bad/mediocre screen? Yes. Fragile? No. Too thin for more ports? Yes. But just generally too thin? No.

 

it's november, when is it coming to the US? this is getting ridic how long it's taking

 

It is up one the US site since October 29. ThinkPad T440s Ultrabook Laptop | Lenovo | Lenovo (US)

Thats what the last pages here in this thread are all about.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXa0XzNvuZU

 

Maybe fragile is the not best word to use. Perhaps it would be better to say, the X1 Carbon did not feel "Mercedes Benz" solid (to me), like when you close the door on a Mercedes Benz, you get that solid, durable, "thud" sound and feel. This may also be due to the fact that the X1 Carbon, did not have the latches that previously secured the display as on previous ThinkPads.
The X1 (perhaps because it is so light) felt more like a lightweight Japanese import (which is still good, but different).

A better analogy may be using dining utensils (fork and knife). You may have a fork and knife that are just as strong as steel (i.e. made from carbon fiber), but without that natural "heftiness" and weight to it, it just feels a bit odd (like using a plastic fork and knife).

Regarding being too thin, I did return the X1 Carbon a few months back so my memory may not be the best right now, but I do recall that the lid/screen was so thin that it would slightly warp when I opened the notebook. It did not have the previous frame which gave other ThinkPads that solid one-piece feeling.

 

I love all these drive by posts from people who havent read the last dozen+ pages reminding us thats its available, or asking when its finally coming.

 

I will be looking to place a order for a T440s in the coming weeks for use at school. I am looking at getting the i7-4600u, I know it is not a true i7 and not much more powerful than the i5 but thinking it may help down the road a bit. I am still open to going down to a i5 is I can find more information between the two. I also will get base RAM as the price for the extra 8gb seems to be a lot compared to upgrading myself, any reason to pay the premium to Lenovo? Same situation with the HDD, I can get a cheap 256gb SSD compared to the upgrade cost, but my question was if i get the regular HDD that comes with the 16gb mSATA chip, can this be formatted to be used as a serrate drive on the laptop? Also is there any way to get a Win8 DVD from Lenovo for a clean installation or is the only way to create rescue disks and have it install all of the bloatware?

 

It should be possible to use the 16gb drive as a normal hard drive. In the manual, Lenovo recommends that you do not use the 16gb drive as your boot drive.

 

This is a good site to compare performance:
PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End

As far as integrated features, they're basically identical.

 

Why buy a laptop with last year processor? the 440s has faster ram, newer cpu, and longer battery life

 

Sorry pal but something sturdy does not have to be a brick..a Ferrari is sturdier than a Mercedes at a fraction of the weight.

 

Well, to be accurate there are some enterprise features restricted to the i7 only, but they're the kind of things that if you need them you'll know.