T510 or W510?

I want to replace my ancient T42 - am looking at T510 and W510 - and have a few questions.

Screen resolution. Specs on Lenovo site are cryptic - does HD mean 1600x900 and FHD 1920x1080? What's HD+? HD resolution, but better panel? My T42 has 14" 1400x1050 screen, wouldn't 1600x900 in 15" form seem like a downgrade (bigger pixels, loss of vertical resolution)?

Keyboard. Are there any problems with keyboards on these models? I love the keyboard on my T42, but have heard about keyboard flex on some Lenovo models - that would drive me nuts.

Any reason to pick T510 or W510?

Thanks!
Tom

 

I believe HD is 720p which is usually either 1366x768 for 16:9 displays or 1280x800 for 16:10. HD+ should be 1600x900 and FHD is 1920x1080 (1080p).

As for the keyboards, some people have experienced some flex or poorer keyboard quality than normal but overall, I'd say the keyboard is on par with previous Thinkpads.

With that being said, I would definitely get a higher resolution screen. As for deciding a laptop between the T or W series, I guess it depends on what type of work you deal with and what your budget is. You can't really go wrong with either one though.

 

Well, the W510 will have less battery life than the T510 if you get one of the quad-core versions (should be about on-par with T510 for the dual-core model though, maybe a little less for the W510). This is due to lack of Optimus support and a higher TDP on those processors.

I'd say the biggest difference between the T510 and W510 (aside from the option to have quad core) is the graphics card.

As for the display, I second eRiN3 with the high resolution. Get at least HD+ (1600x900), or even better, FHD (1920x1080). Don't settle for 1366x768 on such a nice machine when you can get 1366x768 on any old $399 Toshiba laptop at Office Max.

The 15.6" 1600x900 display will have 117ppi, very similar to the 124ppi 14.1" 1400x1050 display in your T42. If you want to keep a similar pixel density, go for HD+. If you want to keep a similar vertical resolution and gain a lot horizontally, go for FHD 1920x1080 at 141ppi. 141ppi will make items on the screen look a bit tiny, but since you've been using a 124ppi pixel density for so long, it shouldn't be too much of a jump.

Or... if you're willing to step away from Lenovo and go to Dell, consider the Latitude E6510. I switched from a T42p to a 1920x1080 E6510 and it has served me well so far.

 

Well, for the same price and the same chassis you get a quad core, usb 3, slightly better GPU and two more empty ram slots in the W510.

 

Except it's not really the same price-per-spec. That T510 config has FHD and that W510 config has lowly HD.

 

Although that was a mistake on my part in selecting the wrong option then adding it to the cart, I went back to check the price diff.

Right now they have a free upgrade to the FHD Multitouch screen. That's a $450 upgrade for free. So there, take that!

The non multitouch FHD adds $250. Strange.

 

Keeping in mind the touch layer effects PQ.

 

Thanks for all the responses. I think I'll go for FHD screen; HD+ may be similar to my T42, but it's 15.6" vs 14.1".

Battery life is not paramount for me - I rarely use my notebook unplugged.

I'm looking at Lenovo, because I'm after solid build. My screen is far from stellar, and optical drive broke long time ago, but keyboard is great and the notebook works very well - considering it's seen almost 5 years of everyday use.

Pricing is confusing - I guess because of the (currently) free multi-touch screen.

I don't see myself needing multi-touch - is there a review somewhere comparing the two FHD screens? I have no problem spending the $250 to get the better screen - I don't change notebooks often - but OTOH can think of ways of spending it elsewhere.

Interesting. To be honest I don't trust Dell, but from what I could google, Latitude seems like a solid choice. How's the keyboard in comparison to T42p?
Config similar to Lenovo would set me back ~$1600, and it includes 3 years warranty.


Thanks!
Tom

 

The multitouch screen adds weight, thickness, and lowers the picture quality. I don't know if it's worth it for a free upgrade if this is a machine that'll be used for years.

 

The T42p keyboard is a bit nicer, but the Latitude keyboard is still really nice and easy to use. My fingers rarely get stuck between two keys, and the keys aren't too hard to press.

Well even if the multitouch lowers the picture quality on the FHD, it's still a way better screen than the standard HD 1366x768 without multitouch

 

I spent a month with the W510 FHD multitouch screen. I much prefer my FHD non multitouch screen.

 

Thanks for all the help, I still have a few questions .

Which model. Apart from graphics card and processors, are there less obvious differences between T510 and W510? Both models offer configuration I can pick, but maybe there's other detail that would help me choose.

Where to buy. Any other place than Lenovo? I'm mainly wondering about return / exchange policy. Does it make a difference if I call or place order online (I'm in the US)?

Tom

 

. W510 has 4 RAM slots, whereas T410 has 2.
. W510 may be configured with a color calibrator.
. W510 has 2 USB 3.0 ports. Both have one "always on" USB 2.0 in the back.
. Both use the same hot-swappable optical drive.
. Both use the same chassis, but W510 is a tad heavier.
. W510 has a huge power supply brick.

Those are the "usual suspects" off the top of my head.

Where to buy? In the US, the main website and the outlet website. You can either order online in the middle of the night or wait on the phone to talk to a sales agent during business hours. In the latter case, it helps to prepare an online configuration first. Watch out for sales weekends and discount coupons that may further reduce your total, sometimes up to an additional 30% off.

You could also deal with a local reseller, such as CDW and Insight, to purchase your ThinkPad. But they only sell pre-configured systems and, unlike Best Buy for example, you cannot go to their showroom and touch a demo system.

Return/exchange? Be very careful. For return, you must call (and wait) to get an RMA by Tech Support and then call (and wait) to get an approval by Sales Support before you can ship the product back. Plus, unlike Dell for example, Lenovo charges a restocking fee. You, as a honorable customer, be the judge of this policy, and I won't tell you how I feel.

Repair/exchange? Your mileage may vary. To me, a company shines when it deals with problems in a consistent manner throughout the world.

 

I saw the power brick for the W510, it is REALLY HUGE (just like Kaso pointed out).

 

the W510 with Dual Core i7 CPU only have 2 dimm slots.

Size comparison of the 65, 90, 135 Watt Thinkpad Adapters

 

That doesn't seem correct to me. I just checked the i7 W510 online options and all have 4 dimm slots. It is a major feature of the W510 over the T510.

 

Thanks! I appreciate everyone's patience with me .

I guess I'll go with the W510 - mainly because of 4 memory slots. That power brick does look scary though - and I will have to carry it with me often...

Tom

 

did you check the dual core or the quad core version of the i7 when you looked into the W510 option list?

http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tabook.pdf

Have a look at the above reference sheet, scroll down to the W510 with dual core processor, it says two dimms.

 

I've noticed the same reading through specs in tabook.pdf, and figured maybe they use two different motherboards.

Tom

EDIT: I'm slow, lol!

 

It is correct and not a misprint in the tabook.

 

I bought a W510, and it arrived today. I'm happy with the screen, even if it's more "squished" than I expected.

I like touchpad - surprising since I usually hate these things; I use mouse whenever I can (95% of the time).

One disappointment is the keyboard. There's no flex to speak of, but the feel is fairly different from my T42. Like a cheap imitation. Perhaps it's a matter of expectations? Hopefully I'll get used to it .

 

Kinda wide, eh? More rectangular and less square.

Very different from T42! T410, T410s, T510, W510 keyboards feel, like you put it, er, "cheap imitation." X201 keyboard still feel classic. But this will change very soon now, with the X220 or whatever Lenovo decides to call the new design.

 

Exactly.

But I got it to work for me - I started with 115% DPI, moved to 110%, only to end up with no adjustment. I'm now learning to use two windows side-by-side. Definitely usable.

Agreed.

Happily, I'm getting adjusted to the new keyboard. For me the biggest point is complete lack of flex - the feel is not all there, but it does feel solid; I'll take that.


Overall I'm very happy - notebook is very cool (temperature-wise), screen is nicer than I expected, keyboard does feel good. Even the huge power brick is OK - could be smaller, but...

Thanks to everyone for the advice =).

Tom

 

One more stupid question - sorry. The notebook is nearly silent. Should that worry me? I can feel warm (barely!) air being blown out the left hand side, but it's nowhere near speed/temp on my old notebook.

My T42 is very noisy these days - could probably use a new fan. But even when it was new, it was loud when the fan was kicking into high gear (which was often). And the air coming out was hot!

So - is there some way I can check if the fan in the W510 is working as designed? To be clear - I'm not complaining, it's just that my OCD-afflicted alter ego wants to know if that's the way it's supposed to be .

Tom

 

It runs quietly and manages temperature well. Enjoy it.

T41 and T42 were famous for being noisy, with those crazy whining fans which seemed to kick in for no reason at all.

 

Cool. Oops .

Tom