T540p!!!

Browsing the Lenovo website as a student ( ThinkPad T Series: Premium Laptops | Lenovo (US) ), I came across the T540p. See the attached image.

I also saw the T440, T440p, T440s, and T431s, which are not visible on the standard site.

2880 x 1620 IPS? Dedicated graphics? This is phenomenal. I can't wait.

Edit: Added the stock image from Lenovo's website. Looks like they carried over the changes from their other lines (sleeker look, no locking mechanism, no TrackPoint buttons, etc). Doesn't really bother me because I've never owned a Thinkpad before (so I can't appreciate their functions), but I know this will be a dealbreaker for some.

Edit again: just updated the site. http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t540p/

 

Huh, considering the they specified the p suffix, I wonder if there will be a T540s. This may seem odd but I'd definitely buy a 15" ultrabook type machine, since most of my work doesn't require high power (or well, getting that kind of power in a laptop is annoying so desktops for anything heavy) but more screen space is always useful. And of course that resolution would be wonderful.

I'm currently most likely going for the T440s but if they announced a T540s at roughly the same thickness and weight (no dedicated graphics) I would definitely wait for that instead.

 

How curious that they make no mention of touchscreen capabilities. PC World commented two days ago that Lenovo will not offer touchscreens on the X240 until December, with no comment from Lenovo to explain whether there is a supply issue or an integration issue delaying the option. I wonder if the T540p is facing the same challenge....

In response to the OP, your advantage is that you don't have prior ThinkPad experience. Laptop ergonomics are driven almost as much by muscle memory as they are by 'intuitive' design choices. You are unlikely to miss what you've never had. That being said, I found the ThinkPoint + discrete keys beneath the spacebar to be a game-changer for me what I don't have access to a USB mouse - and sometimes even when I *do* have access to a mouse. Hence the anxiety over design changes that change the articulation from discrete keys to a touchpad that has clickpoints beneath it. Maybe they designed it well enough that I won't mind, but that would be an impressive design achievement, since one of the strengths of the older design is the ability to feel the slant of the mousekey to know whether you are about to click left, center, or right. I use the center key more often than the other two.

But that's just me. You'll develop your own habits. You may never bother using your ThinkPoint. I now rely on mine, though, and am frustrated any time I use a laptop that lacks one.

The discrete graphics are nice to have, but I'm mildly disappointed that Lenovo only permits up to the 730M, one of the weakest discrete cards currently going into computers. I'll probably steer away from the 3K IPS. It'd be neat to have, but I suspect it will be a real battery hog and I'd rather limit that battery gluttony to the GPU, not the display. Besides, my external monitor is only 1080p; might as well have the two devices match resolution.

I am particularly curious to see real-world battery endurance ratings with machines that have the higher-end components. Hopefully there will still be some useful endurance levels for those of us who will be mobile power (& gaming) users, though that seems unlikely.

 

for the price they are charging for the 730m, it is real disappointing, especially for a below average card in today's standards, I too, am disappointed by that, they should have made an ultrabay option for SLI in all the new series, they would have a good hold on the market if they could offer such customization on their laptops, but then again people are less likely to upgrade due to the unit being so modular which most laptop companies want to steer from in the future (everything being closed and soldered, etc). it is also kind of weak for a 3k display,

now i really don't have a reason to upgrade my t430 other than the IPS display, which I would enjoy extensively, but the rest of the laptop doesn't seem like an upgrade to me, and the price point is ridiculous, i am better off swapping my display for an x1 carbon, not the same but pretty good, roughly 80 dollar operation, also i don't see a express card in the t440p, only the t540p, but if I were to consider a 15" i would go all out and get the W series.

 

The GT730M is disappointing in a "p" version of a T-series machine, for sure, but in the case of the T540p at least there's an alternative in the W540, which will have Quadro K1100 and K2100 options.

Lenovo's always been a bit weak on the GPU in its "business" machines, which I suppose is understandable considering the main target market. Still, I wish they'd at least offer the same GPU as the Y-series (GT750M). I'm currently considering a T440p, but that weak GPU option is also making me look at the Dell M3800, which weighs about the same but has a far better GPU and screen

 

A very nice T540p configurations (for stundents only) went only today in Germany: Lenovo ThinkPad T540p 20BFS05L00 - ok1.de - Shop für Lehre und Forschung Nice price for this model I think.

The GT 730M isn´t that weak, considering it is faster than the Quadro 2000M, the fastest GPU used in the W520, and not very far from the Quadro K1100M.

 

The T540p max RAM is 16GB which will limit its usable lifespan.

 

That's pretty common for non-workstation machines so I would not call that a black mark. IMO the 'p' T-series machines are not quite workstation caliber. The W540 looks like it's pretty much the same size as the T540p and will offer far more bang for the (slightly-higher) buck IMO including Quadro, RAID and up to 32GB of RAM.

 

Is that just the limit of what Lenovo is making available? The system could surely handle sticks of ram that are larger than 8GB each, if they were available.

 

2 DIMM slots means max. 16GB. There are no sticks of RAM greater than 8MB available. The W540 has four slots

 

Doesn't mean that it will stay that way.

 

All things being relative, I suppose. Of concern to me is that the 730M isn't capable of playing the best PC games of 2013 at native resolution. 2014 games aren't going to be any less GPU-intensive, and neither will 2015 games. I'm planning on getting a 14" or 15" laptop that will serve as my main computer (with my smartphone for supplemental computing tasks). I don't own a desktop machine any more because I don't have the luxury of a dedicated computing space. I have no interest in buying two separate laptops (for work and for play), so that means my laptop kinda needs to do both. ThinkPads have the best keyboards (so I can type all day at speed) and they have that great ThinkPoint nubbin for quick navigation, which I absolutely love on my wife's X220. It would be nice if I could get a ThinkPad with a gaming-caliber discrete GPU, like the 780M. The Quadro K2100 is great for workstation use (which I don't need), but isn't the right architecture for gaming, really, so the W540 isn't really a smart solution for me. I will probably get the T540p and live with the limited GPU performance. Getting a Y510 or whatever would be a compromise in the productivity end of computing, which is a dealbreaker for me. I'm going to spend 90+% of my laptop time working on it, not playing. I just wanted my 10% playtime to be immersive with the latest titles..... At least with Haswell and a limited GPU I'll get pretty good battery endurance, which is something no serious gaming laptop can boast. Gotta look on the b right side.....

 

780M? Wow. The wattage on that beast is like four times that of the 730M, so you'd need a much bigger power brick and most likely a completely revamped cooling system. I personally would have been much happier with anything between a 750M and a 770M, but the 730M isn't too bad.

I'm not a very heavy gamer, but I've been buying Humble Bundles and stuff for years so that I could play them when I get a better laptop (as my current one can't even handle a game as demanding as Aquaria). With the 730M, I'm just concerned I wouldn't even be able to play a game like Minecraft at max settings on 3k HD. I could just decrease the game resolution, but that would bug the heck out of me.

Why can't I just buy a 750M directly from Nvidia or a reseller and put it in a laptop? Why do these people refuse to sell mobile graphics cards directly to consumers? Seriously.

 

I think @Cincinnatux and @ibmthink hit the nail on the head -- the GT730M isn't too bad, but the fact that it does little to futureproof a machine (and barely present-proofs it in some cases), compares favorably only to the W530's two-year old entry-level Quadro GPU, has only 1GB of dedicated RAM and is apparently the "new and un-improved" version with the higher-clocked 64-bit GK208 core rather than the 128-bit GK107 is testament to the fact that it's not too good, either

Then again the T540p is a all-purpose business machine, so expecting it to keep up with cutting-edge gaming or multimedia machines is asking too much. Still, the option of a GT750M in the 'p' T-series machines would have been nice. Heck, even a GT740M or simply offering 2GB of VRAM would have done a little more to make these a clear step above the plain old non-p machines.

 

T540p is available to order in the Australian site, so we can get a sense of the prices. Curious when the machine will become available here in the US.

http://shopap.lenovo.com/students/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t540p/

 

The T540p is now available to purchase on Lenovo.com: ThinkPad T540p Business Laptop | Lenovo | Lenovo (US)

More "real-life" pictures on the T540 (found via Google)p: 定位高端配大屏 ThinkPad T540p评测_科技频道_凤凰网

 

I note that Crucial already has a page up advertising a 16 GB RAM upgrade kit for the T540p (less than half the cost of upgrading to 16 GB through Lenovo, unsurprisingly). I'm a bit frustrated by the lack of clarity regarding touchscreens, however. In September, they indicated that the default screen would not have touch sensitivity, but that the display upgrades would come with touch. The web site does not reinforce the early claim, and my understanding is that touchscreens have been delayed on the X240, making me wonder if they are also delayed on the T540p. Anyone know?

I was also surprised to see that SSD is not an option straight from Lenovo. Doesn't bother me, since I was planning on installing one separately anyhow, but I am surprised it isn't available from Lenovo. I guess their marketing research suggested that T540p buyers were unlikely to want SSD performance enough to pay?

 

I was playing with the configuration and you can get this one with a quad core cpu and NO additional gpu... and with the high res screen... that would lead to some interesting performance / battery life options..

hmm

 

I almost did that, but figured I could probably specify integrated video for most of the time and only go dedicated if I really needed to. That way I get battery life most of the time but have the option of kicking it up a bit if need be. It's a pricey upgrade though so I'm rethinking it...

I ordered the quad core, dedicated, 3k display, 802.11ac and wwan. Came out pretty expensive

The PDF page says the FHD is IPS but it did not say that on the order page.

 

No mention of M.2 SSD slot in the configuration, seems odd.

 

Yes, that and the fact that is comes with Gobi 5000 as a pre-configure option. Usually these things are always "WWAN Upgradable" and never configurable at the outset. It's like rolling the dice, can't imaging when the W540 drops and what the options are going to be At this rate it's anyones guess.

 

I am very interested into performance of that IPS panel. I hope also that they redesigned cooling system.

 

Well my T50p had a late December ship date but I just got ship confirmation. MQ/DG/AC/3K/WWAN

 

Congrats! Nice specs. Looking forward to your impressions!

 

Well I ordered it on a whim, just saw it pop up so I went all in on the config, was really surprised when I got the ship notice. I'm a diehard Thinkpad fan from the very first laptop they ever made and a trackpoint fan even more. The removal of the dedicated trackpoint buttons is really killing me. I tried the T440s but the loud mechanical click every time you click down on the touchpad was just more than I could bear. That thing is LOUD. When I think about how many times I click that little button I just couldn't live with it and sent it back. I'm hoping that the larger machines may have a different assembly under the keyboard making the travel different and/or quieter. The offset keyboard may not bother me too much, but I did like the centered config of the T530 with the speakers on each side, thought that was a really cool idea.

I've got a X230T now and the resolution makes it difficult to kick into real work mode. I'd love something larger but always had Flexview / IPS displays and can't go backwards. The W530 FHD is tempting and I will end up with that if I can't get past the Trackpoint button issue.

 

If it's anything like the T440p touchpad, it's going to be quiet. Hopefully they used the plastic touchpad on the T540p, too, verses glass like on the T440s.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

That would be great news!! Didn't know they were differently like that. Thanks!

 

Concerning the T540p being Mobile Broadband Ready, does that mean the both the WLAN and the WWAN antenae Kits are both installed in the LCD display unit even if you only order it with the WLAN option. This is important in case you decide to later install WWAN adapto yourself. It wouldn' work very well if the antenaes were not installed. Most importantly the Lenovo FRU parts list only shows the WWAN antenae as dual kit with the WLAN (both) but it shows the WLAN Kit by itself. I can only conclude that if you order the T540p and most likely the T440p without a specific WWAN option such as Gobi 5000 etc... and only get the WLAN option then you will not get the WWAN/WLAN combo antenae kit. I only believe this because the rule is that if it's not stated as part of the description then it's a good bet it's not included. I truely hope I am wrong but in the past the policy has been that you only get the antenae set that you need per how you initially order the unit.

Also, be aware that the Lennovo Fru Parts list shows that the FHD(1920x1080) display panel is not the same mfg and quality as used on the T440p and the T440s. It uses TN panel display mode and is made by Innolux and has only 256k color display and inferior viewing angles as compared to the AUO panel used in T440s and the T440p which has AHVA display mode technology(similar to IPS) and better 16.2m color display and better viewing angles. The 3K(2880x1620) would be nice for movies but problems with very small fonts would difficult to scale properly and make business use difficult IMO.

I do somehow intend on getting some solid answers concerning the Antenaes and FHD display specs before I pull the Trigger. I want both antenae kits and I want the same spec'd FHD display that the T440p and T440s comes with. I look forword to further comments. Here are the Lenovo Fru Parts List links and the Panelook.com links:

http://download.lenovo.com/parts/ThinkPad/t540p_fru_bom_20131107.pdf

http://www.panelook.com/N156HGE-EA1_Innolux_15.6_LCM_overview_20169.html

http://download.lenovo.com/parts/ThinkPad/t440p_fru_bom_20131008.pdf

http://www.panelook.com/B140HAN01.2_AUO_14.0_LCM_overview_18920.html

Update: I spoke to Tech Support about several issues this is what I was told:
1.The Mobile Broadband Ready units do come with the WWAN/WLAN combo antenae Kit ready to upgrade in the future.....good news!
2.But according to his current parts info, the T540p's FHD panel is the Innolux TN display panel(in link above) and is not the same quality as the FHD panel used in the T440p and the T440s (AOU display panel in link above).
3.They do use different Heatsink/Heatpipe/coil in fan shroud configurations based on CPU Watts(37 or 47 watts) and whether there is a discrete GPU initially included. So if you are thinking about buying an I-3 or I-5 and then later putting an I-7, the unit may overheat because it will no longer be matched to the correct Heatsink/Fan assembly. He has not seen the insides of the 540p or the 440p and cannot comment on the differences between the Heatsink/Fan assemblies.
4. Lastly on a sidenote he said that the Windows 7 Pro 64bit downgraded from Win 8 pro 64bit will come with IE-9 SP1 which is important to me. IE-9 and IE-10(specifically for Win 7) do not require tabbed viewing and uses the old way to save favorites. I prefer open in new window and do not want my favorites pinned to a taskbar or anything else except the folder that I create and put them in. I also want my open IE windows and program windows to show in the taskbar(classic) which is still possible in Windows 7.

 

My T440p has WWAN antenna cables taped to the chassis at the M.2 slot. So, that much is confirmed.

I just worked on an HP dv7 for someone and was sad for him because under the bottom cover was a big open bay for 2nd hard drive, but SATA header wasn't even soldered on. I'd be pissed. I'm sure HP saved a dollar, though.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

Yes, I do know that my last couple of Thinkpads that were WWAN Upgradable both had the antenna connectors sitting there waiting to be plugged in.

That's really a dissapointment that the T540p FHD isn't the same as the T440p FHD. That will definitely drive people to the T440p.

Also, just noticed my T540p config dropped $150 in price. On with chat now seeing what they can do.

 

Does anyone know if the T540p uses the same power connector as the older thinkpads? Just curious if I can reuse any of mine. I notice the W530 I just got uses the 170W adapter with a special notched connector on it and the T440s uses one of the slim style connectors. Not sure what I'm going to get with the T540p.

Thanks!

 

Its the same Slim-conncetor which the T440s uses.

 

Concerning the T540 and W540p, those of you who are going to be wanting a FHD (1920x1280) AHVA panel with 700:1 contrast, 16.2m display colors,antiglare, 72% color gamut basically the same specs that the T440p and T440s are shipping with you will be disapointed to know that is not what you will get.

The T440s and T440p use the AUO B140HAN01.2 FHD panel or equivalent. The T540p uses the AUO B156HW01 ver. 3 or equivalent which is a TN panel with 262k display colors 400:1 contrast, antiglare, 60% color gamut. I confirmed through the Lenovo Parts FRU, Tech Support and looking up the panels. Of course Lenovo can change the Mfg's anytime or even up the specs but how will you know when they have sold out of the older spec panel?

The above is what kept me from buying the T540p and instead I purchased a T440P but the order was canceled and I currently looking into the matter and have since been doing further research. I did discover some good information today! AU Optronics (AUO) makes a 15.6 inch AVHA panel with the same specs as used in the T440p and T440s called the B156HAN01.2 but Lenovo has not yet seen fit to implement the better spec panel but instead offers the same base price for the T540p and T440p because the panel in the 15.6 inch T540p has lower specs.

Panel model # for AUO can be interpreted as such: 156=15.6 inch, 140= 14 inch, HAN= AHVA panel technology, HW= TN panel with better viewing angles, HTN= worst TN panels.

There is hope if enough customers demand that the B156HAN01.2 15.6 inch FHD panel or equivalent be used in the T540p and W540p laptops. See the following Links and look at both the overview and spec tabs at the top.

1. AUO B156HW01 V3 Overview - Panelook.com

2. B140HAN01.2 Datasheet download - Panelook.com

3. AUO B156HAN01.2 Overview - Panelook.com

Lenovo's FHD panel choice for the T540p is currently the biggest reason to hold off purchase if you want a thinkpad mobile workstation. I hope everyone follows suit to complain about this issue

 

How come no one wants the T540p 3k screen, seeing how well the rMBP sells? I am highly considering the 3k screen for my build, but wondering how the quality will compare to an actual retina 15" screen. Any thoughts?

 

I just received my T540p, 3k display. I was going to just make some initial observations in this post as I go. I'm comparing against the W530 FHD to figure out which one I want to keep. I'm leary of the new Touchpad/Trackpoint Button Replacement so I may stay with the W530, but like the idea of a newer machine at literally no price premium.


T540p Pro's
It's noticeably thinner. That was my first thought when picking it up was how thin it was. A little thinness from the base (but not much), most thinness from the screen.
Screen sharpness
WiFi is twice as fast as W530 measured transferring a multi-gig file over my network. 20/mbs vs 10mbs.
The screen is really sharp, even at faux resolution of 1920x1080 it's still sharper than the W530 FHD. There's better contrast which makes a big difference. A little bit of light bleed from the bottom but not too bad, although a bit more than the W530.
-I've been running it now at 1600x900, forgot I had it at that resolution for awhile and I'm thinking, man this thing is sharp, go back in to verify my settings and I'm still at 1600x900. Haven't ever seen a display that scaled from Native Resolution so well.




W530 Con's
They keyboard is a bit more comfortable. The plastic used and the slight curve on the front lip. The T540p has a bit of a curve on the front lip but not as much. The W530 has a rougher textured plastic that I prefer.
I also prefer the blacker black of the case. The T540p is more of a dark graphite.
I like the Dedicated Volume, Mute and Mic keys.



Other Observations:

It came with Fonts set at 150%. This works fine for some apps but not other. I dialed it back down to 100% and boy is that text tiny, but amazingly still readable and my eyesight is starting to get questionable.

It looks like a glossy screen but can't be certain. It's definitely shinier then the W530.

Looks like some glitches with Win 8.1. The display brightness adjust is gone. Doesn't look like there's an 8.1 specific Video Driver update.

The T540p can get warm. The left side of they keyboard and on the bottom of the laptop in the same area. I converted an MKV file using Handbrake and both my W530 (3740qm) and T540p (4700mq) and it was a dead heat. The fan on the W530 was louder, but the palmrest/keyboard stayed much cooler than the T540p. A couple of spots on the bottom were plenty hot.

Update:
The offset keyboard hasn't been too bad. On the desk/lap in light it's fine, using it at night in the dark is a different matter. You naturally want to center the thing so you find that you have to keep adjusting as you're trying to find the home keys. Also, finding the trackpoint buttons can be a challenge in the dark as well. Also, it appears the upper left 2 keys (ESC, F1) are slightly raised higher then the rest of the keys as when the Keyboard Backlight is on it is super bright under those 2 keys.

 

I could be wrong but most PC users state that spreadsheets and other similar program that work well in Windows do not in OSx also I have read that Apple's OSX does a good job of scaling up the fonts, better than Win 7 and 8. That is only what I recall. I have not used OSx so others should respond to this question. I also believe that if you are going for a touch screen (I am not) then 3k with Win 8 might be more managable. Lenovo is not yet offering touch with the T540p. I plan on sticking with non-touch, Win 7 and IE 9 or 10 and avoid Metro alltogether eventually running Win 7 inside a Virtual desktop inside of Lenux. I have till 2020 to get that setup running correctly. I have 3 copies of Win Ultimate Full versions waiting in new retail boxes to make sure that I can move the software from machine to machine.

 

I have given up waiting on a W540. What SSD size does the T540 use? I have the 960 GB M500 Crucial in my W520 now.

I also have an mSata 80 gb but don't figure I need it in the new machine as the 893 GB usable is plenty.

Although I think I would like a touch screen Win 8.1 is still so horrible that I don't believe I will change until Win 9 comes out. MS is an expert and doing a horrible job on every other OS release.

For those that have the 3k screen is it worth the $370 upgrade cost?

 

That's personal preference really. Since I use my computer 10-12 hours a day, the screen is a critical part for me, I've always had IPS displays and a couple of times the FHD non-ips. Being able to get an IPS HD screen again is a beautiful thing in my book and I'd probably pay up to $500 for it honestly. The FHD isn't bad, but for only $200 more I get more resolution and true IPS, that makes sense to me for an upgrade.

 

Is 100% DPI on a 15-inch screen really readable on the 3k screen? Are you sure you're at native res when you checked that?

I just find that mind-blowing, because 100% DPI on my FHD screen is already just about as small as I think it can humanly get before it becomes unreadable!

 

Any chance of an outdoor photo? Would like to see the brightness level and gloss level.

 

I wouldn't use it for an extended period of time, more of a novelty, but it's definitely readable, especially if you kind of know what test/icons are where. App Icons on a dark background look great. Responding to these posts where it's dark text on a bright background is a bit tougher. Almost hard to tell if I misspelled a word, the text is that small, but still surprisingly readable. I wouldn't have expected that.

 

@kevroc,
congrats! What about the chassis quality? Is there any flexing or creaking in the new chassis?

The screen sounds great. Some comparison pictures with the W530 FHD screen would be nice.

 

Chassis quality is good. Not quite the tank that the W530 is though. As if the outer shell is made of a bit thinner material. It's not quite as textured so a bit slippery when you go to pick it up with one hand. A tiny bit of lcd wobble sometimes when moving the laptop around by grabbing a front corner. Little stuff you notice that doesn't happen with the W530. Overall still great, just not quite as great

I'll try to get some screen comparison shots today.

 

Well I'm glad that you were able to set the scaling at 100% with a 1600x900 resolution with good results. Sounds like what I would do. It woud be great to get 3 screenshots using 2 open word documents(side by side) using 3 different resolutions at 100% DPI. Say 2880x1620, 1920x1280 and 1600x900. because I am still wanting to buy the T540p instead of the T440p, I am still open to some persuasive evidence like some pics.

As far as the idea of getting the FHD(1920x1280) non-IPS but TN Panel it's not a good idea as it is not the same FHD panel used in the W530 FHD. Read the following :

I decided to compare the FHD panels used in the T540p and the W530 and also printed out the Lenovo Personal Systems Reference ( PRES) for both the T540p and the W530 to compare the FHD panel used in each. I found that last years model W530 uses a higher quality panel with 95% color gamut based on advanced TN panel technology(based on Panelook.com search). The current FHD panel being used in the T540p has a 60% Color Gamut as pe Lenovo Tech Support in Atlanta, GA and panelook.com and also does not use the same Lenovo FRU Panel parts as the W530. In conclusion I do not believe that you can expect the same quality from the T540p FHD panel as in the W530 FHD panel. So in conclusion to those who want a non-touch FHD T540p or W540 it's not even clear that it will be as good as last years model.

Per Lenovo Tech support the current FHD panel now being shipped with the T540p is the AUO B156HW01 version 3. They were using Innolux but have switch Mfg's but same specs.

http://www.panelook.com/B156HW01 V3_AUO_15.6_LCM_overview_685.html

It has 60% color gamut ,262k display colors, TN panel Tech, 500: contrast etc... So, everyone should be wary of the FHD panel that the T540p is offering. That also is the only possible reason the T540p's base price is the same as the T440p which comes with an AHVA/IPS like panel like the T440s.

 

Yeah, it's sharp at all of those resolutions. Any fuzziness in the photos are due to camera shake

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p2znyumz2j3fcny/2013-11-30 12.11.34.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g5p5pzrn8k09pmw/2013-11-30 12.10.48.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/96i7rgy5p5thkjm/2013-11-30 12.09.57.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m527e2b1dut62j5/2013-11-30 12.08.37.jpg

 

I was wondering if anyone was privy to the Panasonic 3K specs. I wasn't able to track down the panel model number. I am still wondering if it uses an advanced IPS panel or AHVA panel technology like the T440p and the T440s. Lenovo continues to state on their website that the T440p and T440s have IPS FHD panel technology but in fact it is AHVA and yes I have already posted the links in previous post. AHVA panel technology is in fact just about as good as IPS, so why don't they just state the correct facts?? This is why I want to know the Panasonic Panel model # because I am suspicious that it too may not be a true IPS panel. I would be nice if Mfg's and reviewers would provide this information like in the old days. I don't appreciate being pulled in the direction of making a purchase on new models without any descent reviews all because they are released just before Black Friday and with incorrect information. In the end, no matter how good the 3K panel is, it will take more tweaking and scaling than a high quality FHD IPS/AHVA panel and we wouldn't even be having this blogging about the issue. The T540p and the W540 are supposed to be true PC mobile workstations not 15 inch rMBP's.

 

Thanks for the resolution pics. Could you follow up with outdoor brightness/glare pics?

 

Just because I have a rule of trying never assume important info but to verify could you adjust the lighting so that we can see the outline of the bezel and the T540p Logo because those pics look pretty good and it's hard to believe so I need a little more convincing. Also browser windows are easy to scale. Could you open some word documents and post a full page of web/pdf info into a word doc using # 12 font with the same 3 resolutions or just post a PDF file from the web using full page view?

 

I was just thinking about another important issue concerning the choice of using a 3K panel verses a FHD panel is the power draw on the battery plus the extra heat produced by the CPU/GPU to run it. It is confirmed that the Haswell MQ series I-7 CPU's run hotter than Ivy-Bridge and use more Watts (45 watts vs 47 watts). Also If there would be extra heat produced would there be an increased chance of CPU Throttleling especiallly when using the hotter quad core 47 watt I-7 CPU's.

I would like my new expensive mobile workstation to last a several years and the best way for that to happen is to not have the laptop run any hotter than is necessary. I suspect that older laptops made before last years Ivy-Bridge will out last this years and last years laptops because the current generations runs hotter. The 3k panel power draw duing CAD or Gaming(etc...) just adds to the issue. A nice high quality FHD IPS panel choice for the W540 and T540p would have been a wiser choide for a Windows based PC mobile workstation instead of copying Apple's 15 inch rMBP. So how well it is possible to scale up the fonts on the 3K panel may not be the only issue to worry about concerning having the best utility value along with how long will such an expensive setup will last.

 

The wattage difference is deceptive, haswell has the voltage regulator on die