ThinkPad Edge S430 Lounge

On many german sites there is the i5 version with thunderbolt... I don't know if they are wrong about it, I don't think so.

 

The shops here in Germany say since a month, that they would offer it "in about 2 weeks".


Well, let's see maybe in 2 more weeks.

 

On german sites, they also added in the specification of the i5 version an additional 16 GB SSD mSATA Performance Booster to the 500GB HDD.

I'm still waiting for mine as well

 

Im frightened by the low power battary and low screen quality.
Im considering between T430s, S430 and T530. The last one has Full HD quality screen available, but its expensive as hell and has no thunderbolt, which i would like.

 

How do you know about the low screen quality? I havent seen any reviews yet.

 

Lenovo published the specifications of the Thinkpad Edge S430 in Thinkpad Edge Notebooks (21 June update)

Contrary to many other specification listings, the i5 version comes with NVIDIA's Geforce GT 620M (rather than the GT 630M).

And as posted before:
S430 User Guides
S430 Maintenance Manual

 

The battery is a 4-cell (48.8Whr) capacity capable of up to 7.0 hr. What will be the realistic battery life?

 

Does the I7 version come with the 630m then?

 

The german shop where I've seen them listed has the i5 with 630M listed.

Still, there are 3 versions of he 630M, and there's no info about which one is used in the laptop.

I'm a bit worried about the cooling as well, there's only one heatpipe for the GPU and CPU, nto sure if that's enough.

 

Looks like its out here
ThinkPad Edge S430 | 14" Laptop | Learn | Lenovo | Australia (AU)

Now to wait for reviews

 

Once again, thunderbolt only on i7 models. Time to wait to see how the screen turns out, but I have a hunch that it'll be the same screen in the T430 series, or perhaps even worse.

 

Wait what graphics card is the: NVIDIA N13P-GLP never seen that before, is it the 630?

 

It is the 620m probably based on this pdf.

Also this just seems to be a no brainer awesome deal to me considering the price of a similarly specced T430s :O .

 

I don't think they'll stick a 620M, I think (i hope) it's the 630M

 

The introductory Australian price of $899 on the top-spec'd S430 looks very attractive.

I guess they will stick the 128bit GT620M in but maybe the 28nm version to keep the heat down. One could later consider some of those Thunderbolt eGPU solutions.

 

Aren't prices in Australia typically higher for some absurd reason? This seems to apply to desktop hardware and video games but I'm not sure about laptops. If this is the case, then North American prices should be somewhat lower which is nice.

@DaCM It does seem like a great deal however I'm not so sure about the build quality of the Thinkpad edge versus the Thinkpad T series. Then again people have been reporting bad news about the T series so maybe Lenovo will step up their game. There's also the issue of weight and size, the T430s is a lot sleeker which could justify the high prices for some people.

 

I don't know about build quality, but in terms of weight the two machines are almost equal. Given the price difference of course it is probable that the T430s will be somewhat better built and may have better hardware like speakers, trackpad or screen.

 

Yep. We have it bad because of where our chunk of island sits on the world. You can expect US prices to be cheaper because they don't have logistics on top of the price.

 

I'm planning to order an S430 from Australia. Does anyone know which power adapter I need to buy in order to use it in America? Or does it not work that way?

 

You'll probably need a shipping redirecting service or a friend/contact in Australia willing to send it to you. But directly addressing your question regarding the power adapter, Australia uses 210V-240V system while I believe the US uses a 110V-130V system, so if you're getting it delivered, you must check that your power adapter is compatible with both voltage systems. If not you'll need a transformer. You can avoid all this hassle however by simply ordering a Lenovo 90W charger from Lenovo US.

 

Fortunately I do have friends in Australia.

Eek. I looked at the 90W charger and it says "not compatible with ThinkPad notebooks".

 

You would actually be looking for the Thinkpad power adapter, not the Lenovo one.

90W
ThinkPad 90W AC Adapter | 40Y7659 | Lenovo | (US)

65W
ThinkPad and Lenovo 65W AC Adapter - with US / Canada / LA Line Cord | 40Y7696 | Lenovo | (US)

 

As a New Zealander (which shares the same plug with Australia and probably the same supplier of Lenovo laptops) I very rarely see a 210-240v only plug. These are laptop's, they're made for travelling so will always have universal power adapters that only require a plug adapter. An AU/NZ plug to US plug should be all you need.

Also the funny thing is the S430 is cheaper in NZ than AU (which is a first for most things). The high end can be had for $1099AUD in Australia or $978AUD in New Zealand. Shame it only has a 620M because it looks to be 10% slower than the 630M.

 

Thank you both for the tips!

 

Price went up to $1100...

 

Any reviews/unboxing yet?

 

There is a review ( but in german).

what the user says:

• instead of a 630M a 620M is built-in.
• the keyboards seems to him a bit cheap but alright.
• the laptop is very quiet.
• the case-surface and the touchpad is completly gummed.
• ThinkLight works.
• he is a bit annoyed that he has to press the function-key to reach the f1 - f12 keys (like in the Lenovo E530).
• he doesn't like the combination of a non-glossy display but a glossy display frame at all.

Some Pictures

Edit:
batterylife seems to be around 2 1/2 - 3hrs in case of medium usage.

 

Seems like I won't be buying the s430 then.

 

3 hrs battery life? that is a really bad joke from Lenovo. No S430 for me then!

 

Battery life measured in Ubuntu where probably both GPU's are activated, unless he got Optimus to work somehow.

Still I'd expect a bit more...

 

are you sure that thunderbolt is only present on i7 models? because I saw this:
Notebook ThinkPad Edge S430 TS / i5-3210M / 4GB / bei BUILT Direkt - Ihr persönlicher IT-Onlineshop
and this:
Notebook ThinkPad Edge S430 TS / i5-3210M / 4GB / bei XITRA - Ihr IT-Onlineshop mit über 200.000 Artikeln
and many others.

also, does anyone known if it uses the same keyboard as the T430?

 

Thanks for that,
Nothing really surprising, one can change the fn - f* functionality, right?
On other points, this laptop hits all my checkboxes. Batterylife is on the low-side but I'm usually plugged in so that won't be an issue

 

It's not the same Keyboard you can see this on these Pictues:
(T530 which has the same as the T430)
http://www.notebookcheck.com/typo3temp/pics/b794bf1c40.jpg
(S430)
http://www.lenovo.com/shop/WW/produ...ptop-PC-Overhead-Keyboard-View-4L-940x475.jpg

I think it has different material if you look carefully you can notice a difference. The touchpad key / the spacebar have a different related size compared to each other.

I think i'm gonna order the S430 today, if it's **** I send it back. Thunderbolt-port is built-in in the cheaper versions aswell (in Germany)

Edit:

Ya it's possible to change it in the Bios.

 

Please upload pics and a video please

 

I was trying to get that info.
"Attention: The following components soldered on the system board are extremely sensitive. When you service the system board, avoid any kind of rough handling.

[a] Microprocessor
Platform Controller Hub (PCH)
[c] Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)"
System board and thermal fan removal and installation - ThinkPad Edge S430

THAT really sucks big time. imo a deal breaker.

I guess it's compatible with some other models. I don't known for sure because I don't known lenovo very well but maybe someone here can help.
Keyboard service parts - ThinkPad Edge E420s and S420
they are easy to find and buy.

also it's very reasy to remove the keyboard.
Keyboard removal and installation - ThinkPad Edge S430

 

The GPU is not that powerful, but its consumption may be a tad high - how knows?
Ubuntu is no power saver at all - okay we know it drains more that Win7
The laptop's got a full-power processor - okay we know they drain more

HOWEVER

it is not that thin with no room for a decent battery, if size is the issue.

That is a very, VERY bad move from Lenovo. You make a thin & light laptop for the sake of mobility, not to keep it plugged to the wall all day long ._.

 

it's a crappy cheap notebook. an ultrabook wannabe. the gpu really sucks. the chip consumes tons of power for the little performance it delivers. there are smaller thiner and better performing notebooks with a much better gpu.
the battery isn't that great either.
imo the only good thing is thunderbolt. other then that it's even overpriced compared to others.

 

Wheres is the cheapeat place to get the e430?
How durable and reliable is it?

 

Which type ultrabay does it have? Would this tray be compatible Lenovo ThinkPad Ultrabay Festplatten Adapter III für R/T/(W) 43N3412 ?

 

why get it from IBM brand? it's overpriced. Don't known about ultrabay but I'm sure other adapters can work without issues. check newmodeus and ebay.
the thing I would like to known is if it is sata II or III.

 

I´ve bought the i5/GT620 modell today. Paid 765€ incl. tax.

It replaces my 4 1/2 years old Dell XPS M1530 with 1680x1050.

The display is ok. It is a little brighter than the old one. I am so happy it isn´t glossy anymore. I think thats the best here.

The Brezel indeed is glossy. Haven´t tried outside yet.

Would love to see FullHD on 13-14" but I am fine with 1600x900. At least it is not less.

UPDATE: After another hour comparing both laptops I must update my opinion. The Lenovo display is much brighter and is really white. The XPS is somehow gray and much darker. But I usee this device about 12h a day over several years. Enentually it´s just "washed out".

Compared the build quality is remarkable. It is very light and feels sturdy everywhere. The lid feels very stable and it seems to be build forever.

The surface is rough with no fingerprints.

My XPS got repaired four times and is close to fall apart today. Hopefully the ThinkPad will last as long.

But to use the "F" keys you have to change a setting in the BIOS. Who has such idiotic ideas?

The NVIDIA card can be disabled too. If I get temperature problems, I will think about this. My XPS got very hot when in heavy use and burned to death 3 times.

I write 10 fingers and have no problems typing the keyboard.

And the Trackpoint is the best to find on ThinkPads. I hate touchpads.
I am ashamed dell discontinued using this input method.

Can´t say something about the battery yet.

The 90W power brick is smaller than the xps ones.

The DVD drive is not removal. The edge do not to have the drive bay´s from the "T" series.

I know ThinkPads "T" serie from work since very long but this is my first own ThinkPad.

 

Could you make a video if possible please?

 

So its confirmed then that S430 processor is soldered? And no i7 Quad version available? What is the cheapest i7 quad with Thunderbolt available?

 

Is the battery as bad as everyone says it is?

 

Once you got the battery tests ready please post them here. That is the only thing so far stopping me from pulling the trigger.

 

It has a 48.8 Wh 4cell battery so I wouldn't hold my breath at more than 4h30 5h max battery life while idle, since it's a 35W CPU.

If there's an upgrade option for the battery, to a 68 Wh or so one then I'd bet around 6h with light use.

 

Sorry, no battery update yet. It doesn’t charge when nearly full so far.

I´ve played about 2h Diablo 3 in native resolution, high settings expect for shadows and environment.
Also not used antiali…..whatever.
Runs fine and NVIDIA 620 max temp was 91C. CPU max was 90. Room temperature in sticky summer is 26C.
When working in balanced setting temp is around 55C.

The display is amazing. Creating recovery DVDs (5) took several hours.

You can open the lid without holding the bottom. I like this device.

 

90C temps aren't a good sign, if they hit 90C while gaming or so it might get dangerous for the hardware in a couple years, where the generated heat will have degraded the laptop's interior materials.

 

He got (max) 90C whilst playing so it seems normal.

Could owners possible make a video review please???

 

And here is the battery test:

I switched to "balanced" mode and turned brightness to 50% and never turn off.
WLAN/Bluetooth was on and it lasts 4h:20m. Not that bad for a 4 cell, but not enough for a whole office day without a charger.