Thinking of selling my T410, what are your thoughts?

I just want to say first off, my T410 has been a great machine. Not one single thing wrong with it. I don't remember the exact month now, but I got it I think in either April or May of this year.
The fact of the matter is, it's too much power for my needs. I created another thread not too long ago where I stated it's fan seems to have calmed down after the latest BIOS update. My initial estimates were incorrect. The only thing I can honestly say that bugs me about this machine is the fan, as it runs constantly seemingly independant of the temps.
But overall, there's just nothing to fix. It's been solid, reliable and has held up to my excessive use. I'm bored of it.
The truth is, since I've switched to linux full time, I just don't need all this power, and I'd like to try and get something that runs cooler, preferrably fanless. In fact I kind of wish now I would have gotten this with a Core i3 instead of an i5. I'm not someone that likes to have multiple systems in my house, just no need for more than one. I guess I'm asking what your thoughts are on this? Any words of wisdom for me?

 

Sorry to heard about the T410’s fan noise—glad I didn’t buy one if this is common—but I can say my T400 is the quietest machine I’ve ever owned. That said, are you sure the fan noise is not related to a Linux power management issue? ACPI is a notoriously complex and over-engineered protocol.

 

If you are happy with it id keep it. You might think you have too much power but there is nothing worse then a slow machine imo, I can't stand them.

I have owned several laptops and I my thinkpad is the first time ive been this happy with one.

 

The fan is nearly silent when running around 1900-2000 RPM. But the default settings make the fan too aggressive. At even 42C the fans will kick on high at ~3500RPM and stay there until the temps get back down to 38C or so. It's annoying. I can control it with third party utilities just fine, it's just annoying that I have to do that. But that's really the only complaint I have about my T410.
I'm just bored of it. Honestly I've been my own computer tech for 12 years, and have always fixed/troubleshooted my own problems. I haven't really had to with this. Hell, I got so tired of the speakers popping every time I turned my system on (which is common with a lot of laptops), I ended up removing the entire speaker assembly after I initially just disconnected them. More because I can, and not out of necessity.
I don't really play games any more. I only need something for email, web browsing, listen to music and watching movies, that's about it. I owned a netbook once, and it was terribly slow even for those basic needs. I was thinking something along the lines of an AMD Athlon Neo based system. I don't know. I kind of wish I would have gotten an x201 with a core i3 or something.

Here's the speaker assembly, hehe. I just took that pic a few minutes ago.

 

Honestly if the T410 is too much power, you could sell it and get a T400 - if it's anything like my T500, it's pretty much inaudible unless you put it under very heavy load. The fan stays off most of the time at idle, and I idle little more than 10 C above ambient room temperature, according to Core Temp. And, if you can find a T400 with a WXGA high-nit screen, you'll get a panel superior to any of the ones offered on the T410.

Actual fanless notebooks are few and far between, particularly with the latest full-voltage Core i_ processors. The only ones I can think of are netbooks and some ultra-tough sealed notebooks: Dell Mini 10, some of the LG X-series, some Toughbooks, etc.

 

Well it gives me some things to think about. Perhaps I could just save up for a low cost ultraportable, and pack the T410 away in its box indefinitely, as a back-up system just in case. Are thinkpads ok with long-term storage (battery would be removed of course )?

 

Well, other than the battery, I see no reason why a T410 would be perishable For long term storage, the battery should be drained to approximately half capacity, placed in a plastic bag and stored in low ( not below freezing) temperatures) - the refrigerator works well.

Although, if you don't plan on using it in the near future, why not resell it now (and get as much of the resale value as you can still get), and buy a more powerful notebook down the line when you actually do need it? Electronics lose their value and become obsolete very quickly, so long-term storage of a functional laptop might not be the best idea.

 

I can see where you are coming from. I upgraded from my R50e with a Pentium M 1.6Ghz/2GB RAM/7200RPM hard drive from ~2005 to a T510 with a Core i5 2.4GHz/4GB RAM/SSD. Honestly speaking, if you don't game, there is NO reason to upgrade to a new computer for speed. I thought I would've been blown away by such an increase in technology. Is it faster? Well, yes, it is. Was it worth the cost? Absolutely not. The only thing the T510 can tackle is HD flash videos, which the R50e cannot. Everything else, boot, loading programs, etc. takes 10-20 seconds longer than the T510. I should have thought about it before buying because I find myself going back to my near silent R50e. The fan comes on about twice a day lol.

The T510 noise is audible, but it is pretty darn quiet.

In conclusion, I really don't use the "power" of my T510 and still find myself toying around with my R50e. However, I am in love with the LED screen on the T510, which was one of the reasons I wanted to upgrade.

 

LED screens are supposed to last a lot longer than the older CCFL ones, which is a plus. But I do understand where you're coming from. When I first got my T410 I tested a bunch of my games, and to my surprise they played great. Just the right amount of performance. But as I already said, in actually, for every day use it's just too much power for my needs.
I guess one plus though is that this sytem could potentially last me a lot of years.

 

Use tpfancontrol and run it in Smart Mode.

 

Sell it. Why box it up? The price is going to decrease over time, get rid of it as fast as you can.

Post it up and lmk if you are selling. Get a i5/i7 with a low voltage processor.

 

Not one single thing wrong with it. Are you sure? After all the things you have done to it? And the fan noise? And the popping speaker noise? (I would save that line for my eBay blurb when I put my T410 up for bid/purchase. I would do it ASAP.)

For WEO (web, email, office apps), we don't need the present crop of dual-core/quad-core processors and dedicated, automatically switchable graphics processors. A T43 or T60, with 1GB RAM and 20GB hard drive, running Linux, will serve your needs adequately.

Maybe you're bored with the idea and the use of a PC. I guess you want to try something different. Life is short: go for it!

 

I was using thinkfan (ubuntu) and it worked fine. Also forcing the processor cores to their lowest clock speed (1.2GHz) using CPU Frequency Scaling Monitor. It helps.

Perhaps. I'm still thinking about it. An x201 tablet might be just what the doctor ordered.

 

While I'm "computer literate", I don't think, as a user, I have to do "funny" tweaks to my (expensive) computer.

 

^I second the T400/500 idea, or an X200 if you prefer. Having owned all three there's really not much of a size/noise difference between the three, but the X200 tends to get a little noisy when it's under load; the fan does kick in whilst watching a movie. On integrated graphics settings and doing typical work, the T400/500 have, for me at least, been nearly silent notebooks.

 

You guys are forgetting though, it's not about the fan noise. It's that I'm bored with it, and it's just too much power for my needs. Does anyone have any comments on the Thinkpad Edge 14" AMD model? I see searching through posts there's not much said about it here.

 

Sounds to me that you want to try something totally different. Ever think about getting a Mac ??

If that were me, I'd just hang onto that T410 (you never know, you just might need it one day), and get an X201 with a Core i3 and be done with it.

 

Bleh, I already had a mac once. I think you're right, that's some good advice about the x201. Thanks.

 

Roger, here's what I'm thinking. I will keep my X201 for mobility and get rid of the other laptops. Then I will build a desktop -- a "tinkering platform" -- with great components of my very own selection. On top of that, I will purchase a 19" Dreamcolor display (yes! ) to go with my cool, quiet, superfast desktop.

I'm sick and tired and bored of ThinkPad LCD quality and whatever else. I will fix myself a great machine. Ha ha!

 

Question about storage: The OP mentions that one of his options is to pack up the T410 and store it. If you take the battery out, how long can a laptop (like the T410) be stored from? I have been given to understand that there is an internal battery (CMOS?) that can also run down. Is this true?

Thanks

 

If you want to store the laptop for long time you have to take the CMOS battery.

 

How long is "long time"? A year? 6 months?

Thanks

 

I completely understand. I too have no real need to upgrade, my computer can pretty much handle all my needs (I don't game anymore). I'm waiting on the new t410s however. I realized a 15 inch is huge, 6 lbs. is rediculously heavy, and a really hot dedicated GPU sucks. Computer is burning my legs as I type this I guess when I upgrade to the t410s theirs nothing left for me in the notebook world, all my needs are satisfied. Kind of sad really.

I do have a suggestion though, that is related to computers. Software... create and develop software for Linux. There will never be a point where your too good to program. I see you have used Ubuntu already, why not get really deep into Linux. Also if your bored of computers kind of like where I'm now, go do other hobbies. I've been so absorbed with computers it's not even funny, I decided it for major too. Art, books, and growing things (legal of course) sounds good again. I'm gonna stay away for computers as long as I can, until my new one comes

 

Oh I have other hobbies. But yeah, I'm starting to feel burned out on computers. Nothing new coming out that is really exciting me. I'm not into new games at all, but have a huge collection of old ones. As computer technology keeps progressing year after year, my games stay the same. After building computers for some 10 years I switched to notebooks for the portability and power efficiency. Now that middle-of-the-road consumer notebooks are all the power I need, there's just little left for me to get excited about. Thanks to Intel and other players, USB 3.0 native support may not come until 2012, so there's nothing else I really look forward to.
The funny thing is, I'm more excited about getting my first projector than I am a new computer (or tablet pc, where I was hoping to go next).

 

Thanks for posting this thread, it reminded me how much I have neglected other things. I haven't finished my painting yet, but its definitely going to get done.

 

A little off topic (even though it's my thread I know how the mods look down on it), when I was 11-13 years old, my mom, her bf and I used to drive some 4 hours to eastern washington where he owned a huge chunk of property up in the mountains. Our nearest neighbor was 5 miles away and we went every other weekend for like 3 years or so.
I used to make audio tapes of vhs movies to take with me to have something to listen to. I remember while riding in the back of the truck, closing my eyes and imagining I was watching the movie on a handheld device while I was listening to movies. Funny that more than 20 years later, that technology now exists. It's those kinds of advancements in technology I look forward to with great enthusiasm. Not little improvements here and there on current technology (though those little improvements do add up over time).

 

A long time is more than a year.

@Roger I know how you feel about PC hardware development, I have stopped bothering to update laptop every time a new thinkpad gets released.

 

I know this might sound lame, but my dream after I get my degree is to work for IBM or Intel. A few weeks ago I heard IBM was testing a photo based hard drive or something like that it's suppose to be even faster than SSD, I might be wrong though. Sorry for being off topic, just expressing our love for technology I guess.

 

In reading my thread over, my feelings on the subject really jump out at me. I'm going to keep my T410. There's just no reason for me to upgrade or downgrade at this point.

I love technology. But it can be an expensive hobby. I just need a break from it for awhile I think and get out of that old mode I used to be in, where I had to have the latest and greatest to play the latest games. I guess most of the fun in computers for me, was tinkering, and working on them, and fixing them. I've lost some of that love I had for it.
This thread has been very enlightening for me, believe it or not. Thanks everyone.

 

Roger,

Your main complaint is fan noise, correct? Which model T410 do you have? Does it have the Intel, NVIDIA or Optimus graphics in it?

 

I think you made the right decision keep the T410 Roger, there's not much to fault with the system other than the fan noise. Initially reading the thread I thought it was strange that you want to "downgrade" your system, usually people are happy with something more powerful!

The thing is the system is still in its infancy, it's perfectly adequate now but later down the line there may be times where the system needs a little boost. That's the scenario when you can tinker the system and reignite that hobby of yours. I'm using a second hand, 3 year old T61 and i'm pretty pleased with it overall. I had to change the CPU, thermal paste, upgraded the RAMs, added a second drive bay, use a modified BIOS and plonked in an Intel SSD for good measure. There are a couple of things I still could do to it (Wi-Fi card, upgrade the awful Samsung panel...) but obviously cash is a stumbling block! Plus taking care of two ThinkPad systems mean that I have to share the love between them!

Or if you're really bored and want to tinker now why not consider getting a cheap 2nd hand ThinkPad (T61/T400/R400) to compliment with the T410 and do an interesting side project in the mean time? But I must advise that you may get carried away and create an overpowered monster as a result!

 

Sell it and get X series and be happy

Edit: I see, you decided to keep it, good for you then

 

Does mine or anyones thoughts make a difference?

Renee

 

Well sure. I consider all advice, and there was some good advice here. I just realized I need to tone it down a bit and get out of that mode I've been in. When I used to build desktops, I always had to have the latest and greatest because of demanding games at the time.
When I can't tinker, fix, or otherwise work on computers, I get bored of them. That's a testament to thinkpad's build quality for sure. My problem is I just have realized I don't need a powerful system any more, and my desire to get a tablet has now been put on the back burner, atleast for awhile.

 

Hi, what's awful about it?

 

I say you are having the same feeling I am, just time for a change, I love my x301 but am considering an x201 for the size and speed.... I want something a bit more zippy.... Hell I might even just get a mac .... I am all over the price when buying new laptops (i.e. when I go for cars, one second I want a small sports car, and the next... an SUV) ...

 

The panel I have is not very bright, plus the viewing angles are rather limited. If I sit back a bit further then the colors will shift so I had to move the screen back and forth.

You can see the extent by checking out a previous post I done in comparison with a R400 that I upgraded to a WXGA+ LED panel.

 

In that post, you wrote:

Yes! You did the right thing, choosing the LG panel. I wish this uncle had a niece/nephew who is so resourceful.

 

"Well sure. I consider all advice, and there was some good advice here. I just realized I need to tone it down a bit and get out of that mode I've been in. When I used to build desktops, I always had to have the latest and greatest because of demanding games at the time.
When I can't tinker, fix, or otherwise work on computers, I get bored of them. That's a testament to thinkpad's build quality for sure. My problem is I just have realized I don't need a powerful system any more, and my desire to get a tablet has now been put on the back burner, atleast for awhile."

Roger, that's fine I guess. I too was professional developer in computers and I know as much as anyone here does. I doubt that anyone will come up with some thing that I haven't read that's relevant. So far they haven't. I'm a fan of reading and making up my own mind.

Renee