Thinkpad Edge 420s

I honestly think this trend is for the better. Saves weight. People throw a huge stink about the Macbook Pro's battery which is tougher to remove. IMO it's a worthy sacrifice if it means a thinner/lighter form factor.

 

Ah. I just assumed that since 1600x900 was available on the E420 it'd be on the E420s. Lame!

 

Actually I dont think you can get the e420 with 1600x900 it seems to be a misprint. The website says you can get...but if you try to customize the e420 laptop..the option is not there... =/

Edit: my above statement is incorrect.

 

eh? When I was checking build prices last night the two display options when customizing were 1600x900 anti-glare and 1600x900 "vibrant color."

here's the link on slickdeals.net where many people were discussing it... Thinkpad Edge E420: i5 2410M, 14" 1600x900 (Anti-glare or gloss), 250gb hdd, 2gb RAM, 6 cell, 720p webcam $630 FS +tax - Slickdeals.net

 

Whoops your right..I think I was thinkin of a different model. My bad.

Yeah too bad there is not discrete gfx card option....or it would be a pretty ideal machine (tho its not nearly as pretty as the e420s).

 

I just checked and both display options are still available on the e420 with the 1600x900 resolution. Would be nice if its not a misprint.

BenMar

 

Yup - you can get the 1600x900 on the e420...i swear when i looked it up earlier today that option was not there...or maybe i was looking at a different model...not sure.. anyways - its not a misprint.

 

Per the e420/520 data sheet, under graphics it shows that the e520 will be available with the 6630M discrete graphics card.

Note 3 at bottom says:
"AMD Radeon HD 6630M is available on ThinkPad® Edge E520 only"

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/E420_E520_datasheet.pdf

Benmar

 

dammit! I was considering the e420 now, the difference in size and weight is not that much, but it got a mate 1600*900 matte screen (here I was hoping that it would be a good screen)

 

lol...lenovo just has to make things so difficult for us!

 

The 1600*900 on the E420 is most likely an error on Lenovo's part. The spec is listed as " 14.0" W HD (1600x900). On the W520 the spec is listed as HD+ (1600x900).

 

Does the E420s/E220s utilize a standard 2.5" drive, or is it 7mm like the X220? Sorry if that's been covered already. Particularly curious about the 220s.

 

I am pretty sure all the S model have 7mm drive.

 

this is confirmed by the specs pdf, and the list of HDD, the e420 go up to 750gb as it should, the s is up to 320gb, which is basically the higher capacity spinning drive that is produced in 7mm

 

Interesting. Well that seems to add a bit of incovenience with regard to getting an ssd for it after purchase.

 

all intels can be used in 7mm height (except the 510), and all crucial too.

Choices are limited, but at least its got a lot more option than 1.8''

 

when are they putting the ati chips in the 420s I want to buy one with gpu but still not on site any news on this

 

it's 7:45am EST...still no ati gfx card option yet...well...ill check again later today...

hope will slowly start fading away the longer this takes.

 

Good to know. So it's just a matter of removing the spacer (as per the mod discussed in another thread)? If I understood that correctly. Looked simple enough. Looked..heh.

 

it's 10am EST here...and still nothing on the Lenovo website about a 66300m option for the e420s. I chatted with a rep:
_________________________________________________

You have been connected to _Vinny S._Vinny S
Me: Hey Vinny
Me: I have a quick question
Me: im sure uve been asked this a lot
Me: but i was wondering if the e420s was suppose to get an option for a 6630m gfx card?
Me: i had heard that today it might
_Vinny S: It should be within the next week. Please keep checking the site.
Me: ok thank you very much.
_________________________________________________

I have a bad feeling about this....my gut is telling me that they are going to keep leading us on...week by week...I hope I'm wrong..but I'll keep checking the website like every hour...lol

I'm jealous of UK for already having the option!

 

Just curious, why would the UK have the 6630 option and not the US? Aren't these all built in the same place?

 

yeah bets me...wish i was living in the uk right now.

 

Before this launched, the original PDF stated it would have a 1600 x 900 option and a 6630 option. Are they still planning to add these options or what?

 

quick question - is the e420s suppose to also get an option for i7 SB CPU?? or is i5 SB what they all are suppose to have.

 

can you show me link that say 1600x900...ive never seen that stated anywhere. I have seen 6630m gfx card with an i7 SB CPU option....but not sure whats true anymore.

 

I don't mean for to sound passive aggressive, but why is everybody so bent out of shape around there not being descrete graphics available given the unimpressive screen resolution? What's the point of having discrete graphics if the screen doesn't deliver?

I was indifferent on the graphics because I don't game, but I decided against this machine because there appears to be no SSD rapid drive option (was this not advertised?), no 256 GB SSD option, and I see nothing to indicate that it has a TPM chip. I thought all Thinkpads were "business class" and came with TPM? I have a fresh copy of 7 Ultimate and I'd like to use bitlocker.

I also HATE the feel of microfiber, and I have a feeling that's what this exclusive "soft touch" feature is like. I was hoping it would be more like a matte rubber-type surface but I doubt it.

 

No you don't, just a wait a week or two and you'll be able to get the same thing in the us for a whole lot cheaper. We always get screwed for price in the uk especially with our 20% tax.

 

pfff... what you are talking about, a U$ 999 notebook in brazil costs usually U$2200

talk about taxes irrrghhhh

 

When the e420s first appeared on the lenovo site (orderable) I was able to create a CTO model with the mSSD rapid drive option- not sure why the configuration tool does not show the option anymore. perhaps it will pop up when the discrete/i7 options become available? who knows- the consensus was that it was overpriced anyway i think

 

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Sometimes I wish I had the level of support for education in the US has you guys have there. College tuitions on the rise. Let's not even begin with law school costs.

 

same here man lol X_X

 

hmm this is weird...look what i found. if you go to the e420s page...there is a link to "Edge 14" and 15" Tech specs": http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas...Edge-Series/14 15 ThinkPad Edge datasheet.pdf

The graphic card they listed as optional is a Radeon HD5145 512MB...what is going on....too much confusion...stick to a damn spec lenovo...and keep it consistent throughout your website!

 

That is for the old edge 14 and 15.

The sandy bridge edge E420 does not have an discrete graphic as of now,
Both the Edge E420s and E520 will have 6630m.

 

Yeah...i guess that makes sense.

 

Hang on, hang on, I was just reminding the poster that the uk usually has it much worse than the us when it comes to laptops, and that a week's wait is well worth the lower price he/she'll be able to get it for.

Don't know what Brazil and college tuition has got to do with anything?!

Having said that I remember being shocked when I was studying abroad to find that my fellow international students from the US were having to pay huge amounts of money for their tuition, whereas I got it all for free paid by the government and got a grant for living expenses as well.

You're right though the grass is always greener, and it's often very easy to miss the benefits of one's own country/situation. I don't think anyone who's faffing about worrying about the best spec for their new laptop, let alone considering buying a Sony Vaio SB really has it that bad in the grand scheme of things... here endeth the lesson.

EDIT: Should mention that I had it easy and that the uk is rapidly heading down the us route as far as college tutition is concerned.

 

Anyone know when the micro SSD option will become available on the E420s?

It seems like bit by bit Lenovo is removing all the great features that got me interested in it in the first place. No more i7, discrete graphics is questionable, and now I have no idea when the SSD will be even offered. Matter of fact I'm thinking of buying it on my own, would be at least a $150 cheaper (micro SSD on newegg is $189); that would obviously break the warranty, but I'm hoping it's worth the savings.

 

Unless they can prove that you break the machine when you are upgrading your it, Lenovo will honor the warranty. As for the mSata, they might wait a while to introduce the SSD configuration if they are not able to get a steady supply now. Hopefully they will offer the discrete graphic soon.

 

Seems like prise went high. Now with the same configuration e420s cost £962.35. Really... now the prise for me looks insane. I hope in one month way the prise will go down little bit. Maybe they made mistake before...

And second thing, now in Lenovo UK website e420s -> "Up to Intel® Core™ i5 2410M processor (2.3GHz)". Where i7 gone? :/

 

Hopefully we get the 6630 amd graphics soon in America, I want to order this laptop in may depending on how warm the laptop gets with all these parts.

 

I hope Lenovo isn't really going to screw US customers over by not providing a 6630M option on the E420s like in the UK.

Slap a 6630M and 1600x900 resolution into this and you'll have many happy customers.

 

this has been taking so long to get the 6630m out...that i am having second thoughts about this laptop in general...yes, build-wise..it's what i want...but the screen resolution might be a deal breaker...im exploring my options for a 1600x900 now...someone please convince me to either stick with the e420s...or to start looking for a better resolution since its important...im not sure how i feel about 1366x786 vs. 1600x900...

 

Ordered my e420s lastnight. Est. ship date from Lenovo is 5/10

I figured now was a good time to order with the 15% LENOVOVIP coupon code + 5% off from Corporate perks.

Will try to write a full review after I've used it for a while.

Regards

BenMar

 

That's great, take some picture while you are at it. The thing I am worry about is the screen and the noise. I wonder if the screen is better than my x120e, I don't want to speed 1000+ for a laptop that has the same type of screen as my netbook. The noise is another major factor I would like to know more about.

 

did u get a 6630m with it? or are u in the us?

 

Yes I'm located in the US but...

I don't have the need for discrete graphics as this laptop will only be used for web browsing, microsoft office, and the occasional movie. No gaming!

BenMar

 

I ordered my e420s with 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM) ...

Does this mean that it will come with (2x) 2G sticks or (1x) 4g stick with an empty channel?

Thought I would order 2 DIMM and take advantage of the ram I already have when doing any future ram upgrades.

Was this the right move or should I have ordered with 1 DIMM?

Thanks for your help

BenMar

 

it means you got 2x 2g dimms for a total of 4g memory, you should have bought the 1 dimm option

 

Please elaborate. What effect will this have on the performance of my machine?

Thanks,

BenMar

 

There shouldn't be any noticeable difference in performance, though 1 DIMM is easier to overclock and to upgrade (if you want to buy your own RAM).

 

there isnt any, only that if you have a 4g stick in your house, you are only going to have 6g, not 8g as it would be possible.

There isnt also any noticeable difference when using a dual channel or single channel, but if you do put 6g in there (4g+2g) you are going to have the new flex dual channel that was introduced in the SB arch