Thinkpad L420/L520

I recently purchased a new 14" Thinkpad L420. This will be my first Thinkpad and I wanted to hear from everyone who used the L-Series. Mine isn't expected to be shipped till later this month. It was a choice between the L420 and the T420. The T series was $200 more so I chose the L420. The Laptops look identical to me! I read the T Series have "stronger bones" ; I was more interested in having a good keyboard, LCD screen, trackpad, battery life, Ubuntu compatibility, audio/video other multimedia experience. Do the T-Series and L-Series share the same LCD screens, keyboards, trackpads, audio/video components? I know the L-Series are made with recyclable plastic, but aren't t all the Thinkpads plastic on the outside..? I did read the T420 is thinner and weighs a less compared to L-Series. I did have a budget and I didn't need the "macbook pro" version of the thinkpad because I have a desktop computer. Is that all the T series is - the highest performance line in but not a desktop replacement?

 

So you've purchased the laptop and now you are asking whether the laptop is good or not?

I think you'll have a great laptop in your hands. The T series has a seven row keyboard whereas the L series uses a six row keyboard, but they both have trackpoints and their feels should be similar. Lenovo gives the T-series a fancier treatment than the L series by putting soft-touch paint on the lid and having more texturized plastic surfaces, say on the palmrest. The T series is supposed to be thin-and-light and high performance.

Don't worry about the T series. You're fine.

 

Well, T-series has a magnesium alloy roll cage, 7-row keyboard, Ultrabay (though its worth is compromised since they removed the Ultrabay battery option), screen latch, higher screen resolutions, Thinklight, and the rubber coating. Probably a lot more I didn't list.

 

Just want to know if the parts that the two Series share are the same quality or lesser/better. Like the LCD screen, trackpad, speakers.

 

I actually like the L520 better due to the 1600x900 option. If I were to choose between the two I'd have gotten the L520 and upgraded the display. 1600x900 is a lot nicer to work with than 1366x768.

 

T420 has 1600x900 option, I'm reading on it right now.

 

Yeah. I'd recommend the T420 over the L520, but I'd recommend the L520 over the L420 and the T420 over the L420 due to the higher resolution options.

 

does anyone know if a graphics card has any effect on LCD contrast? Would a better graphics card produce a higher static contrast ratio than a lower graphics card?

 

If it does, it would be negligible.

 

Quality wise, the achilles heel of the past L series was the hinge. This problem was addressed in the L420 and L520. In terms of overall quality then the L series should be much better than the L series and SL series of the past.

If you can get it for a reasonable price then you should buy it.

 

Well we all have to start from somewhere with a ThinkPad, my first one was a R50e* and it took me another 3 years until I graduated to a T series! But on a serious note there isn't much wrong with the new L series as it's good value for money for what you're getting, especially when you compared to similar specifications of the T Series.

Differences would be the aesthetics (bit thicker and heavier than the T Series) and internal engineering (i.e. lack of rollcage) but on a day to day basis most likely you're not going to notice these things. I wouldn't worry about it too much, just enjoy using the machine as i'm sure it will serve you well.

*Despite owning a T series I still believe my R50e was the best ThinkPad I ever owned!

 

I just noticed those buttons/lights on the side. What exactly is the purpose of those. The buttons are those rectangle buttons or lights for?

 

The right side have the status light (power, wifi, etc) and the think-vantage button, the left side are the volume control. The circle button on the top right is the power. Personally I hate the rectangle status light and button.

 

I think you should be fine with L series, after all, you bought it for what it is.
Only thing in L series that I would find lacking is ThinkLight, little led light hidden near webcam to illuminate keyboard when you need.
Perhaps higher screen resolution option on L420 would be nice too, but that might make it too competitive with T420 hence why Lenovo doesnt offer such option.
Ultrabay is nice addition, but if Im not mistaken you can easily remove DVD drive and get spacer for it if you want save some weight(?). Sure, option to add secondary HDD into ultrabay slot is nice, but only when you really need it, because secondary HDD adds quite alot to overall laptops weight.
Small external USB HDD fits the bill perfectly price and usability wise, you can connect it to every computer with USB port whereas with ultrabay you are stuck only with other machine having ultrabay. Sure, you can bring with you also usb enclosure, but what for?

Overall buy what you need and not what you think you MIGHT need some day or what WOULD BE COOL to have without actual usage on your part. Dont spend money on things you dont use and dont need.
Silent machine with good battery life and good build quality is all one needs, at least for me these are major points, oh and good price!

I for one think that even 14" Edge would fit the bill as good

 

Thinklight is amber only in some of Z, R series. They are white in X and T series.

If you ever used Edge 14 everyday, you know that the quality is not the best. I think Lenovo to some extents released the weaknesses in the Edge 14 and 15 chassis and casing design.

 

Is the screen on the L series better? I see that it has a contrast 500:1 while the T has only 300:1

 

Ive used Edge 15 and except for keyboard flex problem above DVD drive its quite good for what it is.
Paying 2-3 times less for Edge 14 might be worth it if no fancy features required that are only available on T series.
Better build quality - you bet! BUT whether one will be lugging his laptop around and tossing it carelessly into bags and onto tables is another question. If someone keeps good care of laptop and uses it mainly on desk and dont take it everywhere then Edge might be cheapest ThinkPad to get the work done.
I just like no-nonsense simplicity and classiness of Edge series design

 

Two questions:

1)Does L520 / L420 exhibit the same fan pulsing problem as the T520 / T420 (fan goes on and off every 5 seconds or so)?

2) How does the 1600x900 for the L520 compare to the same resolution display on the T520 or W520 (as far as brightness, % of the color gamut, contrast ration, etc). From what I read, these displays on T520 and W520 are quite nice.

Thank you for your help!

 

They are the same screen. I looked up the part numbers in the service manuals, and the numbers 93P5681 and 42T0743 are associated with the HD+ panel, and are included in both the T520 and L520 service manuals.

The T520/W520 900p screens are decent in terms of quality. There's nothing absolutely amazing about them, but the contrast and viewing angles are decent. I've seen my fair share of them since that's what everyone here at NCSU seems to have, because that's what the university bookstore sells on their preconfigured models.

 

It's nothing absolutely amazing, but it does look pretty nice in my opinion.

 

Thank you for your replies!

Edit1754- did anyone on campus that you know off notice a fan pulsing issues? People say that you can hear it in a silent room - fan comes on, then turns off about every five seconds or so. Its quiet, but really annoying!

 

I'm not sure. I don't recall noticing it on anyone's though.

 

Looking to buy the L520 as a replacement for my R61.

Just one question: how is the keyboard?

My girlfriend has a SL510, whose keyboard doesn't impress me. The keys are "dull" (for a lack of a better word) and there's far too much flex on the right side of the keyboard.

Seeing that the L520 is really just an updated SL510, I am a bit worried about the keyboard's quality in terms of flex.

So, you L520 owners: are you satisfied with the keyboard? Does it have flex?

Thanks!

 

The keyboard is very similar to the one on the SL510 from what I've heard, so that may be a deciding factor.

Also note that you will certainly want the 1600x900 HD+ display upgrade. It makes a considerable difference because you can fit more on the screen, and it's a much bigger difference than any other upgrade such as the CPU or RAM. Prioritize the screen upgrade before you think about other upgrades.

 

Thanks again for the reply! A few more questions:

1) If I go to

Lenovo Support - 15.6 inch (1600 x 900) HD+ LED-backlight LCD service parts - ThinkPad L420 and L520

and

Lenovo Support - 15.6-inch LED-backlight LCD Service Parts - ThinkPad T520, T520i and W520

I do notice that these FRU no. is the same for both T520s and L520s. However, there is a lot more stuff in the middle column of the table for the T520's then for L520s. For example:

# 4239-CTO, 23x, 24x, 34x, 37x, 38x, 39x, 42x, 44x, 45x, 49x, 4Ax
# 4240-CTO, 2Ax, 2Gx, 2Hx, 2Ux, 2Vx, 2Xx, 3Bx, 3Cx, 3Dx, 3Fx, 3Gx, 3Hx, 3Jx, 3Kx, 3Lx, 3Px, 3Qx, 3Tx, 3Ux, 3Wx, 3Yx, 47x, 48x, 49x, 4Cx, 4Fx, 4Gx, 4Hx, 4Kx, 4Lx

So I guess the question is....what are the numbers in the middle column mean?


2) Does the fan run constantly, even at low temp and idle CPU? (one L520 owner mentioned this, so I want to see if this is a wide spread case).

3) Is there a noticeable CPU wine...T510's are know for this!

4) How are the speakers? (I hear they are not very good).

 

I believe those are the model numbers of the specific laptops the screens are available on. They will be different between the T520 and the L520 because they are different laptops with entirely different sets of model numbers.

 

I think you're right, that totally makes sense! Would you happen to know the answers to questions #2 - 4? I really appreciate your help!

 

According to Thinkpad users in the
Thinkpads Forum: "Which Thinkpad to buy?" thread, there are three different HD+ 1600x900 panels used for the L520/W520/T520. Apparently, one of them is 'very bad'. Can anyone confirm this?

 

No, there are only two panels: FRU 42T0743 and 93P5681 http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product-and-parts/detail.page?DocID=PD011130#8 (my L520 has the second Display wich is very good compared to my old R60 with 15" XGA, I don´t know how good the first Display is, but I think it´s good too).

 

How do you find out which panel you have got?

On a different note, how did you tackle the apparent fan noise problem?

 

To find out witch Display you have got, you have to go to this site: Lenovo Support - Parts Lookup (CY)

The noise level isn´t so bad, its ok. My old R60 were a bit louder, as well as my 6 year old Pentium 4 desktop PC, witch is like a plane. I would recommend TPFC if the fan is too loud for you: TPFanControl by troubadix

 

I just ordered a L520 from the outlet for just $313 (including tax!!!)

I was wondering if other owners could share their experience with their L520 so far. I can't wait to get mine!

 

for Thinkpad L520 users with a 6-cell battery, which notebook sleeve are you guys using?

I read that the lenovo 15 inch sleeve is too loose and not a snug fit. would like to know which one to order.

thanks

 

Maybe this sleeve here: Amazon.com: Belkin Neoprene Notebook Sleeve for 15.4-Inch Laptop (F8N048-BR): Electronics