Thinkpad T420 + T420s Owner's Thread

Well at least I know it's probably normal. I thought about dealing with the scratch on the top but I payed to much to let it slide. I also figure that while I have a chance to deal a legal swap, I better take advantage of it. My wife (who thinks I am OCD about certain things, lol) saw the scratch and echoed my sentiments about getting a swap because of how much we payed.

Really crazy though in regards to the dirt/dust issue. Makes me wonder how I didn't have more than just the one scratch, lol. I have never had that issue before with any electronics I have purchased.

 

Yeah that's kind of how I feel. I might have to wait awhile for a replacment but I don't have much of a choice. Plus I can't keep a brand new laptop with a big scratch on it just because it might be a hassle to get a swap.

So are you meaning that the top lid shouldn't have a sparkly finish? I wasn't sure but it looked normal because the entire top is that way. It's like there are little flakes mixed of metal (or something else) mixed in with the top finish. I also don't like the soft (if that's what you call it) top. I mean it feels kind of cool but shows dust easier than just a hard top.

 

I had finally decided on the T420 (mostly due to the difference in weight/size not being enough to motivate the price bump) and was about to order when, suddenly, the student-discounted T420s appeared on the various German retailers' websites. It turns out that I for the same price can get either a T420 or a T420s that are identically configured, except for disk (500GB vs 320GB), CPU (i5 2520 vs i7 2620) and, of course, battery (both come with their respective 6-cell options).

Obviously, the T420s is superior from a weight/size perspective, but the T420 seems to take a pretty clear win in the battery life department. Also, my feeling is the difference in disk and CPU isn't that important. In other words, given that the price is the same, which should I go for?

 

I have a rather unusual question about the T420s...

I'm going to order my first Thinkpad from a reseller that doesn't ship to my country so I have arranged for a friend to pick up the package. He will then ship it, with some other unrelated items, to me. The problem is that in order to save on the shipping cost he has to fit everything inside one large cardboard box.

This leads me to my question; What are the measures (Length x Width x Height) of the box that the T420s is shipped in. I need to know this in order for my friend to find an appropriately sized larger box.

If there's anyone who hasn't had the time to get rid of their T420s box I ask you to please help me.

Thanks in advance!

 

^^^ 50 x 34 x 12 cm.

 

It might be normal. The T41 top lid was a little soft and looked like it had little flakes of metal mixed in too.

 

^^^ The little flakes of metal do not normally show, as the rubber finish is usually smooth and dark grey in color. They do only when the lid is wiped with some light solvent liquid, even just water.

 

Wow, good to know. That would be another issue that I could tell the seller about if I run into problems. It was definitely factory sealed so this would have also happened at the factory. Hopefully I hear back from him today because I want to get the ball rolling on a replacement.

So does that mean that I can't wipe down the lid with any type of liquid (like say a damp cloth) without exposing the metal flakes? That kind of sucks if true because some marks/stains need a little liquid to remove. Seems like the coating is somewhat fragile then.

 

Thank you for the quick reply!

I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on a Thinkpad. Though there's one thing I'm not sure about yet.

My notebook usage pretty much consist of surfing the web and working with documents/spreadsheets/charts. Sometimes I use it to edit my personal photos in photoshop and I occasionally watch an HD Movie.

Since most of my usage isn't that graphics intensive I really value the pros of having an integrated graphics as powerful as the new one. Less battery usage, smaller charger and so on. But I'm still on the fence wether I should go with integrated or discrete.

 

Another quick reply: No need for discrete GPU.

The Sandy Bridge CPU plus the integrated HD 3000 GPU is awesome for your needs.

 

Yes, the coating is fragile. (I have a love/hate relationship with ThinkPad lids.) You can wipe it gently with a damp cloth occasionally, but don't rub. After a year or so, the "flakes" will begin to show, but that should be expected. In my case, I just dust the lid gently with one of those silk-like tissues for eyeglasses.

 

I have some stupid questions. =)
1. Is it possible to change the screen in t420 on the one I've bought, which is not particularly placed by manufacturer in that model? 14' screen.
2. Will the service centre replace it for money to keep the warranty?

Thanx.

 

USPS (Post Office) - Pennsylvania Model 7300 scale

3 lb 15.55 oz
3 lb 11.15 oz w/o optical
3 lb 10.70 oz w/o optical & 4-in-1
3 lb 00.50 oz w/o optical & 4-in-1 & battery
0 lb 10.20 oz battery
0 lb 04.40 oz optical
0 lb 00.40 oz 4-in-1

 

5.04lbs? Ohhhh.....

 

Do any of you have a T420s with Optimus? If so, what battery life are you getting on that machine with the 6 cell?

 

Good to know. If my replacement has any dust/dirt, I will just use a swiffer or microfiber gently. I am going to go ahead and email the seller about the metal flakes also. My old R61 has a hard top so I can clean it with anything without issues.

 

The T420s has a magnesium bottom, would that justify why it's more expensive than the T420? Is magnesium stronger than the standard carbon fiber?

 

I just talked to the ebay reseller and he was great about the entire thing. He stated that most of the thinkpads come with dust so that is normal (strange to be honest as I would think this would be a bad thing QC wise). He agreed I shouldn't have to live with even a tiny scratch as it should be new. He is sending a return label today. Lenovo is pretty back ordered for the discrete graphics option laptops (from what he told me) but stated they are getting in 15 of the exact same configuration that I got on April 18th (give or take a couple of days). He stated they would overnight ship it for free . Despite the issues, I am a very happy camper right now, especially with this ebay seller. Awesome customer service so far.

I will keep everyone updated and hopefully everything goes as planned .

 

That's good to know. Thanks!

 

T420 review by Notebookcheck: Test Lenovo Thinkpad T420 Notebook - Notebookcheck.com Tests (in German)

For comparison, here's their T410 review: Review Lenovo Thinkpad T410 Notebook (Optimus) - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

Seems like the screen is marginally better in the new generation. Also the average battery life has improved from 3:48 (T410) to 5:59 (T420). The T420 also appears to be quite a bit thinner and lighter.

Also very surprising is that the T420 with the integrated chip performs better than Optimus of the T410. Props to Intel.

 

Average 6-cell battery life: 6 hours. (Average 9-cell battery life: 9 hours.) Performing better with Intel integrated graphics.

T 4 2 0....

 

Which model are you referring to? How did you test battery life on your machine?

 

Yes, now that the T420s owner's thread was merged with the regular T420 owner's thread, try be more careful about which one you are referring to.

 

Well, the T420s does not have 9-cell battery, does it?

BTW, merging T420 thread with T420s thread is a big mistake! Who decided to do the merging does not understand the differences between the two models. One is not a "derivative" of the other.

 

I'm in favor of having a separate owners thread as some other sites have (Sony for example) This way it stays clean for that system only. No confusions. But, I'm a nobody, so don't think that will happen.
:cry:

 

We already have a discussion on this issue a couple week ago and the general concession is that the current system worked the best.

 

Was a vote taken? I don't see one.

 

Is it true that a T420s with a bay battery is the same weight as a T420? Can someone weight their T420s with a bay battery?

 

I can only speak for the T410s. But I'm pretty sure difference shouldn't be that great. Following data is from a model 2924-9HG Optimus T410s w/ 160GB Intel SSD:

Notebook + 6 cell + 3 cell (Ultrabay): 1875g - 4.13 lbs

Notebook + 6 cell + DVD burner: 1755g - 3.86 lbs

Notebook + 6 cell + plastic dummy: 1615g - 3.56 lbs

So in my opinion it's still lighter with the ultrabay battery pack.

Any idea which SSD I can put into a T420s? It's kinda hard to find a 7mm SSD.

 

You have to talk to ZaZ about that one, I did create a dedicated T420 thread as originally this particular thread was for the T420s only (this statement was edited away from the OP first post) but ZaZ felt it would be too much so merged the thread.

You have to be more specific now on which model you're referring to, though the first 4-5 pages are referring to the T420s if some people are still confused by this.

 

The optical drive used in T420 is 12.7mm (Ultrabay Enhanced). (T410 has 9.5mm optical drive (Ultrabay Slim).) This is good news for those people who want to replace it with a blu-ray drive in the future. By all accounts, 12.7mm blu-ray drive is more widely available, more affordable, and, most importantly, more durable.

 

I find it odd that Lenovo omitted adding USB 3.0 to the T420, I mean certainly the laptop is big enough to make it fit; I assume economical reasons?

 

Well, Zaz is going to be a busy man merging threads over the course of the next 2-3 years. Seems unnecessary to me.

 

I would guess so, it requires another controller - adding to the costs. Personally, I could care less, not enough devices use it, same goes for light peak or thundercat or whatever Intel changed it to. Sure its fast, but who cares when no devices support it.

 

That's the thing though USB 3.0 will be everywhere in the near future. I know don't know about you but I would think that most people would want a laptop that is somewhat futureproof.

I think not having USB 3.0 onboard will cost Lenovo some T420 sales especially with the non-business crowd. These sales may not to for the T420s because USB 3.0 can be found on other manufacturers lower priced models.

 

The more I build computers the more silly I find the concept of "future proofing"; give me a scenario where not having USB 3.0 will substantially impact the use of your computing experience.

 

Agreed. I have used USB 3.0 for nearly a year. I am not impressed.

 

It depends on how far in the future we're talking...

USB 3.0 won't be commonplace for mainstream storage for a while yet, and it won't be commonplace on non-storage peripherals for several years to come. Even when USB 3.0 is common, 2.0 is going to be around for a good long while.

 

Linux will drive the masses to USB 3.0 support.

 

I could still see normal peripheral using 2.0, but digital camera and storage devices will be dominant by usb 3.0.

 

I have a question about the Nvidia NVS 4200M graphics. I can see that this is only marginally better than the Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics according to benchmarks run on notebookcheck ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-3000.37948.0.html).

My question is if the two can be used together in conjunction to get a task done. I am curious as I am a medical student and I have a possible interest in research, in which software using the Nvidia CUDA cores can be utilized. If there is no benefit to using both in tandem then I might as well not get it.

 

Marginally better on a scale of 0 to 100. Relativley speaking there is a noticable increase.

Not for everyone, true, but it is faster.

 

I'm getting a t420s and want to get a sleeve for it. Does anyone know if it'll fit in the Thinkpad 14W Sleeve Case (57Y4294)? I'm not sure because the dimensions changed quite a lot because of the change to 16:9 display.

 

Has anyone swapped a blu ray player into a t420? I read somewhere about using the Asus Sbc-06d1s-u successfully in a w510.

 

Does anyone else w/ a T420 get smudges on the bottom right of the screen from the the screen making contact with the keys? Its pretty annoying, happens almost every time I close the laptop, luckily the screen is pretty durable, wipes away easily, but annoying.

 

That doesn't sound good. After three years or so those could be permanent scratches.

Are you sure the keyboard and other parts are properly seated?

 

Nope. Not yet.

For many years (basically since I've started using laptops) I've put a piece of cloth between the screen and the keys whenever I pack the laptop. It helps.

 

Mine doesn't either.

 

So what is this crap i keep hearing about a pixel showing up on the screen at 1600x900? Is this on T420s or T420?

And what is this confusion about the weight of the T420? Lenovo claims the T420 weighs 4.3lbs w/ 6cell and 5.0lbs with 9cell. Now some users here are saying different weights like 6 cell weights 2.29kg (5lbs) and some are saying 4.6lbs....errrr what is it???

Thanks

 

Many of the matte AUO panels that I've seen in the past have a slightly grainy appearance, I believe due to the anti-glare coating that they use.

A few people have confused this for the "screen door" effect that one can observe on a low-resolution panel. Obviously, given the resolution, that's not the case -- but the confusion is understandable.