Thinkpad T420 Owner's Thread

Isn't that really 2400x1600?

 

Yeah, unless you're an idiot and do the addition wrong...



Fixed.

 

Good thing it wasn't 3200. You would get a serious crick in your neck.

 

Is it normal for my 2 1/2 year old T400 6-cell battery to be holding near original charge capacity? I still love this thing even for all its age. It's been used and abused and still runs like a champ holding true to the Thinkpad name.

 

Hi,

On my T520 (shouldn't be diff than T420), while in 'Balanced or Performance' mode, I hear a buzz noise from underneath the right hand side of the keyboard. This is not constant but happens every time i load a busy web page. To produce this, go to CNET and every time the news auto scrolls i hear buzz. You can scroll through news manually (wait 1-2 secs between each next click) and hear it as well.

However, while in 'power saver' mode, I don't hear anything. I've sent in for a service.

Has anyone experienced similar buzz noise before? If yes, were you able to get it fixed?

Thanks.

 

Unfortunately, I don't think that Lenovo will be able to do anything about that. It's a quirk of Intel's chips' power-saving features -- they tend to whine slightly in various sleep states.

 

Hey ThinkRob,

I'm not sure if that's accurate. I ran the same experiment on my Dell E6410 (i5-M560) and it doesn't make that buzz noise. But let's see and I will share my results.

thanks for your feedback though.

 

I've heard it on many, many, *many* different laptops from the Core Duo/Solo onwards. My bet is that if you can't hear it, it's due to the design of the machine.

In order to do any sort of meaningful comparison you'd have to account for CPU usage and clock frequency/C-state.

 

still cant figure out why the battery just does a huge jump in drainage. From 50% to critical 5%.

 

I would leave the computer doing something that has fairly consistent power requirements and then make an note of the power drain (W) and remaining capacity (W-Hr) every 10 minutes or so, then plot a graph or two. That will confirm if there is something anomalous. Time step x power drain should equal the drop in capacity.

John

 

Did you ever run the battery maintenance to try and reset it?

 

Hi I've asked advice on an external monitor for my new T420 here a few days ago, and have found all the replies I got extremely useful so here I am again with a request for more advice.

I need to buy some external storage accessories. I was thinking maybe a flash drive (say 64GB), for extreme portability, and an external drive for back up purposes (maybe portable but not essential really). Or maybe just a portable external drive. I'm not in need of extreme speed or anything fancy, and do not need a lot of storage (500GB more than enough) but reliability is very important to me. Given the machine I have (the T420) are there any characteristics I have to look for or some characteristics I have to avoid? Hope the question does not sound too silly!

thanks

 

I've been using a 32GB USB flash drive for convenience and two 1TB portable USB-powered external hard drive for serious backup routines. I keep one portable drive handy and the other locked up in a cabinet. (A friend of mine was quite religious with his elaborate backup scheme; one day, all equipment, including the multiple backup drives on the desk, were stolen from his apartment. He is now an atheist with respect to backup. )

When I need to carry a huge file between home and work, or to share a huge file with a friend, I find a USB flash drive quite handy. Getting a portable hard drive involved in such cases is not practical, nor secure.

So far, I haven't felt the need for USB 3.0 in my usage scenarios.

For flexibility, I would recommend at least one USB flash drive and one portable external hard drive. You decide on the appropriate sizes.

I have tried various brands of USB flash drives. Relative to external hard drives (or mechanical hard drives in general), I prefer Western Digital. Of course, personal preferences and experiences vary.

 

I don't use USB drives for anything except temporary backups. Copying gigabytes onto them can be somewhat time-consuming and occassionally they decide to sulk.

HDDs are more reliable unless subjected to physical abuse. My personal preference is for bare HDDs which I think use with a cheap enclosure or connector. This is much more flexible than using USB HDDs. The T420 has a USB/eSATA combo port and there are cables which will connect a bare drive to this port (USB for power + eSATA for data) so you get the full HDD transfer speeds. Or you can get an UltraBay caddy and drop the HDD into there.

Good backup strategies use at least two backup devices in rotation. The worst case scenario is a system failure during back which corrupts both your main HDD and the backup HDD.

John

 

I use both. The cable I have I purchased from newegg.com at Newegg.com - BYTECC 36" USB/eSATA to SATA 7+15pin Cable Model USATA-136

They no longer sell it and it seems scarce on the grid.

 

Is Lenovo (post IBM era) customer service this bad; user comments?

It's my 1st Lenovo and so far I had to get mine serviced twice but can't really say if I would agree with all of their comments.

 

I haven't had this type of experience, but any chain is only as strong as the weakest link... Those people obviously found week links in Lenovo's chain. I'm only on my third consecutive Lenovo... The latest being a T420s, but I would venture that the vast majority have good experiences with Lenovo.

 

Thread starter Hearst had a battle to get the UK support (provided by IBM) to change his hinges under warranty when they went loose after a few months.

John

 

The T420 is nearly a year old now so hopefully they have any hinge issues worked out!

 

Also, I think complaints about ThinkPad hinges in general are few and far between. We have to keep these comments and criticisms in perspective. We are discussing less than 20 negative experiences among what must be millions of units moved...

 

I just phoned up tech support because the latch on my T420 has been sticky lately and is hard to push. I was on the phone for about 20 minutes mostly because their systems were slow and it was taking him a long time input my info. Anyway, got a box sent out to me, put it in, and send it off. Overall I'm pretty happy, stuff happens with laptops.

 

Uh oh, my fan doesn't seem to be rotating. CPU temps are reaching 80+ without the usual loud fan noise I hear, just dead silence. From what I'm reading, the culprit is tpfancontrol not working well newer thinkpad models & power manager. I uninstalled tpfancontrol and power manager and the fan is still not rotating correctly. Anyone have experience with this problem?

 

What OS are you using?

 

I use the W520 version of TPFC as linked here on my T420s. The only problem I notice is that sometimes, after a dose of heavy CPU load which causes TPFC to switch to BIOS control, it doesn't switch back again. That's when I get reminded how useful TPFC is because it keeps the fan inaudible during normal usage.

John

 

Windows 7

I noticed manually changing the speed via tpfancontrol works. But I'd prefer it be automatic based on temps.

 

Today I lost faith in Lenovo brand quality and customer service.

After a second repair the same problem exists. I have put in a request for replacement, so let's see what happens. But now I can totally see why the MBP cost so much more and in the future I will gladly pay the overprice for quality and great customer service.

I had such HIGH hopes for my 1st Thinkpad and Lenovo service....sigh!!

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the plural of anecdote is not data.

MBPs cost more because of their looks, their advertising, and their artificial scarcity. That's it. Those are perfectly legitimate reasons to pay more -- and if you want to, that's fine -- but just don't think that the high price tag is for something else. The mail-in service? AFAIK it's handled by the same company that does EasyServ for Lenovo. The components? Also assembled by Foxconn, same as many of the ThinkPad boards.

If you want to switch to Mac OS X, by all means get a MBP. But don't think that you'll get something different on the hardware or support front.

(Background: I switched from Apple products to Think* products c. 2008/2009 and have extensive experience with the repair and resale of both.)

Unless I'm mistaken, the problem you're trying to "fix" is CPU whine. If that's the case, I'm afraid you'll always be dis-satisfied, as that's a quirk of modern Intel chips in deep C states. You can get all the replacement planars you want, but it'll still be there. Even worse, it'll be there on some of the Apple laptops too. Just don't listen too closely to your new Mac or you might wind up having to make a similar post in the Apple forums here!

 

I'm not sure about how tpfancontrol on Windows 7 works as I don't use Windows, but at least in Linux world there is some thought that there might be an EC quirk that causes the "full-speed" fan setting to be... well... less than full speed.

If you set the fan manually to max speed, can you measure the RPMs?

 

Hey ThinkRob,

You're absolutely correct about the CPU whine. However, the two issues that I have not been able to get fixed are:

1. tingling noise coming from left/back vents. Anytime i happen to tilt the computer at 45+ degree angle then it's start to make that noise. For example, if you're using a computer lying down and have it titled up. This is not the fan noise.

2. Left side of the keyboard has pretty bad feedback + flex.

If you've any suggestion I am all ears. I really like everything else about this workhorse.

thanks for your help.

 

1) I have no idea what you're describing. I don't know what a "tingling noise" is.

2) Have you tried removing it and re-seating it? You could also try warping the keyboard slightly when it's removed. I've done that when I've replaced keyboards in the past.

 

I just rec'd my T420 w/ i7 & nVidia graphics card but I somehow goofed up my order and didn't get the standard optical drive. Can someone tell me the FRU # and whether I should buy from Lenovo or from eBay, Amazon, etc ?

Other initial impressions / comments:

-- feels & looks rock-solid w/ impeccable fit & finish
-- I easily installed two 4GB DDR3 Corsair modules from Tiger Direct ($40)
-- no hinge issues
-- weight is almost exactly 4.5 lbs. w/ 6 cell battery & no opto drive
-- shipped w/ 90w AC adapter vs 65w ...likely due to i7...but only 4 oz. additional weight

 

I'm not sure how you managed to get a T420 without an optical drive as it should be a standard feature. There are 3 different FRU's for the DVD-RW drives: 75Y5115, 75Y5113 and 75Y5111. I can say the last FRU number is made by Panasonic which came with my system. If you have ordered it from Lenovo directly then I would query as to why it didn't come with the system.

 

What is there on the right side, underneath the keyboard? Is there an opening, or what did they put in there in lieu of the standard optical drive?

 

It happened this way: I originally requested a T420s (to save weight) via my corporate IT department - but they said there was a cost premium vs the authorized corporate configuration. So I said OK - substitute a 320g drive for the 500g and delete the optical drive. Well, I still got the T420 but w/ the 320g & no optical drive...

A plastic travel bezel 60Y5512 was installed where the optical drive was to go. I'm really satisfied w/ the T420 but I may need the optical drive for an emergency recovery disk or perhaps to watch a movie during travel.

Yes - I saw in the hardware manual there were those 3 FRU's - which one is standard - or - are they all functionally the same except from different suppliers ?

Ladies & gentlemen - Thanks for the support !

 

That is a neat way to reduce weight. (I should have thought of that. ) If I were you, I'd get an external, slim, USB CD/DVD drive (inexpensive) for those rare "emergency" moments.

Watching movies? Using physical discs? Nah, put a few MKV files on your hard drive or, if you prefer to leave your corporate hard drive to "serious work," on a 16GB USB flash drive (very inexpensive). You can watch those MKV movies with VLC, or better still, PotPlayer (both free).

Bottom line: I wouldn't buy a Lenovo optical drive to replace that bezel.

 

I just use a 12.5 mm SATA HD caddy to reduce travel weight. It's lighter than the optical drive, costs only a bit more than a travel bezel, and is a lot more useful than a travel bezel would be.

I don't actually run a second drive, but I could if I wanted to.

 

The Lenovo optical multi-burner 43N3294 is over $100 and I haven't burned a CD or DVD in years so a cheap external USB drive plus USB flash stick are optimal.

PS: I'm sure I'll be back again for help but hopefully I can also contribute very soon - Thanks again for the suggestions !

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1988 MacSE -->1995 ThinkPad--> ?? Dell ?? --> ?? Dell ?? -->?? Dell ?? --> 2009 Dell E6500--> 2012 Lenovo T420

 

On the new T420, what is the acceptable level of flex? On mine, the keys, a,s,d and enter, backspace, and right shift keys are a Clacky and has a shallow sound. Some folks recommend using double sided tape but wondering how is it like for you? Also, an idea of mitigating this?

thanks.

 

One of my friends has pointed out to me that Lenovo does has a UK outlet. There's a couple of T420 models on offer at the moment.

John

 

I think it's about time Lenovo offered an outlet store to the UK (I requested an outlet store on their site questionnaire a couple of months back!), though its existence is pretty obscure on the main website.

 

Does anybody know how to replace the Optical Disk Drive lock latch (that little plastic piece with the lock/unlock picture)?

Mine broke, and filing a request got me a new Optical Drive shipped to my house overnight, which was nice, but not what I need. (If anyone needs a CD/optical drive, PM me and I can send one to you)

Anyways, I called them again and they said that the piece I want only comes in a large set that, according to IBM, costs $500 (?). I think I might make a replacement out of sculpy)

 

Hi there - not sure how to PM you, but I'd like to have that broken drive for my T420....mark - aka - longshot14041

 

Hi all, long time no chat. I just returned from the Amazon rainforest for a consulting project, and unfortunately my Thinkpad T420 is not powering up properly. I was in the Amazon basin area, which has 100% humidity. I did not use the laptop often in the Amazon rainforest (twice within two weeks). The T420 was stored in a laptop case inside a laptop bag within its cushioned sleeve. I am now in USA.

When I power up the Thinkpad, it gives an error:
"Real Time Clock Error - Check Date and Time Settings"
"Press Esc to continue or F1 to enter Setup"

Also, my hard drive is not detected by the T420. Lastly, there is moisture in the LCD screen, which I assume came from the 100% humidity levels.

I have a 3 year extended warranty, and put in a request for repair. Does the warranty cover this type of problem, even without Accidental coverage? Will they recover data from my hard drive? Is it recommended that I take out the hard drive before shipping the T420 to them?

 

The first step is to get the computer dried out. You may be able to achieve this by placing the open computer in a warm dry place.

You may be able to clear the boot error message by removing the battery and holding down the power button for 30 seconds.

You can separately check the HDD by getting a USB enclosure, putting the HDD into that and connecting it to another computer.

John

 

Thanks. I will try the power down for 30 seconds trick and see if it works.

I did try to dry out the PC over a span of two days (hinges wide open on top of paper towels), but even with that, there was considerable moisture hidden behind the LCD screen. Should I attempt to disassemble the computer and try to manually wipe the moisture behind the LCD screen? The directions are listed here: LCD panel and LCD cable removal and installation - Thinkpad T420 and T420i

And I checked the 500 GB HD via a USB enclosure, and it loaded initially into Windows Explorer (400GB worth of data) as an external drive, but then 15 minutes later, it no longer appears in Windows. Windows can still detect the hard drive model number via the Device Manager properties, but not view its contents. I am not sure what this means.

Lastly, I ran an Ubuntu live CD off the ThinkPad, and it gave a "USB port is not enumerated" error. Also, when I tried to do a memory test via that same Live CD, the PC restarted. I am again not sure what these two mean.

Any advice on how to best tackle the LCD moisture problem, the HD not reading, and ThinkPad USB enumeration/Memory Test problems? Once again, thanks again for all your feedback and help.

 

I wonder whether moisture has also entered the HDD. Perhaps, while the electronics still work, a hint of moisture inside would stop the mechanical parts from working. Can you hear if the disks spin up and the heads move?

John

 

I'm am referring to the old post on putting an Intel Core i7 2720QM into a T420.


I have had my T420 for roughly 6 Months and the day I got it I popped in a 2720QM and it's been running 8+ hours a day doing Photoshop work and playing Call of Duty and Just Cause and running 4 Screens. I have had temps hit 85+ on a hot day. My battery life is always hovering around 7-8 hours and I have 200+ discharge cycles. Idle temps with Intel GPU is 36-45c. Idle temps with 4200M + Intel GPU is 39-48c. I am impressed so far and I have done strees tests with Intel's Burn in test for a a night after I got it so I could make sure I did the thermal paste properly. I also have the C300 256GB 6gb/s SSD and a 1TB Hard Drive in the bay with a 12.7mm adapter so there is no gap. Also got the 16GB Ram upgrade when they became cheap on Newegg. Perfectly Stable and is a Photoshop BEAST. Beats my Buddies 2010 iMac by a long shot while doing filters and editing large documents. I Love my T420. I am super rough with it, dropped it more times than I can count..

Short and Sweet since I haven't heard much chatter about the CPU upgrade. From my tests and experiences, any CPU below 55watt is the maximum TDP CPU I would upgrade to. Any of the XM CPU's would probably throttle almost instantly once they hit turbo boost mode..

One thing to note is some of the updates for the T420 do not install and fail claiming they are only for Lenovo models. This is due to the unsupported CPU. (Intel Driver from Lenovos Site, the newest one containing the 50HZ bug fix I cannot install) no Big deal. At least the BIOS updates with no complaining. that's all I care about..

 

It'll be interesting to see how it holds up over the years.

 

Hey, awesome setup.

Could you tell me if it was relatively easy to install the processor yourself?

Also wanted to ask if you have the t420 with the quadro or just the intel hd 3000. And what would be preferable if I wanted to go for the same upgrades as you. I also want to hook it up with a diy egpu.

I am also interested in knowing if the t420 can support RAID. I was hoping to install an mSATA hd and have two other HD's in RAID 0, for adobe premiere pro. Is this setup possible?

Thanks.

 

Hi guys, I need a 14" machine to last me for the next 2 years, I bought these two from the outlet and need your opinions on which to keep and which to return..

http://outlet.lenovo.com/4236xk4.html

http://outlet.lenovo.com/4236xl8.html

Can T420 users help on which config would be better? Maybe some mild gaming, but mostly browsing and surfing the web for the next 2 years.