Thinkpad W520 vs T420

Hello NBR,

I am currently looking for a laptop to use in university, I will be a computer engineer undergrad. I want at least 8 hours of battery life and is portable enough to carry around (I will have a backpack, probably, so this shouldn't be a problem). So, I have narrowed down the laptops that I want to the Thinkpad W520 and Thinkpad T420. I don't want to spend too much over $1100 as the taxes here amount to 13%.

In the Easter sale (ends 4/25/2011, so I need to decide by tomorrow), almost all models here get 30% deducted from its ordering price if it is over $1500, and 25% otherwise. So, these are the configurations I'm thinking about:

ThinkPad W520 - $1091.30 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Ships within 9 bus. days

Intel Core i7-2620M Processor (2.70GHz, 4MB L3,1333MHz FSB) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.4GHz1
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)12
15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED backlight Anti-Glare display, with Wireless WAN Antenna
NVIDIA Quadro 1000M Optimus Graphics technology (2GB)
4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) No Fingerprint Reader
320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable5
9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery60
None
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty7


ThinkPad T420 - $1056.30 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Ships within 20 bus. days

Intel Core i5-2540M Processor (2.60GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.3GHz1
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)12
14.0" HD+ LED backlight Anti-Glare (1600 x 900), with Wireless WAN Antenna
Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor graphics with dynamic frequency
6 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) without Fingerprint Reader
500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable5
9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery60
None
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty7

So, which one do you guys think will meet my requirements better? I'm leaning slightly towards the W520 as it has better specs in the CPU and GPU area, but I'm worried that its battery life will not be enough.

Thank you in advance.

[UPDATE]

How does this one compare to the others? I will upgrade the RAM after I get it.

ThinkPad T520 - $1050.87- 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Ships within 20 bus. days

Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.2GHz1
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)12
15.6" FHD (1920x1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare display, with Wireless WAN Antenna
Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor graphics with dynamic frequency
2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 (1 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) No Fingerprint Reader
500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable5
9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery60
None
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty7

 

Are you going to be doing serious CAD work? If yes, you will want that W520 but no way are you going to get 8 hour battery life even with Optimus.

Not so serious, the T420 will be enough.

 

To be honest, I don't even know what a CAD is.
I saw that Lenovo listed the W520 as being capable of 10.7hrs of battery life, and one review states that it can last 6.5 ~ 7hrs with higher specs, so I thought maybe 8hrs would be possible with this configuration. And, wouldn't it be possible to just disable the dGPU and have it shut off anyways?

 

CAD is Computer Aided Design. The W520 is a workstation system designed for CAD CAM and other professional computer programs. frankly if you don't know what it is go ahead and get the T420 with the 9 cell battery.

 

If I got the W520, I'd mainly use its dGPU for gaming anyways (yes, I know, not what it was intended for). But considering that the most taxing games I play are... not that taxing, I guess Sandy Bridge's built-in graphics would be fine.

I can play around with the configuration a little, I have decided to opt for the 1 DIMM 4GB RAM instead of the 6GB (saves $80 off the bill before the coupon), so I got to replace it with something else worth $80 to go over $1500 for the 30% off. Any suggestions?

Or, I could opt for both the 4GB RAM, 320GB 7200 RPM HDD, and an i5 2520M and get a slice battery, though I don't know if I'll actually need it.

 

Once you are sitting down, the W520 wins easily. Much better screen; USB3; far superior dedicated gpu (and the same miserly internal intel gpu when power is not needed. The W520 has so many more options (e.g. RAID), and better future-proofing with possible upgrades. A wonderful machine - made to handle anything. Its cost, compared to the T420, is in inevitably more travelling bulk (plus a much bigger power brick) and weight. But then the T420 is not exactly tiny!...Between the two, I would go for the W520...Don't worry about CAD or not - it is an amazing all-round computer. If the carrying is no big deal, then the choice should be easy. But if you want a really portable machine that will not annoy you the more transits you do, maybe consider something like a X201 instead?....

 

If your eyes are good (and most young eyes are) then the main attraction of the W520 may be the FHD display option which will enable you to pack a lot more code on the screen.

Otherwise the 30% extra volume and >25% extra weight means more to carry around and the bigger display and more powerful hardware reduces the likelihood of being able to run for 8 hours on battery.

John

 

I am "lucky" enough (clients paying for their project equipment) to have my hands on the T410, T510 and W510 in the previous generation and the T420, T520 and W520 in this generation. So, I "feel" them in addition to knowing their specs and reading people's comments about them.

If you care about daily portability and use the notebook for school work, consider a T420 with 1600 x 900 display and 9-cell battery. You could save money by selecting the lowest i5 CPU, or even an i3 CPU, and by upgrading the RAM yourself (ordering the 2GB stock RAM and adding another 4GB stick after).

Good luck!

 

So, what do you guys think of the 4GB RAM (1 DIMM), 320GB 7200 RPM HDD, i5 2520M and slice battery configuration (everything else is the same as the T420 configuration in the original post, price is like $1059.80)? The 18hrs-ish of real life battery life is sort of overkill for the purpose, but I'm thinking maybe this combo will give me more battery longevity in the long run (charging 30 ~ 80% or something). I guess another plus is that I can just sell the slice battery if I don't want it. I will add 4GB more to it when I see some on sale, and will probably get a SSD down the road.

Edit:
Never mind the battery slice idea, seems like accessories are extra.

While ideally I want this laptop to last 5 years, the longest period that I've used a computer as my main computer for was 3 and a half years. So, I'm probably replacing it in around 3 ~ 4 years time.

Unfortunately, my eyes are not great. I am near-sighted and wear glasses. I usually use the computer with the monitor about 2 feet away; I don't like having it close up. The same holds true when I use my netbook, so I'm guessing I'll do the same thing out of habit with a laptop.

Unless my math is totally wrong, the FHD 15.6" has roughly 141 DPI, and the HD+ 14.0" has roughly 131 DPI. My current monitor is a 21.5" BENQ FHD, which means roughly 102 DPI, my netbook's 10.1" display would be roughly 118 DPI, I've also used my friend's laptop which has a 17.3" FHD panel (about 127 DPI), and I've used my dad's laptop which has a 15.4" 1680x1050 screen (about 129 DPI). I find that with 130-ish DPI, the text is already kind of difficult to read at times (especially since I use the computer with the monitor quite a distance away), so I am not keen on the FHD panel.

I absolutely refuse to go below 1600x900 resolution on a laptop. I'm losing enough screen estate as is going from a dual monitor set-up. I also like the presence of a DVD drive. And now that I think about it, I wouldn't really need the dGPU since the heaviest thing I regular do on my desktop's dGPU is 1080p H.264 decode, something Sandy Bridge can do natively.

 

What development environment will you be using?

 

I think my university has a contract with Microsoft to use only C# and Visual Studio in its engineering programs. Though, I'd like the option of using Linux and C++.

Edit:
Updated main post.

 

^^^ You can either dual-boot Windows and Linux on C:, or install a (separately purchased) Ultrabay hard drive adapter and boot Linux separately from a drive there.

 

Yes, I plan on dual booting.
I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on the W520 (I think the FHD screen on the T520 will be nothing short of masochism for me and the T420 is really a waste of a sale for the specs I get). Any comments?

 

OK, it's a great price for that W520 configuration. The only thing I'd add at this point is: select 1 x 4GB RAM now (instead of 2 x 2GB, same CTO price), add another 4GB stick later. Windows 7 will take full advantage of available physical memory to enhance overall performance.

 

Oh, I was planning on doing that. I just forgot to change it in the main post (I'll do that after I post this). A 2720QM W520 would cost $100 more with otherwise the same specs. I plan on skipping out on the quad core as I doubt I'll be doing anything that intensive (currently on a desktop with a E5200 OC'd to 3.3GHz and GeForce 9500 GT, never really hit a performance issue for the 2 years and one month that I've owned it for) and saving that money towards a battery replacement when the one that ships dies or a battery slice should the battery life prove to be insufficient.

 

^^^ Good thinking.