Took the Plunge on a T500

After a few months of research, took the plunge tonight, during the 48-hour sale. Added with the CPP discount, doesn't seem too bad of a deal, although the sales tax and California Electronics Recycling Fee soured the deal a bit.

Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8700 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 2MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Business
15.4" WSXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with 256MB
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable
9 cell Li-Ion Battery
2081: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller

Total, with sales tax and recycling fee, came out to $1,244.91, a bit more than I wanted to pay, but I guess I couldn't hold out any longer

 

can you update on batt life, wireless strength, switchable graphics issues when you receive it?
I envy you man, I'm trying to hold out until March.

 

Ill be laughing when I buy the same notebook for hundreds of dollars cheaper or a refreshed like for hundreds of dollars cheaper

just kidding, thats a very nice laptop you got there. Im jealous =) But do tell me about the supposed huge flex on the palm rest area and if you have issues with it too.

 

I can provide a quick review on my T500 that I have had for little over a month. Battery life with the 9-cell on the "maximum performance" setting is around 4 hours. I guess that's good.

Wireless signal strength seems very good. The T500 finds networks that don't appear at all on our old T42.

I don't think that the switchable graphics really work. I have not been able to switch from the ATI to the Intel graphics, despite many tries. I am awaiting the updated ATI driver that hopefully will be coming out soon. I have tried the driver heaven update, but that only uninstalled my ATI hardware and resulted in a T500 that only had Intel graphics. I had to use my rescue and recovery disks to start again.

As far as the keyboard flex goes, it is very noticeable in the upper left quadrant of the keyboard (the 1, 2, 3, Q, W, E section). The rest of the keyboard feels similar to my T61p. I have not noticed any flex in the palm rest area. The T500 is noticeably lighter than my T61p.

Hope this helps.
rb

 

@billyjoe:

how bad are the switchable graphics issues? is the default gfx card the ati,and you haven't been able to save power with the intel? Has ATI promised a new driver or are you just hoping? Are you using ati drivers with mobility modder? are you using vista? The switchable graphics is a really important issue for me, maybe i should wait until there is a working driver or lenovo refreshes the t series.

 

Is there an error that pops up related to the switchable graphics or what happens? The feature should def. be functioning, so lets try to solve it. On my T400, switchable works everytime and greatly increases my battery life.

If you can provide more details about what is going on, perhaps the community can be of some assistance in resolving the issue for you so you can use a feature that you paid for.

 

I appreciate the concerns about the switchable graphics. It has not been a big issue for me since I do 99% of my work on the battery. But I agree that it's always nice to get what you pay for. I have followed the various sets of instructions that I have read on this board to switch from one card to the other, but to no avail.

The default gfx card is the ATI card so all that I am missing is the power savings feature. I am using Vista and the original driver that came with the laptop. I am not using the mobility modder drivers because of my past experience with trying to install their driver.

There has been a lengthy discussion about switchable graphic issues here on the board: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=343792

Based on that thread, I am hoping that ATI will release a new driver soon.

 

Once I get it, I will likely write up a short mini-review. It won't be for a while though, since I ordered the laptop with a P8700, which, according to Lenovo, will cause a delay.

Haha - so goes the world of technology.
Will do.

That's interesting. Lenovo supposedly reverted to the T61's keyboard design, so there should not be any flex. When did you order your laptop?

 

I ordered it right after Thanksgiving and received it just before Christmas. I would be interested to know if your keyboard has more of the traditional IBM solidity to it. Functionally, the flex does not bother me, but cognitively it does, because I know Lenovo can do better.

rb

 

Hope you like it. I've had mine for a week, although I've really done nothing interesting with it so far since I've been busy with other things. The battery life on the 9-cell is looking like it will end up north of four hours exclusively on the ATI graphics in "Maximum Performance" mode with all Aero settings enabled.

I have a T61 keyboard on order with Lenovo since my T500 has the Swiss cheese keyboard from a late November build, which doesn't flex as much as the YouTube video makes it out to be, but it does flex nonetheless. There is also some minor flex where the right hand goes on the palm rest that I intend to address one way or another. In actual use, the palm rest flex is not noticeable or bothersome. You basically have to be trying to press in that one spot. Since I've already removed the palm rest and keyboard though, I can see where some DIY structural improvements can be made.

I have the Intel WiFi Link 5100 wireless card on mine and I had the wireless drop out issues that other 5100 and 5300 users have had. I followed the suggestions in the Lenovo forums to prevent power saving features from turning off the wireless and to minimize the roaming frequency. I have had no problems since then.

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=T400_series_ThinkPads&thread.id=4437

I think I may also write my own brief review of the T500 soon when I get a chance, but overall, I'm very pleased with the laptop so far.

 

That's good to hear - hopefully by now, Lenovo has completely switched back to the no-hole design, so I won't have to deal with the hassle of contacting them for a replacement. Are they asking that you send your current keyboard back?

I'll figure out what keyboard I have and write a few remarks once I get my T500.... ship date is 02/26/09, probably because of my processor choice.

 

They are not asking to send the old keyboard back as far as I know. I'm sure I'll get more details when the keyboard actually ships since there is a backlog of orders due to this keyboard flex issue.

I think they completely switched back to the T61 keyboards at around the new year, so yours should almost certainly be the good keyboard.

 

Just to let other prospective T500 buyers know - apparently, Lenovo overestimated the delay on the C2D P8700. My laptop shipped today, despite the earlier predicted ship date of 02/26/09.

 

Mine shipped on 1/30 but is stuck in customs.

Estimated arrival date is 2/5.

It took two weeks for my order to be processed and shipped from Lenovo. I ordered from lenovo.com on 1/21/09. Maybe that can give you a baseline on how long it will take for your laptop to arrive.

 

Okay, thanks for the information. Did you order your laptop with a P8700 as well?

Hopefully, I'll get my laptop sometime next week

 

Congratulations. If all goes well (i.e. no customs troubles), you should receive it by the end of the week.

 

Did you receive the laptop? Does it actually have a P8700 CPU in it? The reason I am asking is that my Lenovo sales rep. said that they are not shipping the P8700 and it was a mistake. I am very interested to know if you received the laptop and what CPU it has. Thank you for your time.

 

That's interesting. My laptop shipped, and just went through customs in the States right now. It's due to be delivered on Monday, so I'll see then. If they didn't give me the correct processor...

 

Yes, please post what processor you received. Hopefully you got an 8700.

 

Thaat is a picture perfect laptop you built!

 

Congratulations.

 

And it has arrived!

I have confirmed that I have indeed received the Intel C2D P8700 2.53GHz processor, so it is available on the T500.

A few preliminary thoughts, before I write a full review or something of the sort:
- The 160GB 7200RPM drive is louder than my old laptop's drive, by quite a bit. It is louder than the fan, which is inaudible.
- Switchable graphics runs very well, although I have not yet confirmed power savings.
- Much, much, much less keyboard flex than my old laptop, although I have yet to open it and confirm for sure whether it is the T61 keyboard design (it should be).
- Chassis flex is minimal: I was actually scared about flex on the left and right palm rests (after watching the famous Youtube T400 review), but I am happy to say that the flex is nonexistant in those areas, except for at the very edge of the left palmrest, right above the empty card slots (which is expected). I would actually say the most flexy part of the chassis is right above the Esc key on the keyboard (where the left speaker is). There is also a bit of flex above the Pause key, although I doubt anyone holds their laptop there...
- The mouse buttons associated with the Trackpoint are identical to those on my dad's T60. The ones with the touchpad are different, with a much firmer feel. I can't say which one I like more.
- Speakers, as I expected, are pretty mediocre

I will write up a more detailed review with pictures some time next week, since I am very busy this week.

 

Time to update your profile! Are you keeping the stickers on the pakmrest? Any warranty? Are you going to undervolt?

 

Seriously, why pester someone else about doing the same thing to their laptop that you want to do to yours, and who cares about stickers?

 

That I want to do to mine? I have already undervolted and decided on stickers. It's called asking questions. I am interested in what he is going to do.

 

@midnight sun:
when you get around to it, can you post batt time for x4500 and ati3650 cards respectively?
maybe try to play some games with 3650

 

I have a 160GB 7200rpm the came with the computer and yes it is loud, more so than the fan which is silent. If I had known this I would not have paid for the upgrade, and just bought it separately. Is yours the seagate as well?

 

Haha, yeah, I forgot to do that. I'm taking off the Vista sticker (never realized how ugly it is) but I'm leaving the Intel Centrino 2 sticker (doesn't look bad).

I will, once I get the time to do so. School's busy in the last week before President's break next week. I will try to get some games on it this weekend (Bioshock especially ), and do some battery life tests.

I somewhat wish I had chosen a quiet 250GB 5400RPM disk (same price) instead, but then I see how fast programs pop up. Perhaps the noise is worth it. I may replace the hard drive in a few months' time if the noise gets too annoying (for those of you who want an idea of the sound: it sounds kind of like air blowing, as from a computer fan - in fact, it is louder than the actual fan).

My hard drive is a Hitachi drive - for the 160GB 7200RPM drive, Lenovo seems to use either Hitachi or Seagate (I read that somewhere in a thread on this forum).

 

Congratulations

I believe Hitachi 7200RPM drives tend to be a little louder than competitors (although they also run faster). Also, what model is it? If it is from the 7k320 series it should be single platter and relatively quiet.

You may want to consider swapping for a 320 or 500GB 7200RPM drive from Seagate or Western Digital in the future (I think they are quieter).

 

Hmm. I'll check that with HDTune after GParted finishes doing its stuff.
I'm considering that option, although my wallet is already somewhat light after this purchase. Perhaps in a few months

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this in my few thoughts above: my 9-cell battery has absolutely no battery wiggle, it fits in very snuggly, although at the same time it isn't extremely tight and difficult to remove (like my Averatec's battery).

 

Let us know if you have problems with your T500 freezing, or not waking up from standby. I have had problems with mine for a while.

Thanks!

 

Seagate drives aren't quiet on access and I'm sure WD drives too aren't silent. But hey, 7200rpm disks are noticeable faster, so what.

 

Thanks for posting that you in fact got a P8700. Enjoy!!!

 

Freezing while gaming, idle, or just randomly?

I haven't had any problems with it waking from standby yet (although I have only put it into standby once...).

EDIT: I haven't done any real benchmarking or gaming yet, but here's my Windows Experience Index - the 7200RPM drive is still the weakest link? Interesting.

 

Amazing results!! Did you undervolt yet? Might be a good idea for your CPU!

 

Good to know you hear it too. It just sounds like the drive platters spinning, the air blowing noise but slightly more "thrashy". I thought something was wrong with the drive when I first got it. Now I am not worried.

-I guess we should just wait for SSD prices to go down more. The noise isn't audible when I am in a lecture room or office building, only during dead silence.

 

I only have problems if I leave my computer idle for a little while and come back after about 30 min or so.

It wont wake up as in the screen stays black no matter if you move mouse, click a button or key, or press power button.

I am guessing its stand by conflicting with my turbo memory. My power lights are on, but my sleep moon light is not. I just hold the power button down to power down and reboot.

I have since disabled standby to see if it fixes the issue.

My 7,200 rpm hard drive isnt really that loud. Its not loud enough to bother me really but the sounds you describe are the sounds a hard drive typically make.

 

Kind of odd about your hard drive. My 320GB 5400RPM drive scored a 5.6 (my second strongest part after RAM). Best guess is that your drive has a low platter density (e.g. 2x 80GB, vs. 2x 160GB for mine) and this hurts your sequential speeds.

However, you do beat mine by a fair margin for the CPU and a considerable margin for the GPU.