W520 Vs. T420 (Size And Weight)

Hello everyone! I really like the T420's form factor but unfortunately it doesn't have a quad-core option. As a result, I'm looking at the W520 and was hoping those of you who've had experience with both (or similar older models) could chime in about its size and weight in everyday situations compared to the T420. Thank you!

 

W520 weight is in this thread. T420 weight is in this thread.

If you want to make an adjustment for different sizes of battery then an allowance of 50 grams / 2 oz per cell won't be far wrong.

Also read the NBR W520 review.

John

 

Thank you John for the links. While I am interested to know about each notebook as individual entities I was hoping to get relative impressions as well. For example the data sheets imply the difference in thickness at the thickest points in both laptops is a mere 0.2 in. (5.2 mm) but I don't really know if that would create a hindrance say if one was a highly mobile person. I realize the best method is to check them both out myself which I plan to eventually, just thought I'd get some opinions first . Thanks!

 

What are you going to use the machine for?

 

you should also consider that the W520 uses a 170 watt adapter which weighs considerably more.

 

College, it will be my main computer.

Good point I didn't think of that.

 

I was referring to the type of tasks and workloads. Let me guess, Portal 2.

 

But if you keep it in a case it shouldn't be that bad.


I've had a T510 with a 9-cell battery (same chassis and battery as W520 in fact) and haven't had any problems with its weight though it does weigh you down if you've been walking for extended periods of time with it.

The 90 W adapter and the 170 W are two different animals but if you're buying a ThinkPad weight isn't usually the first concern- if you've got it in a case/backpack it's usually fine.

In terms of its size, the T420 will be about an inch smaller than the W520 is.
The W520 will be a bit unwieldly at first if you're using it to take notes on a very small table such as in a lecture hall but you do get used to it after a while. Otherwise its size isn't a large obstacle to using it.

 

Haha I wish! I'd rather build a monster desktop if that was the task. Regarding your question, I'm not completely certain what I'll be doing with it. I just want to make sure it'll allow me to do everything grad school in engineering throws at me and I expect to spend a lot of time on campus.

 

I pains me to say this, but if you really want a 14" smaller form factor with a quad core, see HP EliteBook 8460w Mobile Workstation specifications - HP Small & Medium Business products

I have no idea about the heat, battery life, reliability, etc.

If you can deal with a 15.6", go with the W520.

 

That is good to hear.

Traitor!!


I also came across this website comparing the T520, T420, and T420s. It is a bit cheesy but it helps to visualize items in question.

 

I have both. As others have already mentioned, the 180W and 135W power bricks are beastly to carry around. I went a while with the 9-cell 55++ and the 27++ battery slice but that weighed more than the power brick and put unnecessary wear on the batteries. I prefer the T420 when I don't need a quad core, >8GB RAM and the Quadro 2000M, which is 90% of the time.

TL;DR The T420 has what I need. The W520 had what I wanted.