W530 build check please.

$1,088.81


ThinkPad W530 - 1 Year Depot Warranty Edit
Processor: Intel Core i7-3720QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz) Edit
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) Edit
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English
Display type: 15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready Edit
System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro K1000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory Edit
Total memory: 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM) Edit
Keyboard: Keyboard Backlit - US English Edit
Pointing device: UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader Edit
Camera: 720p HD Camera with Microphone Edit
Hard drive: 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm Edit
Optical device: DVD Recordable Edit
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader Edit
Battery: 9 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70++ Edit
Power cord: 170W Slim AC Adapter - US (2pin) Edit
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna Edit
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN Edit
Integrated mobile broadband: Mobile Broadband upgradable Edit
Language pack: Publication - US English

 

I'd really suggest upgrading the display to the 1920 x 1080 if you can afford it. It's nice, and the extra real estate comes in handy when viewing applications side-by-side.

 

Yeah I honestly just did not want to deal with small text. Is the HD+ still a decent screen?

 

This should be classified as urban legend. However, I respect your choice.

 

My suggestion would be to go to a local computer retailer in your area to see if they have a 15.6" 1920x1080 notebook, and a 15.6" 1600x900 notebook. You should really see them both and make the decision based on your personal preferences, not advice from the internet. Keep in mind the examples you might see in the store are unlikely to have the same contrast, color support and brightness.

The FHD screen on the Lenovo ThinkPad W5x0 series is pretty highly regarded in the industry.

 

Great idea, but difficult to execute. Most, if not all, brick-and-mortars do not carry notebooks with FHD screens. The Lenovo resellers within my driving distances only carry TopSeller ThinkPad models of 1366x768 varieties. (And you have to beg them to let you touch an open-box one, because they don't have "showrooms" as such.)

 

Best Buy, Frys, or any of the electronic specialty store should have one.

 

Best Buy? Frys? Hmm.

 

Buy a SSD and replace the original the original w530 HDD - worth it big time. I got a crucial M4 512gb. Pretty good overall performance.

 

I just bought a w530. The FHD screen is nice, and you can adjust the resolution if you need to. A big factor, though, is what are you using your thinkpad for? For CAD work, I like the extra "room" you get with the FHD and the quality. it also is really nice for my video editing and design work.

However, if you don't do things that utilize FHD, you'll be saving $200, which you could put into aftermarket upgrades.

 

Isn't the FHD screen on a 15.6" laptop out of date? There are laptops with a 12" or 13" screen that are natively 1080P.

It's also a TN panel...
The colors are decent once calibrated though.

 

I wouldn't say its out of date at all. FHD at any size below 23" really feels similar to HD+ in my opinion. Its more useful for adding some more room when doing CAD work or Graphic Design. Only other area is 1080p movies. There isn't a higher mainstream video qualiy out there yet, so there is no reason to go higher natively on a 15.6"

Retina is nice, but most applications don't support it yet, and it would be total overkill on a system like this. You would be squinting to read text, Apple has to boost the text size to render it readable, so its only retina in the background or graphically.

 

If your eyes can handle the higher DPI: go for it. If you need scaling you might just as well go for a lower resolution.

I only have one other TN panel to compared the FHD panel of the W520/W530 to: the 1440x900 panel in my T61. Compared to that it's absolutely great. Compared to my desktop IPS monitors from five years ago it's still totally crap. Try to compare viewing angles of any TN to a good IPS screen and you'll get the idea.

 

After using the T530 with the FHD screen for about two weeks, I can say that it was a worthy upgrade, especially if one wants to keep the laptop for a while. The text will only appear small when it is zoomed at 100%. If you adjust the zoom in your browser to 125% then it will be much easier to read. It took me a few days to get used to read the text since the scaling will not produce the exact size of the text if it were to be 100% on a lower resolution screen. I used a couple of IPS screens while using the T530 and I find the FHD screen a bit easier to use for extended periods of time. I honestly think that IPS is not that much of an improvement over a TN panel in the vast majority of cases. I don't look at my screens from extreme angles.

So after getting used to the FHD screen, I find it very easy to use and to look at for extended periods of time. Colors look very nice defined though I am using a new color profile. As long as you're OK with doing some very minor adjustments, the FHD will be great. Its pros outweigh the small number of cons (such as spending a few minutes adjusting browsers, etc.)