Which Configuration to choose for Lenovo T420

After much thoughts I can only afford either of the following options. (Both ~$1350, after tax.) I am not sure which one is better. Can you please help me to choose?

I don't expect to do a lot of grpahic-intensive stuffs with the laptop, so mainly documents and Civilization IV (or maybe V in the future). My current disk to install all the programs (I am not very careful now) and junks is 35gb, and I am pretty sure I can install all the programs in the 40gb mSATA if I choose option B. So, since everything else is quite similar, I think the choice is whether to have 80gb mSATA + 6gb RAM (option A) or NVS 4200M + 3 year warranty (option B). What do you think?

Option A:
80gb Intel 310 mSATA
6GB RAM
HD 3000 graphics
1 year depot warranty
Windows 7 Premium
65W AC Adapter

Option B:
40gb Intel 310 mSATA
4GB RAM (1 DIMM)
NVS 4200M Graphics
3-year depot warranty
Windows 7 Professional
90W AC Adapter

Common features:
Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3)1
14.0 HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
500gb 7200 rpm Hard disk
UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
DVD recordable multiburner5
9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++60
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65

 

Only thing I can say is that you should do a lot of the ram and hdd upgrades on your own.

I would get integrated graphics and save on the rest.

Maybe I miss read this post but that is my opinion.

 

Princeally,

I agree that doing RAM and HDD by my own is generally good. However, when tax is taken into consideration (NY, high tax) it is not as straight-forward. In this case, the difference is not big. If everything else (including price) is the same, which one will you choose --

Option A:
80gb Intel 310 mSATA + 6gb RAM
1 year depot warranty
Windows 7 Premium

Option B:
40gb Intel 310 mSATA + 4gb RAM (1 DIMM)
NVS 4200M Graphics
3 year depot warranty
Windows 7 Professional

 

Option B for me..

As said, one can up the memory later if need be, but having a 3 yr warranty over a 1 yr and its a no brainer. Desktops are easy for me to upgrade and repair, but notebooks ? I need peace of mind and having a longer warranty is important. Like this.... Have a longer warranty and not needing it, or needing it and not having it. Which one would you opt for ?

The 80 GB Intel 310 is also nice to have over a 40 gb version, but for me, I still have a 74 GB WD raptor and have everything I need to keep on a thumb drive or DVD so the larger storage drive is not all that important. For others and they need lots of storage. It depends on what you need and do with your computer, not what others need.

Good luck with the selection....

 

Well in that case get the warranty ... Always more needed and 4 gb ram is quite a bit ... I have a 32 but OS and honestly can't tell that I only have 2.90 gb usable (due to OS restriction)

 

How many threads do you need asking for people to give you advice on something you should be able to decide for yourself?

 

Hi Amtbr,

I am sorry if it is too easy a decision and my posts trouble you. For me, it is not that straight-forwarded. At first, I am more inclined towards getting the 80gb mSATA (option A) since I should see the effects daily and Lenovo in general is very reliable. However, it seems that most people here prefer Option B. I thus hope to get some inputs from those people who recommended me to have a 80gb mSATA, to see whether they will agree with Option B.

Thanks for your consideration and tolerance.

Yee Kna

 

Are you going to be gaming much? The NVS4200m doesn't give a huge boost over the HD 3000, at least not at the upgrade price Lenovo is currently asking.

That mSATA Intel SSD sits in the mSATA slot under the laptop, leaving the HDD bay free. You can get away with the cheaper 40gb version and use that only for the programs you launch daily, and store the rest of your programs and media on an internal HDD in the HDD bay.

Get the base (cheapest option) of 2gb of RAM and upgrade it to a total of 6gb from Newegg or Amazon for only an additional $40.

How about option C? (assuming you don't really need the Quadro card):
Intel 40gb mSATA + inexpensive storage HDD
HD 3000
Whichever warranty you want
2gb RAM + aftermarket 4gb
1600x900 screen

 

Thanks Sprtnbsblplya! And thanks for your review and it helps me to decide to purchase a T420!

1) I only do light games -- meaning Civilization IV or maybe V in the future.
2) Yes, I will have a 500gb 7200rpm hard drive, in additional to the mSATA.
3) Option C that you proposed is interesting. However, because I need to pay tax to buy from Lenovo, the price (with 3 years warranty) is $20 more than if I take Option B. So, apparently, Option B is a better option, as if I get the NVS4200M and Windows 7 Professional for free.

So, here is the dilemma: I think 80gb mSATA is very useful although my program and system files only take ~35gb now. So Option A is very attractive to me. I don't need the NVS4200M (I will probably disable it most of the time to increase battery life.) However, 3-year warranty could be very useful too...

Should I choose the 3-year warranty, or the 80gb mSATA?

Thanks!!

Yee Kan

 

You can upgrade the SSD later if you need added storage, but after the initial warranty is over (1 yr) you cannot upgrade that. Some thing to think about

 

I think you could still upgrade after warranty ran out, but it will be twice as expensive. Personally I will get the lowest config with the best processor/graphic I can afford and upgrade in a couple of month down the road when I save up enough money.

 

Thanks everyone for the comments. I will choose the Option B (3-year warranty) and upgrade the mSATA drive in the future, if needed. Since I can find a cheap 2gb RAM in ebay ($14 including shipping), I will add the RAM to 6gb. (the cheapest 4gb RAM that I can find is ~$40 and it is out of my budget.) So, I am now a bit over budget but should have a good system to work with...

Final Configuration ($1364.61 after tax):
Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3)
14.0 HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
500gb 7200 rpm Hard disk
40gb Intel 310 mSATA
6GB RAM (4gb+2gb)
NVS 4200M Graphics
3-year depot warranty
Windows 7 Professional
90W AC Adapter
Fingerprint reader
DVD recordable multiburner
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable