video card for T500

I am looking to buy a T500 before StarCraft2 comes out. Right now the T500 has a Radeon 3650 in it. From what I have read that is the same card they had in it in 2008. How often do they upgrade the graphics cards in lenovos? I would hate to buy a machine this month and find out they upgrade the video card after they sell all there back to school computers.

Additionally I am aware that the Radeon 3650 will in all probability play SC2. Also I have a working R61 so I don't need a new computer and can wait to buy one until SC2 comes out.

 

Doubt the T500 will ever have a better video card. Your best bet is if you don't need it now and get the T510 in 2010.

 

The rule behind puchasing computers is, if you need it now, buy it now. If not, there will always be cheaper/better computers down the road.

I am 95% sure that Lenovo will not change the graphics card on the T500 before the release of the T510 early in 2010.

 

Do you think the T510 will have a better graphics card?

 

Yes, it will.

 

Yes, it will, but don't expect it to have a top-tier graphics card or anything - it will be better than the Radeon 3650, but comparatively to other GPUs of the same generation at the time, it will be roughly the same.

 

Most likely the HD 4650.

 

This is good advice, don't buy it now if you don't need it right now. I know how you feel though, but the upgrade is probably still a long time away like midnight is suggesting.

 

Will the T410 have a better graphics card as well? I am really considered waiting to get a laptop if so.... and how early in 2010 are the new Tseries expected?

 

Same response as to the T510, really:

They will have updated GPUs, which will obviously be better, but don't expect it to be leaps and bounds better.

As seen in the leaked Lenovo roadmap, the laptops will be out January of 2010, but due to supply, I wouldn't count on getting one until at least February.

 

Darn... and when you say comparatively to other GPUs of the same generation at the time, it will be roughly the same do you mean it will be the same compared to newer and better GPUs in general?

I think I can wait... and sorry to ask since no one is sure but do you think the new updated GPU will be able to run games like Left 4 Dead and Crysis?

And as I read I see people say the T410 will most likely be the price of the T400 when it was introduced... does anyone know how much that was?

 

The T410 series will most likely have the HD 45xx series GPU, which is a good step up from the HD 34xx series, but it is still a 64-bit GPU. This means it will still be a low end CPU and won't even beat the current T500's HD 3650. Don't expect a great gaming GPU for the T410, these notebooks aren't targetting the gaming crowd.

 

Hmm.. I see I see. I understand it's not for gaming so I guess I can't really expect to play high end games and whatnot. I'm just looking to play games like CS:S and HL:2.

Do you think the laptop is worth waiting 4-5 months for? I'm starting school around September and that's when I planned to get it, but I'm not sure if it will be worth it if the T410 is going to be a lot better.

Edit: having a laptop for the first semester of college would be very nice and convenient, but, I don't want to regret purchasing a T400 when Jan/Feb comes because the T410 is just so much better.

 

I don't expect the next generation to be much better. While I don't play those games, so I can't tell you how good of a GPU you need, you can try asking/searching around the gaming forum. My advice is to get the laptop when you need it since there is always better technology in the next few months after you buy your laptop. If you start school in Sept, I would get a laptop latest Aug (hopefully with a back to school sale), in case there are any delays or you might want to test it or upgrade memory, etc before school.

 

I had a fairly long post typed out until I realized that the most recent questions in this thread about games were not from the OP and that all of the OP's questions have already been answered.

koreo, the T400 can handle the Orange Box games, but not much else. I once planned to play them on low settings with a used T43 before I ended up buying a T500 instead, so I'm fairly confident that the T400 can tackle a graphics engine that's been around for over five years. The T410 will not be much better than the T400 in terms of gaming performance. They're just not going to market it that way. If you want a ThinkPad for gaming, get the T500.

The question for you is, what is "better" when you speculate about the T410? Is there any spec that you're looking at besides the graphics card? Of course the T410 will be better than the T400, but most improvements will be incremental. The only area where there is still big room for improvement is in solid state drives which could legitimately utilize a SATA 6 Gbit/s interface in the coming years, but I don't have an idea of when SATA 6 Gbit/s will actually be in use by the general public.

 

I asked around the game forum before and they said it should be able to run the games I mentioned (CS:S, HL:2) at pretty high settings! I was just MAYBE hoping to play higher end games but, like you said, the T400 is not made for gaming so I will have to live with that.

I'm still torn between the T400 and waiting for the T410... but the latter will probably be a lot more expensive so I guess I will just get the T400! I can also get a pretty decked out T400 with a California Community College discount.

Thanks for all the advice!

Edit:

Actually, I have not heard much besides the upgraded GPU and something called Intel's Calpella platform. I am not familiar with the second so I am not sure how much of an upgrade it will be. I snooped around the gaming forum and it looks as if gaming will be fine on the T400 for me (I like older games) and also quality is always more important than GPU. I should be happy with the current T400 by the looks of it.

 

if you are starting school in the fall
get the t400 now
there's no sense in going a full semester without a computer just because new laptops with slightly better tech are coming out in half a year

there will always be something better coming, so you'll never own a computer if that's your logic
you need the computer now, buy it now

the t400 is an absolutely excellent machine
while its graphics isn't great for gaming
you could always buy a vidock if gpu performance is something you're concerned about:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=397296

 

The price difference is a good point to consider and also one that I had forgotten. When it comes out, the T410 will be a good bit more expensive than the T400 at the same time. Calpella is the next platform for Intel-based laptops and the main attraction is a Core i7 CPU, but other than that, it's not particularly groundbreaking from what I can tell, so it looks like you're mainly looking at the graphics card as a point of improvement.

Since you can play Source engine games on the T400 with the 3470, you can probably play a number of other games from that era as well without much trouble. Like I said, when I was looking at a used T43, I determined that I could play Far Cry, Call of Duty, and the Orange Box on it, so you can at least do that and still have a bit more horsepower leftover with a T400. If you're otherwise happy with the available features and specs of the T400 and can get a nice discount, I'd get it, especially since the T410 isn't coming out by the time school starts for you.

 

100% agree. If you wait for newer tech youll be waiting the rest of your life. Something faster and newer will always be around the corner, and always going by the "if you need it now then buy it now or if you dont need it now then wait" anthem youll be set. Although thinkpads aren't targeted for gamers my t400 plays games pretty well. But remember this is a business class laptop and not a gamer class laptop.

I have an 8600mGT which was made in 2007, yet I still do just fine for gaming now in 2009 and dont plan on upgrading for a while. The 3650 is a strong mid level card, but take it for what it is a mobile mid level performance card.

 

@ OP: This page is your friend.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

I'm not sure how literally I'd read the numbers, but it should be a useful guide to what you can/can't do with a 3470/3650.

 

AFAIK, the 3470 is a little bit weaker than a geforce 6600 vanilla, so games with source engine should be correct.