The Best Laptop... [Archive]

Kiwikat

March 19th, 2010, 15:46

Yesterday I received my new ThinkPad T510.

Specs:
Intel i5 540M 2.53 GHz w/ turbo boost (built in overclocking to ~3 GHz)
Intel integrated HD graphics
4 GB DDR3 1066MHz ram (2 x 2)
1600 x 900 Matte screen
320 GB 7200 rpm hard drive
Intel advanced 6200 wifi
9 cell battery (7+ hours life)

It is by far the most solid laptop I have ever used or seen. Beats any asus, dell, hp, mac, toshiba, sony, or whatever else I've had my hands on. It feels indestructible. She's also as fast as my desktop with W7, Visual Studio, Adobe CS4 suite, and MS Office. The best thing of all is that it is quite light and compact, surprisingly so.

Does anyone else have any experience with ThinkPads?

safn1949

March 20th, 2010, 11:29

How much did it cost if I may ask.

Bjoern

March 20th, 2010, 19:13

ThinkPads are the kings of laptops. Period.

Lionheart

March 20th, 2010, 19:52

Congrats KK!

May it serve you well and never break down.

:ernae:

Are you going to post a photo of it?

Bill

Kiwikat

March 20th, 2010, 20:02

Sure, I'll get a photo up tomorrow.

Every time I turn this thing on it impresses me. It is sooooooooooooo solid.

It cost me a little over 1100 dollars with a student discount. After taxes and 2 day shipping, it was just under 1200. I'd say it was worth every penny.

Lionheart

March 20th, 2010, 21:37

Found one.

Kiwikat

March 20th, 2010, 21:39

Yeah but it isn't one of my photos! :173go1:

I'll get a better shot up tomorrow. That one doesn't do a good job showing it off. :P

Bjoern

March 21st, 2010, 13:50

Good to see Thinkpads still looking like Thinkpads. Black, clean and no stylistic Bravo Sierra whatsoever.

I want to upgrade my T60 to T61p specs one day. New mainboard, graphics chip, CPU and an SSD.

yank51

March 21st, 2010, 15:09

So, some one tell me. What makes a Thinkpad so good? Those who have posted here seem to think it's great, but as much as I know about computers (desktops) I have to admit I know next to nothing about laptops, period. I AM in the market for one, but have no idea which way to turn. I've been looking at Asus, Toshibas, and perhaps an HP. I'm not crazy about HP, especially their printers, due to the variety of additional stuff they seem to want to load, but a couple of my kids have HPs, so I'm keeping them in mind. Any advice would be most welcomed....

Kiwikat

March 21st, 2010, 16:39

ThinkPads are so great because of the build quality. Their keyboards are known to be the most comfortable laptop keyboards ever made. The outside of the screen is made of a tough rubberized plastic that doesn't easily scratch. The bottom part of the laptop is made of a magnesium frame encased by hard black plastic that is also very scratch resistant. The X201s's are made of mostly magnesium and carbon fiber to make them even stronger and lighter. Overall the materials and quality give it a feel like no other laptop I've ever felt, including other business class laptops. Looks-wise, some people like the simplistic black rectangle, others find it really boring and dull. I think it is quite sexy. You can keep your illuminating apple light.

Even with the impressive build quality, the T510 remains a relatively light and thin laptop. It is noticeably smaller and quite a bit lighter than my old ASUS C90S 15.6 inch laptop. Along with the quality, mine also gets great battery life. Even with using programs like photoshop and dreamweaver, wifi enabled, and the screen brightness almost maxed, I can get over 7 hours of battery life with the 9 cell battery. I would imagine if you turned off wifi and kept the backlight at a reasonable level, you could get around 8-10 hours. It also runs quite cool. Most of the time, even the hottest parts of the laptop aren't even what I would consider warm to the touch. The warmest part is where your hands are resting, not because of the computer being warm, but because of your hands being warm!

Performance-wise my T510 is very similar to my quad core gaming rig. As said before the adobe suite, visual studio, and ms office all perform just as well as they do on my rig. Windows 7 Professional 64 bit is very snappy, even with integrated graphics. The boot times seem to have shortened significantly since I defragmented. I am astonished such performance is possible with a laptop. They have come such a long way since the 90's. I would recommend getting the Intel i5 540M in whatever laptop you get.

Of course it doesn't come free. Much like apple, there is a premium you pay for ThinkPads, but it isn't as much as what you would pay for a Macbook Pro. In fact it is a good deal less if you can buy one when there are significant sales going on or you have a student discount. Not too long ago they had a 15% off coupon for St. Patricks Day. I got a pretty decent student discount on mine.

If you can afford the extra money for the ThinkPad over the HP, ASUS, or Toshiba, you will NOT regret it. The quality is in a completely different league. I am incredibly happy with mine. Every time I use it, the quality impresses me. You really get a sense of confidence when typing away on the keyboard and using the touchpoint.

If you've got any more questions about a specific model or what kind you might want, feel free to send a PM my way. :wavey:

Helldiver

March 21st, 2010, 18:12

I just bought one. It's got a 15.6 viewing area, Intel dual 2.2 GHz CPU. 3GHz Memory, 350 G hard drive. Got a nVidia 4500 video card and a DVD R/W Plus Windows 7 Premium all for $298 bucks at Wal-Mart. It's a emachines which I understand is the same as the ACER Aspire. It too, is rock solid.

Kiwikat

March 21st, 2010, 18:20

No laptop at Wal Mart is anywhere near the same quality as any ThinkPad. They aren't even in the same realm.

You've really got to use one to know what I mean. :salute:

Panther_99FS

March 21st, 2010, 18:25

Are the ThinkPads as durable as these :ques:
--> http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/toughbook-products.asp

Kiwikat

March 21st, 2010, 18:31

Overall, thoughbooks are tougher. However, a toughbook to the same specs as my 1100 dollar laptop would be around 3500 dollars or more... I would hope something three times the price would be better. :jump:

Many thinkpads have passed military testing, including the T400 and T500. I don't think the T510 has been tested yet as it is relatively new. I know toughbooks are used in the military and other government organizations. The firefighters here use toughbooks.

Panther_99FS

March 21st, 2010, 18:37

Many thinkpads have passed military testing, including the T400 and T500.

Maybe,
But I've only seen Toughbooks in use :)

Anyways, enjoy yours!

Kiwikat

March 21st, 2010, 18:41

Maybe,
But I've only seen Toughbooks in use :)

Just because they passed testing (and they have, it is posted everywhere online) doesn't mean they use them. :wavey:

It is still pretty impressive though. You can get such a high quality laptop for a very decent price.

Panther_99FS

March 21st, 2010, 18:46

Just because they passed testing (and they have, it is posted everywhere online) doesn't mean they use them. :wavey:

Relax...
Nowhere did I say they weren't used ;) (Read again)

Panther_99FS

March 21st, 2010, 18:48

Oh and...
For all of us who own our sub-par non IBM Thinkpad Laptops here on this forum, we salute you! :salute: :)

Kiwikat

March 21st, 2010, 18:54

Tracon

March 21st, 2010, 19:05

Panther, he wasn't trying to be pretentious about it, that's just how it comes off. The thinkpad's and toughbook's are equally great computers, but it is true, those Toughbook's are sooo expensive! :isadizzy: I would be happy to own either one.

Kiwi, congrats on your purchase. I wan't one now because of you. :D

yank51

March 23rd, 2010, 04:43

lol, I'm just putting it out there how nice these laptops are. Many people here enjoy tech stuff and might be in the market for a new laptop. It seems like most consumers ignore the sector of business laptops that are similarly specced and much tougher, yet only cost a fraction more. Paying an extra 1-200 bucks can get you a nearly military-grade lappy. It would be perfect for a student entering college.

Kiwikat, thanks for the info. This is what I've been looking for. I went to the manufacturers site, and you can even get one there at about the same price as you can utilizing pricegrabber.com. I'd want to boost my RAM and HDD size, and you can even "add" these extras and more there. Also, they offer 0% interest if you pay it off within a certain time period, which always allows me to alk the better half into letting me get what I need (read this as what i want...lol:icon_lol:) This is kind of funny, as I'd been noticing the commercials on TV about the Toughbooks, but you are right, they are much "pricier" that the Thinkpads. I just never actually put my hands on a Thinkpad or Toughbook though. don't personally know anyone who has one to look at.....

Bjoern

March 23rd, 2010, 12:13

Thinkpads are even space-proof. Some older models at least. :d

The ThinkPad 750 flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour during a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope on December 2, 1993. The ThinkPad 750C's task was to run a NASA test program which determined if radiation inherent in the space environment causes memory anomalies in the 750C or generates other unexpected problems. In 1995, the average number used was five, and in 1999 the average number was nine. Throughout 2006, a ThinkPad A31p was being used in the Service Module Central Post of the International Space Station and seven ThinkPad A31p laptops were in service in orbit aboard the International Space Station. As of early 2010 the Space Station is equipped with 68 ThinkPad A31p computers plus 32 new Lenovo ThinkPad T61p laptops.
ThinkPads have been praised for exceptional build quality, system reliability, services and design throughout their decade and a half of presence in the consumer market. The original design was a collaboration between Tom Hardy, corporate head of the IBM Design Program, Italian-based designer Richard Sapper (noted for the design of classic products such as the Tizio lamp for Artemide, office chair for Knoll, kitchenwares for Alessi and ballpoint for Lamy) and Kazuhiko Yamazaki, lead notebook designer at IBM's Yamato Design Center in Japan. Sapper proposed a design inspired by the Shōkadō bentō, a traditional black-lacquered Japanese lunch box.


The fold-out butterfly keyboard, which appeared in the ThinkPad 701 series, is widely considered a design masterpiece and is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The ThinkPad 760 series also included an unusual keyboard design; the keyboard was elevated by two arms riding on small rails on the side of the screen, tilting the keyboard to achieve a more ergonomic design.

The 755CV featured another design quirk: the screen could be separated from the lid, allowing it to be used to project the computer display using an overhead projector, before data projectors were commonplace.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinkpad

My T60 already survived a 50cm fall when it slipped from my knees. No HDD damage tanks to the "HDD airbag" and the battery lost an unimportant holding clamp. No further damage.

Thinkpads are the standard issue laptops in the company my dad works for. That *has* to mean something!

yank51

March 25th, 2010, 06:15

Well, I've gone and done it. Yesterday I ordered myself an Elite Thinkpad T510 with discrete graphics.

Specs:
Intel i5 540M 2.53 GHz w/ turbo boost (built in overclocking to ~3 GHz)
NVIDIA NVS 3100m graphics with 512MB DDR3 memory
4 GB DDR3 1066MHz ram (2 x 2)
15.6" HD anti-glare display with LED backlight and WWAN antenna
500 GB 7200 rpm hard drive
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
9 cell battery (7+ hours life)

I also sprung for a wireless mouse (i don't care for the touch-pads...), but just because I was trying to take advantage of a 20% coupon I found online,, anlong with a 10% one. Both had expiration dates of 3/24, so I made my move. I never could get the system to take the 20% coupon (perhaps I should have then called the 800 number, but...) so I tried the 10% coupon and it worked. Only disappointment was the fact that they then tacked on state sales tax, which I usually miss by ordering through, say, Newegg or someone like that. I chose the mfg. site because I could customize, and overall, I'm happy with what I paid (approx. 1280.00 tax included, at 7%). My laptop is scheduled to ship April 6th, so I'll come back and give my first impressions after I get it. I've been contemplating a laptop purchase for quite some time, but have been confused by all the hoopla and sales pitches, and although they have a lot to look at at Best Buy, I just don't trust them due to other members here having issue with them...

Kiwikat

March 25th, 2010, 11:05

You'll probably wish you got the HD+ display... In fact I would seriously recommend you contact them before they get it together and see if you can change it. The regular display isn't very good and has received complaints.

There's several T510 owners congregated on forum.notebookreview.com in the Lenovo section. If you've got any issues, pop on over there and I'm sure they will help you out some. Even if you don't have issues, pop over there and read the T510 thread. I'm sure you will find some useful info.

The i5 seems to suffer from some high pitched CPU noise (related to turbo boost and/or speedstep) that other notebook processors sometimes have (it isn't a rare problem). There are some power settings you can set to make it go away. Last night I played with the settings and I haven't heard any noise coming from it since. I now love this thing 99.9%. It's nearly flawless. It's pretty rare for me to say that about a computer!

The other .1% that I don't like is the LCD. I wish I would have had the money to get the FHD screen. $$$

I hope you enjoy your ThinkPad! Every time I pick mine up I get a smile on my face because the thing is just THAT cool. :icon_lol: :d

kilo delta

March 25th, 2010, 13:03

I wish I would have had the money to get the FHD screen.

I never have my laptops resolution wound up to the 1920x1200 max as it's too difficult for me to read text whilst browsing or using Word.......guess I'm getting old!:kilroy::sleep::monkies:

Congrats with the new laptops,guys! :ernae:

djscoo

March 25th, 2010, 13:11

I never have my laptops resolution wound up to the 1920x1200 max as it's too difficult for me to read text whilst browsing or using Word.......guess I'm getting old!:kilroy::sleep::monkies:

Congrats with the new laptops,guys! :ernae:

I was the same way, I use my main computer on a 22 inch display and I always kept the resolution lower so I could read. I was playing around with settings one day and found out you can add new resolutions to the Nvidia control panel. I looked up the native resolution for my monitor and the icons were almost too small to read. I went into windows settings and changed the font and icon size to extra-large for the visually impaired, and finally I have a high-res display (1360x768) with legible text. My laptop, on the other hand has a 10in screen so I'm kinda stuck on lower resolutions.

Bjoern

March 25th, 2010, 13:18

I hope you enjoy your ThinkPad! Every time I pick mine up I get a smile on my face because the thing is just THAT cool. :icon_lol: :d

Yep. It just doesn't get old! Even after 3+ years of usage.

Another cool thing is the publically available maintenance manuals. I changed the LCD all on my own with the help of it. A 300€ job done for 25€, which was the cost for the new screen including shipping. :d

Kiwikat

March 25th, 2010, 14:23

I never have my laptops resolution wound up to the 1920x1200 max as it's too difficult for me to read text whilst browsing or using Word.......guess I'm getting old!:kilroy::sleep::monkies:

1920 x 1200 would be incredible for some of the stuff I do, like the adobe CS4 suite. So much of the room is taken up by palettes and toolbars. Same with Visual Studio. This 1600 x 900 is just barely big enough to work comfortably.

kilo delta

March 25th, 2010, 15:13

1920 x 1200 would be incredible for some of the stuff I do, like the adobe CS4 suite. So much of the room is taken up by palettes and toolbars. Same with Visual Studio. This 1600 x 900 is just barely big enough to work comfortably.

True, the higher res is a godsend with the likes of PS, but you could always hook up your laptop to a desktop monitor/ lcd tv .....albeit then losing the portability of the laptop. :)

fsafranek

March 25th, 2010, 15:33

I saw someone back over one once. He was pissed. Didn't fair too well. In fact
it was hardly worth bothering to reach down and pick it up after that. He was an
ass so we all got a good oops followed by a chuckle. Just don't set it on the trunk
and then get distracted.
:ernae:

kilo delta

March 26th, 2010, 03:19

Yep...I saw a guy accidentally drive over a €5k alienware laptop in a forklift! It remained relatively intact but the screen,mobo, and frame were destroyed.

yank51

March 26th, 2010, 07:41

You'll probably wish you got the HD+ display... In fact I would seriously recommend you contact them before they get it together and see if you can change it. The regular display isn't very good and has received complaints.

I hope you enjoy your ThinkPad! Every time I pick mine up I get a smile on my face because the thing is just THAT cool. :icon_lol: :d

Got a hold of them this morning and made that change (the HD+ instead of just the HD per your commendation). It will add a few weeks to my delivery, and the sales guy said I might even still receive my original order, but they would do a replacement, but I might have to do a new order to get the different display. The bottom line is that my change request will be honored. Thanks for the tip... (BTW, I never noticed you had ordered the HD+ instead of the plain HD display. I think they should have given it a different name, just to make the difference more noticeable...)

Kiwikat

March 26th, 2010, 09:24

Got a hold of them this morning and made that change (the HD+ instead of just the HD per your commendation).

Great!

I highly doubt it will take weeks longer. Mine wasn't supposed to ship for over 2 weeks and it shipped in 1.

The Lenovo ordering system and shop was the only thing I didn't like about the whole experience.

jmig

March 26th, 2010, 09:34

I had a Thinkpad years ago. back in the days of IBM. It was a good computer. Had the little pencil eraser to move the mouse.

Bjoern

March 26th, 2010, 13:16

I had a Thinkpad years ago. back in the days of IBM. It was a good computer. Had the little pencil eraser to move the mouse.

They still have those.

Great to confuse people using your laptop.
"Huh? Your touchpad is not working."
- "Yeah, because I don't need it."
:d

Kiwikat

March 26th, 2010, 16:42

The touchpoint is awesome actually. I've stopped using the touchpad completely. It is so much more comfortable using it because you don't have to move your hands as much to move your cursor. :jump:

Bjoern

March 27th, 2010, 11:36

The touchpoint is awesome actually. I've stopped using the touchpad completely. It is so much more comfortable using it because you don't have to move your hands as much to move your cursor. :jump:

But only if the laptop's positioned completely level. My mouse cursor gets a life of his own thanks to the touchpoint when I have the laptop inclined, like on my lap or pillow.

Might just be dirt though.

yank51

May 4th, 2010, 02:57

Well, finally got my Lenovo T510 yesterday, and it's everything kiwikat said it would be, and more. Love it!!! Still playing with the settings, but we'll see about the resolution setting. Right now, I'm on the default just to get used to it and to set it up. I'm in the middle of getting it intomy home network, so I'm fiddling with a wireless router which is new to me. Again, thanks for pointing me towards the T510, as they are everything you claimed they would be, even though a bit more money than I originally planned on spending...

HundertzehnGustav

May 4th, 2010, 11:59

It is by far the most solid laptop I have ever used or seen. B

Does anyone else have any experience with ThinkPads?

1+
1+
love changing keyboards or Mobos on them - beats any HP bullshytte by lengths.
regularly have some of them under my grubby hands, and even very old models from IBM days seem to survive a lot better than the other fangdangled new stuff.

but pricey... and come with a lot of unnecessary software.

HundertzehnGustav

May 4th, 2010, 12:07

Bjoern

May 4th, 2010, 13:29

but pricey... and come with a lot of unnecessary software.

Windows 7 funnily eliminated the need for a lot of it. The only thing I had to install after starting 7 for the first time was the trackpoint/touchpad switching tool. Nothing else.

HundertzehnGustav

May 5th, 2010, 03:09

funny you say so... do they not have a hardware button next to the trackpad for that (disable trackpad?)

Bjoern

May 7th, 2010, 11:14

funny you say so... do they not have a hardware button next to the trackpad for that (disable trackpad?)

Yes, but you still need a driver for that.

Kiwikat

May 7th, 2010, 11:18