Any Reviews for Lenovo ThinkPad T420?

I couldn't find any... If you know any reviews, please kindly let me know... Thanks...

 

I havent' been able to find any, and even though I just received my T420 today I would still like to see one.

 

Why ... Owning a T420 should give you a pretty good idea of the product?

Here's an idea, you review your own laptop, then take a look at your own review and then post it on this forum!

 

Perhaps he requires a comprehensive review in order to make an informed purchasing decision? No need to be hostile. Not everyone wants or has the capital to take the risk of being an early adopter.

 

Jesper Juul wrote "I just received my T420 today" so a bit late to make an "informed purchasing decision"

No hostility intended though, I'm just jealous. All I meant was, he could do a review on the T420 because he owns one. And if he did, I would sure like to read it.

 

Here is one from another member.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/566452-quick-student-review-t420.html

 

Yup, please do some reviews!! There is a review by a user as stated..

 

Some people like to see what others think of the product even if they have already bought it. I'm guilty for doing this practice too even though it does seem illogical.

But sometimes on reviews they show you modes or features that the end user may not realise, my friend who bought his Dell E6420 wouldn't know how to use Optimus mode if it wasn't for the reviews!

 

Not really a 'review' but lots of tests and useful info: Lenovo Thinkpad T420s review, it's a T420s tested but still pretty good info.

 

Yes, I normally find it interesting to read reviews, even if I have bought the product myself.

I can do a very short review of my T420.

Its the model with the I7 2620M processor, 8 gb ram, 500 GB harddrive, apparantly a Seagate 7200, which I have exchanged for a WD Black Scorpio 750 GB as soon as I burned the recovery discs from the original disc.
It has the 1600*900 screen, build inn WWAN card and the Intel 6300 wireless card.

For the moment I'm very happy about, nice to have some more "screen" with better resolution than my T410.
It's fast, but I really can't feel any difference from my T410, and I didn't think I really would.

There is a couple of "funny" things about my new T420:

Even though it has a higher screen resolution than my previuos Thinkpad, I kind of feel that I can actually see the pixels on the screen, a little difficult to explain.

The big black frame on the bottom of the screen is a little weird, it's over 2 cm high, and in my opinion it's a little waste of actual screen.

The keyboard is quite glossy compared with most of my other Thinkpads, it reminds me of the one I have one the T43P.

I haven't tried the WWAN card yet, but other than that I'm almost done installing software and my usual stuff, I need to copy some of my music and all of my pictures, but right now it runs a total Truecrypt disc encryption, and will do so for the next 15-16 hours.

Let me know if you have any questions, as long it has nothing to do with games, I don't play any.

PS. The build quality seems way better than my T410, no squiks or flex which the my T410 suffers from.

It's also extremely quit I don't think I have heard the fan turn on yet, and there is no high pitched noise from the cpu.

 

how's the battery life? What battery do you have? Thanks..

 

I haven't tested the battery life yet, but will do it as soon as Trucrypt has finished encrypting my drive. I ordered it with the 6 cell battery, but I also have a 9 cell from my T410 I can test it with.

 

I've been looking all over for reviews as well; the only decent results Google turns up are on this forum.

It's already shipping to end users, and STILL no reviews by major sites? Come on Lenovo!

I'm especially interested to get a sense of how it compares to the T410 (which will be available for a while still on Lenovo's outlet at reduced prices), and other business laptops as well. I'm surprised to hear that the build quality seems better than the T410 -- I figured this was more of a spec bump than a redesign.

One more item of importance to me: Linux compatibility. If anyone has tried Ubuntu on a T420, please post about it.

 

Me to, but the one I got is better build than my T410, which i haven't been happy about build quality wise.

Sorry but I don't use Linux so I can't help you there.

 

With screen brightness at 8 to 10 out of 15 I can get 8-10 hours of battery life on 9-cell

 

I'm also really happy to see comments about how quiet it is -- loud computers have always been an annoyance to me; most PC manufacturers don't care about or advertise this. It's no accident though -- Lenovo is touting the quieter fans: YouTube - New 2011 ThinkPad Preview | ThinkPad T420 - ThinkPad T520 and ThinkPad X202

So anyway, is there a noticeable difference in the noise level between the T410 & T420?

 

Sounds good, is that with the integrated graphic card?

 

My apologies. I thought you were referring to the OP.

 

There is a huge difference, the T420 is "deadsilent", as I've mentioned before I still haven't heard the fan turn on yet, while the fan on my T410 is always on, and sounds like a quite jetengine, it hasn't bothered me much in the past, but you can really hear the difference when you have them lined up beside each other.

 

Yes

I agree, this thing is silent. Just don't buy a WD Scorpio Black, they're louder than the computer itself. I returned my Scorpio Black.

 

Lol, I actually did exactly that, a 750 Gb version, and it also very silent, and there is no vibration from it, even now when it running all the time encrypting my disc. It is way more silent than the Seagate which came with the computer.

 

I found a T420 review!

I think the reviewer complains about the vertical viewing angles and flex on the display. I had a hard time understanding what he was saying.

 

What hard drive would you suggest than if not the Scorpio Black.

 

i will have a preconfigurated model. is the hard-disk coming from lenovo fast and quite? May I know exactly the model number of the hard disk? thanks.

 

The contrast ratio suck for the HD+ panel (158:1). I was hoping for at least 500:1.

 

SSD + Scorpio blue, booya!

Honestly though no idea, I only tried a couple and picked what I like, don't go around testing drives left and right.

I heard Seagate's and Samsung's 7.2k are quiet.

 

My recently received x201 has this Seagate 7200 rpm drive. My R400 has the 5400 rpm Hitachi drive.

Both run dead silent - though I must admit that for some unknown reason, I was a trifle dismayed that the x201 came with the Seagate. But for the few days that I have had it there has been no problems etc. Finger crossed though.

 

I think that this was measured on the brightest screen setting.
But I agree with you, the contrast ratio isn't awesome.

 

I know I shouldn't have my hope up, but since they are moving to a new 16:9 I thought they would offer some decent screen like the t510.

 

The base screen is matte, is the upgrade 1600x900 also matte?

 

I'm working on a very in-depth review of mine.

Should be online sometime tomorrow.

 

Thinkpad only have matte screen except for the SL and Edge which some don't consider to be a true Thinkpad anyway.

 

Please include a section on "structural robustness" verification.

 

I haven't read/seen the review, but there is no flex on my screen at all, even if I press very hard on the back of the screen there is no bleeding what so ever.

The viewing angle is about the same as on my T410, but I still get the feeling that I can see the actual pixels easier that on the T410, I don't know why that is, because the total resolution is higher on the T420, maybe it's got something to do with the aspect of the pixels.

Not the Seagate 7200 I got, it was the most noisy harddrive I've used in years, not that it was terribly loud, but you could always hear when it was in use.

I havent got the disc with me right now, but I will check the modelnumber when I get home.

 

You have the T420 1600x900 screen? When you are seeing the pixels, what brightness are you using at night and what distance from your eyes?

This isn't a touchscreen, correct?

 

Yes, its the one with 1600*900 resolution and its not a touchscreen. I use at around brightness 11-13 in the day time, I haven't really used it in the middle of the night yet, and I sit at the normal distance when using a notebook

 

That was never going to happen given that it's specified at 300:1.

Anyone who has purchased a T-series ThinkPad in the past 4 years knows that the displays suck. According to the same website my T400's 1440x900 screen is even worse (125:1).

I don't like the crappy displays, but then again almost every laptop you can buy (with some exceptions like the X220 IPS, W520/T520 FHD, HP EliteBook IPS, and some of the Apple latops) has a horrible display.

And, yes, I know what a good display looks like. My desktop has a Dell U2311H IPS display. I almost chose the X220 over the T420s, but the lower resolution and tiny click pad basically ruled it out. My ThinkPad is first a work machine, and writing code in Eclipse on a 1366x768 display just doesn't compare to having 1600x900. So I put up with the crappy contrast ratio, viewing angles, and color quality.

If your laptop is primarily a gaming/movie machine, well, the T420 isn't the best choice anyway. Something like the Envy 15 has a much nicer screen and much faster graphics.

But for me, I won't buy anything but a mainline (T/X/W) ThinkPad anymore. I value having PgUp/PgDn/Home/End in a reasonable location. I value having three real mouse buttons. I value having a Synaptics touchpad with two buttons that are quiet and have good tactile feel instead of some garbage click pad. I value having common power adapters with many of my friends. I value being able to pull out the optical drive and put in a hard drive (or a battery in the case of my current T400 and future T420s). I value having a TPM for BitLocker. I value a thermal design that's cool and quiet. I value a rounded front palm rest. I value status indicators that are easy to distinguish in the dark and aren't annoyingly bright blue blinking LEDs. I value a design that doesn't pick up fingerprints or show every scratch. I value having parts availability for years to come. I value a machine that's easy to disassemble and service. I value having the maintenance manual posted online for free.

The list goes on. But the fact is that I liked almost everything about the two ThinkPad laptops I have owned (T61 and T400) which was not the case with the other machines I have owned. So I put up with the crappy screen, not because I like it, but because everything else outweighs that factor.

 

Battery seems to lasting 5,5-6 hours when set on maximum battery, and screen brightness is set on 8. This is with Thunderbird, Itunes and a lot of open pages in Chrome.

 

Screen viewing is very important to me ( 65 yr old eyes)......

My problem with the reviews thus far is the lack of Good reviews that I am looking for in my work...

I don't game, nor CAD or Photoshop on a notebook, but use it for data base, internet research, word/excel programs only. I use reading glasses as well.

Question #1...Those with the T420 (1600x900) and or T520 (FHD 1920x1080 ) please give us your screen reviews while looking straight-on only and indoors and let us know if its a good screen to look at ?

Question #2...Would those with a T420 (if you had the chance) go with the T520 instead for the added resolution or stay with the T420 ?

Question #3...Are the T420 screens really that bad as has been reported ? or just that its not as good as one would like to have ?

Question #4...This bothers me when one member says that he can see pixels on the screen. Does anyone else with either the T420/520 see this as well ?

Everything else about those two systems are just fine, but the screen is the most important since that is what we look at all day of use.

Thanks to all that can weigh in on these questions

 

^^^ I don't do (good, detailed, useful) notebook reviews for a living. So, my feedback below is based on personal experience only:

1. The T420 (1600x900) is a good screen to look at, straight on. The T/W510 (FHD 1920x1080) is a great screen to look at. Having received neither a T520 nor a W520, I can only project that the T520 FHD is equally beautiful.

2. Every factor is relative to one's intended use of a system. If for great screen and high resolution alone, I'd go for the HP EliteBook 8740w with 17" DreamColor 2 IPS (there're two in our design labs, but I don't use them daily). I use T410 1440x900, T510 1920x1080 and X201 1280x800 for different reasons.

3. The T420 1600x900 screen is not "bad."

4. "Griddy" pixels on the T420 1600x900 screen? If you look really closely or if you zoom in with a camera, yes. Normal use, no. Is this an inherent characteristic of this particular screen? I doubt it.

If you mostly use the notebook on your desk and value a display with better quality and higher resolution, please consider a T520 FHD 1920x1080. (In your case, the integrated GPU should be fine.) Now, the trade-off for good brightness, great contrast, beautiful color reproduction and smooth lines/images is that the fonts may appear "small" in certain situations. In my case, I selectively "magnify" the contents of documents in Word and web pages in Chrome. (My eyes are not as old as yours, but I do use reading glasses. )

 

I recommend you get the t520 with the HD+, the full 1080p on a 15.6 will be hard on your 65 year old eyes.

 

I should be getting my T520 that has the FHD upgrade tomorrow I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

 

I just got my T420 w/ the 1600x900 screen. I have to say I love this laptop, first Thinkpad I've purchased. I got it w/ the 9 cell battery and while I havent put it on the scale, it feels below 5 pounds, I wont have any trouble carrying this around. Now the screen, its not the best. I love having the extra resolution and the viewing angles are decent, not great. Will this screen blow people away? No. The Envy 14 Radiance smokes this thing. But is it good for most of us? Yes. I am a happy camper. Now I am off to install my 128GB SSD and 8GB of RAM, this thing will really fly then...

Oh and I am actually suprised by how thin it is, glad I didnt opt for the more expensive T420s. This thing is small and compact enough for my uses as a student.

 

^^^ I suppose this is worth repeating: I am actually suprised by how thin it is, glad I didnt opt for the more expensive T420s.

Anyhow, enjoy the 128GB SSD and 8GB of RAM! Wise expenses.

 

Yea, the closed the gap even more on the T420 and T420s. I wouldn't be surprised to see the T420s SKUs disappear later.

 

It's a Seagate Momentus 7200.4 that came with the computer in my case.

 

Can any of you tell me how to get into the BIOS? I tried the delete key, that just brought me to the windows boot menu (odd its usually F8) and the Thinkvantage button just brought me to recovery options.

 

I plan on weighing my t420 when it arrives tomorrow. Lenovo has changed the weight information on their site. It now states it starts at 4.84 lbs and I'm assuming this is with the 6 cell battery. In the tabook it stated to weight 4.70 lbs with the 9 cell battery. Not that it really matters to me if it's above 5 lbs with the bigger battery but I like to know the facts......

 

Thanks to the screen question guys. Read just now on another thread about the 1080p screen being a bit too much for older people. Good to know in advance. I went to Best Buy to look at some screens but none of them on the table have the screens I'm looking for.

So, I'm back to the T420 again. Now where are those nice coupons ?

 

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