Buy T420 now or wait for T430?

This forum is dorked up.

 

You get used to it.

 

ROFL. No kidding.

 

For whatever reason, the original message wasn't posted, so this is it:


Hi everyone,

I used this forum 4+ years ago to help me purchase my T61, whose motherboard unfortunately died a few weeks ago. I'm in the market for a new laptop, and had a few questions:

1) What exactly is the difference between integrated and discrete graphics? I'm not a gamer by any means but want to be able to dabble in gaming beyond the occasional Solitaire.

2) What are the main differences between the T420 and the recently released T430? Of the differences I see, I happen to like the old keyboard, but don't know if other differences make it worth it to buy the T430.

3) I have a friend who works for Lenovo and can therefore get EPP. They are having a sale now on the old stock, and I put together a T420 for ~$850 with Core i5 processor, HD+ screen, enhanced graphics, 9 cell battery, and 3 year extended base warranty. How much more expensive will the T430 be with similar specs?

4) Any reason to wait for Windows 8?

I very much appreciate all of your help, thanks!

 

i wouldnt pay more than $500 for T420 at this point. maybe a slightly used one on ebay or something. even though u think u are getting a good deal, the price will drop like a rock the moment ivy comes out and that's less than a month away.

on the other hand, if u are planning to keep it for 2-3 years, maybe it won't matter what you buy - be it t420 or t430...

 

When do you think that price drop will happen?

 

Do you really think it will drop much lower then what it is right now. This is what i planned to buy tomorrow for $718 out the door with taxes included.

Its coming with the HD+, i5-2520, 9cell, and the intel 6205.

Thought it was a pretty good deal.

 

Discrete graphics give better performance (for rendering or gaming), at the expense of battery life. You don't need them.

The main difference is battery life- about 10-15% more, due to the new generation of processor. But the battery life on a T420 is already light years ahead of a T61.

Don't know anything about pricing, and I wouldn't bother waiting for Windows 8- it's not going to immediately affect the OS ecosystem.

 

Is there a difference in movie editing if you have integrated graphics vs discrete?

 

You need to check the particular product specs to find out whether it will benefit from a discrete video or not. Usually, the benefit isn't significant in terms of saved time, but it depends on use patterns. E.g. if a certain filter is 10x faster with a GPU, if it runs for 2 seconds/day, is the time saving worth additional heat, reduced battery life etc.

Just for video transcoding, mobile Intel CPU is one of the best routes anyway ( H.264 encoding - CPU vs GPU: Nvidia CUDA, AMD Stream, Intel MediaSDK and x264 (page 27: Conclusion) - BeHardware )

Discrete GPUs help if you need to connect more than 2 monitors though.

 

Does the graphics card run even when not using graphics-heavy processes?

 

In theory it does not. In practice, nVidia Optimus has its issues, and some users end up switching to Discrete Only in BIOS.

The discrete video option in T4xx series is quite a low end card anyway (even Quadro 2000M in W series is barely sufficient for running recent 3D games).

 

And lastly, is there any difference in streaming video between the two graphics options?

 

No. Integrated graphics are fine.

 

I've configured a machine for $737 with the following specs. Any reason to wait for the T430?


Description
ThinkPad T420 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Processor: Intel Core i5-2450M Processor (3M Cache, 2.50GHz)
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English
Display type: 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display
System graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor graphics with dynamic frequency
Total memory: 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard - US English
Pointing device: UltraNav multi-touch touchpad & TrackPoint
Camera: 720p HD Camera with Microphone
Hard drive: 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Optical device: DVD Recordable
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot, 4-in-1 Card Reader
Battery: Lithium Ion 9-cell Battery
Power cord: 90W AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin)
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0 wireless
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n
Integrated mobile broadband: Mobile Broadband ready (no mobile broadband module)
Language pack: Publication - US English

Accessories and options:
3Yr Base Warranty Extension

 

That's a good config for a good price.

(I would upgrade WiFi adapter to the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205.)

 

Nah, you can get it cheaper via the Barnes and Noble site:

Barnes and Noble Gold

Same thing.

 

I checked - same price on B&N and on EPP.
Is the price going to come down when the T430 comes out or just get it now?

 

Actually, will the t420 still be available on lenovo's website when the t430 comes out?

 

Probably not. The E420 was removed once the E430 was available. I assume the same will happen with the T-series.

 

What do you think the pricing will be on the T430?

 

Lenovo has a history of overheating problems when they put a graphics card into the T4XX. Hopefully they have remedied this issue with the T430 because it really messes up the laptop otherwise. Disabling the card is easy enough for those who must have it. Frankly I only use the card when playing movies onto an HD TV. Otherwise I have it disabled because of the temp.