Caveats for the T410?

Planning on buying a new business/university laptop. it'll probably be a T410 since my university has a deal with Lenovo.

specs:
Prozessor Intel Core i7-620M
Cache 2 x 256 KB L2, 4 MB L3
Takt 2.66 GHz (TurboBoost 3.33 GHz)
HD 500 GB / 7200 RPM
RAM 4 GB (1 x 4 GB, DDR3)
Display 14.1" (matt), WXGA+, 1440 x 900, LED
Displayformat 16:10
Graphik Nvidia Quadro NVS 3100m, 512 MB GDDR3
Batterie 9 Zellen Akku, 94 Wh
Laufwerk DVD Multiburner

so, my question is, are there any caveats with this particular model? i.e. does the hard drive zap the handrests? do the hinges creak? is the LCD terrible? does the trackpad seize to work? etc.

thanks in advance.

 

i just received my T410 for university last week, so far I love this thing

LCD is definitely not as vibrant in colors as macbook pros I was also considering, but the matte screen is really really good for sitting down at the library for hours straight doing actual productive work.

performance is surprisingly good for a business machine. I've been playing starcraft 2 on medium settings getting ~40 fps

i saw videos on youtube about flex in the keyboard and creaks in the plastic body. I checked carefully and I don't have any of that. Only thing i dont like is the textured trackpad, not sure of the advantage of it, but my fingers dont glide smoothly on it.

If your university has good deals with the T410 you should definitely consider it. It's so light, yet stiff and sturdy, and performs so well for the price.

 

what's the T410's body made of? all plastic? or is there a metal chassis underneath?

 

There is a magnesium alloy skeleton underneath, in both the main body and the screen assembly, which Lenovo calls the "Roll Cage." The plastic-on-metal construction makes it very strong.

One thing to note is that the T410 was at first falsely rumored to have switchable graphics - it does not.

 

the bottom external casing is not just simple plastics, it is carbon fiber reinforced plastic. These are lot stronger than the ABS/PC plastic.

 

well that's definitely promising. one more question: is the LCD bezel on the T410 symmetrical or assymmetrical (like on the T61 my dad used to have)? i couldn't find conclusive evidence on the internet.

 

symmetrical due to the number of complaints about the asymmetry of the T61 and T400 screen bezel.

 

phew, that's a relief. is there anything bad about this laptop?

 

Nope

(You can even switch the Ctrl/Fn in BIOS! - it was a concern for me)

Some things you might want to consider:

When I was looking around I found lots of discussions about i7-620M vs i5-540M, and lots of people claimed that the performance difference between i540 and i720 is very small, and the battery life difference is big. Something might have changed in the "general knowledge" since then though, so it's something you should verify.

Also, you might want to choose the cheapest hard drive option with the laptop, and put something better inside - like the SSD/HDD hybrid.

 

out of curiousity, what does that config run you at your university....wonder if its the same for us.

 

Does T410 really have top rollcage? Ive heard that it doesnt and that screen is simply plastics without magnesium roll cage in top.

 

just under CHF1600, which is just under $1600.

 

No it isnt. At closer inspection, the left bezel is 16 mm whereas the right is 14 mm. Mind you i just use a simple plastic ruler.

The difference is so small, i just realized at the first month of use. When you starring at the screen a lot soon or later you will realize the differences. The left one is thicker than the right, measure it !

 

No it isnt. At closer inspection, the left bezel is 16 mm whereas the right is 14 mm. Mind you i just use a simple plastic ruler.

The difference is so small, i just realized at the first month of use. When you starring at the screen a lot soon or later you will realize the differences. The left one is thicker than the right, measure it !