Customizing T520

Hello all, I am looking to buy a new T520 but stuck on a few options.

Note: We use T510s exclusively at work so I am familiar with Thinkpads.

1. I chose the T520 over the T420 initially becuase of the screen contrast, (200:1 vs 500:1). I will definitely get the HD+ 1600x900 screen but I am also now considering the FHD 1920x1080. Can anyone testify to the worth of this upgrade? Is it really worth the $180? I am concerned about the text being too small on the FHD but really want the extra brightness over the HD+ for outdoor use.

2. I am also look at the i5-2410 or i5-2520 processors. Is there a real difference that I will notice as a personal user? What will probably make the difference for me is cost. The 2520 comes with the T520 with NVIDIA and the 2410 is the highest processor I can get with the T520i.

3. So do I go with the T520i and i5-2410M with the Intel graphics and save about $100 or go for the T520 with the i5-2520M and the NVIDIA? Would the discrete graphics really have an impact. I not gaming much but would like to play DVD/Bluerays (plan to get a blueray burner later). Will I see any difference with the discrete graphics?

4. I am also considering a few aftermarket upgrades. I will order with only 4 gb of memory and add another stick when it gets here. I am aslo probably going to add an mSATA drive (most likely Intel 310) to increase speed and use the 320GB for a backup. I will defintely get the 9-cell battery.

5. Other than that, I am not planning on getting the fingerprint reader, smartcard reader, or camera to save a little on cost. But I am ordering it with Bluetooth for tethering and the 3x3 card for speed (after I upgrade my router) and to mazimize range. I read some reviews that the 3x3 gets better reception over the 2x2 even when using a 2x2 router.

Any feed back on these issues or anything else I should get or not get?

 

Everyone is going to answer one differently. The FHD is better and if that's what you want, get it. That's the toughest thing to replace. You can bump the DPI up to makes things bigger.

Unless you're pushing the CPU frequently, typical usage does not do this, the better CPU has little marginal value. The Intel GPU is certainly sufficient for Blu-ray playback. If you're not gaming, that's probably the way to go.

 

You can always increase the size of the pixels. The screen is one of those things where youre mostly stuck with it. Get the best one you can.

 

1.- Best way to decide is to see a 15.6" 1910x1080 screen for yourself. Go to a local store and see if you can find a laptop with such a screen: the text will be similar on a T520's FHD panel.

2.- Either CPU will be more than enough processing power for 99% of users. In fact, if you don't need discrete graphics, I would suggest maybe even sticking with the base Core i3 CPU: you won't be able to notice any difference in performance between the CPU options.

3.- If you aren't going to game or render things in 3D (ie: AutoCAD), integrated graphics will be more than enough. Stick with the T520i with either an Core i3 or the base Core i5.

4.- mSATA sounds good. I would suggest using the T520 and adding more RAM only if you need to. I'd say most users won't even notice the difference between a machine with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of RAM.

5.- Camera may be useful as it's very difficult to add aftermarket, but if you know you won't be using Skype and won't be reselling the laptop, you can skip it. Yes, the 3x3 will generally get better reception, although this will be most noticeable in weak WiFi signal situations and where many devices are all connecting to the same hotspot.

 

If you need alot of graphical space to work with, get the Nvidia NVS 4200M because you can use 3 external displays with a dock. Only the quad core W520 models have 4 working DIMMs and dual cores only have 2 DIMMs, I'm not sure about the T520.

 

Again, the dual core modules have 4 DIMMs, it's just that 2 of them have dummy cards in them. If I'm not mistaken, they are electrically functional and it's just that the CPU can't use them (well, why else would the machine not boot with a module of RAM in one of the slots with a dummy card?).

 

I'm very happy with the HD+ screen on my T520. Text is very easy to read, and screen realestate is fine for multi tasking. I was just using it outdoors, and max brightness was not needed on a cloudy day. I'm used to getting by with a much worse / dimmer screen on an old Toshiba.

Unfortunately I can't make a comparison to the higher rez screen.

 

Hi. As others pointed, you'll get different answers. Here are mine nonetheless:

1. If I were budget constrained, I would go with the FHD and save elsewhere (e.g. CPU). The FHD is plain beautiful. I have compared it to the HD+ screeen and there is a considerable difference in terms of contrast and colors. It may take you some time to adjust to the higher resolution, but after a few days, you won't be willing to work on lesser rez screens. You may also find it helpful to use a custom color profile as the FHD is a wide gamut display.

2. Only marginal difference between the two if you don't care about the vPro, Virtualization, etc.

3. I mostly use my computer for CPU-intensive stuff. I also have the Optimus nVidia but it hardly ever kicks in with my everyday use. I've seen it working only a couple of time, when playing FHD movies. Switching manually to Intel HD3000 did not change video performance with the FHD movies. So I would say the Intel GPU will be more than enough if you don't play demanding games (Intel HD is as powerful as midrange dedicated GPUs and can still play most games at medium or low settings AFAIK).

4. Don't pay extra for the RAM. There have been so many deals on memory recently with the prices averaging $50 for a kit of two 4Gb SODIMMs. Just to give you a heads up, the 9-cell battery is not flush with the laptop and protrudes about an inch from the back of the laptop. mSata is a good option but a bit more expensive per GB. You can buy a 120Gb-160Gb SSD instead for the same price.

5. This is up to you, but you may end up needing a webcam. Of course, you still can buy it separately. As for the 6205 vs 6300, you won't get much range improvement.

I hope this helps.