Getting T500, T500 users please take a look

Hi,

I think I will be getting T500. The reasons would be that they are pretty cheap now, they have 16:10 screen ratio.

Id be use this machine as desktop replacement - word processing, web surfing, video player etc etc And for light gamming like HL2,CSS source engine games, old strategies like Age of Empires and other old stuff ...

I choosed T500 over T400 because it has better graphic card.
I choosed T500 over W500 beacuse W500 is more expensive for me and Im not sure if I would like WUXGA resolution that much ... Im X61s guy so 12" XGA and X200T with 12" WXGA. Id like to have a bit more place on the desktop so I think that 15" WSXGA+ would be good. Of course WXGA LED looks tempting cause of LED but I think this is too low resolution for 15"

Now ... I wish it had LED WSXGA+ but saddly they dont offer it. I got LED screen on my X200T and I like LED backlight a lot. But since this machine will be on the desktop all the time connected to power outlet so I dont think that LED's low wattage would matter a lot, same with high brightness ...

Now lets talk about CPU ... should I get T9600 over P8700 or P8800 ? I dont mind about power consumption etc ... Im looking for good bang for th buck ... just T9600 6MB cache L2 looks good ... but would it really improve gaming performance ? I think that the most demanding thing from hardware would be gaming I think ... I know its not gaming machine but I dont want to return to big desktops... If I had to move out once in a 8months it would be easier to take the notebook than pack huge desktop ...

I need to choose a top seller model, sadly ...

So the things that I will choose for sure:
- Win 7 Pro 32bit (would love to have 64bit but there isnt any top seller model with this)
- would love to have 4GB already, beacause Id need to bother myself with getting another sticks ... 3GB is fine I think since it will need to be 32bit system ....
- ultranav with fingerprint reader
- intergrated camera
- hdd 320GB 7200rpm or 160GB 7200rpm ... Im not looking for capacoty but for speed, performance here
- no turbo memory
- Express Card Slot & PC Card Slot - I would choose this beacause I read that the palmrest wouldnt flex with this config ...
- bluetooth
- intel wifi 5100 (would love 5300 but they dont offer)
- Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable
- 6c or 9c battery doesnt matter that much ... but 9cell would be nice

And that would be all I think.

T500 users please tell me what do you think about that. Should I be careful about something ? I heard that keyboard flex has been fixed but I dont know what they did to T500 ... T400 has also additional bracket inside the system to prevent keyboard from flexing.

Or maybe its better to wait year or more for T410 ... of course it has better graphics than T500 now and screen ratio of 16:10 ...

Thanks,
Sorry for chaos

 

The T500 is a fine machine. I wouldn't get the better CPU as for most things it has little value. Gaming is mostly dependent on the card.

 

Would 3GB ruin performance instead of 4GB of RAM ? LOL

 

Not in my opinion.

 

Would source engine games run fine ? I think this would be the most demanding games from my collection since I dont play the newest FPS'es anymore.

Id also like to add that I wish to use this machine as long possible. Im worried about aging of the CCFL display ... however I think I will have 3 year warranty so maybe it isnt that bad ...

My x61s CCFL screen went bigger and bigger black dots... gladly it was still on warranty. X61s is going to be soon 3 years old ...

 

Source games will run fine. I have played CS:S, TF2, DoD:S, L4D1 & 2 all at native resolution (1680x1050) with low/medium settings. As long as you're sticking to Source games you should be fine.

With that said, however; you will most likely be disappointed by the screen. The colors are drab and CCFL is dim compared to LED displays of other machines I have owned.

Like every notebook out there you have to compromise. Unfortunately we can't have it all! With the T500, you're going to get a durable machine with the best keyboard/pointing stick (TrackPoint). You'll be able to do some moderate gaming at medium settings. And you're going to get a very average screen.

 

I think you worry too much, which is not good for you.

 

1) 4GB is snappier than 3GB, even with 32bit.
2) A SSD will do far more for performance than changing CPU, HHD or ram, or whatever
3) Some games do like a 513MB gpu - so the W500 should be considered - and you don't have to get WUXGA.

 

Could you name a few games that like 512MB GPU ?

I read that W500's GPU is T500's GPU with additional memory and cad optimization, optimized drivers...

However this GPU has 128bit bus so does it really matter if it has 256MB or 512MB ?

In my situation W500 is more expensive about 200 or 300$ even with cheaper WSXGA+ than WUXGA.


Btw I have "slower" Samsung SSD so I may put it in T500. However I still keep thinking about better CPU with 6MB of Cache L2 ...

 

1) Several flight simulators I have looked at demand 512MB gpu -e.g "Rise of Flight". If you know the games you will use, just check specs yourself.

2) All other things being equal, more gpu ram is better than less - just as for system memory

3) unless you specifically need the 512MB gpu, then the W500 would be a waste of money for you.

4) the 6MB cache of the T-series apparently increases performance by about 10% over the equivalent P-series. Whether it is worth it depends on price difference. I like having the extra oomph when i really need it - on high demands - just what the T-series is designed to do. The P-series has a lower heat level at high levels but with lesser oomph.

5) I have found running 64-bit programs under 64-bit Win7 with 4GB or more ram improves performance over the equivalent 32-bit Win7 by a lot more than 10%.

 

the T9xxx (35w TDP) series also run hotter than the P8xxx (25w TDP)... also for the normal web surfing and word processing you won't able to notice the speed increase, only when you use more CPU intensive application would you notice the benefit of the T9xxx.

 

my specs run source like a dream, dont waste any money upgrading further

I don't have any flex or construction issues... except my right arrow key a bit.

Also, I bought the T500 for the better graphics card as well, but If I were to buy again I would go with the T400 because the 3650 is overkill and I'd prefer the smaller size

 

I don't think you should get a better gpu than the base one; i'm sure the gaming performance is limited by the radeon 3650. of course, for other applications, you may see a small performance boost.
I have played hl2ep2 1920x1080 very high details, no AA. runs very well, not liquid smooth, but controls are still responsive in intensive situations
l4d2 does not run as well for me, maybe 1440x900 and medium details
I have the p8700 and 2gb ram.

 

T500 and T400 are outdated and overrated.

 

Both were awesome notebooks when they came out, and nothing has changed to make them lesser notebooks. In fact, the advent of Windows 7 has only added to their many attributes. Though near the end of their production cycle, they are a couple of the best all-round notebooks available - and will not suddenly stop being brilliantly engineered notebooks because of a year or two of development in the industry.

 

Each to their own i guess..... i guess any laptop is outdated and overrated when it comes out, maybe you should consider using pen and paper.... they are underrated and never gets outdated.