Help Customizing My T420

Hey all, after plenty of research I've decided to get the thinkpad T420. I will be using this laptop for school and also plan on doing some light gaming (wow, sc2).

I'm not very tech savvy so need your help customizing it. I have absolutely no idea what up upgrade other than the screen. I also plan on getting the fingerprint reader and webcam. As for processor, memory, wifi, etc. I have no idea what to get but want it to be suitable for some gming. I heard that you could save a lot of money upgrading memory and hard drive yourself though. So if a newb could do it, let me know.

I intend on spending ~$1000 before taxes. I will be buying from the Canadian site so will also get a coupon for 18% in addition to the instant savings.

The link to the customization page is: Lenovo - Customize your ThinkPad T420 laptop


This model comes with Windows professional but I'm thinking it would be better to just get premium and save another $50.00 to spend on additional upgrades. Is professional necessary?
Thankyou.

PS: If I call and order it could I talk them into any additional discounts or upgrades?

 

You can get away with a Core i3 processor though for gaming you could appreciate the extra power offered from the Core i5's with its Turbo Boost technology. I wouldn't really bother with the Core i7's as the difference from the Core i5's are negligible.

For the RAMs and Hard Drive, normally getting it from a third party retailer are usually cheaper than obtaining it from Lenovo. Installation are relatively easy, the second RAM module is a little tricky as its underneath the keyboard but generally its not too difficult.

Webcam and FP are usually your own preference but personally I don't find much usefulness on having FP for logon as it just adds seconds to the startup procedure compared to normal login.

Windows 7 Professional are aimed for business clients who want to connect to a corporate networks, most likely you won't need this feature so Home Premium version should be sufficient.

 

I will definitly be getting at least an i5, but should I go with the i5 2520, 2540 or i7 2620? If getting the i7 won't help much in gaming I'll stick with one of the two i5's but which one?

Also what wi-fi adapter should I get?

 

The base Core i5-2520 should be plenty powerful, the Intel Wi-Fi adaptors are generally very well supported in many platforms. The Centrino Advanced-N 6205 is the latest card out of the Intel Wi-Fi options (even against the 6300) and should be more than adequate for your needs.

 

The above cpu options will give very similar performance, so go for the cheapest one.

Much more important is going for the NVIDIA Quadro NVS4200M gpu. Also a SSD, if you can afford it.

As for wi-fi, the Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN is the way to go.

 

I personally would say that the NVS4200M is a waste of money unless you need to drive 4 monitors at once, and the CPU upgrade from the 2520M would be a waste of money period.

Go for the 6300 if you can afford it and have a router capable of outputting 450Mbps, if not, the 6205 should be fine for your needs.

The bottom line is, a T420 or T520 will not be very suitable for heavy gaming, period. If you want a laptop that can do heavy gaming, you are looking at the wrong laptop.

 

Thankyou, I will be sticking with the 2520 then and at least be getting centrino advanced.

As I stated I wont be doing heavy gaming, only wow and maybe sc2. These games should at least run on low to med right?

Also what is an ssd and how do I go about getting one?

 

A SSD is a solid state drive (essentially a large flash drive with a RAID 0 controller or something like that) and is much faster than a traditional HDD as it doesn't have to spin and position the head to seek information. You get one at a computer parts store, or an e-tailer that sells parts (last time I checked, stores like BestBuy and Walmart don't carry them).

From my experiences, SCII runs a little sluggish with the Intel HD 3000 at 1600x900 medium. It runs fine in game, but feels a little sluggish when scrolling. I think it should be fine at like 1280x720 medium. I think SCII looks terrible in low settings.

I keep forgetting that I have an Intel HD 3000 to test games with. I only use it for its video decoding abilities.

 

The need was for "light gaming", and for that the Nvidia gpu is an excellent enhancement to the Intel gpu - about 50% improvement.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-3000.37948.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-NVS-4200M.47343.0.html

The Nvidia Quadro NVS4200M performs similarly to the ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 in the old W500, and is just fine for up to moderate gaming. Having the dedicated gpu as well as the integrated Intel is not just having the additional gpu available but also the additional software gpu drivers. I have found having two gpu's and their software to choose between is very nice.

As for the SSD, it is a hugely faster and vibration-free, non-mechanical "solid-state" alternative to the HDD http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/solid-state-drives/solid-state-drives-ssd.html
You can buy and install a 3rd-party SSD after purchase but easy way is to chose an SSD (120GB or 160GB) at selection time on the Lenovo site. I would go for the 160Gb SSD option - an Intel and very fine - not a cutting edge SSD, but then it is most reliable version. Nothing transforms a laptop like an SSD!

 

Oh I just saw the Canada part. I'd say that an 18% sale is quite lackluster (I have a 20% ecoupon from Lenovo at the moment). 15% sales happen pretty much 3 weeks out of 4, and I get e-mailed 18% coupons from Lenovo when 15% sales happen. I'd say wait for at least a 25% off sale, there was one back in the end of June I believe.

The price difference is $100 before sales and more like $75 ~ 85 with a sale. I'd much rather use that towards a SSD or adding more RAM than to add a dGPU that gives only that much of a performance gain. Though, that is a personal preference thing only. Light gaming is fine with the Intel HD 3000 as far as I'm aware. The NVS 4200M should be roughly as fast as my desktop's card, which is a 9500 GT, which can run SCII at 1080p medium. So if you think the extra resolution and/or in-game details in some games is worth the $75 ~ 85 you'll be paying (+13% tax I'm guessing), by all means, go for it.

 

Okay so this is my configuration:

Processor1 Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.2GHz

Operating system12 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)

Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English

Display type 14.0" HD+ LED backlight Anti-Glare (1600 x 900), with Wireless WAN Antenna

System graphics NVIDIA Quadro NVS4200M Optimus technology (1GB)

Total memory8 2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 (1 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard - US English

Pointing device UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader

Camera 720p HD Camera with Microphone

Hard drive4 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Optical device5 DVD Recordable

System expansion slots Express Card Slot, 4-in-1 Card Reader

Battery60 6 Cell 2.6Ah Li-Ion Battery

Power cord 90W AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin)

PCI adapter IEEE 1394a port

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters10 Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN

Integrated mobile broadband65 Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

Language pack Publication - US English

$917.58

Am I forgetting anything or adding too much? Also if I call and order on the phone will they give me an additional disount or upgrade?

 

I personally would upgrade the warranty to next day onsite for another $29
But other than no SSD (which I assume is too expensive or you will get 3rd party later..) you seem to have everything.
If you have a lot of media files (and assuming you will keep the HDD installed) I would suggest considering a 500GB HDD over the 320GB.

 

9 cell battery. It is $20 and even less when you factor in the coupon, and you get like 50% more battery life out of it. Only cons are it protruding out the back by about an inch and like 150 g of added mass.

Currently assessing price.

Edit:
Like I said, if you can wait, wait for a 25% or higher coupon. If not, then I guess the current sale is OK-ish at best. I'm not sure if I can just give out the 20% off e-mail subscription coupon code to people (trying to find conditions somewhere at the moment). And yes, do try calling in. You can probably get a better quote. Or, if you know someone that works for IBM, it is like a 30% off immediately.

 

It says it will cost me $44.00 to upgrade the warranty? Are you using the American site?

Also where can I buy an SSD for cheaper? Is it easy to install? And actually while on the subject, I will be buying an additional 4gb memory card for only $50.00 rather than paying $80.00. Is it easy to install or do i have to take apart the keyboard?

I'm not sure I like the idea of having the nine cell stick out from the bototm. And yes please do give me the coupon if you can. Should i remind you I will be purchasing from the Canadian site and I haven't seen much better deals.

 

SSDs will probably run you at least $100. It is very easy to install as far as hardware installations go. All you have to do is remove the HDD bay cover, take out the HDD tray thingy, remove the HDD, put the SSD in its place, and put it back together.

It doesn't stick out the bottom, it sticks out the back. Also, DO NOT buy that 4GB module for $50, that is actually almost as bad a price as $80 for 4GB total. I picked this up yesterday and installed it in my W520, works great and passed all tests I threw at it. I am also Canadian, and I got my W520 with 30% off coupon before base prices dropped to match American prices. There was a 25% off coupon at the end of June, and I see 15% coupons all the time. Still trying to find those conditions.

 

yeh, sorry - USA site ! SSD's are easy to install and a lot cheaper 3rd party.

as kirayamato26 points out, ram also...

3rd party self-installs issues just depend on your budget and value placed on time/worry ...My W500 I bought on ebay and added SSD, ram, and new OS. My T520 I bought from Lenovo with everything there at the beginning...No problems with either path...

As for battery options, I have never liked the batteries that stick out the back - and if I did, I would rather take a spare. But then I don't go far from the mains! If you do, then battery size (or number) is important.

On the area of power supply - if you constantly move from one specific place of work to another, having an additional power adaptor should also then come into the equation. It is very nice not having to carry an adaptor!

 

Okay I just want to get this straight as I'm all very new to this.

If I buy an SSD, it replaces the HDD? So technically it would be pointless to upgrade the HDD if I'm going to buy an SSD?

Also is it difficult to install memory in the T420? I've read you've had to take apart the keyboard but also read there is another spot?

And actually I probably will get the nine cell then. But could I still buy a 6 cell seperately later if I hate it?

 

It can either replace the HDD or your ODD (i.e. DVD drive) if you have a caddy for it, so upgrading your HDD wouldn't be 100% pointless per se, but I'd recommend getting an external if you really need storage anyways.

Installing RAM in a laptop is more difficult than doing it on a desktop (you have to angle it, make sure it goes in, and then push down), but it is fairly simple. You don't have to take the keyboard off when you are installing RAM, as there is another slot covered by the RAM bay cover. The one under the keyboard is occupied by the factory module.

It is best if you make up your mind for the battery now, a 6 cell battery is $160 I believe. I personally like how it sticks out the back. Makes carrying it more comfortable in my opinion.

 

Oh well i definitly don't want to give up my DVD drive so I guess I will be replacing the HDD.

I do feel a bit more confident with upgrading myself so thank you guys!! If I wanted to would I be able to bring it in to a computer shop to do it for free or cheap though?

And damn I really don't know what battery to get then... Does having the nine cell make it look awkward or feel awkward on your lap or while carrying it?

 

Not at all. If anything, it helps when carrying the Thinkpad both when it's open and closed, since it acts more like a grip. Unlike extended batteries in, for example, HP's Pavilion series, the 9-cell does not stick awkwardly out of the bottom. It's a far better value getting the 9-cell now than getting it aftermarket, where the price difference between it and the 6-cell is pretty big.

 

Yes, like MidnightSun said, the 9 cell battery is pleasant to have in my opinion. I think it actually helps with balancing the laptop on your lap. I believe Canada Computers and TigerDirect both handle upgrades. I'm not sure how much they charge, but something like a RAM installation is really simple.

 

Okay, I'll be getting the 9 cell battery. You guys have me sold lol. I think I'm ready to make the purchase.

@kirayamato26 did you happen to find out if I could use the coupon? If I call do you think they will give it to me?

And just to confirm I should be able to run wow and sc2 on at least low settings right? Possibly medium?

 

This is an unscientific test, but I got:

1. Roughly 15-35 FPS on Dragon Age: Origins at the highest settings at 1600x900. Average was 20 FPS.
2. Roughly 20 FPS average on Bad Company 2 at the lowest settings, 1600x900.
3. Around 50-60 FPS average in Half-Life 2. Highest settings.

I didn't bother with AA for any of the games I tried.

The NVS 4200M is quite capable and is comparable to a mid-end card from four years ago (8600GT, 2600 Pro).

 

Nope, I couldn't find any terms or conditions about passing an e-mail exclusive coupon code around, but I don't see any floating around the web so I'm still not sure if I can give someone else the code.

If you call in I'm sure that they'll be able to at least give you a 20% off coupon, if not even more, as you are getting a pretty loaded T420.

And yes, SCII and WoW should be able to run in at least low settings. The NVS 4200M, like I said, is around a GeForce 9500 GT (desktop), and I can run SCII at 1920x1080 at medium settings on my desktop no problems.

 

check on Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards - Notebookcheck.net Tech (choose your games and your gpu then click on "restrict" for result)...
as kirayamato26 says, should be fine using nvidia on low settings.

 

I've been to that site multiple times lol.

The one thing I don't understand about the T420 though is what am I paying so much for? I'm paying nearly $1000 for an i5 processor, 320 gb hard drive, 2 gb ram, a mere NVS4200M graphics card and only 1 year of warranty... My dad just brought this to my attention that there really isn't anything special I'm getting...

 

1600x900 screen

 

ThinkPads don't flex as much, can take the occasional "Oops" moments in life, and have a reputation of being durable. I have to say, before receiving my W520, I thought that the laptops I've used flexed too much, and after receiving it, I'm scared that I'll break the other laptops by just touching them. The build quality difference is very noticeable. ThinkPads (T and W series) have an internal magnesium rollcage which makes it very resistant to flex. The plastics are CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastic) if I recall correctly. The keyboard is spill resistant (note: resistant, not proof). There's also a docking port which allows you to attack a slice battery, which effectively adds another 9 cell battery to the system; or, you can get a dock and use the system with the dock. My dad said that he'd rather spend $1300 and get me a ThinkPad than spend $900 on like a HP/ASUS/Acer/Something. If you want something cheap, there are options like this. And yes, the 1600x900 screen, which is invaluable compared to the 1366x768 screens. I saw a lot of demo laptops with 1366x768 resolution yesterday and my eyes started bleeding (almost literally).

 

Well, I can now say I am the owner of a Thinkpad T420!

 

The Thinkpad is a very special laptop! You pay for its many design features that are too many to list here. You get a cool, quiet, tough laptop with years of design evolution behind it, and the best keyboard in the business. You can easily pay half of their cost for the same components in other designs, but you pay for how they all work together

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I've repped as many of you guys as I could until I reached my limit, I'll be sure to make sure I rep everyone who has helped.

Thankyou for all the help.

 

I am thinking of getting the t520 because of the higher contrast ratio 500:1 vs 200:1. But then thinking about the FHD too. 95% gamut and 1920x1080.