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I have this old (like 4 years I think) laptop. It's a Dell XPS M1530, if the case is to be believed. Anyway, it has the Core 2 Duo and an nVidia 8600M GT. I get scary notifications about old drivers all the time, the internal temperature jumps to 85 when I open anything more intense than Firefox, and the case is coming apart. I think I need a new computer. I was thinking a Thinkpad T430, but there's so many options and stuff to choose. While basically anything would be an upgrade, I like the idea of being able to play modern games on my laptop. I've been playing everything on the lowest possible specs for so long that I don't really care about graphics quality, just performance. As in, getting a game to run is good performance. So I'm thinking one of the i5 options, with the display upgrade, maybe a wireless upgrade? I don't really know what I am doing, and I don't have a good handle on the various choices. Like what is the marginal difference between the HD4000 graphics card and the nVidia upgrade? Basically, I would like the flexibility to have a wide range of different games run, but I don't care too much about getting to high performance with them. I don't really know the value of some of these options, like the wireless things, but they seem important. What is a good set of options and a price range for a T430 that can run a good range of games on low to medium with no trouble?
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Oct 30, 2013 05:53
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 14:12 |
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Bob Morales posted:T430 is last years laptop. You want a T440. I would rather pay last year's prices for last year's laptop than this year's prices for this year's laptop, though.
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Oct 30, 2013 16:20
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What is the difference between the T430 and T430u? I don't really understand what an "ultrabook" is, but they seem to have pretty much the same specs?
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Oct 30, 2013 19:16
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Cream_Filling posted:T430 is the regular mainline laptop with optical drive (Ivy Bridge aka 3rd generation). The T430s is a thinner version with no CD drive. The T430u is a T430s with an internal battery and soldered ram that is slightly thinner to meet Intel's arbitrary definition of "ultrabook," a term which Intel wanted to mean "Macbook Air copy" but which now just means "slightly thinner computer." The T431s is a crappier and more expensive T430u that has been redesigned to look more like a Mac. Sounds kind of stupid, but at least I know now that the 430 seems to be the best of the line. I'm sure the 4th generation is not worth it for the money to me. The most meaningful choices seem to be between the 3 flavors of i5 processor, whether to get the nVidia or integrated Intel graphics card, and the wireless adapter I guess? Right not I just kitted one out with the i5 3230M (the lowest level one), the Intel graphics card, and the Ultimate Super-Pimped Out Biznasty Wireless option, which comes to like $850 on B&N. I don't really see a reason to go beyond the lowest level option for anything else except the display and a camera. Am I missing anything important? And is the marginal benefit of the next two tiers of i5 or the nVdia graphics option worthwhile? I don't really care about battery power or weight, as it will be plugged in 90% of the time and I just bike back and forth to one building for work.
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Oct 30, 2013 19:57
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I'm looking to get a Lenovo T430 soon. I priced out a model using B&N Gold and with the following parts: Intel Core i5-3320M Processor (3MB Cache, up to 3.30GHz) • Windows 7 Home Premium 64 • Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English • 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready • Intel HD Graphics 4000 • 4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (1 DIMM) • Keyboard Backlit - US English • 720p HD Camera with Microphone • 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm • DVD Recordable • Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader • 6 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70+ • 90W AC Adapter - US (2pin) • Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN • Mobile Broadband upgradable • Publication - US English This is adding up to almost $900. Shouldn't going through B&N Gold get me a better price? Or, failing that, are there any ecoupons or upcoming sales I can take advantage of?
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Jan 24, 2014 22:52
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Okay, so it looks like I might actually save a little money by going with a T440 instead of a T430 with the current coupon. In the OP, it says that the T430 really really benefits from the HD+ display. Is that still the case with the 440? I was planning to get the i5 4200U, the camera, and the rest pretty much stock, and not taking the display is a $50 savings. The display is pretty much what is keeping it under the cost of the 430. Are there any other really marginally useful upgrades? I think by getting a 4th generation processor and still being equal or less than the cost of the T430 I am doing well. I just am not sure if the HD+ display is worth it. I mean, my current laptop is 1280x800 and my work computer has like a big 24 inch screen, so I don't really have a frame of reference for exactly what the difference looks like.
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Jan 27, 2014 04:53
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shrughes posted:Yes. If you're going to avoid the HD+ display to save money, you're wrong and a bad person. Get an L440 with HD+ instead if you want to save money. Hmm, the L440 does look like it gets me more for the money. I can get just about the same machine for $100-$150 less. Is there some reason for this? Is it worse build quality or something?
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Jan 27, 2014 05:57
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shrughes posted:They're generally cheaper. They're less durable, they're noisier, they're slightly bigger, workers spat on the motherboard. Well, I've been looking around and it looks like so far a lot of the negatives center around the trackpad, which I will rarely use. I don't care hugely about noise and as long as it will last while being carried to and from work I think that is all the durability I need, although the T440 is still tempting for the reassurance of its brand...does Lenovo tend to run big seasonal sales, like around Presidents' Day or anything like that, or is it pretty much random ecoupons?
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Jan 27, 2014 06:45
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I'm looking at the lowest level Y410P and an L440 I put together. Here is the L440: • Intel Core i5-4200M Processor (3MB Cache, up to 3.10GHz) • Windows 8 64 • Windows 8 64 English • 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready • Intel HD Graphics 4600 • 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600MHz SODIMM • Keyboard - US English • Ultranav without Fingerprint Reader • 720p HD Camera • 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm • Optical Bay Travel Bezel • 6 Cell Li-Ion Cylindrical Battery 56.16Wh • 65W AC Adapter - US (2pin) • ThinkPad Wireless 2 x 2 BGN with Bluetooth • Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable • Publication - US English • 1 Year Depot or Carry-in And here is the Y410p: • 4th Generation Intel Core i5-4200M Processor (2.50GHz 1600MHz 3MB) • Windows 8 64 • 14.0" HD Glossy with integrated camera (1366x768) • NVIDIA GeForce GT755M GDDR5 2GB • 6.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz • 500GB 5400 RPM • DVD Recordable (Dual Layer) • Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230 • Bluetooth Version 4.0 • One year • Industry Standard Multi-touch 2 button touchpad • 6 Cell 72 Watt Hour Lithium-Ion The L440 is $639 and the Y410p is $719. It looks to me like the L440 has a better screen and Y410p has a better video card but other than that I can't see much of a difference. Is there any good reason to get the Y410p over getting the L440 and having a savings? I already think the HD 4600 video card on the L440 is sufficient for me.
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Feb 17, 2014 07:22
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My current Dell is 1280x772. Is that worse than 1366x768?
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Feb 23, 2014 23:29
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According to Speccy, the work resolution of my Dell XPS M1530 is 1280x772.
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Feb 24, 2014 00:43
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How do the different T440 models...differ? I assume the "s" is for slim or something?
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Jun 1, 2014 01:52
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Can someone give me the lowdown on the G series of thinkpads? It seems like the L series is the cheaper grade of the T series. Is the G series like the third and lowest step? Are they good enough to not break really fast? Is it worth saving the 150-200 by getting a G instead of an L for similar specs (like i5 and whatever else? There's less good stuff like screen/wifi upgrades.
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Jun 3, 2014 01:21
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go3 posted:The G series are not ThinkPads at all. They are Lenovo's bottom of the barrel, price-competitive at all costs, entry laptops. That seems a bit odd because from what I can tell the G line can have an i5 but the L can only have an i3.
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Jun 3, 2014 13:15
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Real hurthling! posted:I don't know too much about computers but I need a new laptop and would like a recommendation based on the following requirements: I saw the recommendation for a yoga for this guy. Is there basically the same machine as the yoga without the touch and folding stuff? I think it would be cheaper that way. I also will look at the Samsung ones.
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Jun 8, 2014 16:10
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 14:12 |
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It's about the same money to get an L440 with an 14.0" (1600 x 900) display and an L540 with a 15.6" 1366 x 768 display. I don't want to opt for the display upgrade on the 540 because it's expensive. Is there a way to compare these two? My old laptop is a 15.6" 1280x800, if that helps contextualize.
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Jun 8, 2014 21:41
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