Almost ready to pull trigger on T430

[Bonesdad]

Lenovo/BN is having a decent sale on T series now...20% off so I can get this config:

Description
ThinkPad T430 - 1 Year Depot Topseller Warranty
Processor: Intel Core i5-3320M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz)
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Display type: 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display
System graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Total memory: 4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (1 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard Backlit - US English Edit
Pointing device: UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader
Camera: 720p HD Camera with Microphone
Hard drive: 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Ultrabay: DVD Recordable
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader
Battery: 6 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70+
Power cord: 90W AC Adapter - US (2pin)
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN
Integrated mobile broadband: Mobile Broadband upgradable


for $750 + tax shipped. I can upgrade the System Graphics to an Nvidia NVS 5400m w/ 1GB for another $50. Seems like a good deal, though I don't think I'll be gaming heavy on this box. If so, would the addition of it just be a further drain on battery? I can get a 9 cell battery too (for yet another $50).

Or would I be better off putting my $50 toward replacing the RAM (upgrading to 8 GB)?

Your thoughts, as always, are appreciated.

 

[Fayd]

the t430 uses "optimus" which is nvidia's version of hybrid power. It uses the integrated GPU (the HD 4000) for generic stuff, and switches to the 5400 for more power required stuff.

so if all you're doing is desktop and browsing the web, the battery life should be roughly similar.

i'm in somewhat a similar boat. i'm trying to figure out if i want the x230, or the t430. so my concerns come down to the question: do i want the smaller laptop with the better quality screen, or do i want the bigger laptop with the bigger screen and the better graphics card?

 

[Bonesdad]

hmm, for $50 bucks, it seems like it might be worth it. Lenovo charges $250 (!!!) for this upgrade typically.

 

[pelov]

Will you be gaming? If not skip the GPU

You can add RAM yourself. The battery would be my choice

 

[jihe]

the t430 uses "optimus" which is nvidia's version of hybrid power. It uses the integrated GPU (the HD 4000) for generic stuff, and switches to the 5400 for more power required stuff.

so if all you're doing is desktop and browsing the web, the battery life should be roughly similar.

i'm in somewhat a similar boat. i'm trying to figure out if i want the x230, or the t430. so my concerns come down to the question: do i want the smaller laptop with the better quality screen, or do i want the bigger laptop with the bigger screen and the better graphics card?

Get the x, 5400 isn't that much better than the 4000 anyway, you will however appreciate the convenience of the smaller lighter laptop.

 

[Bonesdad]

Will you be gaming? If not skip the GPU

You can add RAM yourself. The battery would be my choice

yeah, I intend to upgrade the memory on my own anyway, as well as tuck a SSD in there too at some point. Just curious now about the 5400. Are there any comparisons between the HD4000 and the 5400? I'd be curious to see some benches.

 

[kevinsbane]

the t430 uses "optimus" which is nvidia's version of hybrid power. It uses the integrated GPU (the HD 4000) for generic stuff, and switches to the 5400 for more power required stuff.

so if all you're doing is desktop and browsing the web, the battery life should be roughly similar.

i'm in somewhat a similar boat. i'm trying to figure out if i want the x230, or the t430. so my concerns come down to the question: do i want the smaller laptop with the better quality screen, or do i want the bigger laptop with the bigger screen and the better graphics card?

If you have a desktop... X230. The portability factor is big. As long as you have a desktop, gaming is not IMO.

 

[Fayd]

Get the x, 5400 isn't that much better than the 4000 anyway, you will however appreciate the convenience of the smaller lighter laptop.

If you have a desktop... X230. The portability factor is big. As long as you have a desktop, gaming is not IMO.

Sorry to the OP for semi-hijacking the thread.

I'm a grad student in statistics...living at home, so I have a desktop.

I have a laptop that I take to class every day. it's an 11.6" Aspire One 722...so AMD C-50.

My complaints about it, in order of importance:
Crappy screen
slow as a dog in general use.
crappy build quality/keyboard feel
low resolution display.

so the x230 absolutely kills on 3/4 of those complaints. but it has the same resolution display.

now here's the thing. i do a lot of writing code in IDE's like SAS and Rstudio. the menus in those are somewhat unwieldy in 1366x768... but not to the point of being unusable.

as far as gaming goes, max i'd really bother with would be something like heroes of newerth if i have an hour to kill or something. maybe source engine games. i'm not really bothering with PC games anymore.

 

[pelov]

yeah, I intend to upgrade the memory on my own anyway, as well as tuck a SSD in there too at some point. Just curious now about the 5400. Are there any comparisons between the HD4000 and the 5400? I'd be curious to see some benches.

The 5400 is a GT540m which performs slightly better than AMD's 7660G in the Trinity A10. The HD4000 is about 10-40% behind that. Obviously it's going to vary depending on the titles just like all gaming benchmarks.

If you're after light gaming then the HD4000 should do fine.

so the x230 absolutely kills on 3/4 of those complaints. but it has the same resolution display.

At 12.5", I've found my X220 to be perfect at 1366x768. Any higher and I'd be squinting. The added screen real estate would be fine, but if you're scaling the text then you wouldn't be benefiting anyway.