Thinkpad T420 Owner's Thread

Hearst · 04-08-2011, 05:34 AM

NBR ThinkPad T420 Owner's Thread - Main Hub

Introduction...

Welcome to the NBR ThinkPad T420 Owner's Thread! This is a continuation of the original T420/T420s Owners Thread which has been separated to make things easier for people to refer the standard T420 model only. If you want to discuss the T420s model then please go to the dedicated ThinkPad T420s Owner's Thread linked here. This thread has been nominated as part of NBR's Amazing Content scheme, so special thanks to those who voted for this thread!

Since there are various threads scattered in regards to this particular model I thought it be wise to start this thread so owners and prospective owners of the standard T420 can share their experiences and queries in one area. I will try to constantly update and consolidate useful information in regards to the T420 machine.

Before posting on the thread, have a look at the Q&A section to see if it answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the ThinkPad T420. If this thread proved useful to you then it would be nice if you can show your appreciation by repping ♥. It's not mandatory but doing so just tells me that my work on maintaining the page is not in vain!!

What's New...

Windows 7 Online Clean Install Guide
31/01/2012

After numerous requests, the Windows Clean Install guide is now available online for not just the T420 but for all ThinkPads that can handle Windows 7.

You can view it on this thread here.


17/04/2012 - THINKPAD T420 BIOS has been updated to Version 1.39-1.18. For more details about the update click the link above.	11/09/2011 - As the forum search is down, if you want a direct search about the T420 in general on NBR then simply click on the link above.	18/04/2012 - DOLBY HOME THEATRE SOUND - ThinkPad T420 owners can now benefit the enhanced sounds from Dolby! Click above for more info.

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Reviews
NBR User Reviews: - T420 User Review by Sprtnbsblplya - T420 User Review by ThinkRob - T420 User Review by Ferganer80 - T420 User Review by Hearst - T420 User Review by Agb22 - T420 User Review by Jazdc - T420 User Review by Oxlmoos - T420 User Review by Jjahshik32 - T420 User Review by EZjijy - T420 User Review by Stevek216 - T420 User Review by Sr1650nx - T420 User Review by Alexb1 T420 Press Reviews: - T420 Press Review by PC World Australia - T420 Press Review by Notebook Journal.de (German/Deutsche) - T420 Press Review by Notebook Check - T420 Press Review by Student Buying Guide - T420 Press Review by Laptop Magazine - T420 Press Review by APC - T420 Press Review by PC World - T420 Press Review by PC Advisor - T420 Press Review by Notebook Review - T420 Press Review by Computer Shopper - T420 Press Review by CNET

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Toolbox
Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Drivers If you need a specific driver for your ThinkPad T420 then have a look at the Lenovo Support site for assistance. Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Hardware Maintenance Manual This guide will aid you on maintaining and upgrading your T420 components from memory modules to a whole system board change. Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Parts Lookup Curious to see what Lenovo actually put in your system? You can view all the details by simply accessing the Parts Lookup page and entering your Model Type and Serial Number. Take note these parts are unique to your system only and does not represent all other T420's. Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Parts Directory Need to replace something on your T420 but just don't know what part number you're looking for? Visit Lenovo's System Service Parts site to find the right FRU number for your system. Legal Microsoft Windows 7 ISO Images For those who wish to perform a clean install rather than use the manufacturer factory image then this is the place to get your untouched Windows 7 discs. Lenovo "Think" Wallpapers Reformatted your T420 but forgot to backup the OEM wallpapers? And you like them too? Doh! Nevermind you can get them back with the help of member "Kaso". Alternatively if you like the older ThinkPad wallpapers such as the World Time Zone image you can get it from this site here. Latest ThinkPad T420 BIOS Update Any new BIOS updates notified from members will be listed on the link. T420 NBR Search Facility Unfortunately the search facility on the NBR forum is a bit broken. Help is on hand using Google, click on the link to get instant results on anything relating to the ThinkPad T420. You're free to edit the T420 entry to something more specific to your query.

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Guides
ThinkPad T420 UEFI Install + mSATA Installation Guide The thread created by "ferganer80" explains on how to do a UEFI mSATA install on your ThinkPad T420. mSATA - A Basic Primer If you're on the fence on whether to get a mSATA drive then LoneWolf15 has written a great article on all you need to know about them. Hearst's Guide to Clean Install Windows on the ThinkPad This online guide will aid you on performing a clean install of Windows 7 on your ThinkPad T420. It will explain the essentials needed on how to make your System Recovery Discs, Reinstalling Drivers and Reactivating your OEM copy of Windows.

Hearst · 04-30-2011, 05:50 AM

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Q&A Section

Q. What is the ThinkPad T420?
A. Carrying on with its lineup tradition, the ThinkPad T420 is Lenovo's mainstream 14" notebook primarily designed for business users and mobile professionals in mind. Launched in Early 2011, the ThinkPad T420 utilises Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture which offers benefits in both processor and graphics performance over its predecessor. Key features and changes includes:

Quote:

- Second Generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 Processors.
- Intel HD3000 Integrated Graphics as standard.
- Optional NVIDIA Quadro NVS 4200M Discrete Graphics with Optimus Switchable Graphics technology.
- Switch from 16:10 to 16:9 Widescreen Resolution LED Screens.
- Native SATA III (6Gb/s) Integration.
- Native "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" (UEFI) support.
- Mini PCI-E slot are compatible with mSATA SSD storage solutions.
- Expresscard Slot enables optional use of an eGPU setup.
- Minor chassis redesign with new Ultrabay enclosure.

The ThinkPad T420 will be superceded by the ThinkPad T430 around Q2 2012. It's also worth noting that the T420 will be the last T-Series ThinkPad to adopt the Traditional 7 Row Keyboard Layout, the T430 instead will use the new 6 Row Chiclet Keyboard Layout as seen on the ThinkPad Edge notebooks.

Q. What's the difference between a T420i model to the standard T420?

A. In truth not much, the "i" designation is Lenovo's way of saying it's a budget configuration of that model. Apart from the limited choices of processors (Core i3 to low end Core i5) and base graphics (Intel HD 3000) architecturally it's identical to that of a normal T420 model.

Q. What's the screen quality like on the ThinkPad T420?
A. You can view opinions and discuss your own experiences of the T420 screen with these two particular threads:

- T420 Screen - How is it?
- Lenovo T420 screen quality question!
- T420 Screen Quality Acceptable or Not?
- T420 AUO (garbage) panel replaced with LG (acceptable) panel

I also written a little section in comparison to a different panel on a rival machine, the Dell Latitude E6420.

Q. I got my ThinkPad T420 but I want to know what screen panel Lenovo put in my system. How do I find out?
A. You can use free system information programs such as "PC Wizard" or "HWInfo32" to find out the panel you're using on the system.

Thanks to a number of T420 users we're able to decipher the two official HD+ panels in which Lenovo may provide in your T420. One additional HD+ panel is added to the database but is unknown whether its supported on the T420, however being a T420s panel chances that it will work are quite high. But we still need help on deciphering the HD (1366x768) resolution panels. Can you assist us? If you have these panels simply go to the Lenovo Parts Lookup page and enter your model and serial number to find out which panel is fitted in your T420. If you can aid us on our screen panel database then it would be appreciated (plus you get credited too!)

ThinkPad T420 HD (1366x768) Resolution Panels:

Spoiler :

ThinkPad T420 HD+ (1600x900) Resolution Panels:

Spoiler :

Q. Is there a way to improve the screen a little bit? Are there any ICC Profiles I could use?
A. You can have a read on this thread to obtain the ICC Profile for the T420 along with instructions.

Q. I want to upgrade the memory (RAM) on my ThinkPad T420, which type works on my system?
A. You can find the answer on these particular threads:

- Which type of RAM for T420??
- T-420 Questions

If you're keen on the compatibility of the higher speed RAMs then you can have a read of this thread.

Q. Any tips on how I can access the second DIMM slot underneath the keyboard?
You can use my brief instructions on how to do this tricky procedure here. It's also best to coincide this with the Hardware Maintenance Manual and Lenovo's Service Training videos to get an idea of the procedure.

Q. What is the compatibility of the ThinkPad UltraBay Slim Enhanced HDD Caddy with the ThinkPad T420?
A. User "sprtnbsblplya" kindly shared his experiences using the official Lenovo caddy. Alternatively if foam filling is not your preference, you can have a read of my experiences with the unofficial 12.7mm caddy courtesy of Digizon.

UPDATE (06/03/2012): Lenovo have now released an official 12.7mm hard drive caddy (p/n: 0A65623) that fits flush with the ThinkPad T420. More information can be found here.

Q. Can you advise me which SSD option is best for the ThinkPad T420?
A. There's no right or wrong answer to this as it's a matter of preference. Have a look at this thread where you can weigh both the pros and cons of having either the mSATA SSD drives or the Standard Sized SSD drives.

Q. Is it possible to fit a Sandy Bridge Mobile Quad Core CPU inside a ThinkPad T420?
A. User "shleepy" shared his experiences fitting a Core i7-2720QM processor inside the ThinkPad T420. I even tried this out later which you can read about it here.

Q. How does the discrete graphics card perform on the ThinkPad T420 for gaming?
A. User "XX55XX" described his experiences on gaming using the ThinkPad T420 equipped with the NVIDIA Quadro 4200M graphics card.

Q. Can I run "eGPU" on my ThinkPad T420?
A. Yes you can run eGPU via the Expresscard slot on the T420 if you find the stock graphic cards to be lacking on a specific purpose. Have a read from following users on experiences using the eGPU setup with the T420:

- A general eGPU thread discussion on the T420 can be viewed here.

- User "sprtnbsblplya" describing his experiences on eGPU here.

- User "stevenplanet" describing his experiences on eGPU here.

Note: Lenovo have fixed the memory resource allocation issue from BIOS version 1.35+ which allows eGPU to work so a downgrade to BIOS 1.15 is no longer necessary.

Q. Where is the mSATA slot on the ThinkPad T420?
A. It's located underneath the system alongside the DIMM slot, for more details read here.

Q. I'm travelling around and want to be assured that my ThinkPad T420 can be serviced in a different country. How can I check this?
A. Use the IWS (International Warranty Service) site to determine if your T420 is eligible for warranty work in your chosen country. Click on the "ThinkPad" link and type in the first four numbers of the model number, not the serial tag.

Q. Does the ThinkPad T420 support SATA III (SATA 6GB/s)?
A. All ThinkPads with Huron River architecture support SATA III speeds, this includes the ThinkPad T420.

Q. I have an Intel 510 SSD in my ThinkPad T420 and everytime I do a restart it hangs on the ThinkPad screen for more than 30 seconds. Is there a fix to this?
A. This has been a well known issue on Sandy Bridge ThinkPad notebooks, it did took a while but a fix has been issued to eradicate this problem. All you need to do is upgrade the BIOS to version 1.39-1.18 or higher.

Q. I need help on using the Displayport on the T420. What cable do I need to output both video and sound?
A. User "Jesper Juul" initially had problems to get the sound working via Displayport. He persisted however and with a new cable in hand it turned out to be the solution to his problems. An alternative working Displayport adaptor is also mentioned by "Blinder". If you managed you get Displayport working on your T420 then it would be appreciated if you can spare a few moments and fill out a tiny questionnaire so you can help others on the issue.

Q. I find the volume level when I use my headphones to be a bit quiet on the T420, is there any way to remedy this?
A. User "drinkingbird" describes a method of increasing the headphone volume on the T420 from this post.

Q. I find the speaker sound quality on the ThinkPad T420 to be poor, is there a way to make it a bit better?
A. You can use the Dolby Home Theatre mod which enhances the sounds of the stock speakers tremendously. User "600X" describes the method of loading the Dolby driver here.

Q. I'm having latency issues that's affecting my audio experience on the T420. Are there any fixes to this?
A. Have a read on this thread here to see if it can help improve the latency issue on your T420.

Q. What's the best method of cleaning the rubber finish on my ThinkPad T420?
A. View this thread to see how others take care cleaning the rubber finish of their own ThinkPads.

Q. I hate the rubber coated dimple finish of the Trackpad! Can I get rid of it?
A. Yes you can! Have a read of this post on how to obtain a smooth trackpad surface.

Q. I'm having difficulty with gesture scrolling on the ThinkPad T420, is there a way to improve it?
A. Have a try with either this method or the "Two Finger Scroll App" to see if it improves the gesture scrolling feature.

Q. What are the dimensions and weight of the ThinkPad T420?
A. Lenovo released a data specsheet containing a wealth of specifications including dimensions and weight. Also have a read of the user reviews for a real world perspective of the T420.

Q. I'm having trouble with the hinges on the T420 and Lenovo will not take it in for repair under warranty?
A. This is dependant on the location you're based but some regions tend to be more strict on what is deemed as "defective" and "wear and tear" (particularly in EMEA areas). Assuming you have problems with the machine that is less than a year old...

- If the rep initially refuses to take it in remain stay calm, don't get aggressive as it helps no one.

- Have evidence, as well your reciepts having video evidence definitely helps making the case more clearer for engineers and senior staff to assess the situation. Ask for their email address so you can post the links to them (use YouTube instead of uploading the movie files on emails).

- Get a second opinion on the Lenovo forums along with the evidence. The staff on the forums are very helpful and assisted me greatly when I had troubles with the system.

- If they won't budge, escalate to higher management if possible. Also state your rights depending on consumer law in your region.

Fortunately I had a happy ending on the issue where you can read up on this post.

Q. I'm having trouble installing the latest Intel HD Graphics drivers on my ThinkPad T420, what method do I need to do to get this on?
A. If for some reason you have trouble installing the Intel HD Graphics on your ThinkPad T420 then try installing the driver manually instead of using the installer. First download the latest driver and run the file, it will tell you where you want to extract the contents to. Take note of the location and when the extraction completes it will ask whether you want to "Install the Intel HD Graphics", uncheck the box and close the installer.

Go to Device Manager, open the Display Adapters and on Intel HD Graphics, right-click and select "Update Driver Software...". On the following window, select the second option "Browse My Computer For Driver Software", browse and direct it to the directory of where you extracted your Intel HD Graphics driver early on. Afterwards click "Next" and it will begin installing the new graphics driver, the screen may flicker or go black but this is normal. Once done you maybe required to restart the system so make sure you save any work before doing so.

Q. Can I remap certain keys on my T420 keyboard to do something else (i.e Toggle Forward/Back keys to perform Page Up/Down instead)?
A. Have a read of this thread for more info on how to remap certain keys on your T420.

Q. I like to toggle the Touchpad on/off using the FN+F8 Hotkeys but i'm using Linux and it doesn't work...
A. User "Verbtim" kindly uploaded a script that enables such facility under Linux which you can access from here.

Q. Hearst... what specifications does your ThinkPad T420 have?

Spoiler :

Q. I decided to check the chipset revision of my ThinkPad T420 and it reports back as "REV_04", isn't this revision based on the faulty Intel SATA chipsets (B2 Stepping)? Articles online seem to suggest that I have a faulty SATA chipset on my T420...
A. Before you get in a panic, Lenovo never shipped this particular stepping into their ThinkPad models but the software tends to crop up this unfortunate code causing a scare. Though of course such answer will probably not impress you so we're going to do a hands on check. Courtesy of the Lenovo forums via Mark@Lenovo, here's a way to check your system chipset revision:

- Download "Intel AMT 7.1 Management Engine Firmware" and run the installer to extract the files.
- Go to the Start Orb and type in "cmd", right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator", if necessary confirm the UAC prompt.
- Type in "cd C:\drivers\win\me"
- Type in "meinfowin.exe"
- Scroll up and check the PCH version.

If the version says 600004 then you have the faulty B2 stepping. In the unlikeliest event you have this, call Lenovo Support for assistance.

If it reports 600005 then its the revised B3 stepping which is immune to the problem.

Most likely your ThinkPad T420 should report the latter stepping to avoid any confusion with the Intel SATA debacle.

Quote:

UPDATE: Lenovo have updated the Intel AMT driver so it no longers shows the PCH revision number to be either 600004 or 600005. From version 7.1.13.1088 onwards, the correct number to indicate the B3 stepping is now number '4' which I can confirm from using both the old and new Intel AMT drivers.

poiuytr · 04-30-2011, 06:33 AM

Great first post!

mohdfaris · 04-30-2011, 08:17 AM

Hi,

this is my first post. I've read in some post that user of W520 experiencing restart issue (warm boot) after installing intel 510 ssd. Currently I'm waiting for the 510 ssd. Will I be experiencing the same restart problem if I install the ssd?

Hearst · 04-30-2011, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohdfaris

Hi,

this is my first post. I've read in some post that user of W520 experiencing restart issue (warm boot) after installing intel 510 ssd. Currently I'm waiting for the 510 ssd. Will I be experiencing the same restart problem if I install the ssd?

Hi mohdfaris, welcome to the forum!

Currently there are some issues with the Intel 510 SSD on some ThinkPad systems, unfortunately this also applies to the T420 as I have this particular SSD (120GB version) and have trouble restarting the system normally.

The problem is not as serious compared to the W520 (where it completely freezes forcing a hard reset) but it does hold the boot sequence for a while before initialising to Windows which is annoying. I'm currently using the latest SSD firmware from Intel and latest BIOS from Lenovo which doesn't help matters.

Using a different SSD (I used OCZ Vertex II) strangely avoids the restart problem altogether so it's definitely linked to the Intel 510 SSD. At the moment i'm hoping Intel or Lenovo will release a fix to solve this unusual problem.

Update: Intel suggests its SSD users not to use the BIOS password facility as it can potentially cause the system to lock up or crash. It's a vague workaround but I decided to post this message up just in case people use this combination on their systems - source.

mohdfaris · 04-30-2011, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hearst

Update: Intel suggests its SSD users not to use the BIOS password facility as it can potentially cause the system to lock up or crash. It's a vague workaround but I decided to post this message up just in case people use this combination on their systems - source.

thanks for the reply. I will certainly keep that in mind when I install my SSD.

LoneWolf15 · 04-30-2011, 02:24 PM

Hey Hearst, great start to a good thread.

The one thing I can think of is starting some queries on an LCD panel lottery. There are two FRUs for the HD+ display; I think there are two (though possibly three) for the standard HD display. Since each FRU likely corresponds to a different vendor, it may be useful to know exactly which panels are being supplied, and compare quality.

Using, PC Wizard, it is possible to easily get good display info. My HD+ panel returns a model of LP140WD2-TLB1, made by LG-Philips; I think the quality is pretty good. If I understand right, you have mentioned AU Optronics as another vendor.

Hearst · 04-30-2011, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneWolf15

Hey Hearst, great start to a good thread.

The one thing I can think of is starting some queries on an LCD panel lottery. There are two FRUs for the HD+ display; I think there are two (though possibly three) for the standard HD display. Since each FRU likely corresponds to a different vendor, it may be useful to know exactly which panels are being supplied, and compare quality.

Using, PC Wizard, it is possible to easily get good display info. My HD+ panel returns a model of LP140WD2-TLB1, made by LG-Philips; I think the quality is pretty good. If I understand right, you have mentioned AU Optronics as another vendor.

Thanks for your input LoneWolf15, it's interesting to hear that you got a LG-Philips panel. LG-Philips tend to have a good history of being one of the better Lenovo panels so it looks like you're pretty fortunate with the panel lottery there LoneWolf15.

If you receive the LG-Philips panel then it should all fit together now, the AUO panel is the other option which I have since you can only have 2 HD+ panels for the T420. I will tag these findings on the Q&A section, by the way how does the LG-Philips panel fare? Do you notice any griddiness or severe graininess that tends to affect the AUO panel users?

ferganer80 · 04-30-2011, 03:23 PM

LoneWolf15, where did you find the model number for the monitor in PC-Wizard? I have LEN40A1 as "Product ID" and B140RW02 V1 as "Monitor Type". I suppose mine is the AUO panel as it really is griddy.

Hearst · 04-30-2011, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferganer80

LoneWolf15, where did you find the model number for the monitor in PC-Wizard? I have LEN40A1 as "Product ID" and B140RW02 V1 as "Monitor Type". I suppose mine is the AUO panel as it really is griddy.

B140RW02 V1 is indeed the AUO panel, yes I also notice griddiness with this panel as well on my T420. I'm starting to think that if you bought the Intel GPU option you more likely to end up with the AUO panel while with the NVIDIA GPU option you're more likely to get the LG panel instead. I could be wrong but its one possible theory...