Thinkpad T510 Owners lounge

[49ersmylife]

I ordered T510 last week, shipping date is set for Feb. 9th. I used to have a T43 (given to me by my dad) and it worked great for me. It lasted a total of 7-8 years, and in between I owned couple other laptops - but didn't last while T43 is still okay but is too outdated and on it's last legs. So, after waiting 5 months for Lenovo to release the T510...I finally went ahead and bought myself one.

Specs:

Processor - i5-520M 2.4 GHz
OS - Windows 7 Pro (64bit)
Display - 15.6" HD+ Anti-Glare Display with LED Backlight
Graphics - NVIDIA NVS 3100m Graphics with 512MB DDR3 Memory
Memory - 2gb (i've a 2gb stick at home)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
Camera, 2.0 MP
HDD - 250 GB 5400rpm (ordered Hitachi 500gb 7200rpm for 59.99 from tigerdirect)
Express Card Slot & 5 in 1 Card Reader
9 cell Li-Ion Battery
Bluetooth w/ antenna
Wireless - Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250

Came out to be $1213.54 through my company and 10% discount. Not bad, I did buy a 7200rpm drive though.

Can't wait for it to arrive. I'm going out of the country for couple months on the night of 16th of Feb, so hopefully I'll get it before then on a 2 day shipping - if Lenovo ships it out on the projected date of feb. 9th.

I haven't seen any reviews on T510, but did read couple of reviews on T410, which is practically the same laptop with a smaller 16:10 screen. But, if there are other T510 buyers on the forum, would love to hear about your experiences. T410 users are also welcome. I'll give my thoughts once I get my hands on it.

[ZaZ]

First, congrats on the machine. Second, you're cutting it awfully close on the shipping. Even if it ships on the 9th it's still got to come over from China and clear customs. The two day shipping does not start until it clears customs. Most of the time it's pretty quick, but there can delays. There's a bunch of W510s sitting in customs right now. See here.

[49ersmylife]

First, congrats on the machine. Second, you're cutting it awfully close on the shipping. Even if it ships on the 9th it's still got to come over from China and clear customs. The two day shipping does not start until it clears customs. Most of the time it's pretty quick, but there can delays. There's a bunch of W510s sitting in customs right now. See here.

Uh-oh, that's not lookin' good for me. Anyway, thanks for the link. I almost went for the W-series, but figured T series fits my needs easily. I hope they let the laptops go through the customs.

[ZaZ]

I'll say a few Hail Marys and Our Fathers for you, but if it doesn't get there, you'll have a nice present when you get back.

[49ersmylife]

I'll say a few Hail Marys and Our Fathers for you, but if it doesn't get there, you'll have a nice present when you get back.

Thanks, i'm prayin' as well. I really don't want to wait...i've been buyin' bunch of movies that i planned to watch on my trip on my new laptop, and I highly highly doubt I'll be gettin' it now. ugh! I'm glad you prepared me for a huge disappointment. I need to figure out plan B for my laptop situation.

[ZaZ]

Well if your T510 doesn't make it, you can always take your T43. On the plus side if it breaks, you lose it or it gets stolen, it won't be a big loss. Can't say the same of the T510.

[cygy2k]

I just received a new T510 on Wednesday and am loving it. It's pretty big, but incredibly well built. The build quality seems light years improved from the T400 machines we have at the office.

i5 520m
4GB DDR3
500GB 7200RPM
Intel HD
Intel WiFi Ultimate 6300
Windows 7 Pro (64bit)
DVD +/- RW
UltraNav w/ Fingerprint
1600x900 LED
WebCam

Pros:
+ 1600x900 is perfect for me
+ Latest chipset
+ Incredibly fast
+ Not much crapware out of the box (fresh install still recommended)
+ Keyboard has NO flex at all, absolutely perfect experience
+ Touchpad is greatly improved, great texture & full of multi-touch goodness
+ Heat management seems to be working very well with quiet fans
+ Great deals through SPP

Cons:
- 1 dead pixel (sad)
- Somewhat thick
- Backlighting not perfectly uniform, though much better than expected and hardly noticeable
- A little more expensive than competition, but well worth it
- ThinkLight still useless, backlit keys would have made this perfect

[jminiman]

I just received a new T510 on Wednesday and am loving it. It's pretty big, but incredibly well built. The build quality seems light years improved from the T400 machines we have at the office.

i5 520m
4GB DDR3
500GB 7200RPM
Intel HD
Intel WiFi Ultimate 6300
Windows 7 Pro (64bit)
DVD +/- RW
UltraNav w/ Fingerprint
1600x900 LED
WebCam

Pros:
+ 1600x900 is perfect for me
+ Latest chipset
+ Incredibly fast
+ Not much crapware out of the box (fresh install still recommended)
+ Keyboard has NO flex at all, absolutely perfect experience
+ Touchpad is greatly improved, great texture & full of multi-touch goodness
+ Heat management seems to be working very well with quiet fans
+ Great deals through SPP

Cons:
- 1 dead pixel (sad)
- Somewhat thick
- Backlighting not perfectly uniform, though much better than expected and hardly noticeable
- A little more expensive than competition, but well worth it
- ThinkLight still useless, backlit keys would have made this perfect

Sounds great. Would love to see some decent pictures (perhaps in comparison to your older ThinkPad)?

[joey-t]

In case a T510 owner has a keyboard flex problem, see this thread.

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T50...es/td-p/200953

Copied from the thread

From early reports of keyboard flex on the T510 (thanks erik_h!), the problem was quickly identified as affecting one particular keyboard (FRU: 45N2211). It was discovered that a small percentage of this particular keyboard was not built to spec and could cause flex. The fix is to replace it with another keyboard...either 45N2071 or 45N2141 (U.S. English).

[mfranz8]

The T510 is at the top of my list for my next laptop (also waiting on the Dell M4500). I would appreciate it if a new owner could post the weight of their machine. Lenovo says "starting at 5.89 lbs.", but Newegg lists the model they offer at 6.2 lbs. I plan to use it as a desktop replacement, but also for occasional business travel.

Thanks in advance.