Lenovo ThinkPad T410s Review Discussion

[sgogeta4]

Originally Posted by Charles P. Jefferies

Nice review. The allure of this notebook seems to be the high resolution 14" screen in a thin-and-light package . . . and that's about it. The price is quite steep and the battery life is below expectations. I think I'd pass on this in favor of a Dell E6410 or HP 8440p.

The DisplayPort specification includes both audio and video:
DisplayPort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Did you test to see whether the T410s supported it? It should have shown up in the device manager as an audio device (I think).

The T410s' DP should support audio over it. I believe users in the Thinkpad forum have tested it.

[dietcokefiend]

Originally Posted by Charles P. Jefferies

Nice review. The allure of this notebook seems to be the high resolution 14" screen in a thin-and-light package . . . and that's about it. The price is quite steep and the battery life is below expectations. I think I'd pass on this in favor of a Dell E6410 or HP 8440p.

The DisplayPort specification includes both audio and video:
DisplayPort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Did you test to see whether the T410s supported it? It should have shown up in the device manager as an audio device (I think).

Checked for it as I wrote that section. Only one audio device was visible for output (speakers) where most HDMI systems will have digital audio out.

[ellipse1000]

I have the same T410s as the reviewer, except for the SSD: mine is a smaller 128-gb Samsung.

It's a fast machine, light and OK to carry. Battery life is not so bad considering it's a 6-cell only - plus it's easy to plug in another 3-cell. I also like the hard disk bay, extremely useful.

However I am a bit disappointed with this laptop. As mentioned the screen definitely is sub-par. Also the switching software between graphics cards (Intel / discrete) is clumsy and not too reliable: twice the screen turned black and I had to reboot. (Windows 7 also had 2 unexplained BSoD in a month). The size (1.8") of the main disk is a limitation, too.

All in all I'd probably not buy the laptop again. I'd rather get a plain T410 for work + a second-hand X series for portability.

[shamanjp]

Great review!
I have a T410s with integrated graphics and the 250 gig HD.
I was also a bit disappointed with the screen until I used my eye-one display 2 calibrator to create a monitor profile. It calibrated quite nicely and now the whites are white and the blacks are black and the colors although less vibrant are more realistic. The viewing angles are still poor but that does not affect me, other than to enhance my privacy.
Battery life is a trade off when you want thin and light. I didn't want the added depth and weight of a battery that stuck out the back, and I prefer my ports on the back also. I purchased the ultra bay battery and while I am glad I have it I rarely need to use it.
My reason for choosing this laptop was the ThinkPad keyboard, track point, durability, finger print reader, and all the computing power I need, all in a form factor that is comfortable to use and to carry. I have owned both X and T series ThinkPads and I find this one to be (for my needs) the best of both worlds.
So far it has been rock solid with Windows 7 64 bit. And plenty capable for a non-gamer like me.

[dandv]

Originally Posted by jasperjones

I honestly don't see the value of this to a consumer. The ASUS U35Jc would be a much superior choice.

How is ASUS U35Jc a "much superior choice" when for the same weight, it doesn't have an optical drive, it has a reflective screen that's impossible to see in sunlight, and no ThinkLight?

[brookedale1]

Plus a lower res screen vs the T410 1440x900 optional res screen.