T410s w/ Switchable Graphics - First Impressions (compared to x301)

Another user, MikesDell, requested that I post my impressions of the T410s(sg) as compared with the x301. While researching the T410s(sg), I noticed most of the reviews were written before the Switchable Graphics model was released and they left lots of questions unanswered for me. I thought I might be able to help someone in the same position by posting my impressions.

I've been using the x301 for about a year and the T410s arrived today. Keep in mind that these are my opinions and I an opinionated person. It also reflects just the hardware copies that I have and others may have hardware with different traits.

First, let me say that I love the x301. Despite having a terrible screen (my last laptop was a T60 w/ FlexView), it's far and away my favorite laptop of all time and I handle a lot of laptops, both personally and for my customers (I'm in IT). I wanted to try out the T410s because Lenovo has dubbed the T4??s line the successor to the x3?? line and I've yearned for the addition of switchable graphics and an eSATA port. Having an Serial Ultrabay Slim adapter back would be good for work too -- I miss that at times. Unlike others, I don't miss the dock connector that was omitted from the x301. IMO, docks are a PITA.

Here's my config:
T410s w/ Core i5-540m CPU, 4GB RAM, Switchable Graphics, no touchscreen, camera, bluetooth, Intel 6300 (3+3) wireless, no WiMax or WWAN, Blu Ray Optical, Toshiba 256GB SSD w/ FDE.

On to the comparison (in a totally random order):

Screen Contrast/Blacks: The T410s screen is slightly worse than the x301's. This may be because of the larger dot size or what appears to be a proportionately larger inter-pixel gap. Everything looks slightly less sharp than the x301. ClearType AA artifacts are more noticeable, probably because of the larger pixel size. Still, I'm comparing two pretty awful screens here. My theory (rationalization) is that as screens get thinner, they get crappier. The reverse seems true: the best screens seem to be thick, heavy, and power-sucking. I just pray for better technology in the future. My opinion of the T410s display is made with the backlight all the way up. On the x301 this was often *too* bright, but on the T410s the color and contrast seem best at full brightness.

Screen Brightness: Excellent on both. LED backlighting truly rocks. Note: be sure to turn off the adaptive backlight on T410s or the backlight (and therefore your color profile, gamma, et al) will change constantly. I have no idea why they scale the backlight on an LED screen. It has virtually no impact on battery life. I thought it was an attempt to cover up the backlight leakage when watching content on a dark screen, but if that's the case it should be present when powered by AC as well, and it's not. [UPDATE: After making the change in Power Manager, the backlight is still self-adjusting, just less often. I'll look into this.]

T410s Screen Color: I heard some others mention a harsh cast (green?) in their displays. I had none of that. Whites are paper white. From viewing some photos, the screen also seems to have a larger color gamut than the screen on my x301 and represents red better. If I have time I'll profile the screen and post the results.

Video Card(s): Why does power manager keep setting my refresh rate to 50Hz whenever I switch from AC to DC?! I've turned off all power saving features in both the Power Manager and the Intel GMA HD tray applet but to no avail. This problem exists on both the x301 and the T410s and it drives me nuts!

Hybrid Video: It's easy to tell which graphic mode the laptop is in. A system tray icon shows one chevron if integrated graphics is in use and two if discreet is in use. It will not let me switch graphics mode if my SnagIt screen capture utility is running. That's a little bothersome. I've contacted the makers of SnagIt to see if they are going to make it switchable-graphics aware. In the meantime I told the vid switching app to ignore SnagIt and so far that seems to be working OK.

Keyboard: I never expected this, but I like the T410s's keyboard better. The x301 keyboard was fast and solid, so I didn't expect to reach this conclusion, but the keyboard on the T410s is rock solid right out of the box whereas I had to fuss with the x301 a bit. On the x301, I ordered a replacement keyboard because of a squeaky left TrackPoint button, then put some Scotch-tape shims in strategic locations to get the fit perfect. On the other hand, I couldn't improve on the T410s's keyboard if I tried. The new audio and power buttons and lighting are an improvement as well. Pressing the Esc and Ins key keys has never been a problem for me, so the enlarged versions don't matter to me but I understand the logic of making them larger and easier to find.

Battery Life: Once I got the power settings where I wanted them, the battery life is close on both models (~2:40 for each with very light use). The batteries are the same capacity, IIRC, so this is impressive considering that the T410s is driving a much faster processor and a larger display. One caveat: if you load a CPU-hungry program, it will suck down a lot of power in a hurry. In theory this is a good thing because your task will complete more quickly and then stop using the CPU. That's better than having to wait longer to complete a task, while using the same net amount of power. That said, it was a little panicking to see my estimated battery life go from two hours to one when I started System Update.

Fan Noise: The x301 is silent. Other than when I had a broken fan, I never heard the cooler unless something was wrong like a process run amok. The T410s is not like that. The fan is ever-present and rarely gets so quiet that it can't be heard, even when idle running on battery. That said, it's a pleasant enough fan -- nothing like the T43 fan, for instance.

Speakers: I admit I was prepared for disappointment here. The x301's audio is _very_ good -- it shocks me that it could be packed into such a small laptop. Taking apart the x301, I can see why: below the palmrests are acoustic chambers. Really _thin_ acoustic chambers, but in a laptop that size, the decision to leave that space unused must have been a difficult one. The T410s does not disappoint, though. The speakers don't reproduce low frequency audio as well as the x301, but it's a big improvement on ThinkPads of old and will work for most situations. Having the speakers outside the keyboard and not under one's palms is an offsetting positive. As on the x301, be sure to use the SmartAudio control panel applet to get the best sound from the speakers.

Construction - Flex: This is another area where I was prepared for disappointment. The x301 feels like it's carved from a single block. The T410s is every bit as solid. Despite being deeper and heavier than the x301, I can hold it, with the screen open, by the palmrest corner with the same confidence that I had in handling the x301. Very impressive. No squeaks, no flex. I hope that lasts.

Construction - Hinges: They are brushed aluminum on the T410s instead of lacquer black so they draw the eye more, but functionally they are every bit as good as on the x301. I'm sure they are stronger because the display is heavier. They seem to hold the display in position even more easily than the hinges on the x301.

Construction - Surfaces: The x301 uses a rubbery coating for the palmrest and keyboard surround. Some have described the feel as that of leather -- it's really pleasant. The T410s uses textured plastic in that area and while it isn't anything like the x301's surface, the texture of the plastic is pleasant - for plastic. Although they look similar, different ThinkPads use different textures for the palmrest. The T410s's is about as nice as they come. The texture on the base is nice as well. The material is different (CFRP?) but the texture, if not the sheen, is matched closely to the palmrest. When you run your hand over it, you hear a scratchy sound but it doesn't feel scratchy. Hard to explain, I know. The rubber lid coating also has this same feel and is different from the "grabby" rubbery coating on the x301.

Construction - Screen: How did they get the screen this thin? I can't believe that Lenovo managed to squeeze a 14" backlit LCD, Magnesium honeycomb rollcage and the plastic cover in the thin lid of the T410s. Upon closer inspection, the x301 screen is just as thin but you can't tell from the side because of the way the LCD trim bezel is designed to nest with the base of the laptop.

Trackpoint/Trackpad: I'm just getting started with these so I don't have much to share yet. I'm looking forward to using MultiTouch for panning, rotating and zooming in CAD and photo apps, but I haven't had a chance to try any of this yet.

CPU Noise: I've read where others have had a noise out of their CPU in the T410s. To hear any noise out of mine I have to put the bottom of the case against my ear (which I never do in regular use) and even then it's like the scraping of ant's feet -- not much whine, just some very faint clicking. I keep my CPU power setting on "Adaptive" both in AC and DC mode, so perhaps this is related. I ran some tests on an early Core processor and got exactly the same benchmarks out of Adaptive as Full Speed, so I keep the processor on Adaptive to cut down on heat when connected over AC.

CPU Performance: Impressive. The CPU in my x301 was fast enough for 99% of the work that I used it for, so the processor upgrade was only of interest to me for playing games. That said, I've been impressed with the improvement in application load times. Firefox starts up almost instantly now where it would take 1-2 seconds before. Likewise, Office 2010 apps load so fast that I don't see any of the progress text in the splash screen!

Heat: The x301 is pretty much always cool. The T410s, on the other hand, is never as cool as the x301 and will go from cold to hot in a hurry. With standard office app work, the bottom stays generally cool with a warm spot in the middle. If I fire up anything CPU intensive, or if I turn on the discreet video controller, it gets very toasty. Put it on a desk to play video games and all should be fine.

Access for Upgrades: Both models have gone to using a Magnesium door on the bottom for upgrading RAM and WLAN. The T410s goes a step further and puts the WWAN there as well. I like this. Particularly in laptops which are fit together this tightly, I would prefer not to take off bits of casing for routine upgrades.

Weight and Form Factor: I think the bottom line is that x301 users will see this as large and x4x0 users will see it as very trim. It's definitely not in the same portability class as the x301 and I question Lenovo's decision to eliminate the 13" product line. At the same time, if the x301 form factor is too small to accommodate full-speed processors, I'm probably OK (personally) with the jump to the T410s. It takes the sting out of jumping to a larger platform by providing a very rigid and thin chassis, without compromising on performance. I know some folks are bothered by the switch to 1.8" HDDs, but it's probably inevitable that all laptop hard drives are headed that direction, particularly with the advent of SSDs. And if your goal is portability, it cuts down weight, heat, energy consumption and vibration (admittedly at the expense of top speed, top capacity, and cost).

Transport: With the lid open, it can be carried by the palmrest (thumb on top, fingers on bottom) but is quite a bit more strain on the wrist than the x301. With the lid closed, I had exactly the same trouble finding a way to carry it as I did with the x301. With the battery no longer at the back providing a ridge to grab, and given that the weight is now more evenly distributed from front to back, I find both the x301 and T410s hard to hold on to. I found myself typically carrying it by a corner, with my finger wrapped around one of the rubber feet in the corner of the base to get a good grip.

Footnotes

• There is no dedicated Bluetooth LED. The WWAN light now comes on to indicate when Bluetooth (and perhaps WWAN or WiMax) is in use. For a minute I thought they had erred and installed WWAN.
• I miss having two USB ports on the side of the laptop as on the x301. The T410s has only one and the rear-mounted ports are more difficult to access.
• Before switching to the Toshiba 256GB SSD w/ Full Drive Encryption (FDE), I used the Intel 160GB SSD (I forget the model number -- the fast one). The Intel drive was noticeably faster. Windows 7 rates the speed as 6.9 for the Toshiba and 7.5 for the Intel, but in real world tests I think the difference was closer to 20%. That said, the prospect of having FDE on a drive with that small a compromise in speed was worth the change to me. I mention this in case someone reading this doesn't care about FDE (or capacity difference). In that case, go with the Intel.
• I have read about some users who experienced spontaneous shutdowns or restarts with their T410s's. I haven't experienced any in my first full day of use. I also haven't experienced the GPU overheating condition but I may not have run it long enough or pushed it hard enough to cause a failure.

That's my experience on day one. If anyone has questions or would like a photo taken of some bit, just ask.

-darren

 

Awesome write up Darren!!! Some great points.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Yeah I turn this particular mode off, my eyes are rather sensitive to the low refresh rate. Have you checked the Idle Timers in the Power Manager? Go to Advanced Mode instead of Basic, choose a Power Plan, then Lower Display Refresh Rate. If it still says to 50hz then just select "Never" and this should stop it completely.

Another suggestion is to check for updated video drivers and then try the above again.

 

Very good !
One of the best comparison reviews of the T410s vs. X301's out there !
+1 rep point !

I was really looking forward to what you had to say on the keyboards, and the overall feel of the laptop.
Sounds like they are both very solid machines, with the T410s having the improved keyboard design, looks to be a good thing

 

Great write up and much appreciated.

Would be curious to hear your final thoughts as to which you would prefer as your final laptop.

Also, as a current X301 owner, do you think it would be worthwhile to upgrade to a 410s?

Thanks,

 

Thanks to everyone for the kind replies!

Here are my notes from day 2:

• Still no crashes - very solid.
• I find the larger pixels and TrueType font anti-aliasing distracting on the T410s. The screendoor effect is just too great. At this screen size, I think I would prefer a higher resolution screen. That said, it's been nice not squinting as much.
• I was having two power issues: Dynamic brightness and 50Hz would be enabled, even when all my power settings were configured for max performance, when the laptop was taken off AC power *if* the integrated graphics card was in use. No such problem existed when using the discrete controller. I ran some power tests and found, at idle at least, that the two cards draw the same amount of power (!!). On that basis, I switched the BIOS over to discrete only. So far so good.
• When the laptop gets hot (ie when gaming) the base gets quite hot but that heat doesn't transmit to the keyboard much so as long as I keep something like a dinner tray between the laptop and my lap, it's still comfortable to use. This probably owes more to the SSD than anything else but might also be the result of a thicker keyboard tray and sub-keyboard frame (pure speculation as I haven't taken the keyboard out to have a look).
• I take back my earlier assertion that LED backlights don't require much power. There is a 300mAh increase in power draw when the backlight is taken up from minimum to maximum. That's an increase in total power consumption of ~30%. I'm surprised. I don't remember the backlight making that kind of difference on the x301 and I'm not sure how you put that much power through an LED array anyway -- they just don't take much power. I guess I have a few things to learn about LED backlighting.

I'm pretty sure that I'll stay with the T410s. So far there haven't been any disappointments that I wasn't already braced for and there have been several positive surprises. The difference in CPU speed is really more impressive than I expected -- it might be hard for me to go back now.

For someone using an x301, I would suggest it only if enough of these factors add up:

• The x301 screen is too small.
• You need faster CPU speed.
• You need eSATA.
• You need a docking station.
• You need multi-touch (screen and/or touchpad).
• You need discrete graphics.

There are some other, smaller perks like the noise-canceling dual-mic setup and integrated card reader but I'm not sure anyone would switch for that alone.

For me, I was in it for the eSATA and discrete graphics, but I've been won over by the faster CPU speed as well.

Things you'll loose if you leave the x301:

• Somewhat better audio.
• A somewhat better screen.
• Somewhat better battery life.
• The wonderful rubber coating on all the contact surfaces.
• The reduced weight and size (could be a factor on planes too).
• Two side-mounted USB ports.
• Separate headphone/mic jacks (they are unified on the T410s).
• A silent fan.

I just switched to full-time discrete graphics a couple hours ago. I'll have more to report on that soon.

-darren

 

Thanks for the updates !

Seems to me that (at least until the end of this year), I'll be sticking with my X301.
I mostly use my X301 for travel anyway, whereas my T61 is my laptop I'm always using, everyday for 4+ hours since I bought it. So my next laptop I get will be to replace the T61. More than likely a T410s, (or probably by then a T420s or T430s lol).
Thanks again for the valuable information !

Mike

 

Darren, thanks for the outstanding review and even better writing.

You have me a little perplexed that general usage is snappier with the faster processor. Is it possible the ssd in the T410s is better than what's in the X310. SSD speed has been rather disappointing in my experience with the X301 thus far compared to the Scorpio Black in my T400.

 

Mike, the T4x0s would be a GREAT replacement for the T61. I would like to see the whole T line go in this direction -- it's kind of a return to the T4x 14" form factor but it's much more rigid than those older models.

vinuneuro, I was a little surprised by the performance boost as well. I thought that the drive was the bottleneck with app startup, but apparently there was some processing in there as well. I moved the SSD over from my x301 which rules out the drive as a variable.

What model SSD do you have? I know that the first two generations of SSD had issues, but the most recent crop of controllers seem to work well. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Intel SSD. It's a screamer!

I was slow to come on board with SSDs because of the issues with early controllers, but I'm a convert now. It's faster than any HDD I've used in a laptop, and the elimination of vibration and heat is just as important to me. I remember going through multiple 7200rpm laptop drives to find one that didn't vibrate too much for my taste. Man am I glad those days are passed!

-darren