Solved! Lenovo T500 Spec's - Help - xXxHot GirlsxXx

josh2010

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Dec 12, 2009
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Got your attention didn't I? Sorry, need some opinions here.



I've been browsing this forum for some time now reading through post after post about laptops.

A bit about me:

I'm looking to replace my desktop with a laptop.

I'm going to be using the laptop for general use, returning to college to learn how to program, and need it to be well built. I do not do intensive gaming, but enjoy strategy games like starcraft 2 (when it gets released) and of the like so I'm thinking the descrete graphics card option but feel free to educate me if this is necessary?

I'm looking to spend $800 - $1000 but could go just a bit more if I need to, or spend less if some of the stuff below isn't a decent performance gain.

I think I've narrowed it down to the T500 by Lenovo or the T500 . I was considering the E6500 and or one of the HP elite books but it appears that the T500 seems to offer the best bang for the buck in this class. I want to stay away from the consumer models as they just seem really cheaply built and they don't offer digital ouput docking solutions. (I'm going to be hooking this up to my new HP2475w IPS monitor. )

LCD Options: I've read that the WSXGA + is the best option for screen.

CPU: I'm not sure if I should focus on the P8600, the P8700, P8800, or T9400 etc?
The T9 series offers the L2 6MB cache vs. the L2 2MB cache - is this noticable?

RAM: The RAM comes in 2 -4 gb on most machines I'm seeing on the Lenovo outlet(new) site and ebay. Depending on the CPU, what is essential and at what point will I not notice a difference?

Harddrive: I'm thinking 160gb +, however, will I notice much of a difference between the 5400 vs the 7200 rpm version?

Docking station: Suggestions for ouputting to the HP2475w?

Graphics Card: Is the AMD M86M Switchable Graphics 256MB option a major upgrade? Will using the integrated intel 4500 suit my needs as a student programmer who games lightly?

This is the best spec'd-to-price analysis I've found: http://outlet.lenovo.com/laptops/thi...ca20564qu.html

I'd like to get input on each part if possible to help me determine if I need to spend this much or if the performance is minimal from this model over say a lighter spec'd version using the vs. categories above. Also, if you can post just a quick blurp about who you are (programmer, sales guy, tech geek) this will help me understand where the opinion is coming from.

Thanks for your time and input, it's greatly appreciated!

~Josh

Here's a format you can use for response, it would help me make an educated decision.

Who I am:

Opinion On

LCD:
Why:
Graphics Card:
Why:
Processor:
Why:
Memory:
Why:
Hard-drive:
Why:

Notes:


Here's a "safe" candy photo just to not completely mislead

28911251225825.jpg
 
Solution
Who I am: Just the guy who responded to your last thread.

Opinion On

LCD:Go for the highest available.
Why: Whilst you may be hooking it up to a larger monitor(same one as mine) you might still want the larger real estate if you do travel with it anywhere. However it is up to you and games will probably have to be dropped to 1200 x 800 anyway.

Graphics Card:Get the discrete
Why: Whilst the 3650 is by no means great the intel is no use at all for any games other than solitaire. The switchable gfx give you alot of options and only takes a couple of mouse clicks to sort out.

As for connecting to the monitor, you can always just use the display port connection, works fine and even running a cloned screen at 1680 x 1050 it looked...

strangestranger

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Jan 31, 2006
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Who I am: Just the guy who responded to your last thread.

Opinion On

LCD:Go for the highest available.
Why: Whilst you may be hooking it up to a larger monitor(same one as mine) you might still want the larger real estate if you do travel with it anywhere. However it is up to you and games will probably have to be dropped to 1200 x 800 anyway.

Graphics Card:Get the discrete
Why: Whilst the 3650 is by no means great the intel is no use at all for any games other than solitaire. The switchable gfx give you alot of options and only takes a couple of mouse clicks to sort out.

As for connecting to the monitor, you can always just use the display port connection, works fine and even running a cloned screen at 1680 x 1050 it looked alright during some very basic photo editing using gimp.

Processor: I went with the T9600 as in the UK you need to selct that model so as to get the WSZGA+ screen options. However as to if cache benefits programs varies, may be best looking up benchmarks on this one.


Memory: Memory more the better and the difference in price isn't that much just get it shipped with it, if not just upgrade yourself but the more ram the better.

Hard-drive:7200rpm
Why:Hardrives are still the bottleneck of systems and help determine overall responsiveness, if you can't afford the SSD option then get the fastest one that you can afford.

Notes: Again, I chose the T500 because it was the only one that fitted my specifications.

However, it has a couple of faults that may or may not happen. it can hang on shutdown. I still haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet, it may be a combination of things as it doesn't always happen. Still investigating that one.

Also, there is a slight power draw during hibernation although that is not a big issue.

Finally it does come with a ton of startup programs and processes so if you are the type that like quick start ups you may have to remove some stuff. However, pretty much all pre-built comps have that.
 
Solution

josh2010

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Dec 12, 2009
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Big question of the day then if I spend $1k - $1200, can the fully suited one with the descrete graphics card handle a game like starcraft II when it's released? If not, I'm considering on getting a basic business setup just for school, and building a desktop for all else for about the same outlay. $400 laptop, $600 amd x4 machine.