Lenovo ThinkPad T410: Built for Business
by Jarred Walton on March 26, 2010 4:00 AM ESTLenovo ThinkPad Classic: Business Defined
Having put the latest ThinkPad T410 through its paces, we're hardly surprised by most of the results. ThinkPad has always been renowned for their build quality and durability, and the T410 is no exception. It may not look as stylish as other laptops (depending on your definition of style), but no business user would ever feel bad about carrying around a modern ThinkPad. If you're in the market for a business notebook (or if you run an IT department), you'd be remiss to skip the ThinkPad without at least testing a unit.
The ThinkPad Classic is understated yet powerful, with useful utilities to help get the most out of your laptop. The fact that our test unit is able to run under full load with an i5-540M CPU and still keep noise levels at just 33 dB speaks volumes about the engineering. Unlike laptops where the fans will oscillate between low and high RPMs, the T410 has a fan that's quiet but effective at idle and doesn't change speed unless you run heavy load, at which point the noise output roughly "doubles" (a change from ~30 dB to 33 dB). Even with such a potent CPU, the T410 never got more than moderately warm; certainly it's not a laptop that we would be uncomfortable putting on our actual lap.
Besides the excellent build quality—the T410 feels like it could travel around a lot and never skip a beat—our favorite part of the laptop is the keyboard. The feel of the keys is great, and after writing most of this review on the keyboard I can say without a doubt that it's the best laptop keyboard I've used in some time. I did notice that it tended to miss letters occasionally when I was typing fast, as it requires a bit more "force" for clicks to register (basically, you have to make sure to press the keys down far enough). After a few minutes I became more used to the keyboard and didn't have as many missing letters, and 4000 words later I can only wish more laptops would go with this style of keyboard rather than the attractive but less functional chiclet and flat key designs.
The one area where we wish Lenovo had done better is the LCD panel. We're happy to get the option of choosing a WXGA+ resolution (it's standard if you want the NVS 3100M GPU), and we like the matte surface, but higher resolutions don't inherently mean higher quality. The contrast ratio in particular needs help. We know that there are better panels out there—look at the ASUS 1001p or the Dell Precision M6500 for example, and there are plenty more—but such panels will obviously increase manufacturing costs. All we really want is at least a 500:1 contrast ratio, with a maximum brightness of at least 200nits; anything more (in contrast or brightness) is fine, but you definitely get diminishing returns. And whatever manufacturers do, please stop putting sub-200:1 LCDs in otherwise high quality laptops!
Ultimately, the decision often comes down to price, which is the one area where it's a bit difficult to give ThinkPads an explicit recommendation. The T410 is a wonderful laptop for a business user, and if your company is footing the bill then by all means, enjoy! If you're paying for the laptop yourself, you'll need to think a bit more about whether the extra features and build quality are worth $500 extra compared to consumer notebooks. In three years, that same $500 could be put towards a new laptop that would offer better performance than current systems. In fact, you could very easily buy two $800 laptops for the cost of a typical T410! Obviously, build quality doesn't come cheap.
The good news is that at least through the end of March, there's a great sale on the T410 and other ThinkPad laptops at Lenovo. A system similar to our test unit will run about $1275 right now, down from the regular $1720 price. That will get you 4GB DDR3 with the i5-540M and NVS 3100M, a 9-cell battery, Intel 6200 AGN WiFi, a fingerprint scanner, and a 2MP webcam that works better than most webcams we've tried. And unlike consumer laptops, short of outright abuse like dropping your laptop or spilling liquids on it, the T410 will probably last the next five years or more. If you've always wanted a ThinkPad but couldn't quite stomach the price, you might want to look at the current offerings.
If you're interested in other Lenovo products, we have a few other reviews lined up for the coming weeks. Testing is already well underway, so I can safely say that for me the ThinkPad T410 is my favorite of the bunch. Still, if you're looking for CULV alternatives, the IdeaPad 150/450p and ThinkPad Edge 13 reviews might be more your style, so stay tuned.
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Johnmcl7 - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
My company changed to Lenovo (mainly T400s) last year and quite frankly the 'legendary' build quality seems non-existant. Many of them haven't even made it a year without needing their motherboard replaced after just dying for no reason and others which didn't seem to be able to take slight knocks. The hard drive protection doesn't seem to count for much with three machines suffering hard drive failures within the first month.The design of the laptops themselves seems poor as getting access to the internals is surprisingly clumsy, swapping out the ram needs four screws removed from the underside then the palm rest ripped off. Lenovo support seems somewhat lax and their engineers seem to have trouble repairing the machines themselves.
The dock design is poor as the X200/T400 both need a different dock and the monitor stand is laughable, the dock just sits on it with nothing to clip it into position nor electrically couple it.
hko45 - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
That's why I like the Dell Latitudes and Precision laptops -- the E-Port and especially the E-Port Plus (2 DVI, 2 DP for dual monitors)docking stations with the dedicated docking port so you don't have to go through a slow USB-2 connection.Aclough - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
If any of you are wondering, there were some hickups when they came out but all the laptop features work fine under the newest Ubuntu release now.hko45 - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
Since Lenovo is a mainland Chinese company, you could support Google's efforts by not buying anything from there. I realize that many components are manufactured/assembled there -- so encourage Dell and others to get out.BTW: I haven't seen any threads/follow-ups on articles that appeared several years ago that described back-door threats that can be imbedded in hardware/firmware at the time of manufacturing that can be turned on surrepticiously. Another reason to avoid mainland Chinese products (if only if were so easy).
FreakyD - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
Maybe I'll look into other hardware when other companies produce a product as good as the ThinkPad. I'm using the latest and greatest Dell Latitude E6400 and it pales in comparison to the ThinkPad T and R series.The previous year's Dell model (Latitude D630) was the worst computer I've ever used. In my office, nearly every individual with that model of laptop had some hardware issue (failed hard drives, motherboards, fans, and overall system instability) within 2 years of ownership. The Dell trackpoint implementation is also terrible.
HP business laptops are much more expensive than either Dell or the ThinkPads (since the ThinkPads seem to be constantly on sale). HP consumer laptops are all glossy screens and shiny fingerprint magnet surfaces.
I considered an Apple laptop for a while, but where's the high resolution screen on their 13" model. Why do these cost 30% more than ThinkPads as well (we're talking entry level macbook vs the baseline T410)?
So I will say when it comes to purchasing a laptop to do real work on, I prefer to buy the best quality with a decent trackpoint implementation, which doesn't even happen to be the most expensive.
hko45 - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
Laptops are a commodity item these days. I'm sure you'll find the horror stories and fanboy accounts for whichever brand you choose.I happen to have a Dell Precision M6400 and I'm perfectly happy with it -- saving up for an M6500. Furthermore, a large client of mine uses Dell laptops almost exclusively, and I have heard any complaints from the ops people about any endemic issues with them.
As for the mainland China ownership issue: The only way I get to "vote" on issues that concern me is with the ubiquitous dollar. I'd hate to think that I'm in any way supporting them if I can at all help it.
johnnyfinger - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
I've had quite a few laptops over the years and most recently am using a Dell E6400 2.4Ghz purchased via Dell's Outlet for under $725 w/ a matte 14" WXGA, 3-yr warranty, encrypted drive, button & touchpad nav, a/g/n wifi. The case is metal, and 'looks' identical to the Lenovo.This is an excellent device and at least as well made as the old IBM Thinkpad I had, as well made the Apple MBP I also use.
Unless you're being subsidized, buy one generation back.
Belard - Sunday, March 28, 2010 - link
HOLY SMOKE!Those Dells look very much like ThinkPads, perhaps enough to think that Dell is buying them Lenovo. Its possible.
Or, most likely, they have copied the ThinkPad design. Other than the logo and color, the shape, feature set, metal hinges, keyboard layout... which is now Thinkpads OLD design, this unit is designed to lure people over I think.
It still doesn't have some ThinkPad features. The magnesium alloy construction is (like Apple) make it strong on the outside, ThinkPads go about it on the inside.
But there is one thing that Dell sure doesn't have it. Lenovo's support staff. :)
Still, that is perhaps the best Dell notebooks ever... I like how on Dells site it says "Inspired Design: The Latitude E6400 is thoughtfully designed not just for looks, but to survive a long day on the job.~ inspired by feedback from thousands of users just like you."
errr... perhaps thousands of Dell users (because the IT bought them) who said "I wish it was more like a ThinkPad" :)
Dell did get the CTRL<>fn keyboard issue right.
When Lenovo re-arranged their keyboard slightly and for the better, all they needed to do was switch CTRL<>FN to make it perfect! Grumble.
hko45 - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
Opps:I happen to have a Dell Precision M6400 and I'm perfectly happy with it -- saving up for an M6500. Furthermore, a large client of mine uses Dell laptops almost exclusively, and I have NOT heard any complaints from the ops people about any endemic issues with them.
LtGoonRush - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
Lenovo is actually owned by the Chinese government, which is an even more compelling reason not to purchase from them on ethical grounds.