Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review

Performance Summary:  In our SiSoftware Sandra tests, the ThinkPad T410 didn't overly impress us though it held its own. But in the gaming tests and PCMark/3DMark 06 tests, the machine definitely performed better than expected. Keeping in mind that this is a business machine first and foremost, it's tough to knock just how well it kept up with recently released multimedia and gaming notebooks that should have outpaced it easily. Intel's Core i5 and NVIDIA's discrete NVS 3100M GPU are largely to thank, both of which are unusual finds in a notebook that's tailored to corporate buyers. 1080p multimedia playback was flawless, and even modern first-person shooters performed well at the notebook's native 1440x900 resolution. Multitasking within Windows 7 Professional was a breeze, and the lack of bloatware enabled it to remain extremely nimble.


In some regards, this is the same notebook as the T400 that we reviewed last year. The chassis is largely unchanged, and all of the typical ThinkPad points are there: the blue "Enter" key, the mousing nub in the middle of the keyboard, the textured multi-touch trackpad and the rigid frame that makes it so popular amongst road warriors who treat their notebooks less than gently sometimes. Using this machine was a real joy thanks to those points combined with a killer upgraded internal platform of Intel's latest technologies. It's not often that you get a ThinkPad keyboard (the best in the business, pretty much) with a Core i5 CPU and a discrete NVIDIA GPU. If you've been dreaming of the perfect mix of business and pleasure, this may be your machine.


Our test unit rang up at just under $1500, with the base unit listing for $999. For business users, these prices are reasonable given the sturdiness and performance available. The only real downside is the lackluster battery life, which is to be expected when you're using a performance-oriented CPU and GPU combination (it would be so nice if Lenovo build an option for this machine that NVIDIA Optimus enabled). The display was crisp, multimedia playback was no chore and overall usability was stellar. ThinkPads tend to be "love 'em or hate 'em" type machines for some folks, but with the extra horsepower beneath the hood of this one, we're guessing more folks will fall into the "love" camp than ever before.

Typical ThinkPad Rigdity Plenty of Ports Excellent Keyboard Fantastic Tracpad Ultra Quiet And Cool Great Blend of Power and Class Wi-Fi, 3G and Optical Drives Are Integrated	Glossy Display Aging Design Lackluster Battery Life Thicker Than Most 14" Rivals No HDMI Output No USB 3.0 Ports