Lenovo ThinkPad T410s with NVIDIA Optimus Review
Performance Summary and Conclusion
Performance Summary: Across the board, we were satisfied with the performance of Lenovo's T410s. It offers a slightly faster Core i5 processor than the other 14" notebooks we've recently looked at. As such, its benchmark scores reflect that advantage. The inclusion of a 128GB solid state drive pays major dividends in the PCMark Vantage test, where the T410s performed extremely well.
Configuring this system on Lenovo's web site takes the price of our review unit to $1779, before taxes and shipping. We also found the T410s with the same specs on Amazon for about $1500. Taking form factor, performance, and build quality into consideration, we feel the asking price represents a good value. Let's look at a couple of comparable notebooks to the ThinkPad T410s. After configuring a 14" HP EliteBook 8440p with the same components found on our review model, it rang in at $1912. Alternatively, we tracked down a 13" Sony Vaio Z Series notebook sporting a Core i5 460M processor, 4GB memory, 128GB SSD, and NVIDIA GT 330M graphics for $1899. Of course, all of these companies offer many options that will raise or lower the final price of the notebook. Just know that Lenovo T410s configurations are competitively priced compared to the competition.
;)
So with everything taken into consideration, what do we think of the T410s? We think it offers adequate performance for business users by employing an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory, and a snappy 128GB Toshiba SSD. The NVIDIA NVS3100M is powerful enough to run multi-display setups, while delivering a stable environment for business applications. And while it won't run COD Black Ops with image quality settings cranked up, the T410s can handle some light gaming at 1440 x 900 resolution as well. Just use low settings and keep anti-aliasing turned off.
The Achilles heel of this notebook is the short up time provided by its 6-cell battery. If you take your work on the road often, an hour and a half of juice may not be enough time to get the job done. Just keep in mind that the battery life estimate we recorded should be considered the worst case scenario. We consider it an understandable trade off for an ultra portable notebook with these specs. The real question is if it's a shortcoming you're willing to deal with. With that said, if you're in the market for a light, thin, and rugged notebook specifically designed for business users, the Lenovo Thinkpad T410s is definitely worth checking out.
|
|
|
|
|
