Thinkpad T520 or W530 - which should I purchase

[Cocojam]

I need help choosing the best business/ work machine and configuration. Let me start by saying I am not a tech/computer person but I like to have a well functioning/sturdy machine. I will only be using this in my home office working for a finance company. USAGE/HEAVY NEEDS Heavy Internet usage Quick books Spreadsheets Word processing Email PowerPoint Adobe Fast Good memory SSD Wireless Bluetooth(not sure why I need this, but I think it would be nice) Camera Best virus protection LIGHT USAGE Videos Pictures So after a bit of research I chose the two models in the heading. If I should look at other models let me know. Budget: less than $1000 Thanks in advance!!

[edit1754]

Remember to buy it through the Barnes and Noble Gold discount page. Sign up and sign in here: http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/StdAffinityPortal/en_US/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity... (then navigate around the B&N Gold Lenovo website to reach your model's configuration page)

Another important piece of information is: Whichever configuration you end up buying, you will need to make sure that it includes either the HD+ (1600x900) or FHD (1920x1080) display upgrade, and not the base HD (1366x768) display-- which I believe is only an issue with the T520. 1366x768 resolution in a 15.6" display makes things onscreen large, and 15.6" 1366x768 displays tend to have very poor image quality due to low contrast.

[JDay]

Looking at what you need it for and your budget I'd go with the T520. You do not need the power of the W530 for your needs, none of those things require a lot of CPU or RAM. A system with an i3 would handle all of those tasks just fine. The T520 also happens to be on sale right now.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflowhowPro...

[fstellab]

I would consider spending a few more dollars to get the  Intel(R) Centrino(R) Ultimate-N 6300 AGN. It has WiDi capabilties.

I have a T520 which I am very pleased with,  I added a solid State drive in the  m-sata  slot . Its a small slot under the keyboard taht can hold a SSD drive (search for m-sata) which I use as my boot drive. I also replaced the 500GB disk it came with with a Seagate Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive. I put the original disk in my R61e which is still going strong.

You can see my configuration at:

http://speccy.piriform.com/results/5kz0tZvXxQEXZD4goQGhR4C

I can give the T520 a very high recommendation.

JMHO

-Fred

[JDay]

All the Intel cards support WiDi, most people do not have a compatible TV though.

[nibs Guru]

Why are you purchasing a laptop if it is only going to be used in your home office? You don't need the power of the W series, nor do you have the budget for one. In fact, for $1,000 I don't think you have the budget for the T530 either. I suggest going with a T520. If you play around on Lenovo's site enough, normally you will receive a pop-up to sign up for e-mails and receive a 10% off coupon. 

Best bet is to shop the outlet. Right now there is the machine below for about $850.

ThinkPad T420s - Refurbished

Part number: 4173XC4

• Processor: Intel® Core™ i5 processor i5-2520M (2.50GHz base; 3.2GHz Max Turbo, 3MB Cache)( )
• Operating system: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64 - English
• Display: 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlight w/720p HD Camera"
• Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 3000
• Memory: 4GB PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
• Hard Drive: 128GB SATA 1.8" Solid State Drive
• Optical Drive: DVD Recordable Serial ATA

You can also purchase a new T420 as configured below for about $960 with code JULY4YDEAL, leaving you enough left over to extra 4GB of RAM aftermarket, if you think you need the extra RAM.

ThinkPad T520 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Processor:	Intel Core i3-2350M Processor (3M Cache, 2.30GHz)	Should be sufficient power
Operating system:	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)	Comes with $14.99 upgrade to Win 8 Pro
Operating system language:	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English
Display type:	15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display	You want at least this screen. You probably want the 1920x1028 screen, but it costs more.
System graphics:	Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor graphics with dynamic frequency
Total memory:	4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)	This leave the other DIMM slot open
Keyboard:	Keyboard - US English
Camera:	No camera	Saves you $30.00
Hard drive:	Intel 160GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA	I think this is the Intel 320 SSD. It is not the fastest SSD, but 160GB of SSD for $210.00 is quite reasonable.
Optical device:	DVD Recordable
System expansion slots:	Express Card Slot, 4-in-1 Card Reader with place-holder cover
Battery:	Lithium Ion 6-cell Battery	You said you are only using it in your home office, so you don't need the larger battery.
Power cord:	65W AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin)
Bluetooth:	Bluetooth 3.0 wireless
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters:	Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN	Best wireless card. If you are only going to use it in your office and you will plug in to a wired connection, you might be able to pick another option. However, this card is good!
Integrated mobile broadband:	Mobile Broadband ready (no mobile broadband module)	Don't need this.
Language pack:	Publication - US English
Accessories and options:		I would recommend the 3yr NBD warranty with ThinkPad proteciton, but you can't afford it.
1Yr Onsite Warranty Next Business Day

[TheDude]

If you only use it in the office (don't carry it around) and only have $1,000 buy a couple of 23" monitors and something like a Thinkcentre M81 and put a SSD in it.

[ColonelONeill]

Actually, heavy Excel worksheets can be very demanding on CPU, so having a nice CPU can be useful. A dual-core should probably suffice as Excel is not very well multithreaded IIRC.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

From the usage you are describing, the T520 seems to be a better fit. You are not going to fully utilise the increased GPU and CPU power of the W530.

[nibs Guru]

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TheDude wrote:
If you only use it in the office (don't carry it around) and only have $1,000 buy a couple of 23" monitors and something like a Thinkcentre M81 and put a SSD in it.

---

I thought this at first, but a comparable M81 is $759.00, and it only comes with 2GB of RAM, a normal HDD, and no monitor. So then it would be necessary to purchase a monitor, ram, and SSD with the remaining 241. I'm a touch picky about monitors, and I wouldn't settle for anything less than the Dell U2212HM for $219 IPS 82% gamut (close to 100% sRGB). I know its possible to get a less expensive monitor in the $100 range (Lenovo sells the L2021 for $104.99). However, as opposed to a laptop screen, where the user is almost always in the TN sweet spot, at a desk the user is often off to the side and IPS really starts to show the advantages of IPS. I don't even know if Lenovo sells IPS monitors.

So the desktop looks like $759.00 + $105 (L2021) + $125 (inexpensive 120GB SSD) + $20 (4GB RAM) + $45 (inexpensive uninterruptible power supply) = $1,054 ; comes out over budget

The outlet laptop is looking like a real bargain. Heck the configured laptop, but shipping with the HDD and adding in a 120GB Intel 330 would save $81, bringing that system to $879. Then an external monitor becomes an option.