Hi,
I'm about to replace my faulty Lenovo ThinkPad T400s (2808CV / NSDCVMN), and I'm considering both the ThinkPad T510 and the W510.
Unfortunately we aren't able to configure our own setups here in Norway, so I have to go with one of the "default" models.

Funny thing though, is that the better specced T510 and W510 retails for about the same price, featuring this hardware:
T510:

System components

 Intel Core i7-620M Processor (2.66GHz, 4MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)

 Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64

 15.6" HD+ Anti-Glare Display with LED Backlight and WWAN Antenna

 NVIDIA NVS 3100m Graphics 512MB DDR3 with Intel Advanced Management Technology

 4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)

 Camera, 2.0 MP

 320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

 Multi Recorder Optical Drive (12.7mm)

 Express Card Slot & 5 in 1 Card Reader

 9 cell Li-Ion Battery



 Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3X3 AGN)

 Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable



W510:

System components

 Intel Quad Core Processor i7 820QM (1.73GHz 1066MHz 8MBL3)

 Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64

 15.6" FHD Display (95% Gamut) with LED Backlight and Multi Touch Screen

 NVIDIA NVS 5100m Discrete Graphics 1GB DDR3 with Intel Advanced Management Technology

 4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)

 UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader

 Camera, 2.0 MP

 320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

 Multi Recorder Optical Drive (12.7mm)

 Express Card Slot & 5 in 1 Card Reader

 6 cell Li-Ion Battery



 Bluetooth w/ antenna

 Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3X3 AGN)

 Integrated Mobile Broadband (Gobi 2000 3G with GPS)


Is it just me, or does the W510 look superior to the T510?You get four cores instead of just two, not the mention the higher L3 cache? You also get a much more powerful GPU solutions? And 1920x1080 resolution?

All this for approx the same price here in Norway?Is there something about the T510 that the W510 supposedly are missing?

Any reasons for NOT going W510?

RamGuy459

I see no reason not to buy the W model.

You are future proofing by getting this one and it will last you a long time, after all, ThinkPads are designed to be easily repaired and serviced. 

I believe that the T510 is ever-so-slightly lighter, though i'm not positive.  Besides, who cares about an ounce or two once you've got a 15.4" laptop?

If you can get the W510 for the same price as a T510 I'd jump on it like a lottery ticket.  Here, at least, there is a HUGE difference in price, and the W510 is far, far, nicer.  Just the screen and the processor upgrades alone are great, but there are other differences--the video card, for example.  And the W510 has four RAM slots, which means you can easily put in 8G of RAM using relatively-cheap 2G chips. 

That said, I don't know if that means the T510 is overpriced or if you're getting a deal on the W510. 

Well if you google on 620M vs 720QM/820QM you would find many discussion / comparison between the cpu. More cores does not necessarily = better. For most user a quad core is a waste.

I went with a 620M because:

Higher single core performance, most of your apps are still single threaded

Lower power usage, 32nm 35w TDP vs 45nm 45w TDP, this result in less heat, longer battery life

Ask yourself, what would you do with those extra cores. With hyper threading, 2 dual cores = 4 running threads. 

I have a quad core machine as well as some dual core machines, and with the right programs I have absolutely no problem using all the cores.

For example, I often scan a lot of documents and routinely batch-process 500 pages at a time through optical character recognition.  Omnipage Pro uses quad core very nicely.  So does Acrobat Pro, which I use constantly.  And so does Lightroom, which I use to manage all my RAW files.  I'd love to own a W510 if I could afford it, with an 820 chip.

Also, frankly a lot of people who own workstation laptops tend to use them more as portable computers than as laptop computers.  I'm near a plug 90% of the time, and I'd rather have good performance on AC than long battery life.  If the T510 could support the S10-2 battery I'd be all over it.

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wrote:

Well if you google on 620M vs 720QM/820QM you would find many discussion / comparison between the cpu. More cores does not necessarily = better. For most user a quad core is a waste.

 

I went with a 620M because:

Higher single core performance, most of your apps are still single threaded

Lower power usage, 32nm 35w TDP vs 45nm 45w TDP, this result in less heat, longer battery life

 

Ask yourself, what would you do with those extra cores. With hyper threading, 2 dual cores = 4 running threads. 

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hat's plenty of processor load on all the cores, and my quad core tends to do it much more quickly than my dual core machines.

Since you already spent quite a bit on the T510, why not toss in few extra bucks for the W510 if you thought you could make use of it? My T510 config was around 2400 (with amex deal). I would have gone for the W510 if I think it was the better choice for my usage pattern.

For battery time, a T510 is much longer than a W510, you can check tabook.pdf

That's the reason I chose T510.

---

wrote:

Well if you google on 620M vs 720QM/820QM you would find many discussion / comparison between the cpu. More cores does not necessarily = better. For most user a quad core is a waste.

 

I went with a 620M because:

Higher single core performance, most of your apps are still single threaded

Lower power usage, 32nm 35w TDP vs 45nm 45w TDP, this result in less heat, longer battery life

 

Ask yourself, what would you do with those extra cores. With hyper threading, 2 dual cores = 4 running threads. 

---

I have yet to see some real head to head comparison between the Intel Core i7-620M (Arrandale) and the Intel Core i7-820QM (Clarksfield), there is indeed lots of threads discussing the use / need for four cores vs dual core etc.. And people have been speculating a bit, but I haven't really seen any benchmark or real time performance comparison yet?

When it comes to the speed and frequency I can't really see how the i7-620M is supposed to be superior to the i7-820QM? Of course the stock speed of 1.73GHz seems slack compared to the 2.66GHz of the i7-620M, but we have to remember that Turbo Boost plays a big deal here:

i7-820QM:

4-cores = 1.73GHz

2-cores = 2.8GHz

1-core   = 3.06GHz

i7-620M:

2-cores = 2.66GHz

1-core   = 3.33GHz

In other words, when running dual core Turbo Mode the i7-820QM is actually running on a higher frequency than the i7-620M? And it's not far behind when it comes to single core boost either? And considering the Clarksfield seems to be more about performance compared to Arrandale which is more power consumption optimized it seems, I guess the i7-820QM with it's higher L3 cache etc.. will be faster at same frequencies as well?

So for me the only major drawback with the i7-820QM is the higher power consumption, I don't see how the possibility to be utilizing four cores, considering the dual core turbo mode is actually running on higher frequencies compared to the i7-620M is a bad thing?

Also have to remember they both use the same socket, we'll be running the same chipset etc.. But the W510 with it's i7-820QM get goodies like USB3.0, 4x RAM slots (no need to pay insane amounts for 8GB RAM) and much more powerful dedicated graphics.

I'm not saying the i7-620M is weak or anything, I bet I'll be perfectly happy with it, but I don't see how the i7-820QM can be a poorer choice, for me the key difference between the W510 and the T510 isn't the CPU, but the extra RAM slots and superior graphic solutions I can get for approx the same price.

And what I've learned from my T400s, is that portability and battery life is nice, but not something I really need.. As I've got my power adapter connected and available almost all the time and I mostly use the laptop at home I don't thing the extra weight nor the lower battery life will really affect me.

It's actually much more expensive for me--probably $600-700 or so. 

How hard is it to replace the Intel 6200 WiFi card with a Intel 6300 and install an additional antenna?

I see now that the Norwegian W510 comes with just the 6200 and not the 6300, so I might want to upgrade it on my own when it comes available at Ebay.com