Lenovo ThinkPad T410 (14.1inch, Core i5 520M, Windows 7 Pro, 4GB RAM) Review

Back when ThinkPad's led the way for IBM, they were world-renowned for their robust build quality, functionality and reliability. No-wonder IBM quickly became one of the largest personal computer manufacturers in the world. More recently however, the Chinese giant Lenovo purchased IBM's personal computer division along with the ThinkPad brand.

The ThinkPad T410 is clearly a true example of how Lenovo have continued in the direction IBM would have wished to go. The T410 is undoubtedly a very powerful machine with incredible specs, a very durable build quality along with great functionality, responsive customer support and reliability.

Lenovo ThinkPad T410

Specifications:

The specifications may vary from country-to-country. We have got our hands on the flagship base model for the UK, and were very impressed with what was offered:

  • Intel 2nd Gen Dual Core i5 2.67GHz 560M processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • IntegratedIntel HD Graphics
  • Built-in WiFi, webcam, microphone and stereo speakers
  • Hotswappable slim SATA drive (for CD/DVD rewriter)
  • eSATA port
  • Display Port
  • 5-in-1 card reader
  • VGA-out
  • 3x USB port
  • 3G Sim card slot
  • Multi-touch trackpad

Overview

With fluctuating prices from all major online outlets, it's hard to compare this to another device in the same category. It was originally launched in 2010 and since then production has been discontinued but full support is available directly from Lenovo through their customer service hotline and website. For what it is, I cannot fault it too much. It has great functionality through offering many inputs including a very useful eSATA port and hot-swappable SATA drive.

Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Keyboard

It also boasts some more premium features including a Core i5 processor, multi-touch trackpad and nightlight. But then, it is arguably also let down by the lack of a full 1080p HD LCD - which is found almost across the board from laptops of this age and range.

Display

The Lenovo T410 has a 14.1inch LCD with a maximum supported resolution of 1280x800. While this is adequate for pretty much all ThinkPad users, it doesn't give much encouragement for Vaio users (for example) to try the switch! However, the VGA-out does support full HD and the Display Port supports a maximum resolution of 2560x1600 @ 60Hz. That means this machine can take full advantage of more premium external screens including the Apple Cinema Display.

The display is driven by one of Intel's earliest HD integrated chips. It provides 256MB of video memory, stolen, from the RAM. By stolen, I mean it permanently reserves 256MB of physical memory for video processing power. That means out of the box a '4GB' machine will only give you 3.8GB of RAM.

Processor

The dual core Intel i5 560M processor provides ample power for carrying out CPU-hungry tasks including light video editing and Photoshop. At 2.66GHz clock speed, the T410 has almost no lag when launching programs and navigating through applications and data. Intel's new hyper-threading vPro technology allows turbo boost up to 3.2GHz when your machine needs some extra juice aswell as an extra two virtual cores taking the processor to a total of four processing cores.

Though the i5 included in this model is a mobile processor, it costs around £150 ($250) direct from Intel and does a good job with keeping up with 2013 i3 and i5 processors giving it a benchmark score of just over 2500. This suggests that the Lenovo T410 can prove to be a very good long term investment and won't need replacing too soon!

Memory, Hard Drive & Upgradeability

The T410 we had came with 4GB ram from factory. This can be upgraded simply by removing the panel on the base of the machine with a phllips screw driver - and upgraded to a maximum 8GB. From the same panel, the wireless card can also be removed, changed and repaired. The hard drive also requires only one screw to remove, and can be fitted with any SATA-2 compatible 2.5inch drive. Our model came pre-configured with 320GB however, Lenovo also offer the option of up to 500GB or a 256GB SSD. I personally wouldn't recommend fitting a SSD in the T410 since it doesn't support the full 6GBps of SATA-3.

For me, this laptop shines when it comes to upgradeability. It allows quick and easy modifications to memory and hard drive space. It also features an external and embedded 3G sim card for added connectivity options and a removable slim SATA DVD drive which allows you to free-up a hot-swappable SATA port. User can use this for external SATA connections and peripherals. In addition, the Lenovo t410 also has an external eSATA port making it simple and easy to plug in external high-speed SATA peripherals with plug-and-play compatibility.

Additional Hardware/Accesorries

I think it is worthwhile pointing out that the Lenovo T410 has a multi-touch trackpad, built in webcam, mic and stereo speakers. In addition it boasts a sim card slot to enable 3G/4G internet on the move. Though these features are almost taken for granted in most modern laptops, it's the attention to detail that stands up here. Lenovo could have just as easily decided not to include a webcam and microphone - but the inclusion makes this machine incredibly functional for both business users and media enthusiasts across the board!

In a nutshell…

I love the ThinkPad T410. It's super-processor makes mince-meat of any tasks I'd carry out on a portable machine - and battery life isn't compromised at 5.2hrs with moderate use. This is a suitable for laptops for most business, home and travelling users but it is on the pricey side. For the same cost you could easily pick up a AlienWare gaming machine with dedicated graphics and a full HD display - but it just isn't quite a ThinkPad. Lenovo may manufacture the ThinkPad, but the T410 is an IBM through-and-through.