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Thread: Thinkpad T530 review

  1. #1
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    Thinkpad T530 review

    So, spent a good few hours with my new T530, installing Ubuntu, then later openSUSE, also using Windows for a while.

    Specs - Intel Core i7 (dual-core), 8 GB ram, 500 GB 7200 rpm HDD, Intel HD 4000 graphics, Centrino Ultimate wireless, 1080p screen

    First off, look and feel. The physical size is smaller than I was expecting. It's no ultrabook, but it has a small footprint, and isn't as thick as I thought it would be. It's also alot more modern looking than I was expecting, the black plastic/carbon composite looks really sleek. Also feels very nice.

    Keyboard - at first I wasn't sure about it, didn't like the feel initially. Then started typing, and guess what, I'm typing quicker and more accurately than ever before. Typing feels incredibly natural on the chiclet keys, very pleasant surprise. Probably my new favourite keyboard (even better than the keyboard I have attached to my desktop).

    Screen - amazing. 1080p, great colours, super sharp, best computer screen I've ever looked at. Definitely worthwhile getting the full HD screen if you're ordering a W or T530...

    Touchpad/trackpoint - touchpad is a little smaller than I was expecting, but has a nice feel to it, works well, trackpoint is very nice too.

    Performance - very impressed, it ran Civ 5 on medium-high settings with AA. And that's with a dual core processor and Intel graphics.... Also runs 0 A.D. smoothly. All everyday tasks are incredibly quick.

    Ubuntu compatibility - this is where things kind of fall off... I installed 12.10 alpha 2 (to get the updated kernel for Ivy Bridge), and alot of things weren't working. Brightness control didn't work, the middle trackpoint button didn't work, trackpoint itself was super jumpy, impossible to control, but apart from that everything else worked just fine. Wireless, bluetooth, etc... Fingerprint reader didn't work.

    openSUSE compatibility - installed openSUSE 12.2 RC2, and everything that didn't work in Ubuntu works in openSUSE (minus the fingerprint reader). My eyes don't burn from the ultra bright screen anymore. Probably going to stick with openSUSE as, in my personal experience, it's more reliable, quicker, and more compatible with, well, everything. I'll miss the Unity interface though.

    Conclusion - the T530 is definitely a great machine, the nicest I've ever used/seen, amazing build quality and feel. Would be perfect if Ubuntu worked better with it. Still incredibly happy with my purchase though.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    Thanks for your post- very helpful! I'll been considering the T530 myself as a Linux Laptop.

    One question though, how is the 1920x1080 resolution on a 15.6" screen? I know the fonts can be scaled up, but do web graphics look unusually small?

  3. #3
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    Though I don't have the T530 I have a Dell Studio with a full HD screen. Sometimes text is hard to read from a distance but you can always zoom into a web page. Here's a screenshot to give you a better idea.


  4. #4
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    +1

    At times things can get small, but I find both Chrome and Firefox do a great job at zooming, everything still renders nice and crisp.

    Also forgot to mention in my review, battery life is pretty decent, I've got the 9 cell and it seems to last 8 or more hours, though the OS will always say X amount of time left, and I'll usually get double that.

    Update - 97% battery power, Gnome says there's 10 hours 33 minutes of battery life left...
    Last edited by Mikeb85; August 5th, 2012 at 05:20 AM.

  5. #5
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    Quote Originally Posted by Mikeb85 View Post
    Update - 97% battery power, Gnome says there's 10 hours 33 minutes of battery life left...
    That's some nice battery life there Do you also have a slice battery for the t530? If yes, do you mind letting me know how long that lasts?

  6. #6
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    Quote Originally Posted by dckirba View Post
    That's some nice battery life there Do you also have a slice battery for the t530? If yes, do you mind letting me know how long that lasts?
    No, just the 9 cell. But considering the slice is an additional 9 cells, I'd guess it would simply be double... (20-22 hours) That's on Linux too, 3.4 kernel.

  7. #7
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    Also should mention, on SUSE anyway, all the function keys work. Suspend on/off when you close/open the lid is instantaneous and flawless.

    And on Windows, there is a ton of bloatware. The computer is very fast, but Windows somehow manages to slow it down when it's loading the million background programs - at least I was able to purge McAfee. When openSUSE 12.2 is released, I'll probably get rid of Windows altogether.

    And finally, the Thinklight is awesome. Screw backlit keys (although they're an option).

  8. #8
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    20 hours of battery life... almost convinced this laptop is perfect for my needs

  9. #9
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    Aug 2012
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    Hi, I have a new T530 with "Intel® Core™ i5-3320M CPU @ 2.60GHz × 4" and a 9 cell battery running Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64 bit. Unfortunately the battery life seems to be only 3 hours and a bit. I also tried with Windows Vista and got similar results. Any ideas on this?

    Thanks,
    Toby

  10. #10
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    Re: Thinkpad T530 review

    The issue seems to have been my graphic card (Nvidia Optimus) which uses a lot of power. Fortunately there is a setting in the Bios which now gives more than five hours battery life. With screen off I even managed more than ten hours.

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