Thinkpad T510 Ram Slots
Lenovo 63Y1579 Thinkpad T510 rPGA 989 DDR3 Laptop Motherboard. Condition: UsedLikeNew. Socket Type: rPGA 989/Socket G. Compatible CPU Brand: Intel. Number of Memory Slots: 2. Memory Type: DDR3 SDRAM. California Prop 65 Warning: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to. Our review sample of the ThinkPad T510 had a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-520M processor. There are three 'stock' models currently listed at Lenovo's web site, but our review configuration was slightly.
The ThinkPad T510 is the 15.6' notebook from Lenovo that competes head-to-head with the HP EliteBook 8540p and the Dell Latitude E6510. The T510 offers optional NVIDIA NVS 3100M dedicated graphics, a full line-up of display options, and Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. In this review, we see how the ThinkPad T510 performs in our test lab and if you should add it to your Christmas shopping list.
The T510 is a little tricky because the memory slots are in two locations, one is easy, right in the base of the unit under a simple plastic 'door'. The other is under the keyboard and requires you to remove the keyboard, hence some extra work. Instructions for removing and installing the DIMM slot cover and DIMM in the Thinkpad T510, T510i, W510 systems. Model Lenovo ThinkPad T510 - 15.6' - Core i5 560M - 2 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD Lenovo ThinkPad T510 - 15.6' - Core i5 560M - 2 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD 4349GDU.
Our Lenovo ThinkPad T510 Specifications:
- 15.6-inch HD+ LED-backlit Display (1600x900)
- NVIDIA NVS 3100M dedicated graphics with 512MB DDR3
- Windows 7 Professional (64bit)
- Intel Core i5-560M (2.66GHz, 3MB cache)
- 4GB DDR3 RAM (2GB + 2GB)
- 320GB Seagate 7200.4 HDD (7200rpm)
- Intel 6200 802.11AGN, Bluetooth
- 94Wh 9-cell, 90W 20V AC adapter
- ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3
- Dimensions: 14.68' x 9.65' x 1.41'
- Weight: 6.22 pounds
- Retail Price: $2,038.99 ($1,508.99 on sale) with docking station
Build and Design
The ThinkPad T510 has a 'get down to business' appearance that has served the ThinkPad-series of notebooks very well. The outside finish is matte black, with a slight rubbery texture to increase grip when carrying it around. The design includes many flat surfaces with sharp and precise corners, but still manages to stay comfortable to use for hours on end. The screen hinges are stainless steel, and unlike the models two generations ago, are equal in size on both sides. Inside, the all-black appearance continues with a textured plastic palmrest, keyboard surround, and screen bezel. There are few, if any, glossy surfaces on the ThinkPad T510 which is great if you worry about glare from overhead lighting or sun while outdoors.
Build quality is very good on the Lenovo ThinkPad T510. Out of the box, this model has a stronger feel to it than most of the smaller ThinkPad models and is fairly hefty. Our model weighed in at over 6 pounds and is built like a tank. The newer palmrest and keyboard design is solid as a rock with a strong support structure underneath the plastic. Even with a strong grip or a lot of downward force, we saw minimal flex around the palmrest and keyboard. Following with its 'overbuilt' (in a good way) trend, the screen hinges are strong enough that it requiredtwo hands to open the notebook and even to tilt back the screen once the lid was opened. When fully open, the screen did not have loose wobble or other problems staying firmly positioned.
The bottom of the notebook has two access panels for the system memory and hard drive. Users looking to upgrade either of those will only need to take out a couple of screws to gain access. Only one of the memory slots is located beneath the notebook though, making upgrades easy if you are only adding to the memory configuration. If you are replacing both sticks you will need to open up the notebook to get at the other slot.
Ports and Features
Almost every inch of the perimeter of the Lenovo ThinkPad T510 is filled with some form of connection or feature. The T510 includes three USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA/USB combo port, FireWire 400, VGA and DisplayPort-out, Ethernet, a modem jack, and a headset port. Expansion slots include an ExpressCard/34 slot and a SDHC-card reader.
Front: Screen release
Rear: one USB 2.0, modem, DC-power input,
Left: DisplayPort, VGA, two USB 2.0 ports, eSATA/USB combo, FireWire-400, wireless on/off
Right: ExpressCard/34, SDHC-card reader, optical drive, Ethernet, Kensington lock slot
If you are one of the ever-increasing segments of consumers that use their notebook for a desktop-replacement at home and mobile platform on the road, the latest ThinkPad Mini Dock might be for you. Our T510 review unit included the Mini Dock Plus Series-3 docking station that is loaded with ports and even supports up to three monitors connected simultaneously. In total the docking station adds six more USB ports, Ethernet, two DVI-outs, two DisplayPort-outs, one VGA-out, eSATA, and additional headphone and microphone jacks. If you have a ton of devices that need to be connected at your home or office, a docking station is one of the best options.
Screen and Speakers
The Lenovo ThinkPad T510 offers three screen options, including HD, HD+ and FHD panels, with our review unit including the 1600x900 HD+ screen. All of the screen options on the T510 are anti-glare in the 16:9 screen ratio. In terms of brightness, the 1920x1080 FHD panel offers the highest rating of 280 nit, with the rest only listed as 220 nit. In our Test Lab using a Gossen Mavo Monitor light meter, we measured the peak screen brightness as 217 nit on our T510 with an average dark measurement of 0.28 nit. The average contrast ratio on this model was 743:1, well above average compared to most business notebooks with standard screens. Color reproduction was above average for a business notebook, but still didn't compare to the gorgeous colors on the optional FHD panel we saw on the W510. Viewing angles were above average, with colors starting to invert at roughly 20 degrees tilted forward or back. Horizontal viewing angles were better, reaching 80 degrees before glare on the screen diminished what you could see.
Speaker quality is average compared to other business notebooks but rates below mainstream consumer notebooks. While the speaker grills might suggest large speakers located under the trim they are in fact very tiny speakers. Peak volume levels are fine for filling a small to medium-size room. Bass and midrange is weak, but this is common for notebooks in this category.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The ThinkPad T510's keyboard is comfortable to type on and easily lives up to the well-known reputation of all ThinkPad keyboards. It has excellent support showing little flex even under strong pressure. Tactile feedback is great with a precise hinge mechanism and secure key top that doesn't exhibit any wiggle. The keyboard is the newest design seen first on the T400s and now the T410. The layout changes the position of some of the function keys and adds a row of quick-access sound keys to change the volume level and mute the speakers and microphones. Another subtle change is a decrease in spacing between each key that supposedly reduces the chance of crumbs getting under them.
The T510 offers a spacious Synaptics touchpad with multi-touch capabilities. Compared to past models, the touchpad surfaceis textured to reduce friction and prevent your finger from sticking as you slide it side to side. After using the older matte plastic finish version for so long, it is hard to choose my preferred model. Each has its advantages, but only the newer model is multi-touch enabled. On this particular ThinkPad, we did notice some sensitivity problems, even with the settings maxed in the control panel. If you were drawing circles on the touchpad, it would stop tracking your finger or stutter. Some of this went away if you pressed harder on the touchpad surface. If I had to make an educated guess, it is probably the raised bumps on the touchpad moving your finger just slightly out of the normal range of the touch-sensitive layer. The trackpoint worked well if you still prefer that form of input, and can be disabled if you prefer not to use it. Both sets of buttons were easy to use and offered a full throw with a soft click when pressed.
Performance and Benchmarks
You really can't go wrong with even the base configuration of the ThinkPad T510 if you are in the market for a powerful notebook. Currently as standard features, the T510 comes with a 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 2GB of RAM (ours was bumped to 4GB)and optional NVIDIA Optimus graphics. The machines equipped with the NVIDIA Optimus graphics automatically switch between NVIDIA dedicated and Intel integrated graphics depending on the programs needs or users preference. This allows you to consume the bare minimum of power when browsing the web, but kick it up a notch when gaming or using 3D-intensive business applications.
In our tests the ThinkPad T510 performed very well in system and 3D benchmarks. We did notice a few odd quirks with the NVIDIA Optimus graphics on this notebook though. We had trouble forcing the system to NVIDIA graphics when running overall system benchmarks like PCMark05 and PCMark Vantage, even after changing application-specific video card preferences and global settings. The system would report as still using Intel HD graphics, but would actually score lower than when we specifically chose Intel HD graphics for that specific test. In terms of how this impacted the scores, the NVIDIA scores in PCMark05 were about 100 points less and PCMark Vantage were about 300 points less. In 3D benchmarks this problem didn't show up and things benchmarked without any issues.
Wprime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):
PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):
PCMark Vantage measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):
3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):
CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test:
Heat and Noise
Thermal performance of the ThinkPad T510 was very good under normal circumstances. With the switchable graphics, the out T510 was able to maintain very good temperatures under light usage by switching to integrated graphics when 3D rendering wasn't required. Under the worst case scenario-benchmarking with NVIDIA graphics forced-case temperatures did rise considerably. We measured a peak temperature of 100F on the bottom of the notebook underneath the heatsink and fan outlet. The corresponding spot on the top of the notebook at the far corner of the keyboard measured 97F.
Under normal daily usage, fan noise was minimal, with it staying at a low speed or turning off completely. As temperatures increased, the fan noise picked up, but only to whisper levels. Overall, even if you are stressing this system, you shouldn't annoy others around you with noise from the cooling fan.
Battery Life
The ThinkPad T510 can be configured with a six or nine-cell battery. Our review unit came equipped with the 94Wh nine-cell battery which is probably the best option you can get if you want extended runtime. In our battery test with the screen brightness reduced to 70%, wireless active and refreshing a webpage every 60 seconds, and Windows 7 set to a balanced profile, the T510 stayed on for 8 hours and 32 minutes. This is phenomenal battery life for a 15.6-inch notebook and perfect for road warriors looking to get extended runtime away from available outlets.
Conclusion
The Lenovo ThinkPad T510 is a great business notebook for consumers looking for a better built notebook or business users looking for a daily workhorse. Compared to the ThinkPad W510, the T510 offers some of the same features, albeit with lower processor and graphics card options, no multitouch display, and other perks like USB 3.0 connectors or huey color calibration. The T510 excelled in daily usage and still offered plenty of grunt for some 3D-intensive applications. When number crunching power wasn't needed, the T510 offered over eight hours of battery life; perfect for the road-warrior in all of us. Overall with a current starting sales price of $879, the Lenovo ThinkPad T510 is a hard notebook to pass up.
Pros:
- Great build quality
- Excellent HD+ display
- Over 8 hours of battery life
Cons:
- Minor NVIDIA Optimus glitches
- Touchpad sensitivity problems
ThinkPad T510 Impressions
The T510 has a classic ThinkPad look and feel. The front bezel uses a single sliding lid latch, while on the right side you'll find a 5-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard 34 slot, headphone / mic combo jack, optical drive, Ethernet jack and a Kensington Lock slot. The back of the notebook has a modem jack, battery bay, power connector, ventilation slot and a yellow-colored, always-on USB port that stays powered even when the machine is in standby or hibernation mode.
On the left side of the machine is another large cooling fan ventilation slot, DisplayPort connector, VGA port, two additional USB ports, eSATA port, 1394 FireWire port and a Wi-Fi radio switch.
Finally, the bottom of the Thinkpad T510 features a single battery latch and a separate lock and latch for the optical drive. There's a docking port connector and additional ventilation slots. We were happy to find individual panels providing easy access to the expansion bays, but not so thrilled about Lenovo including just a single memory slot on the bottom of the machine. This will force you to remove the keyboard if you need access to the second slot. Our test system came with 2GB of system memory, using both slots with 1GB modules which is obviously not a friendly configuration for upgrading afterwards.
Lenovo designed the T510 with a spill-resistant keyboard, so in the event that you spill liquid on your keyboard it should simply filter through the keys and drain out of these two slots. There are videos of this on YouTube if you want to see it in action.
Unlike the recently reviewed ThinkPad Edge, the T510 features a matte black outer lid that is much more repellant to fingerprint smudges. There are two LED status indicators on the lid – one for battery and the other for sleep mode. With the lid open, we find a 2MP webcam centered above the 15.6' display. To the right of the webcam is a ThinkLight keyboard light that can be turned on and off via a function key on the keyboard, while just below the display are two built-in microphones. The screen bezel is black plastic and seems to fit the display better than the one we found on the Edge.
The keyboard on the T510 follows the standard concave design, rather than using island-style keys, and its layout is also pretty standard except for a few additional system-specific buttons like the blue ThinkVantage button. Other additions include LED status lights on the Caps Lock, Mute and Mic Mute buttons.
I don't particularly like the placement of the Fn and Ctrl keys on the bottom left of the keyboard. I prefer a system with the Ctrl key in the far left position and the Fn key just to the right of it -- opposite to what Lenovo has done on the T510. Fortunately the manufacturer included an option to switch the behavior of these two keys in the system BIOS. While not a perfect fix, it is certainly nice to have this alternative and please all kinds of users.
Keyboard real estate is plentiful and all of the commonly used keys are full size, a luxury that smaller ultraportables and especially netbooks simply can't provide.
True to the ThinkPad name, the T510 features a TrackPoint pointing device between the G, H and B keys. Lenovo includes an extra set of mouse click buttons directly below the Spacebar for use with the TrackPoint, so you don't have to reach way down under the TouchPad to access them. Between these two buttons is a center button that can be used to scroll through documents or web pages, and can also activate a magnifying glass to enlarge items on the screen.
The T510's multi-gesture touchpad is narrower than the one found on the Edge by almost an inch. I found this to be more adequate for use considering that Edge's wider touchpad forced me to consciously take my left hand off the palm rest to avoid interfering with the mouse pointer when using my right finger to move it.
Our evaluation machine also carried a fingerprint reader and a spot for a color sensor, although the hardware for the latter doesn't appear to be installed.