One for all.

The models of the T-series were always the solid base of Lenovo's complete product range. With display sizes of 14.1" and 15.4", equipped with modern and, if desired, powerful hardware, the current T-models can cover a wide range between mobility and performance. Combined with typical Thinkpad qualities, they are serious contenders among business notebooks.

The Lenovo Thinkpad T500 offers an integrated Gigabit network module (Intel 82567LM) for high performance communication over cable. An Intel WiFi Link 5100 or an Intel 5300 wireless LAN module provide the T500 with current WLAN state of the art. The Intel 5300 ABGN chip allows maximum data transfers of up to 450Mbps (300Mbps Intel 5100).

Depending on the hardware configuration, the T500 can also contain an integrated Bluetooth 2.1 module, or a built-in UMTS broadband modem. Because even the standard models of the notebook contain the necessary cables and antennas, it is also possible to build in the broadband modems later.

The T500 offers several security features, like a TPM chip (Trusted Platform Module), which can encrypt data on your hard disk, a finger print reader (depending on configuration), or a Smartcard reader, which can be optionally connected to the PC-Card slot of the notebook. The shock resistant hard disk on the other hand, is a standard feature of all Thinkpads.

Not only the hardware features but also the integrated ThinkVantage software improves security. Pressing the blue ThinkVantage button above the keyboard starts the ThinkVantage Productivity Center, a special program which provides several different notebook settings. It is for example possible to change the settings of different network connections and manage them, to backup and restore data, to manage passwords, and to download current updates for the notebook.

Lenovo treats the input devices the same way as it did the case and implements only small, hardly noticeable changes. The classical and for several years unchanged IBM keyboard, is also built-in in the T500, and stands out with its layout and the clear structure, which is achieved by grouping the individual function keys.

The typing feeling of the keyboard can be described as 'typical-Thinkpad'. The keys have a clear pressure point and a generous length of stroke. The size of the keys is unchanged.

However, the T500 has two negative points, which were also noticeable on the cheaper SL-models from Lenovo: The keyboard unit isn’t as neatly put into the case as it used to be in older models of the Thinkpad series, and the spacebar is rather noisy, which is negatively noticeable while typing.
Although the keyboard was always one of the main advantages of the famous Thinkpad business notebooks and benchmark for other brands, Lenovo is more and more being criticized in this discipline, sometimes even from customers who have been loyal to the brand for years.

The red TrackPoint in the middle of the keyboard on the other hand, is still the best of its kind. One has to admit, that no other producer has ever managed to build a comparably ergonomically designed and user-friendly mouse replacement. This holds true for the TrackPoint itself, its responsiveness, and for its three buttons. Everything fits perfectly together.

The touchpad has a surface which is pleasant to use and a vertical scrolling area. The two touchpad keys are convenient to use, due to their location on the front edge of the notebook, no matter whether they are pressed with one thumb while navigating with one hand, or while using the touchpad with two hands.

The Thinkpad T-series was always the basis of Lenovo’s business notebook product range. The goal of these laptops is to appeal to a wide range of customers. For this reason, the T-models always offered a number of modern and powerful hardware options to meet the individual needs and requirements of the user.

The T-series stayed true to this idea up to now. Although the high performance p-models were separated from the T-series and turned into a new workstation segment as mentioned before, it is still possible to choose from many different hardware options. However, it always used to be a trade off between performance and mobility. The Thinkpad T-series tries to improve exactly this situation. For the first time it offers a switch option between dedicated and integrated graphics on the same notebook, which became possible due to the new Express 45 chipset made by Intel (Centrino 2).

Although there were some notebooks which offered this option before, it never really gained acceptance, because the user had to restart the system to switch graphics cards. However, Intel’s new Montevina platform now supports on the fly switching of graphics cards. In the case of the Lenovo Thinkpad T500 this can be done by clicking the battery icon on the keyboard.
However, Windows Vista is required. 

Windows XP users can still use this switching function, but it is much less convenient. In order to switch graphics cards in Windows XP it is necessary to restart the system, and to manually switch between integrated and dedicated graphics card in the Bios (F2 on system start).   This was also the case with our test sample, which had a Windows XP operation system.

The Lenovo Thinkpad also offers a hardware configuration which doesn’t use the switching function. If you only use office programs like Word, Excel, mail and internet, then the model with integrated Intel 4500M HD graphics would be a possibility. In this case the notebook doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card at all. The alternative would be the combination of ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 graphics card and the integrated Intel GMA 4500M HD graphics chip.

The Lenovo Thinkpad T500 achieved 4556 points in the OpenGL shading test, which was a very good result. It manages to beat both the nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M, and the successor, the NVS 160M, which were built into the Thinkpad T61. The comparison of the T500 with integrated and dedicated graphics card also showed the extreme performance difference, and the usefulness of the graphics switching function for occasional performance demands

However, the SPEC Viewperf 10.0 benchmark test, which analyses the performance of professional 3D applications, like 3D Studio Max, CATIA, Maya, and others, puts the performance of the T500 a bit into perspective. It only achieved modest results compared with the 15.4” workstation from Dell, the Precision M4400 with Quadro FX 770M graphics. But to be fair, the M4400 doesn’t really play in the same league as the T500, and should be compared to the W500. 

Lenovo’s Thinkpad T500 usually contains a 6-cell lithium ion battery with a capacity of 5200mAh (56.16Wh). Furthermore, there is also a 9-cell battery and an Ultrabay battery available. The larger 9-cell main battery is identical with the one for the T61 models and stands out a bit from the back of the notebook case. As opposed to the 9-cell battery, the Ultrabay batteries of the T61 models cannot be used in the Thinkpad T500. However, it is possible to put a T500 Ultrabay battery into the Ultrabay slot of a T61 model.

The 6-cell battery didn’t fit neatly into the case and wobbled slightly. The T500 notebook managed to run the BatteryEater Readers test (minimum brightness, activated energy saving mode, deactivated WLAN) for maximal 276 minutes with the 6-cell battery. Under load, with the BatteryEater Classic test (maximum brightness, maximum performance, everything turned on), it only took 61 minutes to deplete the battery. Both results were achieved with activated graphics card. Furthermore, ATI powerplay was deactivated in the Classic test, which means the notebook delivered the same performance as if it had been plugged in.