Lenovo Thinkpad T430 Built Business Laptop Computer (Intel Dual Core i5 Up to 3.3 Ghz Processor, 8GB Memory, 320GB HDD, Webcam, DVD, Windows 10 Professional) (Renewed)

Comment

I bought this "recertified" laptop with some trepidation, since I have had mixed success with such purchases in the past. However, I consider this purchase is an unqualified success. For background, I do not need a personal laptop much except when I travel. I build my own desktop PCs and I have a pretty robust rig in my man-cave for most needs at home, plus a HTPC in the family room. I therefore dont want to sink a lot of money into something I only use occasionally. On the other hand, knowing a thing or two about computers, I found the new offerings in the $300-$350 range to be pretty disappointing to say the least. Were pretty much talking a cheaply built piece of flimsy plastic with 4GB of RAM and a clunky processor at that price point. A prime example being the Acer piece of junk my new ThinkPad T430 is replacing. So my conundrum was how to get prime rib performance and quality on a hamburger budget (and no, Im not a vegetarian!). My computer at work gave me the basis for my solution. My work computer is a HP ProBook laptop that plugs into a docking station at work and I take it home on the weekends and some evenings. I have had my current ProBook for about two years. Being a government computer, it is pretty much clobbered with government software and connects via a sluggish network but with 8GB of RAM and an Intel i5 processor, it has performed as well as one could expect and has held up exceptionally well to daily use (nearly 7 days a week due to the nature of my job .. BTW, think about that the next time you sneer at civil service folks since some of us do have real jobs!). So I started looking for recertified HP ProBooks and EliteBooks but after reading lots of reviews that compared them with Lenovo ThinkPads, I expanded my search to include those. Although I have not had a ThinkPad since they were owned by IBM, the T430s looked like the best bang for the buck and so far, that seems to have been a very good call. So here is a summary of my mostly positive experience so far. As some reviewers have mentioned, the computer arrives well packaged. True statement and thats more than I can say about Amazons outer box, which was way too big, allowing the inner box to move around a lot. Fortunately, the inner packaging (highly recyclable, BTW) kept the computer snug and reasonably protected from shock. I expected to see some wear and scratches and found none, zero, nada, zilch, goose-egg and null-set instances of blemishes. The ruggedly superb build quality was clearly evident from the moment I opened the box. I nearly broke into a happy dance but fortunately thought better of it. The first boot-up was pleasantly uneventful. Windows 10 ran its usual start-up wizards, giving me gentle prompts for WiFi connection, log-in to my Microsoft account, etc.. No drama there. Once the initial set up was complete, Windows of course asked if I wanted to install updates. Pro-tip: say yes, since much of that are security updates but then expect the process to take a while (2 hours in my case since there was a big service pack involved). Its worth it though. Once updated, I did the next thing I always do with a new laptop, namely embarking on a search and destroy mission for bloatware. This was the only real surprise in the whole out-of-box experience. Amazingly, no bloatware! I went to the uninstall programs section in Control Panel and found maybe five items listed, all of which the laptop needed. Pleasantly surprised, I moved on to load my personal apps and configure Windows the way I have it on my other computers. No glitches and superb, smooth performance throughout. A word to the wise, although a computer "can" run Windows 10 on 4GB, I consider 8GB to be the minimum for decent performance. I may upgrade to 16GB down the road but the performance I have seen so far puts that much lower on my to-do list. Looking ahead, I plan to upgrade the T430 to a SSD at some point. For upgraders, the ease with which you can access the HDD and RAM was one of the big selling points for buying a corporate grade laptop. In contrast, the Acer that I am relegating to the recycle bin required extensive disassembly and removal of the motherboard to access the RAM. No, really, I am not exaggerating! Check YouTube. My ThinkPad T430 is clearly a keeper! Okay, so this would not be a proper Amazon review unless I found something negative to say, so this is the best I can come up with: 1) Amazon needs to stop using trained bears in their packaging section. Jeez! I am glad I have that off my chest. 2) A printed "quick-start" guide in the box would have been nice. For instance, the day after initial start-up, I got the "Activate Windows" message on my desktop. I am well used to this process on my desktop builds but I have not needed to do that on a newly purchased laptop before since they are typically pre-activated at the factory. I briefly thought, "oh crap, here we go with unlicensed software," but to my relief, the authenticity label was right where it was supposed to be on the bottom. However, what all purchasers might not notice is a "scratch-off" section obscuring part of the activation code. I happened to notice that from experience but I am not sure everyone would. With the complete activation code revealed, activation was a snap. A couple page guide that covers "expectation management" kind of things such as the activation process, wouldnt be that hard or expensive, would it? Come on, guys! 3) While I hate bloatware and other unnecessary stuff occupying hard drive space, it would have been a nice touch to include the Lenovo User Manual on the hard drive (and pointed out in the aforementioned quick-start guide). Its easy enough to download but it would have been a thoughtful inclusion. 4) If you have read the other reviews, you probably already know the T430 does not have HDMI. Not a deal-breaker for me and Ill probably buy an adapter just in case I need to connect to a HDMI display for some reason. But if you absolutely must have HDMI installed, youll need to look elsewhere. So there, I told you too. But I think having 4 USB ports, 2 of which are USB-3, more than compensates since I never met a USB port I didnt like (and use). Thats as close to negative as I can get. Otherwise, my T430 and I are off to a great start. Some users who look at a computer as an appliance may be put off by the lack of additional software. No, this does not have Microsoft Office installed, so dont ask in Amazons Questions and Answers section and youd probably get some clown telling you "I dont know" anyway. Snarky comments aside, I cannot recommend this to someone absolutely lacking in computer skills and would suggest that those folks stick to their iPhones and tablets (still a bit snarky, huh?). But for those in my situation who are not intimidated by the Windows 10 environment, can live without leading/bleeding edge technology but still want a durable and reliable laptop, youve come to the right place. The notable exception would be gamers and you poor suckers are going to have to plunk-down the big bucks for a gaming laptop if mobility is that important to you. Hint: Desktops still have a role and gaming is one of the reasons! So with the above caveats noted, the Lenovo ThinkPad T430 gets five stars and my strongest recommendation. This piece of cyber prime rib is delicious!

Show more

Comment

This is a clean refurbished laptop. HDD indicates 12330 hours, and 1300 power on count. (CrystalDiskInfo) So the drive has been around the block a few times. My first purchase attempt through Blazing Prices was a dud. It had a damaged right rear USB port, as if someone had wrenched a drive from the port. Amazon Prime was great and after contacting them I had a return label and my replacement was on the way. Amazon Prime is great - painless returns. When the replacement arrived, heres what I got: Pros: Clean refurbish job. I had to clean a few keys of what looked like a little peanut butter. No big deal., Other than a few scuffs on the lid, everything looks good. The keyboard is nice and responsive with no worn keys. The speed is fine for office level tasks, Youtube, and social media. I may upgrade the HDD in the near future for an added speed boost and a little more peace of mind, especially given the age of the drive. Cons: The computer was advertised to come with a webcam. Neither one I got from Blazing Prices had a webcam. I will have to buy an external webcam to make up for that deficiency. Also, the battery lasts about 30 minutes. Which is unacceptable. I have already ordered a replacement battery through a different Amazon vendor. Overall, I am ok with it the quality. Its a T430 Lenovo - which is a pretty bullet proof laptop. So, in the interest of getting back to work I am going to stick with it and make it work. Blazing Prices sent several emails asking if I could "find it in my heart" to leave them good feedback. This was AFTER a week of going round and round with them. When I first reached out to them, I explained that my first attempt had been returned through Prime, and the second laptop had no webcam and a defective / dying battery, They initially offered to make things right by offering to reimburse for a replacement but never gave specifics. How / who do I send this one back? Will the next one have a decent battery and a webcam? No response. They said "keep the item" in one email, then asked in another email they asked if I had returned it. Worse, there is no continuity in a conversation with them. Each email you send appears to go to a different representative. "David" sent some official looking emails asking for feedback, but when I responded to his email, my inquiries went right back into the till with an automated response followed by a foggy response from a rep. My last response from them was borderline sarcastic, and still offered no solution. If you dont need a webcam and you dont mind buying a replacement battery, and you have Amazon Prime to ensure a painless replacement if the PC is damaged, this is OK. You might want to shop around to a different vendor. I hope to get a lot of miles out of the computer, but I have no trust in Blazing Prices anymore.

Show more

Comment

The product was supposed to have a built-in webcam. There is none.

Show more

Comment

I truly teetered between 3 and 4 stars. i ultimately decided with 3. a few things to note about this laptop.. its refurbished... theres a reason for it being so cheap... always keep that in mind when purchasing used items. 1. packaging was very well, shipping quick as usual 2. contained necessary peripherals ie, battery, charging adapter 3. contained a larger than indicated hard disk... advert said 320gb.. i received 500gb but still replaced it with a 1tb 4. laptop itself was cleaned thoroughly, some imprints of labels on lid and wristbar... but very very barely visible. there are some minor blemishes on the body but nothing more than i do through basic wear and tear. one thing i will note is the mousepad is very worn... the raised ridges were worn down to the plastic 5... dude.. this is a 1000 dollar laptop for 278... yea there are some things that need to be replaced... more on that below... but its a good deal 6. battery is a dud, i let die and fully recharged. lasted about 20 minutes. had to replace battery which now goes for about 5 or 6 hours. 7. as mentioned above, replaced the hard drive with a larger capacity.. however as of this writing, that drive has failed. im not blaming that on this laptop just yet but i have read some articles that this particular model is common in burning out good hard drives. i will withhold judgement on that one 8. i LOVE LOVE the backlit keyboard buttons.. how cool is that? 9. screen/graphics are ok. not much to expect from an lcd screen 10. sound is ok 11. one thing i do hate about it.. the hard drive is slim.. so even though i have like 50 notebook hdds.. cant use any of them in conclusion.. i will recommend this product, just keep in mind what i said about refurbished items... each one is different and may run into issues.. usually batteries are the first thing people notice but quite easily the cheapest to fix. pending my situation with the hdd i may or may not add another star. again... 1000 dollar laptop for base 250-278!!!

Show more

Comment

Was not paid for review. Needed another laptop for my business where I need to travel frequently. Laptop arrived like new. For Windows 10, and Microsoft Office, and Internet, works like my brand new and more expensive Lenovo (just had to sacrifice less then a half-inch in depth.) Still very compact, very sturdy, and I think easier to type on. Replaced the battery and lasts over 6 hours on a charge with basic Office use. Great computer and amazing price. Highly recommend for business.

Show more

Comment

I really like my Lenovo Thinkpad and I will tell you why. I recently ordered, a new 2 in 1 "TabTop type PC. Its not like an older PC (Personal Computer) at all. It is basically a Windows 10 Touchscreen Tablet with a keyboard. It only has 1 USB 3.0 Port so if you use a USB mouse you cant plug in a Flashdrive at the same time. It has a USB 3.1 port but I went to Walmart and Best Buy and there is not a single plug in device you can buy that uses USB 3.1 so it is basically useless until new devices come out utilizing the new USB standard The bios is fixed, that means it wont boot from a cd rom, like for installing Windows 7 or 8.1, or even Widows 10. It wont read from a USB CD rom plugged into the USB Port, it just beeps and locks up the the mouse and keyboard. Cant load or play anything from a CD - Nero, Microsoft Office, Mp3, Mp4 music and videos. Youre now supposed to download all your "apps" from the Microsoft Store. Thinner and lighter is much about phasing out CD based software, so CD software has to be loaded onto flashdrives. Doable but extra time and expense. I wanted to load Ubuntu as a dual boot, cant do it, Windows 10 only. It looks like this machine represents the future "brave new world of Microsoft" It is not a Computer like we have gotten used to. You are limited to the world of MS Windows 10 touchscreen as it is basically, more of a tablet aimed at the Smartphone demographic. My wifes Galaxy Tab seems to be as much or more useable for 1/4 the price. If I wanted to ground her all I would have to do is take away her Galaxy. Now, about the Lenovo, just reverse everything I just said. The Thinkpad T430 is a true PC. You can do all of the things you cant do with the Windows Tablet and more. It will run Windows XP, 7, 8.1 and Windows 10. Without a touchscreen, using a mouse you can just about fully duplicate any Windows 10 function activated by touch, though touch is deemed to be "way cool" and more up to date, overall a little faster. The Lenovo Website not only has drivers for every OS and internal device, but how-to Videos abound that show you how to do everything! It acts like a real PC. Its got plenty of ports. i5 CPU and 7200 rpm HD is more than adequate for every day usage though there are two easily accessible places to upgrade to ssd for a total of two terabytes! It just works. Two screws and you can upgrade the RAM and even install a PCIe mSata ssd card, or replace the HD with an ssd, one screw and it slides out, no need to open the covers. It uses a special thinner, 2.5 inch drive so you have to make sure you order the right form factor. The CD rom drive also easily slides out in seconds and is user replaceable. These are all FRUs aka Field Replaceable Units. An old IBM term, (I worked for IBM back in the day). The T430 is one of the most durable, versatile PCs I have ever used. It has all the benefits of "Old School" but not really old, without some of the shortercomings of some of the new breed of machines heading down the pike. If you want a real PC that does everything you want it to do, then the T430 more than fills the bill. Dont really want to dis TabTop users, just that the PC world is vaguely divided between Old School Windows 7 Right Click mouse and keyboard folks and Touchscreen Smartphone folks; kinda like the Demecans and Republicrats. a sveldt 2.2 lb .5 inch thick new machine versus a 6 lb has everything does everything, comes with a built-in cd rom drive, Old School Laptop. My Granddaughters think Im a dinosaur, but cute, like Barney. Since you wont see them go 5 minutes without checking their iphone, they automatically gravitate towards the newer MacBook Air and Surface Pro. Located along side the memory slot easily accessible by two screws is an mSata slot. I installed a 256 gb Samsung V-NAND SSD 850 EVO mSATA board. Theyre available up to 1tb. In my machine there was a screw already in the RH locator post. about a ten second operation with two wires that have to be folded out of the way. The Lenovo copper cooling fan located under the keyboard is relatively large and heavy duty. I didnt notice anything other than a slight temperature increase with the ssd installed. I downloaded both the Samsung cloning and Management software, pretty much a no-brainer. I removed the regular 2.5 inch drive and use it for backup and external storage. There is a definite performance boost and the T430 now performs like a machine costing 3x more. The best of both worlds in my opinion, plus its built like a tank. Some folks are concerned with weight; I dont see where a few pounds can make that much of a real-world difference when used mainly as a desktop or even as a Laptop, but thats just me. Last time I flew in an airplane it was roomy and comfortable, the stewardesses were all under 40, plus you got a meal flying coach, and no nard-groping. TSA to ruin your day. I bought a new 9 cell battery for $40.00 and some Windows 7 and 8.1 recovery disks from ebay. I decided to give Windows 10 a second look and for the first time I used Cortana. My wife is talking into her tablet so I thought Id give it a try. Shes fast and really smart, (i.e. Cortana), my wife, like me is not so fast anymore. A time-saver when browsing the Internet, so Im going to stick with 10 for a while and see how it goes. Overall, Im like the cat who ate the canary. I got a really good machine at a really good price. Upon arrival it looked like a machine that had some use, but not bent or beat-up, better than I expected. Doesnt matter much, as nine times out of ten computers either work, or they dont. This one works as good as new and Im a happy camper.

Show more

Comment

0:00 0:00 This video is not intended for all audiences. What date were you born? January February March April May June July August September October November December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 Submit Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Install Flash Player Absolutely disgusting. Just received today and will be returning tomorrow. This not refubrished. This is heavily used and then Re-sold. What a ripoff. This t430 actually smells, it smells like cigarettes and something else. The keyboard shows heavy wear and there’s still something sticky on the caps lock key, there’s hair all in the keyboard, on the screen. No one even bothered to clean this before selling?? DO NOT BUY. Don’t waste your time.

Show more

Comment

This computer was advertised as having Windows 10 Professional installed. After receiving the computer (in good condition), I spent the next 8 hours waiting for Microsoft to apply all the updates. I then started to install software and received a "warning" that the product had not been activated by Microsoft. I then looked at "info" for the laptop and discovered that Windows 10 Home was installed. Blazing Prices has yet to reply to my issue - so I returned the laptop to Amazon. Sigh

Show more

Comment

This is a very difficult review to write as I have mixed feelings about the seller and the product. The stars Im providing are a mixture of things I have in mind: (1) an excellent physical product that was clean and worked as well as I had hoped -- 5 stars; (2) an invalid license and a Microsoft license sticker underneath the battery that Microsoft told me was invalid and could no longer be used -- 0 stars; (3) reliable communications with the seller -- 4 stars; (4) seller unwilling to resolve the issue and make us whole, instead telling us to return the product -- 1 star. In short, the laptop arrived without a valid Windows license and the seller was unable/unwilling to resolve that problem by providing one, asking us instead to simply return the unit instead. On the same day that I was working to find out what happened with the seller, I saw a review or two show up claiming that the seller provides "pirated" operating systems. In effect, this is what happened to me, too. And this issue was not resolved by the seller. We were left with the decision to either keep the unit and buy a license on our own, or else comply with the sellers request that we simply ship the unit back. We decided to keep it and license it at our own expense. Keeping in mind other buyers, I settled on 2 stars. The reason is that most potential buyers wont have a spare license to apply. In my case, I was lucky enough to just happen to own a Windows 10 Pro license that I hadnt yet used. If I hadnt had one here I would have sent the laptop back and given this 1 star. However, I did have one. So I kept the unit and spent my license on it rather than return it, because I did like the price for a very nice physical laptop. Also, the seller (Blazing Prices) certainly did communicate (very much appreciated, I have to admit) and offer suggestions; up until the point where the seller accepted the fact that the license was invalid. I cant say what the sellers state of mind is, obviously. The seller might have been hoping that I would not care, or that I would not notice, or that if noticed, that Id follow their instructions about the license underneath the battery and figure that it was my fault it didnt work and would keep the unit, or that failing all these things they would accept it back. That would be the cynical view. On the other hand, it might be the case that the seller also had no idea about the lack of a license, but on realizing and accepting that it wasnt valid, decided that they could not afford to provide one, choosing instead to ask us to return it. That would be the credulous view. To compound this, the seller told me that they could not sell provide a replacement unit or sell more to me because they didnt have any more of them. However, that very same day of communications (and the days immediately following) I saw that this seller continued to offer the unit on Amazon, as well as rapidly increasing the offered price too. So Im conflicted about how to interpret the communication I had in the light of the activity I also saw here on Amazon surrounding this seller and this particular product from them. Heres my own bottom line. These Lenovo units are very nice units. They include the stick mouse, an overhead light for the keyboard, they work well and they are clean. Physically, they are exactly what youd hope to get. I also received quick communications with the seller over a "difficult issue" and I have to say that all of the communications was "courteous" throughout. Those things are positive. However, the unit didnt have a valid license and the seller was unwilling to make me whole on this issue. Thats a negative. I believe that I would trust this seller for further communication and for supplying physically nice units. I would not trust this seller for a licensed machine and I would have to take that into account when considering a purchase from this seller, again. It would be like a "lottery" so to speak, from my perspective. So this is a 2-star rating. A 1-star because the product wasnt as advertised and that is very bad, by itself. But pushed up to 2-stars because frankly the seller deserves some credit for supplying a very nice, unlicensed unit and providing me with active communications for a few days while we struggled over the details.

Show more

Comment

I purchased this for use as my work laptop. Its a nice little machine. Feels good to pick it up and use. The one I got was in good condition, no noticeable defects. I would consider providing pictures but I accidentally scratched the plastic while disassembling it to upgrade the hard drive. Shipped mostly as advertised. The screen in question is actually 1600x900, not 1366x768. The ExpressCard slot did not have a plastic insert, but that doesnt matter in my case because Im going to be putting a dual usb 3.0 card in there. After replacing the hard drive with an SSD, it went from "acceptable" to "i love this machine this is my new baby". Several hours of bending Windows 10 to my will later, I am quite pleased with the results, and actually learned some tricks that Im going to apply to my personal laptop now. The big question that remains is, what do I set the background and lockscreen to...?

Show more