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1. Thinkpad T430 M2 Slot Price
2. Thinkpad T430 M2 Slot Drivers
3. Thinkpad T430 M2 Slot Tool
4. Thinkpad T430 M2 Slot Driver

• Ratings Breakdown (1-10)

  • • Software & Support
    • 7
  • • Upgrade Capabilities
    • 9
  • • Usability
    • 9
  • • Design
    • 9
  • • Performance
    • 7
  • • Features
    • 8
  • • Price/Value Rating
    • 7

  • • Total Score:
    • 8.00
    • Rating 1 to 10, top score 10

The oldest-model computer in my stable is a Lenovo ThinkPad T430 (pictured above). Released in 2012, it’s a business workhorse powered by a dual-core i5-3230M processor running at 2.6 GHz (suitable for writing TPS reports and even playing older 3D games) that’s still issued to worker bees at offices everywhere. I acquired mine in 2013 in. The Lenovo ThinkPad T430 continues Lenovo ’s tradition of nondescript all-business designs placing that value function over form. The exterior is made of a strong carbon-fiber reinforced plastic which doesn ’t flex. The finally textured surface allows users to get a solid grip of the device. Overall the build quality is superb and among the strongest of any notebook we ’ve tested.

• Pros

  • Well built
  • Easily upgradeable
  • Quality, backlit keyboard (+ ThinkLight) and pointing options
  • Capability to have a massive amount of storage with 3 drives installed

• Cons

  • Weak screen / variability in manufacturers
  • Weak battery life
  • Cost premium over T430
  • Included bloatware (and clean installing Windows requires jumping through hoops)
  • Keyboard switched to chiclet-style

If a standard 14-inch business laptop is too thick and heavy for your everyday work needs then the Lenovo ThinkPad T430s with its thinner dimensions and lighter weight might be exactly what you need. Keep reading to find out what one T430s owner has to say.

Overview

The T430s is the newest slim and light model in Lenovo’s venerable workhorse business line, the ThinkPad T series. Released in June of 2012, the biggest changes between the T430s and its predecessor, the T420s, are that the T430s now comes with Intel’s third-generation Ivy Bridge processors and Lenovo’s new backlit chiclet or island style “Precision” keyboard. An updated discrete graphics option is available for i5 models as well – the NVIDIA NVS 5200M with Optimus Technology.

The “s” at the end of the model name differentiates it from the similar but heftier T430. The starting price varies based on Lenovo’s promotions, but hovers around $1,000, though it can be found for less. This is around a $250 premium over the T430.

Build and Design

The T430s is nearly identical to the T420s, maintaining the spartan, business look familiar in ThinkPad machines. At 13.50″ x 9.05″ x 0.83″ – 1.02″ (front to back), it feels thin, somewhat wide, and surprisingly light. According to Lenovo, the roll cage surrounding the key components is made of magnesium, and the chassis and lid are composed of “carbon fiber reinforced materials” to keep the weight in check, bringing the laptop to around 4 lbs. Like most ThinkPads, durability and fit and finish are impressive.

No parts creak, and all joints align perfectly. The top of the lid is a soft-touch material with the Lenovo logo and ThinkPad logo on the left and right. The hinges attaching the lid to the body are metal and appropriately stiff, making a solid impression.

Ports and Features

The bottom of the laptop has a slot to connect a docking station, the battery, and panels to access components.

Overall, the ports offered and their layout are satisfactory, although an eSATA port and/ or another USB port would be nice. The Mini DisplayPort (with sound) is especially useful as a wide variety of adapter are available to convert the output to nearly any other standard, including full DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI or VGA.

In stark contrast to the industry trend of removing access to parts and reducing upgradability, ThinkPads continue to provide extremely accessible components, which can be accessed by removing two Phillips-head screws to reveal the two DIMMs for RAM, the wireless card, and a mini-SATA connector for either a WWAN card or mSATA solid-state drive. Configurations are available with either (but obviously not both).

Conclusion

Overall, the T430s is a rock solid business machine capable of handling some more demanding programs, despite its low weight and thinness. The easy upgradability is nice, especially as other manufacturers reduce the number of user-replaceable parts. While the battery life is not stellar, the low weight of the system makes it easy to travel with, even with the AC adapter. The screen continues to be a weak spot, but is sufficient for business uses. We would have perhaps preferred the classic ThinkPad keyboard over the new “Precision” keyboard with chiclet keys, but the keyboard remains an overall strong point. The laptop reviewed here is destined to be further upgraded with an mSATA SSD as the main drive, boosting the overall performance of the machine and freeing the included hard drive for use as file storage. In sum, the T430s is easy to recommend as portable but powerful business machine with a build quality which should allow it to last.

Pros:

• Well built
• Easily upgradeable
• Quality, backlit keyboard (+ ThinkLight) and pointing options
• Capability to have a massive amount of storage with 3 drives installed (mSATA SSD, primary and UltraBay)

Cons:

• Weak screen / variability in manufacturers
• Weak battery life
• Cost premium over T430
• Included bloatware (and clean installing Windows requires jumping through hoops)
• Keyboard switched to chiclet-style

Ratings Breakdown (1-10)

• • Software & Support
  • 8
• • Upgrade Capabilities
  • 7
• • Usability
  • 7
• • Design
  • 8
• • Performance
  • 6
• • Features
  • 7
• • Price/Value Rating
  • 7

• • Total Score:
  • 7.14
  • Rating 1 to 10, top score 10

Overview

• Pros

  • Great keyboard (see cons)
  • 15 hour battery life with 9-cell
  • Excellent build quality
  • Input/output port variety

• Cons

  • Non-standard keyboard layout
  • Poor 1366x768 screen

Quick Take

The ThinkPad T430 is still 'the king of 14-inch business notebooks' but the keyboard might not be changing for the better.

The ThinkPad T-series is Lenovo’s bread and butter business notebook. This 14-inch T430 is a refreshed version of the popular T420. Read on to find out what we like and dislike about this laptop.

Overview

Build and Design

The ThinkPad T430 continues Lenovo’s tradition of nondescript all-business designs valuing form over function. The exterior is covered in strong carbon-fiber reinforced plastic which doesn’t flex. It has a finely textured surface while the back of the lid is slightly rubberized. There’s not a hint of glossy plastic to be found; remember, the T430 doesn’t have to look good on a display shelf at Best Buy.

Build quality is superb and amongst the strongest of any notebook we’ve tested. The chassis is all but impossible to flex thanks to the metal roll cage supporting the inside of the chassis. It’s not something you would find on a consumer-class notebook (or most lower-priced business notebooks, for that matter). The display hinges are metal and control the displays’ tendency to wobble quickly.

Thinkpad T430 M2 Slot Price

All in all Lenovo maintains the traditional ThinkPad design and we see no reason why they shouldn’t keep doing so.

Ports and Features

One way to tell a true business class notebook from an entry level or consumer model is by the variety of ports included. This ThinkPad T430 is a true business class notebook; it includes the expected USB ports but also has DisplayPort (albeit a mini version), a SmartCard reader (a $10 option), an ExpressCard/34 slot (good for adding 3G cards) and a pair of fast USB 3.0 ports. It’s not missing much – eSATA, whose purpose has been largely eclipsed by USB 3.0, and HDMI, which isn’t usually found in the business world.

Thinkpad T430 M2 Slot Drivers

Screen and Speakers

Our review unit unfortunately has the base 720p screen (1366×768 resolution); about the only thing it has going for it is the anti-glare coating. An anti-glare coating is preferred to glossy surfaces because light sources don’t create annoying reflections. This screen has poor color reproduction – colors look dull and unimaginative. Black levels aren’t deep and appear slightly grayish. But the biggest problem especially for business users is the low resolution; 1366×768 doesn’t cut it for multitasking between two windows and too much scrolling is required in web pages, documents – pretty much everywhere. The available 1600×900 display is well worth the money for the increase in resolution alone (it has one-third more space).

The two speakers on either side of the keyboard are typical for a notebook and have little beyond the ability to produce basic sound. There’s no noticeable bass and they distort easily at higher volumes. Note that the T430 has a single headphone/microphone combo jack; they’re not separate.

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Keyboard and Touchpad

The T430’s keyboard is a departure for Lenovo; they switched to the increasingly popular Chiclet style with extra spacing between the keys. This has the most encouraging tactile feedback out of all the variants I’ve tried. It has a slightly more clicky sound than the traditional ThinkPad keyboards and the key travel isn’t as long, though the feedback doesn’t suffer as a result, dare I say it feels even more solid. Lenovo is offering a backlit keyboard courtesy of this new design, a first on a ‘real’ ThinkPad. It still has the Think Light for die-hard fans, though.

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So what’s the matter with it? Simply put, more than a few ThinkPad owners will say Lenovo botched the keyboard layout. The Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, Insert and Delete keys are all over the place instead of being clustered in a nice organized group at the top right. Also missing is the multi-colored keys such as the purple [Enter]. This bothers me in a way; the ThinkPad keyboard formula was exactly what many business users wanted and now they changed it – what was the reasoning? It doesn’t make sense to the end user. I’m all for change but this is a step backwards.

The touchpad remains largely unchanged but the dimpled surface is slightly more pronounced. It feels almost too rough at first though I got used to it after a few days. The trackpoint “eraser” head in the center of the keyboard is also unchanged and remains the most intuitive version offered by any brand. The buttons for both the touchpad and the trackpoint are excellent with quiet, supple clicks.