Pros: NOTE: For those who are having problems with updates, PLEASE clean-install Windows 7, and DO NOT turn on updates at the initial account creation screen. (When it boots up for the first time, and you make a user name, computer name, etc., then you go the second screen where it asks for update settings.) -- From there, obtain the following Microsoft KB -- 3102810 -- Download the appropriate version, 32-bit or 64-bit. Install the update as a stand-alone. Reboot the machine. From there, set the updates to "Download but let me choose..." -- Let the computer sit for 15 minutes, and the updates should appear. -- From there, select ONLY the 100 security updates in the recommend list. Let them download and install. Do NOT shut down the computer to install these, as it will attempt to install all 160+, which will result in a failure loop. On a machine with an SSD, this should not take too long. Computers with spinning hard drives will take longer. ------ After those 100 or so install, reboot. Then the next 40-50 will automatically download and install when you shut down. -- I also recommend installing Internet Explorer 11 as a stand-alone update, as the automatic update to obtain it takes a long time... Windows 7 has to be one of the best operating systems Microsoft has ever made. In previous generations, it was Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP.

Cons: Updates can take some tinkering.

Overall Review: Get it while you still can....

Pros: Perfect condition, Windows 7 Pro license sticker under the battery, battery lasts longer than refurb. industry standard.

Cons: Speakers are not very loud even with dense processed audio. Not the fault of the seller -- Lenovo simply did not put as high powered speakers in this guy as say, the old larger t420, etc. Please use headphones. :)

Overall Review: What an outstanding buy! This replaces my t420 as my daily driver, since I can stick it in a backpack, etc. I upgraded the RAM and stuck in a 240GB SSD. The Windows 7 Pro refurb license sticker is under the battery. The key is a bit hard to read, but that's Microsoft's fault. :) -- CPU runs at perfect temps even under load, screen is bright, keyboard is in beautiful shape! I love this little machine!!! :)

Pros: What can I say? This unit is in good condition, with B-Grade as an accurate rating. The reason being -- There are cracks in the palmrest on the left side, and a *very small* visible scuff on the case. None of these impact functionality. If this bothers you, please consider getting one of the other t420 machines for only slightly more money. -- I figured I would give this a chance, since I knew it would get some very heavy use! :) Since I am not going to be using the additional features that Windows 7 Pro has, the Home Premium license that is included is perfectly fine. It's legitimate authorized refurbisher license, and activated without an issue. The screen is in perfect shape -- Very bright at max setting. Exceptional colour. -- I don't mind that it's only 1366x768, but to each his or her own! The unit has a combo microphone / headphone jack, which is mounted in an odd spot, so keep that in mind. Decent low-noise output. The built-in webcam is better than expected. Obviously it's not going to be camcorder quality, but for what it is, it works very well! The Think Light is bright and functional. The battery is far better than expected. -- I can get about an hour out of it. As such, I ordered a brand-new 9-cell.

Cons: - This particular unit does not seem to have a writable optical drive. No issue there -- This is to complement my older refurbished x200s, which has no optical drive at all. - As expected, the built-in microphone is useless. -- Please don't try using it for video chat. -- The official audio driver applies heavy noise reduction to it, resulting in even worse quality than if you just boosted it and dealt with a noisy audio feed! :)

Overall Review: Highly recommended. I would order an identical 4GB RAM module, and make sure you put an SSD in it. - I have a 240GB one in mine, since I had it as a spare. Also, you might want to obtain the 9-cell battery.

Pros: Excellent board for the price.

Cons: You will need to update to the latest UEFI for proper functionality. Not really a huge con, but one needs to be aware of it.

Overall Review: Okay, this is an update to my previous review --- I was able to get Windows 7 and audio over HDMI working correctly, but it took some tinkering. (The install is NOT in UEFI mode.) I updated to the latest UEFI from the web-site, from within my Windows 7 install. However, doing so causes Windows to not bootup properly. Once I did a re-install, all was fine. The flasher is a command-line application, so it's pretty straight forward. Also included in the download -- a PDF document that walks you through everything. :) Once you update the UEFI, you have to load the board defaults. Then re-configure the compatibility support module, then re-install Windows. My HDTV was detecting the HDMI video output as DVI, until I updated the firmware of the board. Be sure to use the correct firmware! There is 32-bit and 64-bit. My board came with 64-bit by default, which was what I updated it to, but also because I am running 64-bit Windows. For whatever reason, Windows 7 performs a lot better after the update. This is with a slow, 5400RPM laptop drive too. (I have a single stick of 4GB GSkill Laptop RAM.)

Pros: Easy to install, and runs cooler than my old i3! What can I say. It's a CPU, and it's the fastest my motherboard takes. I highly doubt I will ever purchase one of the even higher-end chips, so this is great. The chip is easy to install, and even with the stock cooler -- under high load -- the temps are within normal ranges.

Cons: Expensive, probably overkill for most people. Put simply: I think most people would LOVE my old Intel Core i3. So unless you are doing video editing, video rendering, or complicated emulation, etc. -- Save some cash.

Overall Review: I just upgraded from an Intel Core i3 2100 to this. The difference is actually quite subtle on most tasks, but where it shines is Premiere CC --- I don't use CUDA, so I can actually have sane render times for simple effects. As in, what would take an hour or more on the old i3 is much more reasonable with this chip. A standard definition MPEG-2 DVD render that is an hour long clip is faster than real-time, with the maximum quality settings within the main concept encoder. I don't make BluRay discs -- That's best left to a mastering house. That being said, the HD MPEG-2 renders are also acceptable in terms of speed. H.264 as well. Also, this chip makes encoding with x264 [using the slow settings] much more sane, as expected! Considering the fact that I dealt with an old Athlon 64X2 from 2007-2013, I know this chip will last me for a few years. Most likely, I will build a new machine once there is a 5th or 6th generation i7 -- Or whatever comes next, with this box being another to keep around!

Pros: Same as my previous review -- Good all around.

Cons: Socket LGA 1155 is dead.

Overall Review: Not sure how I did not notice this, but the board DOES allow you to access a boot selection menu! It's the F9 key for "BBS Popup." "Fail" on my part! Cheers!