My T400 arrived! First impressions....

I'm assuming you were addressing me. If not, pardon me . . . honest mistake. Assuming this was meant for me, I'm leaning toward the T500 because of the better graphics. Also, I do believe that there is an LED option for $50 extra with the T500.

 

oops - Yes, Thaansa. I should have specified it was for you.

I guess the LED option for the T500 is brand new. I think the T400 is about right for me, since I travel 5 - 8 times a year, many times overseas (Asia) long flights.

But, I also was considereing the T500 due to a larger screen. Someone mentioned that the hor (or her) T400 seemed big. Hmm, I think it feels just about an "average" size - useable, and not particulary cumbersome or bulky. If I was going to use a computer as a stationary one (mostly at home) I would likely think about the T500, for sure.

Finally, I hope I am not simply trying to justify my purchase, I don't believe there is anything cheap looking or feeling about the T400 I just received.

 

Interestingly, I'm beginning to think that the people complaining about cheap build and rampant flex are in the minority. Although it's obvious that Lenovo is cutting corners and has diminished the IBM name a bit, I don't believe that it's at all as bad or prevalent as some people are trying to make it out to be. Just the other night, for instance, I had a chance to play around with my buddy's T61, and the thing was rock solid. He even told me stories of how many times he's dropped it or piled his engineering books on top of it, but the thing still works like the first day he powered it up. That's saying something. It's hard for me to believe that there would be a ridiculous drop off between the T61 and T500.

My concern with the T500 is that I will be purchasing a 9 cell battery with it and that, along with the 15.4'' screen, is probably going to get quite heavy as I'm walking around campus. I guess that wouldn't be a concern with the T400, but I just know that I would regret not buying the bigger screen if I ordered the 14.1" model.

 

I think that your assessment about build quality is accurate. It's not a Tiger tank, but on the other hand, this is Not a cheap looking machine. It feels solid and sturdy to me.

I think that I might choose the T400, even though you may be moving around campus. An extra 1.5 pounds within a good backpack is barely discernible, I feel. With the larger screen, you have the best of both orlds - semi-desktop feel with portability. The T500 keeps your options open - a desktop closes them.

(I do not own Lenovo stock, etc., etc.)

Good luck with it - with all discounts around, I'd go for it - likely the T500

 

Sorry, Thaansa - my typo above, should read: "I think that I might choose the T500..."

 

I plan on using the T500 as a desktop replacement as well as the machine that I'm going to lug around from place-to-place. I used to carry my roommates 15.4" Dell around and it never seemed that heavy to me. She has a 14.1" Asus now and it honestly doesn't feel any lighter to me than the Dell did.

Yeah, I put it all together by the time I reached the end.

 

Hi all,

Below are CrystalDiskMark scores from the Samsung SLC and MLC drive. Both are installed in a thinkpad T400 on the same system. Enjoy.

The MLC came with the system. The SLC is what used to come with the system before Lenovo had the SSD sale. Can someone post scores for the regular disc drives that comes with the notebook? Thanks

Sequential Read : 96.038 MB/s
Sequential Write : 42.005 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 93.809 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 33.045 MB/s
Random Read 4KB : 15.944 MB/s
Random Write 4KB : 5.718 MB/s

Test Size : 100 MB
Date : 2008/11/24 20:50:58
::Comment::
Samsung 64GB MLC at 95% full.


Sequential Read : 98.829 MB/s
Sequential Write : 70.507 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 97.526 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 59.870 MB/s
Random Read 4KB : 16.131 MB/s
Random Write 4KB : 5.581 MB/s

Test Size : 100 MB
Date : 2008/11/24 20:50:30
::Comment::
Samsung 64GB MLC


Sequential Read : 103.291 MB/s
Sequential Write : 96.495 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 99.086 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 86.161 MB/s
Random Read 4KB : 17.218 MB/s
Random Write 4KB : 5.638 MB/s

Test Size : 100 MB
Date : 2008/11/24 20:49:53
::Comment::
Samsung 32GB SLC

 

Thanks for sharing this.

 

Did you just response to your own message?

 

That exactly what I was thinking a few days ago when I saw this, but I never really gave it much thought. Whatever, though. Interesting.

 

I think the OP has more than 2 usernames on NBR and probably forgot he was logged in as that one b4 logging out to reply his own post.. ugh.

 

Yes I noted that also...obviously forgot to log in as the other person so he could debunk what is a real problem. The laptop is stuffed -> doesn't mean they are all bad but does introduce the Lotto effect -> buyer beware.
Andy

 

Ahh, you might be right. That's so shady and that's so LAME. What's the d*** point of that? I knew his fanboism (ha ha) was stronger than usual. In that case, I vote that this thread be closed. Who's with me?

 

My T400 runs cool and when I'm playing games the CPU doesn't get hotter than 57C. I'm satisfied with the T400.

 

I am a keyboard junkie and posted my feelings last week on this website after a day in J&R Computer World. Today I went back there, and to Best Buy yesterday, and the botttom line is that that the only thing the T400's have going for them over the Sony 14.1 CS (same size screen) is the Trackstick and the feel of the keys. Otherwise, the Sony case blows away Lenovo in flex and solidity, the Keyboard is just fine on the Sony, minus the Track which I wish it would have, and the Sony has a line of dedicated media keys and camera key. Lenovo is star trek advertising, but its appearance is just drabby compared to the competition.
There is nothing wrong with drabby; I may still buy it. But know what it is, and a true man/woman can admit that.

RE: the Z: It is a true portable with a beuty screen, whereas the T400 is not a true portable; it is meant to be on a desk. Portability today is the 4 pound level, and the T400 after all is said and done it is close to 5.5. Different class, and the Sony is way better suited for the truly portable 13.1 luxury user.
I wish I could afford it and I will say so; the naysayers may have a tinge of Jealousy in them.

 

The CS, which starts at $915 dollars (I'm not aware of any Sony discount codes) has:

-5.7 lbs standard weight, which is more than your listed weight of a T400. And additionally it's not fair to compare a 14" to a 13" laptop (which incidentally starts at nearly double the price).

-Has a glossy chassis which is not for everyone.

-Is only available in WXGA resolution

-Is only available with Intel 4500MHD

----------
This is probably a better choice for those of us that value what's under the hood rather than a shiny paint job. Oh yeah, the CS is available in different colors which is a highly touted option since it takes up about 1/2 the page on the sonystyle site. That alone shows you where Sony's priorities lie.

Style.

Lenovo laptops are much more customizable.
Things you can choose on the Lenovo that you can't on Sony:
Display - both resolution and if you want LED backlighting
Hard Drive
Wireless card
Battery

Things you can choose on Sony that you can't on Lenovo:
Color

Vaios and Thinkpads have different demographics. I can appreciate both. But Thinkpads have more going for them than just the keyboard and trackstick as I've point out.

But you do get to choose the color which seems is more important to you than what the laptop is capable of.

 

Unlike much of what I've read in this thread, this is very clear, concise, and, perhaps most of all, VERY FAIR. Thanks for posting this.

 

On the note of flex, I was holding the t400 last night on the right palm rest area, the hard drive cover popped out (not completely) due to the flex, I had to push it back in. Was a little surprised, no doubt Lenovo is either cheaping out too much or trying too hard trying to save weight.

 

ordered mine on nov 21, and it shipped on the 25th..hopefully i'll get it by dec 1 or 2...10 days!

 

Are folks doing conspiracy theory now? Very amusing. Actually I'm very amused by this. I think if this were a conspiracy I'd hardly have posted the initial review I did if you look carefully I said I might keep the T400. Well, as it turns out, I'm not satisfied with this machine. I like the screen pretty much, but this machine is not the quality I was expecting. I'm personally much more impressed by the latest offering by Apple. I have been for many years opposed to Apple, but after owning a number of iPods, I realized that my view does not accord with the facts of the matter. I think that it's pretty hard to find a better made machine than the new Macbook for the price. So, people, I appreciate all of the discussion. I might have ended up keeping the T400 had everyone's posts not made me reconsider this purchase. I personally think that Vista is not ready for prime time. I'm not alone in that view. It's the predominant view among IT experts. So, my feeling was that the T400 was a loser on two counts. Anyhow, I've enjoyed the posts. But I think that critiques should always include honest. The youtube video was not that honest, but it certainly gave me serious pause. That and lots of other posts, and my own experience with the machine. So, I wish you all the best, and if you end up buying a mac I'll see you in the Mac thread where I might drop by from time to time. All the best everyone!

 

Yes. That's called an after thought, that is, when you think of something after you say the first thing.

 

The one thing I wish Lenovo would have kept is the Magnesium alloy lid(like they did on the T60) other than that my T400 is pretty durable. I find the keyboard is just as good as the T61 keyboard. Before I bought the T400 I was considering buying the Sony FW 16.4 inch laptop.

 

Is there anything about the T400 that you don't like?

 

Maybe an extra USB port on the T400 to bring it to 4 instead of 3 but other than that I'm happy with this laptop.

 

I hear you. Fortunately, I have a USB hub, so I think I'll be okay in that area. If I may ask you another question, what were some of the reasons you chose the T400 instead of say the T500?

 

I like the 14.1 inch screen and I wanted a LED backlit screen.

 

Cool. The good thing now for the 15.4" crowd is that they're offering the LED backlit screen for an extra $50.

 

Elfroggo, you respond well. All I will say is that the external part of a notebook, Chassis, screen, keyboard, feel, glossy, etc... reflects on what the manufacturer invested on the inside. That is what the consumer is dealing with, assuming there are no other problems, and that is what is the basis of returning consumers, for a large part. Consider how much Thinkpaders speak of the keyboard so glowingly. It inspires trust and confidence that it is a good system. Plenty of people have issues with the T400, and people have problems with everything, there is no perfect product. But you want a piece that provides an enjoyable computing experience.

 

Man my T400 must be a bit of a lemon since the bottom right palmrest flexes a bit in the area right above the hard drive and it also creaks when I pick it up from that corner.

I tried tightening the screws down and reinstalling the hard drive to no avail.

 

Is it the same degree of flex as per the youtube video I posted earlier?? If so you have a great case for full refund or replacement -> I went the refund route because I feel the variation between production models is too great (I always get the lemon). Oddly enough I cant seem to find a machine as perfectly matched to my needs as the T400 -> I'm stuck. Very tempted to get a MacBook Pro and either dual boot it or use Parallels. At least I can rely on the QA at Apple being upto scratch.
Andy

 

aemac:

I would advise you to order a Thinkpad yet. After all, not getting a machine you want, because of mishaps with sales and marketing department, does not bring you closer to owning one, and if there should be a reason for you to jump brand, it should be because you have tried a Thinkpad first, and did so beyond posting a video where you show how flexy it is ;-) If, that is, you wanted one at first, which I think you do.

I have a T61 laptop, and during over a years use, and comparing it to machines of my friends, I do not regret a single thing about it, apart from the already known model drawbacks such as a lousy screen. Indeed, old Thinkpad screens are truly hideous when compared to other models. I do graphic design, and the screen really does not help.

My T61 did some flexing, very similiar to what you showed, but the funny thing is, it has disappeared and the laptop now stands firmly on all four at the table. I am guessing this attributes to fabric materials being molded and having to extend and settle due to new electronics heating up inside.

I like my T61 a lot. I run a somewhat tweaked Ubuntu, and so far it has responded well to all the tests I put it through. Like I said, the only thing I miss is a better screen, and possibly a DVI out.

 

Thought I would contribute to the thread. I've had mine for almost 3 months now, no major complaints besides the lack of a digital output for video. Apparently I got the 'bad' screen out of the samy and LG, but it's still better than what I need. Fine for games movies and everything else. I still need to buy a new HDD (I ordered with the 80Gb) because I constantly run out of space. I have the 9-cell and battery life has been great, even playing half-life 2 I can go for a few hours. Flex hasn't been an issue, but it is noticable on the sides and on the screen. Preformance is great (I have the T9400, 2GB RAM, and the dual-vid cards. You can tell when it is 'shifting gears' from one card to the other as the screen goes blank for a second and then flickers back, a tad annoying but worth it for the increased battery life IMHO. Overall I'm quite happy and I know Lenovo will most likely be the place I look for my next laptop.

One thing I would like to know is, which of the lenovo apps do I need to keep for the functionality of the buttons (volume, thinklight and such), and which can I get rid of completely?

 

I have had my T400 for about a week. I am not sure how much I would have noticed the minimal keyboard flex without all of the posts here. At least on mine, one needs to be typing with a somewhat heavy hand to notice flex that would be regarded as even mildly bothersome.

Also, the build appears sturdy to me - nothing cheap looking or feeling at all. I did get the Advanced Mini-dock - new at ebay for $75, which is about half price. The dock is recommended for added USB ports and the DVI output. It places the keyboard on a nice slant too and takes up negligbly more deskspace.

Observation - although I do travel a bit, I may have chosen the T500 for the larger screen, now that it is offered with an LED backlit option. For $50 or $80 more, anyone who does not order the LED screen must be insane.

I was also lucky - my order date was 11/16. Somehow I found a 20% coupon. My config (see below) was about $1,355 total before sales tax. I cannot get near that price with the current coupons.

 

Well, I consider research, purchase, unbox, discovering the problem and then pursuing the refund as trying. Seriously, here in Aus we pay top dollar for Thinkpads -> it must come out of the box with a high level of QA applied and do what it's supposed to. I would cope with your approach if it were a consimer level laptop -> just not a business standard one. But I have 'tried' it.

You are dead right -> its the machine I want but I have lost faith in their ability to build it right, so I don't want to play laptop lotto again. I don't enjoy looking for issues.

Sorry -> when you buy a tool it's NEVER going to get better than the day you unwrap it. If it squeaks, is bent, broken or not made well enough then it's downhill from there. Sorry to disagree. Just my opinion. If there is credibility to the softening of the frame based on heat use then I don;t want a machine that will look like a Dali painting after 12 months

Cheers,
Andy

 

Hey, by the way I forgot to mention I bought my Thinkpad directly from Lenovo U.S. website. Which is just about the cheapest you can get short of calling them and/or applying discounts on top of it all. They do not ship overseas, but I used a third party - myus.com - to specify an "address" in U.S. and myus.com upon receiving my package from Lenovo shipped it to me in Norway. The additional costs are nothing substantial and the company did its job just fine. It is legal thing to do as far as I am concerned. You might want to call Lenovo (uh, yeah I know you do not like doing that anymore) and ask whats the deal if you have a U.S. bought laptop in Australia, but I guess with a proper warranty option it would be possible to service it anywhere. It is a mobile computer after all

I would love to agree, and I thought the same of my machine, but now that I am typing this on it, I simply do not know what has become of the little but very real flex I had with it. But you decide of course. Just like some cloth and shoes maybe a Thinkpad needs some air humidity and ambient temperature to settle down ;-)

My 2 norwegian øre as usual.

 

Yup. That's what I did. Macbook Unibody. Pretty much the same money by the time the dust settles. I'm completely thrilled. The T400 is a piece of junk when you put it beside the new Macbook. Not even close. The best move I could have made. I lost 15% on the return but I'm just glad I could take it back.

 

Sorry your T400 didn’t turn out right. While the Mac’s unibody is definitely a pretty elegant piece of machinery (don’t cut yourself on the sharp sides of the palm rest though), the horsepower that’s in my T400 was purchased for almost half the cost of a similar equipped 15" MacBook Pro—and Mac doesn’t make a 14” notebook, which is ideal for me.

 

I say the Macbook vs Thinkpad discussion is pretty much useless. For instance I bought a Thinkpad over a Macbook for several VERY IMPORTANT TO ME reasons, which pretty much decided it all for me, even if the two would have exactly the same cost for similiar specifications.

1. I use the Trackpoint otherwise known as that little red (put your word for that famous female genitalia term here)-thing on the keyboard
2. Since I first got to know a Thinkpad I liked its B3 style (Black Bland Brick). I liked the monolith in Stanley Kubricks 'Odyssey 2001'. I did not much ever like computers that resemble kitchen appliances or ladies' purses, even though as I get older I gotta admit I like Apples design more now than before, and the liking only increases, without me liking Thinkpad design any less.
3. When I buy a Thinkpad I meticulously choose the hardware that goes into it, because I try to run open source software only. Atheros, NVidia and even Lenovo do not disclose their hardware specifications, and people have to rely on hacks or 'commercial consumer operating systems' to actually have the hardware they bought work for them. At least I get the Intel audio, Intel video, and Intel CPU. Nothing is perfect, but a Thinkpad is closer to my goal than a Macbook currently.
4. I like the fact that you can buy spare parts for a TP on eBay. No need to visit the church-like looking Apple Store, with fashionable guru characters for technicians. Joking, joking, but you get my drift
5. Did I say that I LIKE IT BLACK AND NON-REFLECTIVE.

Apart from my quirks, I have to say the newer Macbooks are VERY IMPRESSIVE pieces of work. Atheros, the company that makes wireless chipsets that go into Macbooks, have recently agreed to disclose its hardware specifications, which makes Linux work better.

 

VERY… WELL… SAID.

 

Second the motion. As I have been posting recently, I have been on the search for my next best friend, my criteria being:
A trackstick
Media Keys
Comfortable keyboar
lightweight and good looks

My Dell inspiron 8600 fit the keyboard bill, it is a little heavy though. I agree with the above Thinkpad, but I just wish they would have included the sexy factor in it and used a carbon body or something other than the plastic, the off center screen, that make it appear cheaper. look at the HP"s and you see sexiness in computing, but their touchpad screws up the typing experience by being too far to the right, under the typists thumb muscle.

 

Well it's true if you go for the 15 inch it will cost a bit more. However the 13 inch is pretty much the same price. If you need a lot of connectivity options then obviously the Macbook isn't for you. As far as the wrist rest being sharp: I haven't noticed this. What I have noticed is that the Macbook is exceptionally well constructed. No plastic flex here that's for sure. Totally different league. After buying the T400 I was depressed. So, much money for an ok machine wasn't what I had in mind. I wanted a good machine for that money. The Macbook found me. It's my first Mac and I'm completely impressed. Apple is doing a lot of things right. Cheers

 

Although I have no personal experience with this, the Macbook can certainly run Linux either virtually or dual boot and probably do it better than most PC boxes. Moreover, remember that OS X is more or less a gui over Unix. So, although you can't run Linux stuff natively you can run Linux stuff with some recompiling of the program using Fink. I haven't tried this but it seems pretty simple to do. So, from an overview perspective the Macbook can run any flavour of Windows or Linux either dual booting or virtually, and it can run Linux stuff with some tweaking. Notice that no PC box can do all this, because running OS X isn't really a serious option for a PC box, hackintoshes aside. As far as color goes, what can one say. Put a Macbook beside I T400 for a couple of days and see what you think after you let it settle a bit. Personally there was no contest aesthetically, although I never particularly minded the TP's look. The Macbook doesn't just look good though. It's rock solid. Nothing in the PC world comes anywhere close to it for the money. I don't even think that the Sony Z comes close, although it's a bit lighter. The Macbook was a hard sell for me, because I had a lot of resistance to Apple. But I had both the T400 and the Macbook sitting here for a week. After the 1st day I had no interest in opening the T400 except to get my files off of it. It's quite remarkable that me, the anti-Apple person of the century, ended up with a Macbook, and I'm totally happy with it.

 

I forgot to add that parts are just as available for the Macbook on ebay as elsewhere. They're just as easy to service yourself as any pc notebook. Finally, I've found the glossy screen is actually amazing. Compared to the T400 colors are much warmer and it found it was at least as good as the new backlit screen on the T400 if not better.

 

Don't waste your money on the Thinkpad, at least the new ones. If you want a PC notebook check out the Dell offerings in metal, or for a cheaper option check out HP. Personally I find the 6000 series HP for $600 Canadian to be just as good as most PC notebooks out there if you don't mind the weight and you can live with vista or you're intending to put Linux on it. Otherwise you're looking at over $1600 for something decent from Dell perhaps, or maybe Sony if you have deeper pockets still. But even Dell's better machines will have some cheapness around the wrist rest, etc. and then there's Vista. That's why I went for the Macbook. The PC notebooks out there were depressing me and so was Vista.

 

I don't understand why you found Vista depressing.
Renee

 

Unlike the Mac, it doesn’t have a Cure Cancer button .

 

hey bink or any other T400 owner,

on the right side of your T400, right above the dvd tray near the arrow buttons, does that indent that connects the two sides of the case, does it site flush like it does on the left side, or is it raised? (try running your finger along each side)

this is the only thing that bugs me about my T400, well along with the plastic piece the power button is on. i just wish my T400 was made to perfection, and its not...

 

For the most part, both sides are flush—and, yes, that completely plastic-pieced area with the power and other buttons is one of the most useless annoying design cues of the T400. It appears to be clearly designed for another purpose and shoved into the T400 for some unknown reason, most likely cost cutting. Its stuff like this that amazes me why the Lenovo design guys win any awards at all—they seem to be nothing but arrogant over-paid elitists.

 

I don't think I could have said this any better myself.

 

Well, what used to be the discussion of the first impression turned out into the war of fanboys.
In this world everything is relative. and its good when some people can enjoy t400 and other macbook.