Need advise about X200 and T400

I am planning to buy ThinkPad laptop and Confused between T400 and X200. Most of the time I use the laptop for programming (C++, C#, visual Studio) and to watch videos (No games). Can any one suggest which laptop suits to my above requirements and what is the best configuration.

 

Do you want a 12" screen or a 14" screen?

 

Yeah, how much portability do you need? A decent amount = t400; a lot = x200

 

Price is not my concern. Which laptop is more suitable for programming? I may spend long hours on laptop.

 

I can't stand programming on a small screen. I think the t400 would suit you more. I don't know though. The small screen might be comfortable for you

 

which operating system is good for programming( XP, Vista)?

 

I believe XP is better for programming and T400 would be the better choice.

 

all about your needs - i think a safer choice is the t400 for you, because you won't dislike it

however, the x200 i think there is a chance you might not like missing those 2 important features of the touchpad and optical drive...but their is also the possibility you will love it

 

The main sacrifices you make with an x200 is a smaller screen, no touchpad (in my opinion an upgrade), no optical drive, and integrated graphics only. The GMA4500 is very good for accelerating Vista and playing back video (it accelerates decoding of h264, VC1, etc.) and you don't intend to game (it actually is decent for this too, but not as good as a dedicated card). I am satisfied with the smaller screen, love the trackpoint, and don't need an optical drive so I chose the x200 for the lower weight and great battery life.

 

I decided to go with T400.
want to go with following configuration

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) 25W1
Genuine Windows Vista Business downgrade to Windows XP Professional12
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight, Camera
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
1 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
80 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm4
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5
No Bluetooth
ThinkPad 11b/g Wireless LAN Mini PCI Express Adapter III10
6 cell Li-Ion Battery60
7417: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller7

Is this good configuration for programming?
Question about Graphic card, memory speed, inbuild webcam, 6 Cell battery.
Thanks for help.

 

You keep asking if it's good for programming. If you're a programmer, shouldn't you know what you need to meet your requirements?

 

I guess you're unfamiliar with the notion of "Beginning" ?

 

That will work, although I would recommend increasing the RAM, hard drive, and Processor. If the price difference is small, then the P8600 would be a better buy (10% faster, no different power consumption). I would recommend against the T series processors, because they will get worse battery life than the P8400 or 8600. 1GB may be enough for XP, but is definitely inadequate for Vista. Additionally many programming environments (e.g. Visual Studio) require lots of RAM to work effectively. If you are planning on buying 1GB from Lenovo, and buying less expensive aftermarket RAM, that might be a good choice. Same policy goes for the hard drive, 80GB is probably enough, but an aftermarket upgrade to a larger/faster drive, $100 for a 320GB drive on Newegg, might be a nice choice.

If you don't intend to game, the x4500HD is plenty adequate. It will accelerate Vista and can easily decode Hidef video. That screen is a good choice, LED is bright, and WXGA+ allows for more data on screen at once. You don't need bluetooth unless you want to use a wireless mouse without a dongle, or tether a PDA to your laptop for syncing and/or internet connection sharing. The 802.11 b/g card will be fine unless you intend to transfer large files from a local server that is 802.11n enabled (802.11G is more than enough for an internet connection). The 6 cell battery will probably be adequate (expect 3-5 hours depending on the brightness/processor settings you choose), but a 9 cell might be a good choice if you plan to work unplugged for a long stretch of time (long classes, airplane trips, etc.).

Hope this helps. The T400 is a great choice. I just picked the x200 because it is lighter, and I don't need an optical drive.

 

Is the hybrid graphics an option for the t400 or standard? If it is an option, I recommend upgrading to the hybrid graphics..

 

6cell sticks out!

 

The hybrid graphics requires choosing the discrete card (≈$100), and then becomes standard. All T400s have a GMA4500HD, some also have a Radeom (3470?) that can be switched on and off. If you intend to play games, I agree that the hybrid graphics is a good choice. However, if you only plan on doing office work, coding, and watching video (even 1080P video), I think that the GMA4500HD is more than enough. If you need to do hardcore rendering (e.g. Maya/CAD) I don't think either the GMA4500 or Radeon would work effectively, and you would have to upgrade to a W500 or W700 with a FireGL or QuadroFX card.

 

T400 is more suitable for you for it good function contrasted with X200

 

Since you decided on the T series... if you have any extra money in your budget, i wound definitely upgrade the ram to 4gb because for example in your debugging/testing environment, sql server uses a good amount of ram. I personally always have firefox, msn, sql server managmenet studio, visual studio/eclipse and of course... movies/tv series playing in the background . If you have left over money then CPU because compilation is cpu intensive. If you still have left overs then Graphics card. Then 9 cell if you want mobility.. but if you wanted mobility/battery life... might as well have gotten the x200

As a programmer myself i chose the x200 and would've recommended the x200 over the T400 in a heartbeat but that's just my own opinion. For the T series, it's just added size, weight, lack of battery life, lack of mobility.. I have two 24 inch monitors for home when i need the screen size (haven't confirmed it supports two 24 inches..but i don't see why not).. and the x200 will be nice to take around when i'm out and about.

 

I agree with AznRacerNSX for all his reasons, and suggested priorities for upgrades.

 

Like others have said, it would be good to upgrade your RAM, CPU and HDD. RAM and HDD you can do after you purchase. CPU you should do now. I'd go as high as you can budget for.

If this is going to be your only machine and you don't have an external monitor I think the T400 is a great choice. The slightly higher resolution is good for coding.

If you are going to take it with you everywhere and have a higher resolution monitor to use at home then I would have recommended the X200. Actually I'm thinking of getting a X200. I have a T61p at home but it turns out it's too big and the battery life is poor as a take along.

Either way they sound like good choices. What type of programming are you going to be doing?

 

I’ve had my T400 for a bit over a week . Mine is just as you propose, without the camera and only a four-cell battery, but with 2G RAM. In no particular order FWIW here are my thoughts:

1. I assumed that when ordering the XP downgrade, either Lenovo or I would install XP, but Vista Business would still be supplied. After over an hour on the telephone yesterday being shifted to 5 different numbers, only to return to the first and after speaking to seven different people, I was told that, “No you ordered XP and that’s all you get.” This despite the fact that on the website configuration page, you can order either a Vista Business downgrade to XP for no cost, or Vista Ultimate downgrade to XP for $52.50. So you can spend an extra $52.50 and get the same thing; XP with no Vista! Caveat emptor. This isn’t a deal breaker, I did want XP after all; it’s just disingenuous the way Lenovo presents the options.

2. The LED screen (yes I got an LG) is not uniformly bright. I use the old “Classic” windows with a plain blue background and the screen is much brighter at the bottom than the top. On a white background document you’ll never see it though.

3. I do some radio antenna design and measurements, some of it in the field, so I need the portability and the brightness of the LED screen, but when using the default screen resolution things are just too small for easy use. Of course decreasing the resolution on an LED screen leads to horrible looking graphics and text. Maybe someone has an answer for this. It’s too bad that wide screens are the norm, I would have much preferred a 4:3 display. The screen does work well outside, however.

4. Some of my antenna analysis programs are very computationally intensive and this processor handles them well. I’m not into doing benchmarks, but for all practical purposes I see little difference in performance between this and my quad-core duo desktop. I can remember the days when one analysis took all night, so everything’s relative I suppose.

5. The integrated graphics should be fine for you. I also use topo maps and was worried that they wouldn’t redraw very fast when rescaling, but this isn’t an issue. Not as speedy as my desktop with a discrete graphics card but good enough. I don’t play games or watch videos so can’t comment on these applications.

6. In my opinion, the highly regarded keyboard is too highly regarded. (And I’m not talking about unnoticeable flex). I much prefer the keyboard on my ancient Toshiba Tecra. Putting the function key where the Control key belongs is silly, as is the location of the delete key.

7. I don’t know what you mean by programming; maybe you’re taking classes in school so you need a laptop. Otherwise, I would recommend a desktop with a big monitor.

8. Another thing that bugs me, and this is true of laptops other than Lenovos is the location of all of the ports. I realize that they want to put the batteries in the back and this precludes having the ports there, but again referring to my old Tecra, its battery is installed from the front and all of the dangling wires are in the rear where they belong.