Newbie Ordering T400/500 vs. U330

hey guys, newbie here but in need of a new laptop because my dell6000 just broke after 3 years (LCD Inverter death). Anywho, I like both the new T400/500 and the U330 in terms of specs, but just wanted to get an input about which computer is better use for what. I wanted to try a new E6400 Dell Latitude but when specd to similar specs as the one I want from Lenovo the Dell comes out to more than $1600 while the Lenovo T400 I spec'd (mind you, I used the CPP code) came out to $1188 loaded.

My specs are:
2.53 Ghz C2Duo
Vista Business 64
3gigs of Ram
ATI 3450 256mb
LED Screen/Camera
160gig 7200rpm hd
9cell batt
intel 5300AGN

Pretty much went all out with what I could get except the ram as I can upgrade that later seeing the 8gig expansion rating.

I was just wondering the differences in the T400/500 line vs the Ideapad U330 comps and also the T400 and 500 use different 3000series ATI cards, are they that much different? and what do you guys think the estimated weight would be of my specd T400.

Thanks in Advance,
Samir.

 

You should know that an LCD inverter is not too hard to replace. Scott Mueller goes into the specifics in his Upgrading and Repairing Laptops Book/DVD.

The replacement part should be available from Dell for less than $50

 

The U330 is more portable and comes with a HDMI port, the T400 has a bigger resolution screen (WXGA+). In terms of 3450 vs. 3470, the 3DMark06 score is very close, 1932 vs. 1912. So I believe it's not that much of a difference. The 3650 on the T500 on the other hand, it's more powerful with a 3DMark06 score of 3410. So it really depends what your priorities are.

 

okay the screen resolution is definitely more important to me than the hdmi port, and what is the weight diff between the t400/500 when similarly equipped?

 

The difference is about 1 lb (0.45 kg) more or less.

There are many different spec'd T400 and T500:

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pcinstitute/psref/tabook.pdf

 

wow, thanks for the instantly fast response stewie! I am definitely going to order my T-series later today, just going to decide between the 400 and 500, but thanks again, really appreciate it.

Samir.

 

No problem. Personally, I like the T400 more in the T series, but if you're a gamer or 3D designer, then maybe you should consider the T500 for the stronger GPU. There is also the W500, same physical size as the T500, with twice the graphic memory.