Some questions before i buy

So Im buying a thinkpad for school and I gotta do it soon, enough indecision. Im sure i want either a T500 or T400 and would be happy with either machine but just cant quite decide.

Is the T500 CCFL screen OK? Ive heard some bad things about it, as well as some good. Ive also heard that the high nit screen is incredible in comparison, not just for its higher brightness but for colors as well. I'd like the better video card and no sticking out battery but the portability of the T400 would be nice and a far superior screen may push me in that direction.

 

You want to see a good ThinkPad screen, go look at a IPS T60. I've seen the WSXGA+. It's above average for these days, but no one else is offering anything better.

 

The non-LED screens are pretty much the same as those the past 10 years - excellent indoors, not so good outdoors. W700 has double-lighting so has high-nit - as does LED screens in general. Unless you habitually work outdoors and/or need a smaller form factor, then the T500 wins over the T400 in high-end resolution, screen real estate, and gpu grunt.

 

You can read my review (link in my signature) for detailed display information about the T500. In short, I think it's a nice display, with brightness as its only weakness.