T400 / T500 / W500 Up!

it has always been the case with the t61s,
i'm not too familiar with it but i think it makes more room for the antennas

 

I have to say, I've been following the T500 for months now, as my back to college notebook - and I'm sorely disappointed in the release specs.

Three gripes in particular:
1) There is no P9500 availible for the T500, as was/is shown on the lenovo data sheet
2) There are NO LED screen options availible for the T500, as was/is shown on the lenovo data sheet
3) I still have not heard or found any word on if the 3650 is using GDDR2 or GDDR3

 

Yeah, I've been looking at the T400 myself, and was disappointed about the lack of p9500 too. The LED was available however.

My bet is that some of the features might not be available right away, e.g., perhaps they have only so many backlight screens availalbe as of now. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of the goodies down the road.

In the meantime, I just picked up my T400 w' t9400, LED, 1x2gb DDR3, 3x3 AGN, DVDRW, 250gb, 6 cell, and 3yr on-site with 15% student coupon! It's finally on it's way!

 

@wes- Did the estimated shipping date show up as 9/19 for you when you checked out?

 

Nope, 8/26/2008 - Maybe a specific part/item made yours that late...

 

Where did people see their estimated shipping date? I wonder if I even have one

EDIT: Nevermind. Mine is 8/26/08 woohoo!

 

The new T400 do not have international warranty...They said they will have it at a "later" date. Since im travelling alot this does not impress me and might have look somewhere else. Doesn't make sense cuz the T60 and T61 both had international coverage since this is suppose to be a "business" notebook

 

Looks like the 9/19 is if you select the T500 w/integrated graphics. The discrete comes up 8/26.

 

They've taken them completely off the Canadian site now.

 

Ok I hope this will help some of you. If you chose the discreet option on the T400/T500 you will have hybrid graphics by ATI. The reason they don't say they are hybrid is because there is no option for only discreet. You either get intel integrated or ATI hybrid.

Intel and ATI are not together in this situation(other than the chipset working with the graphics solution). The hybrid graphics system is all ATI. In other words you wont switch between Intel integrated graphics and ATI discreet, you will switch between ATI integrated and ATI discreet.

 

Edit: Nevermind

 

Wow. Good thing I didn't wait on these. These are way to expensive !

 

Saving battery.

 

I thought you guys might want to see the details of my order after it was placed. It clearly refers to my graphics option as "HYBRID," where I did choose discreet.

2764CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM
08/26/08 $1,933.58 $1,933.58
42X6338 SBB INT.CORE2DUOPROCT9400
42V8011 VBB MS WIN VISTA HOME PREMIUM
44C1222 SBB GEN VIS HOPREM32 US EN
42X6318 SBB 14.1 W X G A +TFT
42X6315 SBB AMD M82XT HYBRID 256MB
42X6305 SBB 2GBPC3-8500 1067MHZ2DIMM
42X6355 SBB KYB US ENGLISH
42X6323 SBB ULTRNAV(TRP+TOUCHP)FINGERP
42X6326 SBB INT.TURBOMEMORY1.6 2GB
42X6345 SBB DVDRECORD.8XMAXDUAL,ULTBAY
42X6312 SBB EXPR.CARDSLOTXN4-1M.CARDR.
62P6054 VBB INTEGR.BLUETOOTH PAN
42X6325 SBB INT.WIFI LINK5300
42X6328 SBB INTG.WIR.WIDENET UPGRAD.
42V9338 SBB 6 CELL LI-ION BATERRY
39T6442 SBB COUNTRY PACK NORTH AMERICA
42X6388 SBB LPACK US ENGLISH
41C9338 LENOVO THINKPAD PROTECTION WITH THINKPLUS ONSITE REPAIR - EXTENDED SERVICE AGREEMENT - 3 YEARS - ON-SITE

 

So the 3650 graphics on the T500 adds three weeks to the delivery time vs. either the 3640 (T400) or using Intel on the T500.

That...ahem...blows.

 

If price if your sole objective, then it is nearly always better to buy the previous generation on close-out as the new generation is being introduced.

There are ways to ease the pain a bit on the new ones though; student discount and coupons are active, as is CPP and I imagine SPP.

I'm more interested in certain features and configuration than absolute price and was willing to pay a little more to get what I wanted.

 

What do you guys think the chances are of the P9500 and LED backlighting on the T500 appearing in the next day or two? It looks like they're still some mistakes on the website so I'm hopeful.

Also, does anyone know why you can't select the 200gb 7200 rpm hard drive and turbo memory? Is that likely a mistake too or is there an actual reason? You could do it with the T61...

 

That sounds like a mistake to me, they seem like totally unrelated parts. Unless they think turbo memory will slow you down with the 7k200 in there?

 

They let you select it with the 160gb 7200 rpm so I think (and hope) you're right.

But wow, no P9500 and LED back lighting would be terrible, that's why I've waited to long.

 

Has anyone been able to determine what 7 card types the 7-in-1 reader takes?

 

Why no Travelstar 7K320 or the 320 gig Seagate Momentus 7200.3? The 7K200 was avalible back when the T61 launched, we should be using the newer faster larger drives now

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=270564

 

@ wesmain:
how did you get that 15% discount?

 

funny is that the CPP site not working.
Anyhow, I got the IBM Shareholder code and was able to bring the price down to about ~20%??? It is as good as a cpp so I think it'll be ok.

 

I used this link: http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrar...ty=usstudents&ConfigContext=StdAffinityPortal

And also used the coupon code: USXSAVE15NOW

HTH

 

The trick was to order early. I ordered mine at 8AM EST and now that I am checking again I noticed some of the options are gone, either due to supply running out, or possibly typos. I was lucky enough to get the T9600 which was listed as $235 less than the T9400, when I am guessing it was suppose to be $235 more.

Now is the waiting game. I fully expect to get an email saying your order has been canceled because the price of the T9600 was wrong, because it clearly says in the Terms and Conditions you have to check off before continuing: "If a product is wuoted at an incorrect price due to typographical error or error in pricing information: 1) Lenovo has the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed for the Product quoted at the incorrect price, even if Lenovo has confirmed the receipt of your order and has charged your Credit card."

But like others, I was hoping to get the T9500 due to its use of less power, and I am also shocked, though not really disappointed, that no Blu-Ray option was available on any of the laptops that I saw since Centrino 2 keeps talking about how you can watch a full Blu-Ray movie on one battery.

I used the IBM share holder discount at the time, but don't forget there is a 21 day price policy so you can always adjust it 1 time after you buy it, so I am waiting for my states tax holiday on the third week in August to try and get a slightly better price. Figured order now to get at the begining of the list and hopefully not wait as long


ThinkPad W500 - Estimated Shipping Date: 8/25/2008**
Price before discounts $1,978.00
Final Price $1,681.30
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.8GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)1
6 cell Li-Ion Battery60
Display type 15.4 WSXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
System graphics ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 with 512MB VRAM
Total memory 4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters10 Intel WiFi Link 5100 (1x2 AGN)
Battery60 6 cell Li-Ion Battery

41C9334 3 Year Depot Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection $167.40

Subtotal: $2,257.00
Sale price: $1,848.70
Shipping and handling: $0.00
Estimated tax: $84.07
Estimated total: $1,932.77*
Total savings $408.30

 

I don't think the price adjustment will apply to tax, but I guess you can try.

 

what was the total? the 1600 or the 1900?

 

The $1600 was before warranty upgrade, tax, etc. The $1900 price is the total.

 

$1600 price is with spp code applied, with all the options upgraded it comes out to be ~$1800.

 

Laptop was $1978 before discount to $1681, and the warranty was $279 before discount to $167, and then the Tax. But now that i have had the time to think about my order, I realize its missing one of the major things i was looking for, the LED screen. At the time of ordering i saw 2 monitor options:

15.4 WXGA TFT,
15.4 WSXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight

and at the time I assumed CCFL Backlighting was referring to LED, but I have since realized that this is not the case. The decision is do I cancel and wait indefinitely for the LED screens to come out and lose out on the T9600 processor at the nice discount I got. For now I think I will wait it out and see what appears in the next few days.

 

thats a nice price.. and i cant even get it that cheap.. id totally keep

 

I actually thought the same thing, but the spec sheets indicate that only the XGA will be available w/LED backlighting (1280x800) with the SXGA+ w/o LED about 15 nits higher. That option (XGA) is too low on the res scale for me.

 

is the price for the w500 to high for what there offering? or is it a decent deal..

 

It just come out so the price is actually a bit high, after 2-3 weeks, prices will go down.

 

These are ridiculous prices, I was kinda looking forward to checking these out and comparing them to either the Sager or the Asus I'm about to purchase but wow what a stupid move by Lenovo.

 

Comparing Lenovo computers to Sager and Asus is equally stupid. Those are gaming rigs, with poor battery life and consumer build quality. Thinkpads are built to be lugged around and last- thats why they have magnesium cases and internal roll cages, and are engineered to be cool and quiet.

Come on, how many Sager or Asus last more than 4 years? You've got to expect to pay a premium for better build quality.

 

Not $400 more than they should be priced at. My T400/T500 comes out to be the same price as the Asus G50 which has much better hardware...and the only thing that Lenovo has to offer is superior build quality? No thanks, I'll spend that money on fast processors, GPU, etc over build quality. If it was cheaper, however, I'd definitely pick one up because then it makes sense to get less hardware for a cheaper price with the trade off being better build quality.

 

Sure you do, there is no comparison between Asus and Lenovo, as the G50 is utter crap. If Asus offer you that price for the specs and still make profit, well needless to say it's made of cheap material.
Anynow, you use an Asus to justify a Thinkpad price? That's rather dumb, however it's your money, so it's up to you.

 

Do you really think that Lenovo is targeting Asus with the Thinkpads? Office productivity would take a steep nosedive, as everyone would be gaming instead of working. Seriously, Thinkpads are not gaming rigs, they are engineered and designed for business and to be durable, not to have cutting edge gaming cards and the like.

Well, then if you want less hardware, good build quality, and cheap prices, buy a 61 series- it fits this criteria to a 'T'. With discounts and coupons they can be had for under a grand. The new T's and W's just came out today, obviously they are going to be more expensive. Its a joke to think that there is going to be coupons and discounts right off the bat- come on.

 

Damn thanks for pointing that out. I agree that component quality and price looks worth the tradeoff in chassis. Don't like the 5400 rpm hd and other options, just want one ok 7200 one. Not crazy about looks, but for that hardware and price!

 

Then the thinkpad is not for you.

But in fact, 7200RPm HDD doen't worth the price, even the lowest core 2 duo CPU is overpowered (even for gaming) and a too good GPU=less mobility.

 

I think both you and Han Bao Quan are missing the point. I am not trying to suggest that Lenovo is targeting Asus or trying to justify the Lenovo price with an Asus. It was just an example, and my point is that you get a LOT more for your money in an Asus (as you would in many other companies like Sager). Lenovos are great, I like what they stand for -- but not to the point where I'm willing to dish out a ridiculous amount of money on LESS hardware just to have superior build quality. Yes they are geared towards office productivity and not gaming, but you don't need a specific laptop for office productivity -- any laptop will do fine and frankly, it doesn't warrant the cost at this point.

 

If we are talking about "casual" office productivity, yes, everything fit. But definitively not ASUS and SAGER.
If we are talking about corporate level office productivity, thinkpad wins.

Or not (look at my post above).

The W500 has a workstation graphic card, so it can't offer a good performance/price ratio.

 

Doc Z, I think you are missing the point.

A lot more of what? In an Asus, you get a lot more components that are designed for gaming rigs. That is the point of most Asus or Sager laptops- they are built for gaming, intended to last a year or two, and then are meant to be replaced by machine with newer components in order to play the newest games. They have a short life cycle, therefore use the latest gaming components, but have a cheap build quality. Really, they are meant to sit on your desk or play a Friday night LAN party, not travel back and forth to an office or school.

If, on the other hand, you want a notebook that will still be functional in three or more years, then there is certainly a LOT more in a Thinkpad. My Mom uses an ancient T30 that is well worn but still completely functional. I doubt you would find a six year old Asus that is still working.

And you miss the point why these newest Thinkpads are more expensive than your Sager or Asus- you get something that will last and has the newest components. If you just want a sturdy computer, but a 61 series. If you want something that will last a year or two for gaming, get a Sager or Asus. If you want both, then buy the new T's or the W, and know that you will have something that can play games and will last.

Not to mention the battery life of a Thinkpad vs an Asus.......

To summarize;

Thinkpad- built to last
Asus/Sager- built to game

 

I do music production so those are both very important. Slow hd means latency and slow cpu means less vsts I can have running.

 

Where are the NBR reviews for the T400 / T500 / W500?!?!??!?!

I want some info on the battery life, LED, and X4500HD!

 

yeah, we def need a first look review on them

 

I don't know a lot about music production, but I don't think that a thinkpad is for you. It's not build with music production in mind. On the other hand, I don't know how ASUS and SAGER will be better for you: you will be paying for a GPU that you wont need.

Wait around 2 weeks. I think that lenovo didn't send pre-production models to NBR.

 

No laptop is really ideal for music production. You really can't beat a desktop for those kind of things.

 

True, since most laptops that I know have ****ty sound card.