T400 Advice

I'm going to be starting school this August, so I was looking at getting the T400. Here are the specs so far:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor P8800
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
14.1 WXGA TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight, Camera
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with vPro
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN) with My WiFi Technology
6 cell Li-Ion Battery
1 Year Depot Warranty
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$806 before tax

I have a couple of questions:

1. Would I be better staying with the 5100 wifi card and instead upgrading the screen to a WXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight, Camera ?

2. I noticed that the P8800 was the same price as the P8700. I should go with the P8800, right?

3. How many hours would I be able to get from the 6-cell battery?

4. Is there any other coupon I can stack on top of the CPP discount?

Thanks!

 

1. I would recommend the WXGA+ over the WXGA especially for a 14" screen. The 5100 works fine and although the 5300 will yield better range and bit faster for n networks, I havent found anything to complain about the 5100 and it should work fine for college campuses.

2. The P8800 bumps the clock speed to 2.66GHz over the 2.53Ghz for the P8700. So, yeah go for it.

3. The 6 cell should last ~5hrs depending on your usage.

 

1.- If you're going to cut something, cut the 5300. The WXGA+ screen will give you significantly more screen real estate over the WXGA screen.

2.- If they're the same price, definitely. I got my P8700 when Lenovo offered it for the same price as the P8600

3.- Anywhere from 4-6 hours, depending on various factors.

4.- When you check out, you'll usually be notified in the upper right corner of the shopping cart area if there are additional discounts. Usually something like "click here to apply this coupon".

 

Thanks for the help miner and MidnightSun!
I've decided to get rid of the 5300 and upgrade to the WXGA+ screen.

BTW, does anyone happen to know if the U.S. Tax Holiday extends to online sales? Because paying $57 for taxes isn't very fun

 

One other comment. You have Vista Home Premium, which is fine for basic use but you cannot connect to another network domain with it. You can get this capability with Vista Business. Not sure if this is important to you or if you would be connecting to network on campus.

 

Firesnake makes a good point -- check with your campus to see what the minimum required spec's are. Some require Vista Business in order to have domain capability. At the same time check if your campus provides inexpensive microsoft software; most have some level of discounts available. Also consider http://www.theultimatesteal.com/ -- point being that it might be cheaper to upgrade the operating system through your school or academic discount than when ordering from Lenovo.

What is this "U.S. Tax Holiday"? Are you talking about where many States offer a state sales tax holiday during the back to school season? If so the specifics will vary from state to state and you need to check your state's rules regarding dates, what qualifies, etc.

$57 in sales tax is nothing compared to all the payroll and withholding taxes you pay when working; which will only be getting worse. But that's a topic for another board.