T400/T500 owners!!

lol where did u get it ?

 

I downloaded it, I checked the MD5 and SHA-1 hash values as well as the size of the file to make sure it was clean.

EDIT: My order shipped today!!!

 

nice for you i got the 32 bit version preinstalled
can i change it to the 64 and still use the same old serial number?

 

Yep, you just need a copy of the 64-bit version of Windows Vista, borrow it from a friend or something and then just input your key. You may have to call to activate.

 

I feel the exact same way as you guys. I could have gotten the same thing ( T61) for about 300$ less.

 

I got my tracking number this morning, I wonder how long it will take for it to ship from China, meh, it's signature required too, I hope I'm home otherwise I will have to pick it up at the UPS warehouse.

 

guys how to upgrade my ati driver ? since it just keep on crashing when i played the oblivion IV

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=258626

 

Mine just arrived. I'm now working on creating the recovery CD's.

 

Congrats!

Now give us impressions!

 

So far, it makes me wish I'd originally ordered the 14" T61 back when I got mine, as opposed to the 15". It's far more portable, without much in the way of sacrifices.

I can't comment on others keyboards, but mine is rock solid --in fact, I'd go as far as to say it's firmer than the keyboard on my T61. Whether it's because of the vendor of keyboard in this case, or the new reinforcements, who knows. Screen is very uniform and bright (even though it's a CCFL) with no noticeable bleeding so far.

I installed my RAM upgrade to bring it to 4GB. Right now, I'm installing SP2 for Vista-Business x64, but since I have a 500GB Scorpio Blue sitting here, I may say chuck it and go back to Windows 7 RC shortly. My first impressions are that this is a good, solid machine.

My only teeny-tiny gripe is that the plastic plate that surrounds the power/volume/ThinkVantage button bulges a little, as if someone broke one of the tabs snapping it in place, and now it isn't as solid as it was. Honestly, it's barely noticeable, I can be just a little nit-picky.

Haven't tried the webcam yet, but I'll probably do a little Skype-testing sometime in the next week to see what I get. My T61 worked great with a bluetooth headset; I'm betting the T400 should do just as well.

 

After moving to Windows 7, I could never go back to that hopeful, but sluggish, Vista. IMHO, Vista is dead—and I bet you Microsoft is counting on this.

 

If you run 64-bit (assuming you have the RAM to match it) and patch to SP2, Vista is tolerable. I won't say it's excellent --it has a few UI annoyances that are handled much better in Windows 7 --but it is usable.

Prior to SP2, I wouldn't have run Vista. Uninstalled it within a week of purchasing my T61. Right now I'm just fooling around with it prior to the weekend. I have an external 2.5" SATA-to-USB enclosure on the way that should help me back things up from the old laptop and bring them in, and I may also do Windows 7 when I swap the 160GB HDD currently in this system for the 500GB one.

 

@Lonewolf15,
Would you mind telling what enclosure you settled on? I am debating getting a larger HDD, don't know if I should get the Scorpio with shock proof or whatever or not, but cannot decide a good enclosure. Thanks for your help.

Gary

 

my thinkpad's scrolling at the touchpad suddenly didnt work how to enabled that feature again ?
thx b4

 

I went with this one.

Link

I went with it for several reasons. First, it supports IDE and SATA drives --very helpful if you are often employed to save others' data from a failing drive. Also got it because it has both USB and eSATA external support (note: like other drives of this type, you need a SATA drive to use eSATA, IDE drives won't work off that interface). Finally, although this isn't an exclusive feature, it's possible to use a USB-to-AC connector to provide more power in case the drive cannot draw what it needs from your system.

If you plan on having one drive in your enclosure forever, I don't know if it's the best choice (I'm sure there are ones built tougher). But since I do a lot of IT work, I need the flexibility, and, it was cheap to boot.

 

Thanks for giving the link on enclosure.

Gary

 

My laptop is in the USA and has been cleared by customs as of 6/23 but it does not say where it is and what the estimated delivery date is.

 

That part happens very quick. It was about 3 days that mine listed that way, and then the next I checked, it had made several stops and was out for delivery.

I know, it sucks sitting there checking UPS tracking every 3-6 hours, doesn't it?

 

Every 3-6 hours!?! More like every hour!

 

Anybody know if it's possible at all to upgrade the GPU in the T500 if you have the discrete graphics version? I highly doubt you can, but just asking since other than the GPU this laptop seems perfect

 

I'm pretty sure the GPU is soldered onto the motherboard in which case it's not possible.

Anyways, I get my T400 tomorrow! W00T!

 

See I was wondering if the fact that it has 2 video cards makes a difference? Are BOTH of the GPU's soldered onto the mobo?

 

Yes.

T400/500 models have two GPUs not for upgrade purposes, but to allow flexibility as far as battery-life goes. The only laptop systems with upgradeable graphics these days (Dell used to market systems with several options, but this has mostly fallen by the wayside) are generally gamer laptops, which are an entirely different category than most laptops are.

 

Damn. Oh well, at least I know now. My T500 is on its way, and I'm still looking forward to it even if I can't get a decent video card in it.