T400 arrived

s2000hku, it's nice to hear everything is working fine now.

 

s2000hku,

If it's not too much trouble, can you post some shots with you T400 on a flat table from the side, front, and so on. I'm still trying to put together an accurate picture of the size and thickness of this machine, I'm sure many others are too!! I even measured out the dimensions from Kevin's first look and made a 3D box out of 11x17 paper to try to visualize the T400. Your pictures have been so great...keep 'em coming

 

Man I really want a T400 now. Thinking hard about selling the desktop and giving up gaming. The only game I am looking forward to is SC2 and Diablo III.

 

These are T400's drivers (website is chinese simplifed):
http://think.lenovo.com.cn/support/driver/searchbyproducts.aspx?series=ThinkPad&category=29324

and here is driver for audio card for XP/Vista:
http://think.lenovo.com.cn/support/...cID=DR1218539166732&docTypeID=DOC_TYPE_DRIVER

here is driver for video card for XP:
http://think.lenovo.com.cn/support/...cID=DR1218538375607&docTypeID=DOC_TYPE_DRIVER

enjoy!

 

Thanks,s2000hku!
Good luck with the laptop!

 

T400 is just like an upgraded T61, and that's it.

Upgrades include:

1.New LED backlit LCD panel
2.New Core Duo 2 Platform with 2G Flash Turbo Memory, faster bus and memory interface
3.Upgraded Graphics from ATI...
3.Optional 9 cell main battery

However, Downsides are there as Kevin said in his T400 review, that keyboard is noisy and speakers are horrible.

I just want to know why they are still selling T61s along with T400?

 

They still have some left?

 

BTW, seriously, I do think Vista hurts HDD so much by keep reading HDD for the first 5 mins getting all things set. I think that's why Wintel will bake 2nd generation of flash cache to save our HDDs... but the reading throughput of Flash memory is questionably slow....

How is that?

 

You bought a 35W processor which is not a member of the new Montevina low power processor family. All of those processors start with "P": the P8400, P8600 and P9500 (not available from Lenovo yet). So that's why you didn't get 9 hours.

Having said that, you can improve your power situation even more by installing the chipset and processor drivers from Intel. The processor drivers are most important as they will enabled the proper scheduling of the C states for the processors when your system is idle.

You should also install the chipset drivers so that DIPM kicks in when the drive is idle since you have a 7200 RPM drive. This will also lengthen your battery life significantly. Google for DIPM... in XP, because it's so old, you have to set some obscure registry key after you install the chipset drivers.

Could you look at these test patterns on your display and see how it fairs?

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

The gamma calibration test is the one that I have the highest hopes for as the display on the Z-series gets 100% aligned on that test. I fully expect the T400 panels to fail the viewing angles test.

 

actually, kevin got the same processor in his T400, BUT he clarify that he used 60% of brightness while he was surfing on web (using wi fi). No photo editing. Also, he said that watching a movie, he calculated that the battery should last 6 hrs and 45 mins.

s2000hku, did you turn off your dedicated GPU when you proved battery duration? Perhaps this could drain some power too.

 

Yea, I was a little annoyed by this.

Great link—thanks.

 

Weird, I ordered mine yesterday and still haven't received the order confirmation today. Does this happen to you guys?

 

Just placed an order 5 minutes ago and have my confirmation email already...

 

Could you please tell us which graphics card is on your laptop?
Is really ATI 3640 or, in fact, the ATI 3470?
Thanks.

 

to get rid of the leftover stock in the warehouses, theres nothing else to do with them.

The graphics card is the 3470, there is no such thing as the 3640 it was a typo by lenovo that has since been updated on there site.. although it took them 3 weeks to do so...

 

There's 2 confirmations emails (that I got, at least). One when you order (subject "Lenovo Order XXXXXX"), and another when your order is charged/ships I believe (subject "Confirmation for Lenovo Order XXXXXX").

 

What I believe... the T9400 make part from Montevina family

Look here:

"Extending its embedded product line, Intel today unveiled 7-year lifecycle support for a 45nm processor validated with two chipsets. The new Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T9400 and the new Mobile Intel® GM45 Express chipset are part of the Intel® Centrino® 2 platform launched today. The T9400 processor is also validated with the Intel 5100 MCH chipset. The T9400 processor, GM45 Express chipset and 5100 MCH chipset are optimized for the low-power needs of the embedded, security, voice and wireless infrastructure markets. The T9400 + GM45 will improve graphics and video playback with Intel® Clear Video Technology and is ideal for digital signage applications such as billboards in supermarkets, and displays on cash registers and shopping carts. Learn more here. "

(download the pdf if you want from : http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20080715comp_sm.htm#story )

"...Formerly codenamed Montevina, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology..."

"Intel is introducing "five dual core processors" based on Intel's reinvented transistors (high-k metal gate formula) and advanced 45-nanometer manufacturing process. These processors come with a faster 1066MHz front side bus and up to 6MB of L2 cache, and three versions reduce laptop processor wattage about 30 percent, down to just 25 watts. Also featured is Deep Power Down Technology that turns off processing components such as core clocks and cache memory when the laptop is idle for greater energy savings."

"Switchable graphics, a new optional power-saving feature available on Intel Centrino 2-based notebooks, provides both integrated and discrete graphics on a single notebook, enabling users to easily switch between the two options. Switchable graphics delivers greater 3-D performance when needed while providing the option for greater power savings for the best of both worlds."

this was from here:
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20080715comp_sm.htm#story

Read if you like:

http://processorfinder.intel.com/Details.aspx?sSpec=SLB46


http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/res...obile/processors/core2duo_m/feature/index.htm


http://www.intel.com/Consumer/Learn/Notebook/centrino-detail.htm

 

T9400 is a part of the Montevina family, however it's not a P model.

The T9400 and T9600 use 35w while the P8400, P8600 and T9500 use 25w.

 

I see what you mean, just read his message as he hadn't received ANY emails at all.

And it figures, I place a second order for a T400 with a different config figuring the one I ordered the 5th won't come till next month like they told me on the phone this morning and NOW a few hours after I place that 2nd order I get the "Confirmation for Lenovo..." email and my card has the lower "available balance" which I assume means my first order is shipping.

 

Please post your first impressions as to:
Keyboard quality
Battery life
How quiet the notebook is
If the thinklight is really that bad

 

Hey, does Confirmation for Lenovo Order e-mail mean that it's shipped? theres no tracking number

 

has anyone check out the windows experience index with the discrete graphics on? i just wonder how well this new machine can tolerate the hardware-demanding vista system.

 

my T400 is 4.7 with discrete graphics on.

 

Correct.

However, note that 35w is the MAXIMUM TDP, meaning that at MOST (under full load), the processor will use 35w. In real life and under anything but full load, it'll use much less.

Note that the review sample had the T9600 (2.8ghz) installed and was idling/websurfing at UNDER 10w of power usage.

 

No, the confirmation email just means that hey have recieved your order and have started the billing, build, shipping process. You'll probably get another email when it is shipped that has the tracking number.

 

I received my T400 before receiving my confirmation e-mail from Lenovo Direct... I also received a confirmation e-mail for a laptop that I had canceled one week prior. I'm assuming they finally got their e-mail service back up and there was some sort of backlog of e-mails to be sent out.

or maybe the e-mails had to go through customs... lol

 

Really? I got an e-mail right away after purchasing online on 8/5. They are just building it now?! I can't believe this. So it's going to take another 2 weeks for them to actually ship it?

 

There seem to be two confirmation e-mails, one from CUSTSERV and one from Lenovo Direct

 

Just wondering if anyone can tell me, how much does a T400 weigh with LED screen, no discrete graphics card, normal HDD, and a 6-cell battery? That's exactly what I ordered.

Does the discrete graphics card add much weight? I don't think I will need it, but if the weight increase is negligible then I might as well add it.

Thanks!

 

I don't think the discrete card will weight more than 2oz. It may actually be a chip built onto the motherboard. The computer weights 5ish lb...

 

Got my T400 in my hands! And tested the above tests.

The WXGA+ LED is SO bright! However, it is NOT gamma calibrated. So, the Z-series 1600x900 display is better in that regard. Viewing angles are typical of a TN. I calibrated my display to gamma of 2.2 with a .1 gamma increase in the Intel graphics software for the red and green channels. Blue was calibrated correctly.

 

How did you do the calibration? Is there a step by step guide?

Thanks.

 

Go to the link below first and put your monitor at an angle where the top and bottom are equally blue and pink, respectively. Make sure you keep your monitor and head at this viewing angle for watching movies, doing the calibration, etc. This is the sweet spot.

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/viewing_angle.php

Next, go to the next link below and use the gamma slider's in your Intel or ATI configuration software until the colors blend at 2.2. Instructions are at the bottom of linked page, too.

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/gamma_calibration.php

 

Any CPU whining sounds?

Jeff

 

ditto on that

 

No, the T400 is whisper silent. I did all the Linux power optimizations suggested by PowerTop too. It's so cool compared to my old laptop; battery life is great. About 6 hours with 6 cell.

 

Very nice!

 

so are you suggesting that running Linux with power optimization would achieve lower noise level than other systems, say Vista and XP?

 

Vista and Linux have roughly equivalent, modern power-saving features.

XP is dated quite a bit. For example, it cannot get the CPU's in to the lowest idle states consistently due to an immature task scheduler. Also, SATA link power management and similar features are non-existent.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but a confirmation e-mail means that the system is being built? And did you guys get an e-mail stating the laptop was shipped?

 

i see, have you been able to configure all the drivers for linux? and which linux system are you using on your t400?

 

Confirmation email seems to be immediate to the order being placed.

Electronic receipt seems to be "whenever we feel like it".

Shipment confirmation is sent out within 8 hours of the shipment.

No email is sent if you cancel your order.

 

Which Confirmation Email? I received one from CustServ on the 20th when I placed order, and I received another one from Lenovo Direct on 27th. I think the question is more like what does it mean when they send the second one? I would imagine that means it is being built.

 

the second one from Lenovo Direct has no meaning. I think their e-mail servers were messed up and they had a backlog of confirmation e-mails to be sent out. I received a confirmation e-mail from Lenovo Direct on the 27th for a laptop that I canceled and a laptop that I had already received from them.

 

Tada!

 

congrats!

did you get the 4 cell or some other cell battery?

 

More please, many more

 

+1

 

I can't think of any original angles or things to take pictures of, but let me know if there is anything specific y'all want to see

 

If you have a PC Card I’d love a detailed shot of that side/the slots.