T400 configuration question

I have saved two quotes for Thinkpad T400-

This is the first:

1 SYS.7417CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM $832.66 $832.66
The above product code consists of the following component(s):
7417CTO THINKPAD T400 $737.46
42X6336 SBB INT.CORE2DUOPROCP8600 $0.00
45M3092 VBB GENWIN7HOMEPREM64 $0.00
45M3740 SBB GEN WIN 7 HM PR 64 US EN $0.00
42X6313 SBB INT.GRAPH.MEDIAACCELX4500 $0.00
42X6309 VBB 4GBPC3-8500 1067MHZ2DIMM $0.00
42X6355 SBB KYB US ENGLISH $0.00
42X6322 SBB ULTRNAV(TRACKP+TOUCHPAD) $0.00
42X6349 SBB 250GB HDD/5400RPM $0.00
42X6345 SBB DVDRECORD.8XMAXDUAL,ULTBAY $0.00
42X6312 VBB EXPR.CARDSLOTXN7-1M.CARDR. $0.00
62P6054 VBB INTEGR.BLUETOOTH PAN $0.00
42X6325 SBB INT.WIFI LINK5300 $0.00
42X6328 SBB INTG.WIR.WIDENET UPGRAD. $0.00
42V9338 SBB 6 CELL LI-ION BATERRY $0.00
41W1787 SBB CPK NORTH AMERICA $0.00
45M3647 SBB LANG.PACKUSENGLISH $0.00
41C9170 3YR Depot $95.20

Payment Terms: Credit Card
Ship Type:
Merchandise Total $832.66
Sales Tax $58.28
Shipping / Handling $0.00
Total $890.94

And this is the second:

1 SYS.7417CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM $752.76 $752.76
The above product code consists of the following component(s):
7417CTO THINKPAD T400 $752.76
42X6336 SBB INT.CORE2DUOPROCP8600 $0.00
45M3092 VBB GENWIN7HOMEPREM64 $0.00
45M3740 SBB GEN WIN 7 HM PR 64 US EN $0.00
42X6313 SBB INT.GRAPH.MEDIAACCELX4500 $0.00
42X6309 VBB 4GBPC3-8500 1067MHZ2DIMM $0.00
42X6355 SBB KYB US ENGLISH $0.00
42X6323 SBB ULTRNAV(TRP+TOUCHP)FINGERP $0.00
42X6349 SBB 250GB HDD/5400RPM $0.00
42X6345 SBB DVDRECORD.8XMAXDUAL,ULTBAY $0.00
42X6312 VBB EXPR.CARDSLOTXN7-1M.CARDR. $0.00
62P6054 VBB INTEGR.BLUETOOTH PAN $0.00
42X6325 SBB INT.WIFI LINK5300 $0.00
42X6328 SBB INTG.WIR.WIDENET UPGRAD. $0.00
42V9338 SBB 6 CELL LI-ION BATERRY $0.00
41W1787 SBB CPK NORTH AMERICA $0.00
45M3647 SBB LANG.PACKUSENGLISH $0.00

Payment Terms: Credit Card
Ship Type:
Merchandise Total $752.76
Sales Tax $52.69
Shipping / Handling $0.00
Total $805.45

The difference being the fingerprint reader in the second and the 3 year warranty in the first. My doubts:

1. Will the prices drop further during black friday? I am already saving close to $750 through the CPP.

2. Is the 3 year warranty worth the extra money or is it cheaper to buy separately?

Please clear up my confusion. Thanks!

Edit: Any suggestions to the config are also welcome!

 

it is cheaper to buy the warranty with the laptop, as you would get a discount on the price of the warranty too when you use the CPP code.

3 years warranty is a good start, something that everyone whom wants to use their laptops for a while should consider. I think the price you are getting right now is very reasonable, but there is a chance that there would be small drops in price in the future. However, as the parts of the T400 are used up, especially the LCD, Lenovo would probably stop ordering them (some manufacturers have stopped producing some parts, i.e. 16:10 LCD), as the price drop was meant to prepare Lenovo's inventory for the new version of the T series in the near future, which uses a 16;9 aspect ratio LCD rather than the current 16:10 LCD. So price will get cheaper, but so will be waiting periods and part availability, there is chance that Lenovo may take a long time to ship you the laptop, during their heavy discount periods.

 

Thanks for the response. So you suggest the best time to buy it will be now? And even if it does get cheaper during black friday, I can use the '21 day price guarantee' to get the difference refunded right?

 

I substantially agree with Lead Org. I ordered three weeks ago, figuring that the price wouldn't go down that much over the remainder of the year and supply parts would become more scarce. I suspect it's just a guess. And you do have the 21-day price guarantee, from what I understand.

If you're going to get the 3-year warranty, I agree that it is cheaper to buy it with your order. Whether or not to go with an extended warranty is an individual matter and much debated. I have never bought an extended warranty on anything as far as I can recall, and I've owned computers since the mid-1980's (Leading Edge Model D ). Others have bought and used extended warranties, so you have to become convinced about your own situation. A warranty that costs more than 10% of the price of the computer for an extra two years is more than I can justify. YMMV, of course.

You're ordering top notch computer, whichever way you go. Hope you the best with it.

Bill

 

@ Broadus:

Thanks. You have the T500? How do you like it? How long did it take for it to get delivered?

 

Love it. It runs so much cooler than my HP Pavilion, and the LED screen is really bright. It well-built and has a business-like elegance.

With my configuration, I ordered it on a Thursday evening and was setting it up the following Thursday evening, IIRC, and that was with regular shipping. I don't think that's the norm, but I was obviously happy!

Bill

 

"If you're going to get the 3-year warranty, I agree that it is cheaper to buy it with your order. Whether or not to go with an extended warranty is an individual matter and much debated. I have never bought an extended warranty on anything as far as I can recall, and I've owned computers since the mid-1980's (Leading Edge Model D ). Others have bought and used extended warranties, so you have to become convinced about your own situation. A warranty that costs more than 10% of the price of the computer for an extra two years is more than I can justify. YMMV, of course."

I've always said to those peeps who are seriousus about computing. A warranty is a necessity cost of owning a computer. You can not pay it if you wan't but then you are perfectly at risk every time you turn the processor on.

Renee

 

@ Broadus:

I am replacing my HP Pavilion too. I hope my experience is as good as yours!

@ Renee:

Thanks for the response. I think I will go with the 3 year warranty.

 

Here's a take on extended warranties for electronics from the December 2009 issue of Consumer Reports:

Extended warranties still aren't worth buying

Seven in 10 respondents to our survey on buying major electronics reported they were pitched an extended warranty. However hard they're sold, extended warranties are generally bad investments. Most electronics products won't need a repair, especially if you choose brands that have fared better than others in the reliability ratings we include in this section. In the unlikely event they break, other Consumer Reports survey data has shown, the average repair bill is often comparable with the cost of a warranty.

However, buying a plan that includes accidental damage might be worth considering for a laptop or netbook that you'll use a lot on the go. And buying a computer warranty that extends tech support, too, might make sense if you or a gift recipient could use a lot of hand-holding.

In our survey, shoppers at P.C. Richard & Son, Fry's Electronics, and BrandsMart USA were most likely to report being strongly urged to buy a warranty.

Paying with your credit card might automatically double the manufacturers' warranty and offer other benefits at no extra cost; see Perks that come with credit cards.
​

I bought my TP with my credit card, so the one-year warranty becomes two. $95 or whatever for a third year is money poorly spent, IMHO. There's a reason companies offer extended warranties, and it isn't benevolence toward consumers. Extended warranties bring in a lot of money. Yes, sometimes they pay off, and sometimes people win the lottery. I'd rather go with the odds, but sometimes people just need the assurance that goes with having an extended warranty. FWIW, I've been turning a processor on almost daily for over 20 years and have never regretted not having an extended warranty.

Bill

 

I've been the technical person on a computer sales team with a number of years of personal and professional experience. I do not care about value, I care if my computer will run. Therefore I take folk wisdom as what is it, it's money driven thinking.

Renee

 

Consumer Reports is "folk wisdom"? The reason a computer company pushes extended warranties is all about "money driven." Extended warranties are quite profitable for those who sell them, don't you agree?

Frankly, I do care about value and I can about my computer running. To set the two against one another is to engage in a false dichotomy. If I didn't care about value, I wouldn't have bought a TP, and if I worried that every time I turned it on something would fail, I wouldn't have bought a TP. It's a great computer, it works, and it's a great value. Aren't those good things?

Bill

 

I've always made the bet that if a piece of hardware in my computer fails, it will be either within the first few days, weeks, and maybe months of using it, or at the very end of the computer's life 4-5 years down the road.

So far, through all my computers, this has been true, and therefore I do not buy extended warranties. Of course, it would be nice to have one, but I believe the price is not justifiable.

 

I am confused now Should I buy the extended warranty? How about a 2 year warranty?

 

If I remember correctly, Renee never pays for her computer; instead her company picks up the tab. As a result, she does not need cost-benefit analysis, because the cost out of her own pocket is always $0.

She always maxes out everything she buys. In her logic, people who do not max out everything (CPU, RAM, disk, warranty, etc.) are simply too cheap for their own good.

 

You really have to make your decision and go with it. $95 will probably not break the bank if it gives you peace of mind. If you carry your notebook around a great deal, you may want accident insurance. That gets to be pretty pricey, costing a fair percentage of the price of your new laptop. I prefer to be careful with mine.

We're just giving you input to help you make, hopefully, an informed decision. However, you have to make the decision because it's your computer and your repair if that is needed down the road. I'm like MidNightSun, though. My suspicion is that breakdowns will typically occur during the first year or past the three-year warranty period. Consumer Reports is not noted for knee-jerk advice.

Best to you.

Bill

 

Regard your warranty in the same way you do insurance. If you want to "insure" your computer for a certain length of time. get warranty for that time. If you also want to "insure" you have the computer for that length of time, even when something needs fixing, then get the "insurance" on-site. You don't get insurance expecting something to go dreadfully wrong; you get it knowing that if you don't have it you could suddenly have a very big unexpected cost. Again, from the seller's point of view, insurance and warranties are sold with the expectancy that most will never be acted upon. If too many are, it would not be profitable. But for those few actually have to call on it, insurance/warranty cover is a wonderful thing, both for the wallet and for peace of mind.

 

I am a grad student and I wont move it much except to the university and back. And I do maintain my laptop quite well (my 3.5 year old HP Pavilion still looks brand new). So I might need the warranty only if there is a hardware failure, in which case it will be wonderful if I have the warranty. I might just go in for the 2/3 year warranty, since I would be covered mostly for those years and not worry of spending $ later in case something happens. Thanks for the valuable advice all of you.

 

Hang in there with the grad work. I think you'll really like your ThinkPad after having a Pavilion for 3 and 1/2 years. When I upgraded my hard disk drive in my HP from a 160GB 5400RPM to a 320GB 7200RPM, I had to download the latest BIOS. With the HDD under the left palm rest, that sucker would get so warm that I bought a small desk fan and pointed it at the computer. That was a necessity with South Carolina summers! With the ThinkPad, also with a 7200RPM HDD drive, I've put the desk fan away.

Also, the fan always (at least almost always) ran in the HP, often kicking into high gear. The only thing I usually hear in my ThinkPad is the HDD.

You'll have to let us know what you think about it after you've had it for a few days.

Bill

 

I am sure I will like the Thinkpad much better. When I run MATLAB on my Pavilion, I can almost hear the noise in the adjacent room. I am ordering mine by tomorrow or Monday. Will update here once I get the machine in my hands.

 

The value of warranty, depends on your budget, how long you keep your laptop, the cost of replacing individual parts if they fail, how reliable is your laptop and how much the warranty costs.

In my case, i have found that Thinkpads are reliable enough to do with 1 year warranty, but given that i want to keep my laptop for a while, i decide that 3 year warranty is a wise investment.

 

"If I remember correctly, Renee never pays for her computer; instead her company picks up the tab. As a result, she does not need cost-benefit analysis, because the cost out of her own pocket is always $0.

She always maxes out everything she buys. In her logic, people who do not max out everything (CPU, RAM, disk, warranty, etc.) are simply too cheap for their own good."

Well let's give your memory a test shall we?

I have had one notebook and I bought it and paid for it. So I always pay for my computer. I pay 100% of my computing thank you. It is therefore incorrect to think that my cost is 0$. But why are you talking to a non-capitalist about money? It costs me a lot more than it costs you because I do max out my computer. The t61p I got cost me $2900.00 off of ebay. I don't care how cheap a person is. I care that I have cpu-power when I need it.

If you have any more questions, I will be happy to answer them.

Renee