T400 for college - is 9 cell battey & 3 yr. warranty best bet ?

My son's heading to first year university and we're ordering the T 400 for him ( he's paying for 50% of it )

We're still a bit fuzzy on 2 items though......

6 cell or 9 cell battery ?

- I thought a 9 cell was a ' no-brainer ', but my son visited his campus and said there are places to ' plug in ' virtually everywhere...he thinks a 6 cell is more than enough as he can never see needing to use a battery for more than 3 -4 hours at a time - and - the 6 is a plus cause it'll be lighter.

- welcome any thoughts as I'm not sure which cell makes most sense in a university environment ?​

1 yr or 3 yr warranty ?

- again, my thought is a 3 yr is a ' better safe than sorry ' option, keeping in mind it's not the better 3 yr coverage that includes accidents and spills but the non-accident etc. extra 3 years that is still an extra $300 bucks ( Canadian ) - wondering if it may NOT be money well spent.

- not sure f most college kids are just sitting tight on the 1 yr warranty or paying more for 3 yrs ?​

Thanks !

 

i dont think a 9 cell would be a huge necessity unless hes gonna use it for long periods.

about the warranty, its a tough decision considering the price, but if you can afford it, it may be good if it ever messes up. On the otherhand, if he is careful or if he ever wants to upgrade, a warranty may become obselete as certain upgrades can void the warranty

 

A six-cell battery is probably enough for a university student; considering that he'll mostly be processing words and browsing the web during the day, he'll probably be able to squeeze 5.5-6 hours out of the six-cell. I can't imagine he could be in class for that long during the day, and if he was then an outlet would definitely be available at some point.

The warranty is a little bit trickier. My university has an on-campus computer repair shop, so I stuck with the standard warranty. Lenovo laptops are also pretty sturdy in their own right. The three year could be a good idea if you think there's a decent chance of the notebook getting horribly damaged or if your son's campus doesn't have a computer repair shop. Personally I tend to stay away from warranties.

 

I tend to stay away from warranties too. Usually if something is defective, it'll break down within the first year.

Otherwise, if something fails during the second year, I can just get the part from ebay - it's still cheaper than paying for $300 warranty to start with!

And hey if something fails after 3 years, might as well just get another laptop.. I have no clue why people even pay $400+ for 4 years warranty when the laptop won't even be worth that much anymore after 4 years.

btw: Warranty is the biggest source of income for pretty much all companies.

 

I'm a undergraduate student, I'd say IF you can afford it go for the accidental warranty coverage, especially considering the *fun* that can be had at University (I've seen university loaned laptops dropped, stepped on, beer spilled on, thrown out windows, etc; but then again we had FULL accidental coverage for $50 per year)

However;
This is just from my own experience but well-kept laptops generally have not had any hardware problems, and I think that if they did, they would present themselves within the first year of purchase. 99% of repairs at the University are due to accidental mishandling of the laptop, or viruses.
I've never had a problem using a school laptop for the past 2 years, and now my own T61p for a couple months so it's a tough decision. You're essentially paying for piece of mind for warranties, in the event of a random, horrible, unforeseen circumstance.

I prefer the 9-cell simply because if I forget my adapter, or I'm in a hurry, I can run to class and have the battery life to make if through my back to back classes. But, like your son mentioned, if there is power everywhere, then a 6-cell should be very adequate and I ran a Dell D620 with comparably battery life and made it through my first 2 years just fine.

Also for your son, it may be a good idea to have a backup HD, or even a 4-8GB USB key. In the event of a random computer crash or breakdown, it is VERY nice to have a backup of all school work & data.

Cheers

 

Get the 9 cell battery. It is just a tad larger than the 6 cell, and you get 3 hours of additional battery life. ~10 hours total in integrated graphics mode with the 9 cell. I would have KILLED for that in college.

Get the 3 year depot warranty. It costs about 80 bucks extra with the student discount, and changes are good that you will use it. With my T60 I have replaced a palmrest in the first month, hard drive after 1.5 years, and a optical drive after 1.7 years. Even the best notebook will have significant wear and tear being tossed around, and some components will fail. The nice thing with IBM is if it is a simple to replace item, they ship it to you to replace yourself.

Depending on the configuration (go with dedicated graphics in your T400 configuration) the notebook should be fast enough to probably make it through the entire 4 years without problems. College is a rough environment to begin with, and the notebook will be tossed around more than say a business user using it.

Last... find a student discount for your son's college. Lenovo has one for practically ever school on earth, and it knocks quite a bit off the price

 

Is he going to be living in a dorm environment? If so, get the 3-year WITH accident protection. He may be a very careful person, but there's no guarantee that his roommate(s) will be.

 

Depending on which credit card you are using, you might be able to get an additional warranty for free. I used Mastercard to pay for my T400, bought a 2-year extended warranty, but it was extended by Mastercard for a year, so I get three years total. I think Visa has something similar.

I try to avoid using my notebooks plugged in on campus, especially in class. All those cords plugged in and people walking around make for an accident waiting to happen! I've seen a few going flying off of desks this way.

 

Yeah I agree get the 9 cell battery. It won't weigh all that much more, and if he forgets to bring his AC adapter with him he will be able to last all day. Both the 6 and 9 cell stick out of the back of the T400 so there won't be much of a difference there. The 9 cell just sticks out a little more.

I would also get the 3 year warranty and if you can afford it the accidental protection too. I have seen some pretty messed up laptops that have been accidentally destroyed in the dorms because someone steps on them.

Also if your son is going to a campus that has had robberies in the past it wouldn't hurt to get a kingston lock to hopefully deter a thief. I also recommend the backup hard drive to keep your important papers backed up incase something bad happens to the laptop's hard drive.
Good luck
Tim

 

I just placed my order for a T400 with 9-cell and 3 year depot. The warranty was only $85 more or something - good enough of a deal for me.

I'm a 3rd year university student and up to this point I've been using an R51.

The bigger battery comes in handy should I be out and about for a while. I get lazy having to lug around my power cord.

 

While normally I would say this is a great thing for most products, for laptops it doesnt work out so well. The extended warranty goes through the CC, not the manufacturer. You would need to find out who the CC contracts for computer work, and you will probably not be getting the same level of service or speed of repair. TV's, small electronics, etc... that is one thing, complex devices that require fast turn around and competent work is another.

 

First, I just just want to say thanks to everyone for all the detailed and thoughtful replies - it was my first post / thread on this forum.

The feedback is greatly appreciated !

 

Thanks.

Is that based on some sort of published spec IBM has put out on the expected battery life of the 6 cell for the new T series ?

Again, if I'm reading the Canadian Lenovo site correctly, there are basically 2 flavors of extended 3 yr warranties, there's ....

- A: 3 yr on-site 9 X 5 NBD...........................................an extra $300

- B : 3 yr on-site 9 X 5 NBD + Accident protection.............an extra $479​

......both are very pricey.......where A does not cover him if he beats the hell out of his lat top via drops, spills, LCD damage etc. etc....you need the B warranty for that. I assume A just covers you for tech support and if anything component craps out on you for no reason ( i.e part. workmanship etc. )

He checked with his university and they said they had no special discounts for students on Lenovo's warranty wise, so I may have to call IBM Canada directly just to confirm that ......cause those warranty prices are a bit nuts.

 

Actually, that's exactly what I think can easily happen ....and that's why sticking with only the 1 yr. basic warranty is quite the gamble.

Again, I'm going to have to do some more checking on where I can find the cheapest accident coverage on this T 400, in Canada, cause I haven't come across anything even close the $50 range as you just mentioned.

I know...which kinda makes you wonder about just sticking with the basic 1 yr warranty and rolling the dice for years, 2,3 & 4.

Well, my son is constantly forgetting to plug in his cell phone - maybe the writing is on the wall -so perhaps 9 cell is the best insurance for his absent mindedness.

Funny you should mention that...I just picked up 4 Kingston 4GB Data Travelers for him - for $7 each - at Best Buy yesterday.

 

Thanks.

A store rep told me the 9 cell sticks out a bit from the back of Lenovo laptops.

If he opted to get a docking station down the road, are they equally as compatible with a 9 cell as a 6 cell ?

Man...I gotta find the Canadian equivalent of that student discount !

Based on all the posts I've been reading on this thread about this, that is now priority 1 !

 

Yes......his mini-fridge is cleaned, polished and all set to go.

 

Good point....forgot about that.

We're going to charge it to a Platinum Visa card, so I should double check to see what warranty coverage comes with it - if any.

I sometimes wonder, regardless of whatever laptop he gets...it'll be a miracle if it is still in one piece by Xmas !

 

Just in case you were not aware, I would recommend buying the laptop through www.visaperks.ca. You get a discount and free shipping when you use your visa. There are also coupons you can use but i think they only apply to the R61, T61, and X61.

The $50 all-inclusive plan I was referring to was a University Dell program plan where I got to loan a Latitude for the school year (Acadia University, NS).

I don't believe any universities in Canada have the Lenovo warranty deals [could be mistaken], i think that is only in the USA.

Also I don't believe the battery size affects the docking station, it should be compatible with both 6 & 9-cells.

 

Hi Poedua,

Somebody around here posted this link and I saved it, check it out and see if it works for you:

http://www.lenovo.com/studentcomputers/ca

 

you should ask your son if he really needs a laptop. about 95% of people i know at school keep their laptop primarily on their desk and seldom move it. if youre son isnt going to use it as a laptop he may as well get himself a desktop for much less cost.

btw, laptop prices are so low now... jeez. when i think about it, you can get a insane T series thinkpad for half the cost i paid for my dell 9100 four years ago. i paid $2400 back then and now i can get one for around $1100 with my moms ibm discount.

 

I'm in the same boat as you, and I am excited to be trading in my 9 pound 9100 for the t400 at half the price.

 

It's a good point actually. A lot of people has mentioned the desktop option to him.

Thing is, he's in first year and is doubling in a room with a high school buddy in a residence that is known for rowdiness ( he had no choice of residence ...or so he told me ).

So, I think he wants to have the flexibility to park himself in the library till 2 in the morning ( or a common area all night ) if partying in residence gets a bit too much ( if that's ever possible )

Actually, I thought that's why a docking station might be something to consider in yr 2 - sort of the best of both worlds.

Actually, we're going to be using a ' friends ' IBM discount....once he decides what do do warranty wise of course.

 

Hey many thanks ...I'll check out that link.

Figures.

God...how I'd love to get U.S. pricing ...just once. !

Thanks.

I'm just not to savvy on how docking stations work in terms of batteries protruding out from the machine - prompting my question.

He may never want to go with a dock, but I'd hope a 9 cell is as fine in a dock as 6 cell...... if he does.

 

The docking station is designed in such a way that you could have a battery sticking out that extends to another room and it would still mount and clip in place

 

Thanks...that's good to know.

 

Conversely, if you are willing to spend little extra on External LCD screen and docking station, Thinkpads are excellent solutions for flexibility, power and ease of use on large screens when you can afford to be tied down.

 

It depends on the University, at Acadia we work 99% ON the laptops, it is integral to the university program. All my class information is hosted online, class schedules, notes, assignments, all on the school network. Most classes have Wifi and hardlines and power, professors teach on powerpoint, we follow the posted powerpoint lecture with the laptops. We choose our courses, look at our marks, everything online. In addition we use certain programs in classes like SPSS and Minitab and you need computer access to work on those in Labs and stuff.

 

How often are you ' plugged in ' while using your laptop at school vs. running on your battery ?

Any problems with your laptop's battery life at school ?

My son is of the view that his campus has so many paces to ' plug in ', there's no need to opt for the longer battery life and slightly extra weight you get from a 9 cell ( a 6 cell is fine ) ...whereas I always thought you can never get enough battery life so a 9 cell makes sense .

Welcome your thoughts.

 

Personally, I rarely brought my AC adaptor to class cause its wired behind my desk and it is a hassle to set up every couple of hours. So I am usually only plugged in when I'm at my dorm room. I had to bring the adaptor one day a week because I had a morning class, 30min for lunch, then 2 afternoon classes, so the battery life wouldn't cut it. So for me, the bigger the battery, the better.

 

Does this apply to the Advanced Dock, or just the Advanced Mini-Dock? I'd imagine the Advanced Dock has limited clearance behind the computer.

 

you should just get your son the 9 cell battery. kevins review states 10 hours of battery life which will be excellent, even long run.

now i may be wrong about this, but batteries lose life through time, if you have a battery with the capacity for 10 hours of use, a few years down the road it wont be completely dead and will still give you power. my dell 9100 for example, it had maybe two hours of life four years ago, and now its down to NONE, i only use it though AC. if you got him a 4 or 6 cell, you may have to replace it down the road, or think about getting a new laptop since the battery will go completely dead. that is of course if my "theory" is somewhat true and the 9 cell doesnt degrade at greater rate than the other options.

 

I think we're on the same page ...thanks !