T400 vs Latitude E6400

I think it really depends on the country you're from. In Singapore Thinkpads are really expensive.

Does anybody know how the T400 and E6400 WXGA+ screens compare in terms of brightness/contrast (i.e. which is the better screen)?

 

I'm not sure what price difference you refer to i priced out both and price difference is $3. + and - denote pros and cons of each.

I'm planing of adding RAM and HDD later as it's cheaper then upgrading on site.

Lenovo T400

System components
-Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9400 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Business 64
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight, Camera
+ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256MB DDR3 (ability to switch between dedicated and intergrated on the fly, 2hrs extra battery)
+2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Intel Turbo Memory 2GB
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
Express Card Slot & 7-1 Media Card Reader
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN)
9 cell Li-Ion Battery
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 90W AC adapter
$1578


Dell E6400

My System Details
+Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P9500 (2.53GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Business 64-BIT SP1, With media
3 Year Limited Warranty and 3 Year Mail-in Service
14.1" UltraSharp™ WXGA+ (1440x900) LED Display - Regatta Blue
-NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M 256MB
-2.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
+Internal English Backlit Keyboard
Integrated Webcam with digital microphone
160GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM with Free Fall Sensor
8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink PowerDVD™
Intel® WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
Dell Wireless® 370 Bluetooth Module
Internal Modem
Internal Fingerprint Reader
Resource DVD - Contains Diagnostics and Drivers
My Accessories
9 Cell Battery
Vista Premium Label
90W A/C Adapter (3-pin)
$1575


You think this is good deal? I'm thinking about E6400?

 

You can get the Latitude E6400 for cheaper than that. See here for details: forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=324943
You can also get an additional 5% off by using this code: 5BVZ8PB08J072S

 

At the end of the day, the thinkpad is the one that will last the longest. And the service is impeccable. I've had onsite warranty service and phone support that was painless and quick.

HP's service is a total nightmare. Given that thinkpads aren't as good looking but all their good points are more important.

 

I tried that method from that post but it ends up being the same price when i just price it out normally. And i can't configure web cam with that method.
5% off method works. It's about $75 off.
I'm leaning towards e6400 for now as it has better cpu p9500 and looks nicer imo, dvi port, and ddr2 is cheaper memory to upgrade as ddr3 doesn't have too much of advantage at the0moment.


EDIT: I DIDNT SEE BATTERY SLICE WAS SELECTED....GETTING ONE FOR $1088 WOOHOOO

 

Thread resurrection! But better than starting a new one since this directly applies to my dilemma!

I've been a ThinkPad fan for years. Last year I tried out a couple of Dells (Latitude D630 and Inspiron 1530) and had some problems with both. But now I need to buy some laptops and being asked to trim expenses wherever possible. So I'm re-considering Dell and torn between the E6400 and the Lenovo T400.

Here's the specs and quotes I've received. Any input on either machine - the good, the bad, or the ugly - price versus performance, service, etc, would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

T400
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9400 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Business 6412
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight, Camera
ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256MB
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN)10
Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable
6 cell Li-Ion Battery
Port replicator
$1,944

E6400
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9400 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Business 64
14.1 WXGA+ LCD, Camera
ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256MB
4 GB DDR2-800 SDRAM
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD +/-RW
Integrated Bluetooth
Intel WiFi Link 5300
6 cell Li-Ion Battery
Port replicator
$1,486

 

I've had nothing but trouble from the Thinkpads I have at my company. Granted my company is small, but of the 5 Thinkpads I've purchased in the last year, 2 have worked properly without a trip to the depot. Given the price difference between the two, and that you're being asked to trim expenses, I'd go with Dell.

 

you must Euro or Asian correct?

because i got the exact same T400 with a 9 cell battery for less than the price you have listed for the Dell.

i paid ~$1250 + tax = ~$1390

 

Nope, that's a US dollar quote Max. It does include MS Office and a port replicator though.

I ordered an E6400 today to try it out. Dell's 30-day return policy is reassuring. But I've read plenty of great reviews on this machine so it's worth a test drive.

 

well if money is not an issue i'd suggest get whichever one you prefer.

personally i would have gotten a dell because i find them very reliable, but because i get the ibm discount from my mom, i chose the thinkpad because of price.

theyre both likely very similar in performance and build quality so yeh, get whatever you feel is the better choice.

 

Get both, try it and return one...

 

woah! dear ckotuha,
that "wearing" paint is just our oil stains on the matte black, not some fancy over-done metal cover. (afaik)
and its not "chipping off", considering its still flat and smooth.

 

I'll take the E6400 due to the metal hinges, better audio quality, better screen, and the 12 cell slice for over 19 hours plus of battery life, it may make the machine heavier but its important to road warriors. Also better build quality without creaks and crappy flex, so sad.

 

well i think you should reconsider your E6400 given what is happening with the thermal management crippling the CPU load...... Thinkpad also use a metal hinge.... the 19 hour of staying power would depend on the CPU and GPU package...... road warriors would use an ultraportable laptop.... this is why ultraportable was created in the first place to cater for the need of the road warriors..... portability and battery time are the two most important factors when road warriors buy their laptops............. not portability or battery time..

Also, E6400 have had the infamous thermal management problem where the CPU is throttled to snail speed when the CPU temperature is slightly raised. Maybe some people prefer running their laptop at Pentium MMX speed when on the road.

 

That does seem to be an issue in many E6400 and E6500 laptops, as Engadget covered here.

I think you can't really go wrong with either laptop, but I tend to prefer the current T-series laptops over the E-series Latitudes.

 

I played with a Dell Precision M4400 (very similar to E6400) at work and was unimpressed except for the T9900 CPU and LED-backlit screen, both of which, mind you, are also available on the ThinkPad. The Precision, while seeming like a solid machine, has a very bland design. The Trackpoint and Trackpoint buttons were especially bad. The former skipped a lot and the latter took extra force to press down to register a reaction.

 

I agree with you on all the points except the screen - the Dell Latitude E6500's RGBLED WUXGA screen is definitely a plus over the T500 and W500's offerings, although unfortunately I believe it is glossy

After using my Thinkpad for about 10 months, I'm addicted to the TrackPoint. I used to use it about 40%-50% of the time, but now I use it almost all the time. I find the Thinkpad's TrackPoint to be the best, much better than the Latitude equivalents I've used. Haven't had the opportunity to try an HP Elitebook's yet though.

 

Oh, perhaps I made that comment about the screen in full ignorance. I just assumed that they use the same kind of screen but haven't yet seen an LED screen from Lenovo (both of my computers use matt screens).

Yeah I love the trackpoint, which is why I have no problem using my X200 without a mouse. See, I have a 17" Dell laptop with a WUXGA screen, so using the touchpad takes quite a while to cross the screen. I hate the fact that I keep having to lift my finger to scroll again so when I first used the trackpoint I immediately fell in love with it.

Anyways happy holidays everyone!

 

Yes my friend went through the same type of cpu throttle, and kicked fan speeds, that's why you get complete care just in case these thing's happen. He actually was overclocking the gpu and it killed the machine but he had complete care and they just sent him a new one. Its a great machine, i don't know people want to pick and whine about how dell trackpoints are awful. I have a precision m6400 with RGB LED and it is simply amazing, the trackpoint is very accurate. Yes it does have metal hinges the T400 but its that creak and flex in the palm rest that bother's me. I can imagine how fast i type and when its midterms or finals and it will just be annoying... I don't see a difference t400 and dell business trackpoints. Battery life is important, that is why a lot of people tend to buy the E6400 due to the 12 slice, only Dell and Hp do that. To tell you the truth, i never actual have problems with machines, i don't get bad luck like my friend does. Besides dell released a new bios update to fix the heavy throttling and loud fans. I never hear the fans because i am always gaming or listening to music with headphones. Yes happy holidays, merry christmas lets be in peace instead of arruging which company is better lol. I think that IBM should retake over the thinkpads cause they are a shadow of what they used to be, but what do i know? I am just a noob of thinkpads i am a dell guy sheesh...

 

But we need to remember these machines are built for one purpose to look professional, to feel professional. So the average professional business person is not going to worry about the many things we aruge including the trackpoint, just a solid machine with solid performance to do word processing, great battery life, watch a film on the plane etc..

 

so look over substance.... isn't that what Apple Macbook Pro is for? Business laptops are all about the substance; so robustness, security and try & tested technologies.

Trackpoint is invented by IBM engineers, so naturally that it is best implemented in Thinkpads.

 

You don't know what you are missing until you tried a Thinkpad's trackpoint. Anyone whom owns a Thinkpad, Dell Latitude and HP Elitebook, knows that the Dell and HP trackpoints are mediocre at best.

If you have to rely on luck when you fork out your wade of cash for a laptop.... then that defeats the purpose of buying a business grade laptop in the first place.

If you visit the official Dell forum, then you would notice that more throttling problems have emerged in other Dell laptop models.

Apparently the throttling is due to the use of the underrated 90 w adapter in some models, where 130 w adapter is needed to fix the problem.

 

How come HP and Dell can't "copy" the TP trackpoint and make it really neat as well?

 

This is not something that goes for every system. I have absolutely no throttling issues with my E6400. If you find you do have this problem, just get a replacement.

 

i don't need to get a replacement because i don't use them.... i generally don't like the Dell Latitude Laptops, even though i own a couple of them, since they are given to me. I like the Dell Alienware M17x much better, it sure beats the Dell XPS M1730 that i had before. Dell E6400 XFR is not too bad either.

 

That is because they think TP is vestige of the past, and the touchpad is the future, but is yet to learn to make it as effective as those found on the new Macbook Pro.... you could say when it comes to trackpoint and touchpad on the HP and Dell, they are jack of trade but expert of none....

 

I didn't mean YOU should ask for a replacement but people (in general) who own these and have this issue. Was just pointing out that it isn't a problem that is seen in every E6400 and if you do have it, it's covered under warranty.

Why would you compare the m17x to the E6400?? Completly different types of notebooks with VERY different purposes, like comparing my M4400 to a netbook, ofcourse you'll like the one better than the other if you want a laptop for gaming.

 

I had a xps m1530 i just sold and i never had the throttling issue, but i do agree that a 130 watt will fix the issue, especially if that quadro card is stocked overclocked to 580MHZ. Yes so i keep hearing that IBM has the best trackpoints. I am considering the T400s. Hey did you know IBM was the company that develop the ink that was put on the Jews that still can't come off and sure they denied it but its true, now they are working on the same type of thing. If a 14 inch machine has to have a 130 then so be it. I just never have problems with machines like that, sure i am total enthusiast and power user, but i don't over clock anything.

 

IBM actually built their whole business by doing business with nazi germany, providing coding/decoding machines and everything.

 

Off topic but IBM is history for quite a while now... And yes I love the trackpoint, especially with the concave-upped cap.

 

if you read my comments carefully, i said i like M17x but in no way comparing it to the E6400.

 

And Henry Ford is a Nazi sympathiser.... and Israel Defence Force used Nazi K-98 Mauser in its heyday. This is all politics and nothing to do with laptops... so lets keep to the topic of laptop.

 

T400 if you want something built rugged. Dell feels soft from place to place.

 

that is comapring and a pretty pointless comparison at best.

 

I said i don't like Latitude series that Dell has and instead like the Alienware laptops. That was just a general comment regarding my personal preferences, which is not a comparison to by any means.

So please don't put words in my mouth, or state things on my behalf without getting the fact straight. I just don't like Dell Precision, Latitude, XPS and Inspirion line.... apart from the Precision, i owned the other 3 models and i didn't like them for various reasons from cheap silver painted plastics to loud fan noises.

Also FYI Thinkpads use a Stainless Steel hinge....

 

Saying you like one thing "much better than" another thing is a comparison. The fact being that it's a bad comparison doesn't change that. You're right that it tells your preference, of one over the other.

But besides this, my main point earlier was that you stated an issue (throttling) as being true for the whole line of E6400's which simply isn't the case. I know you state that you are a Thinkpaddict but that shouldn't mean you should generalize other makes/models and oversimplify issues there might be. This might lead others to make wrong and/or misinformed choices and that's not what we're here for.

 

The E6400 bears a striking resemblence to the TP anyway. Seem like copy.
Ever notice how a Lexus 400 looks like a Mercedes/BMW cross-breed?

 

I distinctively remember i stated that ' I like the Dell Alienware M17x much better, it sure beats the Dell XPS M1730 that i had before. Dell E6400 XFR is not too bad either.'. So it is strange that somehow you are reading this as some sort of a comparison between M17x with Latitude E6400 or Latitude laptop in general.

did i say the 'whole line' of E6400 is affected...... thanks for adding that part in for me, it is just so silly of me for leaving the phrase 'whole line' out in my previous posts.....

Yes i am a thinkpad addict, but i don't go to another brand's post to bash their products, and making statements like what Freedom16 did regarding Thinkpad, or did you conveniently miss that part. So you accept Dell users making oversimplifying/generalizing remarks regarding other brand's product? Double standards is acceptable?

I guess we are here to inform people, which is why the whole conversation about IBM and their nazi affiliation got started. I guess IBM's nazi business dealing was somehow relevant to the E6400 and T400 comparison, given the fact that Lenovo now owns Thinkpad and not IBM.

Also good luck with your 65nm Nvidia NVS GPU on your E6400.

 

haha...ok dude whatever

You didn't say the whole line of E6400...you did say the E6400 is which implies the whole line.
How is what Freedom16 said bashing IBM? He was actually saying he was interested in getting a thinkpad.
What whole conversation about IBM's nazi past. He just mentioned that and i thought: "could be right because of their past". It's you who somehow sees that as an attack on your thinkpads, i really don't care either way. It wasn't relevant indeed but hey, not everything has to be. Stating things as being facts which are not is a different situation.

and....it's you whole conveniently left a part out of your own quote. this is what you said:
i don't need to get a replacement because i don't use them.... i generally don't like the Dell Latitude Laptops, even though i own a couple of them, since they are given to me. I like the Dell Alienware M17x much better, it sure beats the Dell XPS M1730 that i had before. Dell E6400 XFR is not too bad either.
Usually a statement like "much better" in a sentence like this reflects the subject you've named earlier in the sentence....which is the E6400. After that you say you also find it better than the M1730, which is a fair comparison.
Anyways, i actually think both are fine and i don't see much wrong with thinkpads but it seems you're a bit sensitive about them and very afraid you're misread. If that's the case you should state your comments more clearly so no misunderstanding can arise (like you statement on the E6400)

and thanks, my E6400 runs as cool as the dog in your avi pic

 

Sorry if this post was too late.
I tried both of these Trackpoints today. Elitebook's trackpoint didn't stand a chance. It's not very accurate, and the feedback was terrible (compared to Thinkpad's one, I haven't had a opportunity to try a Latitude's ). I loved Thinkpad's trackpoint at the first use.