T400 vs T500. Which to buy?

Advice Please.
I've seen many notices about people buying the T400 but few for the T500. I have been considering buying the T500 primarily for the bigger screen. I live and teach overseas and use the IBM T42; I want to upgrade. My husband is returning from the US on 16 September so I need to get it before then which sounds like a problem for the T400 orders.

Some questions:
1. Is there a good reason why one should buy the 400 and not the 500, except for maybe price?
2. Should I get the discrete graphics, $1279, or the integrated $869 ((T500)big price difference)? I will be doing some personal web design as well as some other graphic design plus some movie watching...
3. Should I get the CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA) or DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA) [add $70.00] ?
4. Do I need the Vista Home Premium or will the Basic be OK?

Thanks for your help.

T500 specifications I am considering:
15.4 WXGA TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM) [add $40.00]
Integrated Camera
100 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm [add $45.00]
6cell battery
Am I missing anything?

 

Advantages of the T400 include and LED backlit screen and much better battery life. The LED screen is a big deal since it has much better colours and draws much less power, but it should be released as an option on the T500 soon. The T500 has a more powerful graphics card, if that matters to you, and it also has Display Port, which is useful if you like to connect your laptop to a HDTV.

If you are not going to play any games and price is a factor, then just get the integrated as it will run Vista just fine and can play HD video content up to 1080p. That said, if you can afford it, the discrete is a better option, since you actually get the integrated as well, and the option to switch back and forth.

Vista basic is lacking IMO, and Premium is worth the price difference.

 

1. If portability and battery life is important I'd go with the T400. I think being a teacher would require you to carry your laptop from work, meetings, and home so maybe a T400 would be better.
2. You should be ok with integrated unless you will be playing games. If you an extra 80$ around you should get the graphics chip because its hybird.
3. Will you be burning movies or DVDs? If not, the CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max will be fine
4. Vista Basic is good

Ps. Good luck getting it by mid-september...you'll need it

 

Thanks. I'm not going to play games just do some graphic stuff. And at the moment I don't have an HDTV

 

Thanks. I'm not going to play games just do some graphic stuff. And at the moment I don't have an HDTV although who knows what the future will bring. Screen quality is important to me.
I was thinking of using it to burn DVDs...

Do you know what "soon" means when talking about the T500 getting LED?

 

LED on t500 is quite a stretch.

 

The reason I got a T400 was for the weight compared to the T500. If you are going to be walking around with the thing, even 1.5lb less makes a SIGNIFICANT difference. And lugging around a T500 was just not for me, 15.4" widescreen laptops are simply too big to carry around on a regular basis.

 

why? there are other 15 inchers with led.

 

he probably means at WSXGA+ resolution

 

what does the res have to do with it? the backlight is simply that, a light to shed some light on the subject. am i mistaken?

 

I didn't mean that (good point) but that it would be impossible to wait any longer for LED on t500 and receive it by Sept 16.

 

I get a feeling LED for the T500 will not happen this year... If it happens too soon, early buyers will probably get really pissed off... I know I would.

 

yea I'd be pissed cus id have to cancel my order again.

 

sadly, it happen