T400 vs. T500

I have narrowed my choice down to these two Thinkpads because they seem to have everything I want; reliability, durability, power, and battery life; but I cannot decide which on one.

From what I can tell the T400 has more battery life and the T500 has a more powerful GPU. Basically, what I would like to know is how much longer the 9-cell battery last in the T400 and how much more powerful the GPU in the T500 is.

 

If you want a good graphics card, you might want to buy W500 instead of T500. They are about the same price right now with cpp+USESAVETHINK.

 

The graphics cards are the same, just with differently optimized drivers - the W500's FireGL card is best for CAD applications, whereas the T500's Radeon card is best for gaming and general purposes. In fact, the T500 may outperform the W500 while gaming.

The 9-cell on the T400 will probably give you ~1 hour more than the 9-cell on the T500, when both are switched to Intel integrated graphics.

The GPU of the T500 is much more powerful, and can play pretty much any game out there right now at medium to maxed settings, depending on the game (yes, it can play Crysis). The T400, on the other hand, has a weak graphics card that can play most games on at least low settings, although Crysis was deemed unplayable by most reviews.

You can read my review of the T500 - the link is in my signature.

 

Really? If this is the case, the T500 may be more fit for me than the W500. I thought the W500 is better for 3d applications. Besides, it seems that W500's graphics driver has some identification and stability issues. Anyway, I think I should not too peaky about my choice.

 

It really boils down to how large a laptop you want.

 

The W500 is better for 3D computer-aided design-type tasks that utilize the GPU - those programs are designed for workstation graphics cards such as the FireGL card, rather than gaming graphics cards such as the Radeon cards.

But, I mean, the W500 won't perform disasterously in games, so if it is indeed cheaper for an identical configuration, by all means go for it instead of the T500. The problems with the W500's GPU (which were mistakenly recognized as Radeon GPUs, if I remember the issue correctly) were not "stability" issues and are, in any case,resolved.

 

Thanks, midnightsun. That was exactly what I wanted to know.

 

I disagree.

I like the size of the T400 (14" screen and ~1 lb lighter) but the GPU is inferior to the one in the T500....so as a result, I'm considering the T500.

 

After two weeks of deliberation I finally placed the order for my new laptop. I think I made a good choice with the T500.

Lenovo Thinkpad T500 - $1050.25

• Vista Home Premium 32-bit, upgrade to 7
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53GHz/1066MHz FSB/3MB cache)
• 2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
• ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with 256MB with Intel Advanced Management Technology
• 15.4’’ WXGA TFT w/LED Backlight
• 250GB HDD, 5400 RPM
• Intel WiFi Link 5100 (AGN) with My WiFi Technology
• 9-cell Li-ion battery
• 1.3 Megapixel Integrated Camera

I cannot wait to get it.

 

I do not think you get a good deal if you are in US. Try cpp+USESAVETHINK, which probably is and will be the best deal for a while.
Besides, I have bad experience about WXGA LED. I ordered a T500 about 2 month ago with this screen. It came with 4 bad pixels, and the display color was washed out.

 

Does anyone know if the 9 cell battery is worth getting over the 6 cell? It's only a $20 difference but I've read that the 9 cell is huge...or atleast protrudes out at the back?

 

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=T400_series_ThinkPads&thread.id=393

 

Yes, it does protrude out the back, but I think that is a small cost for 50% more battery life. Note that it does not curve upward like the 9-cell on the T400, but just juts straight out like the 6-cell on the T400. Besides, I actually like having it as a sort of "grip" to hold the laptop when holding it open to check something really quickly.

 

That $1050 is including tax and shipping. USESAVETHINK didn't work for me with the student discount but USXBIGSAVINGS got be $55 off.

 

If portability is important to you go with the T400.

 

I both agree and disagree.

I had the T61 15" (roughly equivalent to the T500 as size, etc. goes). This time around, I went with the T400. Perhaps graphics aren't quite as powerful as the T500, but the smaller size and lighter weight have been a big plus. Also, I found the 14" WXGA+ screen to be the best option (WSXGA on the T61/T500 is too small for me, while WXGA isn't a high enough resolution on either the T400 or T500).
Graphics may matter to the gamer (although ThinkPads truly aren't gamer's laptops no matter which GPU they have) or the 3D professional, but for everyone else, I think that other options are more make-or-break. I've found my T400 to be a great improvement in many ways over my T61. Wish I'd gotten a 14" T61 the first time around.

 

Sometimes, when walking across campus with a messenger bag laden with computer and textbook, I wish I had gotten an X200. But then, other times when I'm sitting at my desk and using the 15.4" WSXGA+ display, I'm glad I got the T500