T400 worth premium over Dell XPS m1330?

I am looking to buy a laptop that has great build quality and yet is not very heavy. I hear I've used T61 before and I really liked it's quality. Though as far as looks are concerned, it has somewhat of a dated look but I don't mind it. Function over form, for me.

I am also looking at Dell XPS M1330. It's light weight and has amazing features. Price is also $200 to $400 cheaper than T400. But I have never seen it for real. So, I don't know about it's build quality and I also don't know if it has a comparable (no-flex, 7-rows) keyboard. (I am aware that T400 shipped with flex-keyboards but that problem has now been resolved.)

I am going to buying from the Outlet store as I don't mind buying a refurbished laptop.

Also, I am going to replace HDD with a Solid State Drive (SSD) in few months from now. So, I am wondering that if I replace HDD with SSD - would difference in build-quality still matter? I mean, would going with a Dell XPS M1330 (even if inferior to t400 in build quality) make sense, once HDD has been replaced with SSD?

and I am (well, was) also considering Apple 13.3 Macbook (white). I think Mac won't make sense because it uses older architecture/platform. So, RAM can't be upgraded to 8GB. But most T400 use new platform that supports upto 8GB RAM.

 

The T400 is worth the premium.

It comes with a LOT better processor, graphics card, motherboard chipset (ddr3 memory, faster bus speed, etc).

Those are all things you cannot upgrade in a laptop without buying an entirely new laptop. Since you are going to be updating it with the HDD you will be adding it to a better base machine. The benefit you get will be MORE then if you added it to the M1330.

 

Well in addition to that Lenovo often offers 15% discounts or so on the T400s, just wait a week or two and Im pretty sure another offer will come

I also second the opinion the T400 is worth the premium

 

I was also comparing the T400 to the M1330 on the outlets.

Other M1330's have better specs.

 

True. Dell Outlet has some amazing spec'ed M1330 there. But as you said, Lenovo will give me a better base. I can add upgrades to it if I ever need to.

Yeah, I can wait a 3-4 weeks. I keep checking the Lenvo Outlet store, I haven't found any t400 there with back lit LED and processor with 6MB cache. Whenever it comes on, I am getting it.

True. I want to spend under $1500.

 

There is no difference in build quality between T400 and Dell XPS anymore and I personally would not pay any premium.

When Lenovo first took over ThinkPad, the quality reached an all-time high as the company wanted to impress customers that it could maintain IBM standards. However, the finishing on recent Thinkpads that friends and family have ordered has been pretty poor -- misaligned parts, bulging areas, sharp edges, missing screws, dead pixels, incorrect factory labels. Order processing is also slower than other manufacturers and customer service can be quite dim-witted. For these reasons, I no longer recommend ThinkPad. And it is difficult to defend the ugly retro 1950s design in the circumstances. My current ThinkPad will be the last I own.

Also, what do you plan to use your laptop for? Depending on this, you may not need all the latest processing and power. Many folks spend more time on the web than on the local machine these days.

 

Hmmm, many would beg to differ.
However, what model Thinkpad do you think was the last best thinkpad ever made? T61 ? T60 ?

 

I agree with him. I was shopping for a T400 and used one that belongs to a classmate. My habit is to pick up the notebook on its right side with one hand, and that whole area has a lot of "give". I don't know what is under there but it is not well protected. It's a shame because I was going to get one. With many of the dells and lenovos you need to see it before you buy because people tend to exaggerate a bit on these forums or maybe we have different standards. Another reason might be high variation between samples.

 

I disagree with this assessment as well. My T61p is a great machine. I love the all black design without the shiny plastic look that is so popular today. In fact this is one of the main appeals of this laptop to me. It is also very well built and is really a step above most other machines I have seen/used. Mine was assembled very well and nothing is loose, flexes, missing etc. I ordered 2 Thinkpads and they both arrived at my door step in 7 days. I was pretty impressed. I do however agree that there are people who have gotten badly assembled machines that exhibit the problems you mention. I believe this is just the reduced QC standards that all companies in all industries are using.

I am however not sure of the T400, since I have not used this machine. From what I have read it seems very comparable to the T61 series except for the keyboard flex issue, which Lenovo has addressed.

 

My ex-girlfriend has a Dell XPS M1330—cute little machine with some nice media functionality, but, IMHO, the T400 BLOWS it away. To my way of thinking though, your bigger decision is between the 13 and 14” screens. I’ve used both and if you plan to be in front of the screen for quite a bit, I highly recommend the 14”. Then again, the 13” will be lighter.

 

Programming/development work. Torrents, music, tens of browser windows in the background. Although I don't play games, I sometimes have to work with program code that render graphics. I use laptop anywhere from 6 to 15 hours in a day. So, keyboard is important.

Interesting comment about Dell XPS M1330 build quality being as good as current generation Thinkpad. I am going to replace HDD with SSD anyway and that is suppose to be the most vulnerable part. If you've your hardisk is intact, you can always put it in another machine and get your data back.

Is there anyone else with experience in both Thinkpad and Dell XPS M1330's build quality ?

To me build quality is important because I like to use it on bus, train, coffee-shop, campus etc and because I use laptop quite a bit (as I mentioned earlier) I also need a great keyboard. I don't like carrying external attachments with me.

 

Not exactly the same but I just sold my XPS m1530 for a Thinkpad X200. And prior to the XPS, I was using a Thinkpad T60 for almost 3 years.

Comparing the XPS to my Thinkpads, I can say that XPS finish seems inferior as if it will not last over a year without issues unless I take really good care of it (just like my old HP Pavillions).

But of course, Thinkpads can't beat XPS for pretty much every multimedia function (screen quality, hdmi, shortcut buttons etc..).

Software wise, Thinkpad's Thinkvantage is much more useful than the XPS'

 

You have some trade-offs to make my friend. Thinkpad keyboards have the best ergonomics but the more compact XPS will be lighter and allow you to work in tighter places. The Thinkpad will survive any extreme / rough use (water spills, driving over the laptop, holding the laptop by the screen as one is told not to do) far better than the XPS.

A major Thinkpad selling point has always been Active Drive Protection that parks the hard drive heads when sensors detect a fall, but I think this will be irrelevant when you use an SSD.

Earlier, when you talked about build quality, I thought you were referring to product quality rather than ability to take punishment. I personally am very careful with my laptop, so the first element is more important to me than the second, but many people really value Thinkpads for the second.

The more stylish XPS will highlight your hipster credentials. The Thinkpad will mark you as the nerd that you are, reading Notebookreview.

 

So, it's settled then. Lenovo T400 Thinkpad with LED backlit screen, 2.53 GHz processor with 6mb cache &1066mhz bus, DDR3 RAM, ATI graphic card, webcam, bluetooth.

By the way, all T400's have that ThinkLight or whatever to illuminate the keyboard in dark? (Instead of backlit keyboard available on Dell machines) ?

 

Looks like a nice spec. You will enjoy the machine.

All Thinkies have the light, which is just above the screen. No backlit keyboard is available as an alternative.

 

I read some great reviews for "Dell Latitude E6400" and I am confused again. Any advises? I want to have display-port or HDMI but I don't know if I'll be using it ever. I just want be future-ready just in case I need it. But T400 doesn't have it. Another thing in favor of Dell 6400 is the fact that more of those are available on Dell's Outlet store.

On the other hand, I want longer battery life, and I want lighter weight. I think t400 has an edge in both these cases but I am not sure. I don't know how a 9-cell thinkpad will compare to 6/9-cell Dell E6400 in terms of weight. Any one knows that here?

As far as build-quality goes: I think both are very similar. They both use magnesium alloy frame. Keyboard: I have used Dell Latitude D630, and I don't mind. I don't like it's touchpad but keyboard is fine. I don't know how if E6400 has same (bad) touchpad as D630 though.

 

People are talking about how the T400 quality is so bad with bulging cases, missing screws, keyboard flex (which seems to be fixed now), flex on palmrest etc. But when people complain about these problems, are we still talking with the sense that thinkpads are superior to other brands or are they now on par with lower quality laptops like HP, Dell etc. I mean, I don't even see bulging cases in HP or Dell laptops. How bad has the Thinkpad gone?

 

Nothing superior about ThinkPads. They are more rugged than other brands (i.e., can take more physical punishment), but are no better, and often worse, in terms of design, finish and especially quality control.

Also, Lenovo customer service seems to be more clueless than competitors.

 

Yeah, ruggedness is somewhat important to me. But so is weight, and battery life. I plan on going to a backpacking trip and I need my laptop to be rugged to withstand backpacking trip in Asia (China, Thailand, Mongolia,, Vietnam, Cambodia, India) - I'd be gone for a total of 15 weeks. I'd be doing some development/programming work during my trip as well. Watching movies too. And I will use my laptop outside (in the sun) a lot of times. So, I need screen to be bright enough for sun-light use. And I need it to be as light as possible because I'd be carrying it all day along with my clothes, shoes, water bottle, chargers.

So, now I am confused between T400 and Dell E6400. Does anyone know how much they both weigh with a large battery? (9 cell or whatever on both).

Currently, I use two laptops:
* Home: HP Pavilion DV2310ca (lots of flex, I don't like its build quality, but performance is not bad. Battery life is terrible). It's certainly not good enough for a back-packing trip.
* Work: Dell Latitude D630. I had Lenovo Thinkpad T61 or whatever the last equivalent of T400 was earlier at my previous work place.
I loved Lenovo's keyboard; and I don't mind Dell D630 keyboard either. It's quite comparable. But I am interested in getting a back-lit keyboard. Is Dell E6400's backlit keyboard's feel any different than non-backlit keyboard? Is it spill-ressistant? In case, of Thinkpad T400 I know that there is a thinklight (to compensate for lack of backlit keyboard) and t400 keyboard is spill-ressistant as well.

 

I guess that the best fit for your needs is one of these laptops you've mentioned above, both are great in the build quality department, I don't know if the new Dell E6400 has a spill resistant keyboard, but as far as the thinkpad concerns it can only handle a small amount of liquid spilled over it, so the best recomendation for you is do not spill liquids over your keyboard lol

If you want long battery life you will need to sacrifice weight, my guess is that similar speced thinkpad T400 and latitude E6400 will have the same battery life with the nine cell battery option, if you want more you can always buy the ultrabay battery for the lenovo, I don't know if the dell carries that option. Now, if you wouldn't be doing a backpacking trip your best bet would be the X301, but it goes at a premium price...

Another option could be the Elitebook from HP.

 

I'm sorry to hi-jack this thread, I''m in pretty much the same boat, I've got a good condition T43p, (sig) I'm looking to upgrade soon; would the graphic on mobility 3470 be much of a upgrade in games from their old X600?

 

Hell Yeah!

 

Lenovo worldwide warranty service can be shaky when you are outside the country you purchased the laptop. Sometimes local service requires local registration in addition to whatever product registration one may have completed in the country of purchase. A real nuisance to deal with.

 

That's sig-quality material there, my friend. :laugh:

 

T400 FTW with no reservations.

 

I think you'll find the durability, quite better then the Dell. Go to your nearest Staples to view the M1330. I bet you'll notice that although its pretty light, it does feel weak in some areas. The battery life cannot be compared either to the T400 I cannot recommend it till Dell refreshes it with a newer GPU. There like ticking time bombs with those GPU's in them .

 

Can you explain what you mean by that? Are you talking about the Nvidia GPU issues?

 

ATI is alot more trustworty than nvidia GPU wise... But I find the trackpad on the thinkpads a little small...