T6x or dell E6400

looks like the legendary thinkpad T has some competitions now from dell. I have a first generation MBP and I started to hate it. before MBP I have used a T40 and T42, now I want to get back to T61/62. with the release of E6400, it became another option. it appears to be a bit more stylish and lighter(14.1 wide screen version). there isn't a full review yet on E6400 and the quality of dell's new E series needs to be proved.

any thoughts on picking one in the two?

 

I guess it would depend on how much of a risk taker you are. The ThinkPad is a more known quantity, but the Dell does look pretty good on paper. Dell does offer a good return policy if for some reason you don't like it. If you're not in a hurry you may wish to wait for the reviews to start coming out.

 

A more fair comparison would be between the T400 and the E6400, since they are both the most recently released and based on Centrino 2.

The Dell has port advantages, in that it has a Display Port, and usb port for charging devices even while the notebook is off. The 'instant on' feature looks interesting as well. The backlit keyboard also looks nice.

The main advantage of the T400 is its graphics card, which is switchable between discreet and integrated. Of course this advantage it moot if you are only looking at integrated graphics.

Maybe if we could ever get some reviews of the T400 we would know what its other strengths are. It doesn't seem like anyone has actually seen or felt a T400 yet, which is disappointing considering that there are already mini-reviews of the E6400.

 

the 3470 i think is also a better gpu than the quadro 160 in the dell and the dell has no LED option as of yet.

I think the dell is more stylish though, and comes at a 3-400 discount, so until the reviews come out, its anybody's call....

 

with similar specs, except for RAM of DDR3 on T400 and DDR2 on E6400, the E6400 is pricier than the T400...

 

The dell does actually look pretty nice. I like the changes they made in the exterior of the machine. There is indeed and LED screen option, but I agree that the NVS 160 is probably a little slower (by specs) to the ATI. Depending on what you use it for, that may not be a problem. Esata and displayport are definitely a plus. (not sure if t400 has esata)

Here's from Dell site:
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor
Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate
Genuine Windows Vista® Business
Genuine Windows Vista® Business 64-Bit
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic
Genuine Windows® XP Professional
Chipset
Intel® 45 Express Chipset
Displays
14.1" UltraSharpTM Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) LED Display
14.1" Widescreen WXGA (1280x800) Display
Memory
Dual Channel DDR2 Memory4
Available DIMM Slots: Two Memory slots offering up to 8GB5
Memory Bandwidth: 800MHz
Primary Storage
7200RPM Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive up to 250GB2
5400RPM Encrypted Hard Drive up to 120GB2
5400RPM up to 250GB2
Solid State Hard Drive up to 64GB
Optical Drives
DVD-ROM, CD-RW/DVD, DVD+/-RW
Graphics Cards
NVIDIA® Quadro® NVS 160M4 256MB DDR24
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD4
Connectivity
Wired:
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet network interface adaptor
56K v924 Internal Modem (Optional)

Wireless LAN:
Dell Wireless 1397 (802.11g)
Dell Wireless 1510 (802.11a/g/n 2x2)
Intel® WiFi Link 5100 [802.11a/g/n (1x2)]
Intel WiFi Link 5300 [802.11a/g/n (3x3)]

Mobile Broadband & GPS:
Dell Wireless 5720 (EvDO & GPS) Mobile Broadband Mini Card
Dell Wireless 5530 (Tri-band HSDPA 7.2/HSUPA 2.0 & GPS) Mini-Card

Bluetooth & Ultra-Wideband:
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth® 2.1
Dell Wireless 410 Bluetooth® 2.1 with UWB
Security
Physical Security:
Steel-reinforced Cable Lock Slots, Media Module and Hard Drive Locks.

User & System Security:
Smart Card Reader and Contactless Smart Card Reader
Fingerprint Reader (optional)
TPM 1.2
Optional Encrypted Hard Drive provides full disk encryption
RSA SecurID® certified – Hardware integration with RSA SecurID for strong authentication
ControlVault – secure credential management within a trusted boundary

Network Security:
802.11 Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), 802.11i (WPA2), Virtual Private Networks (VPN) 802.1x with EAP modes and compatible with CCX 4.0
Multimedia
2 speakers, digital microphone (optional)
Integrated VGA camera (optional)
Expandability
Slots:
5-in-1 card reader; PCMCIA or ExpressCard 54

Docking:
E-Port, E-Port Plus, E-Legacy Extender, E-Flat Panel Stand, E-Monitor Stand, E-View Laptop Stand, E-Media Bay

Modular Options:
E-Family modular media bay: 8X DVD-ROM, 24X CDRW/DVD, 8X DVD+/-RW, second Hard Drive or Travel Lite Module

Chassis
Magnesium Alloy LCD back and Base

Weight & Dimensions:
Starting at: 4.3 lbs/1.95 kg6
Width: 13.1"/335mm
Depth: 9.37"/238mm
Height: 1-1.2"/27/31mm

Ports:
IEEE - 1394, docking connector, USB 2.0 (x4), VGA, Display Port, RJ-11 (optional), RJ-45, eSATA, USB PowerShare, headphone/speaker out, mic
Power
Power Supply:
90 Watt AC adapter with cord wrapping
4-cell, 6-cell or 9-cell extended life primary batteries
84Whr high capacity battery slice (optional)

 

That depends. If you factor in that the E6400 comes with a standard 3-year warranty, then it is actually cheaper than the T400. With similar configurations, the Dell is about 10% cheaper than the Thinkpad.

 

I took a look at the E series and was disappointed that there was no WUXGA option for the 15.4" versions.

 

it seems dell is really trying to match thinkpad's advantages. slick, thin, simple, black look, metal hinges, back led(led light), etc. i know how good thinkpads are, I'll wait for reviews on the dell. previously dell's quality was never on par with thinkpad T's. from the pictures, it seems like the new casing has brushed AL texture. and, how good is the new keyboard which they clam to be the best? competition is always good