Thinkpad T410 vs Elitebook 8440p

Once again. But this time is just for curiosity. I've read some reviews about T410, and IMO, it's a very good laptop, but not as impressive as T400 (for me). But 8440p is a huge step forward. I've chosen T400 over 6930p, but now, when I feel that I maybe switch to 8440p instead of T410 when I need to upgrade.

I want to hear about your opinions and experiences about these laptops. Thank so much.

Notebookreview has not reviewed 8440p yet, but you can read a review about it here:

Notebookcheck: Review HP EliteBook 8440p-WJ681AW Notebook

 

The 8440p is quite an impressive laptop, however, the one thing that kills the deal for me (if I was looking for a laptop) is that the 1600x900 screen is only available on the highest-end 8440w configuration, and adding it to the CTO model runs in the $1800's... with all other options unupgraded.

A 1366x768 panel just doesn't cut it for me, so until it becomes easier to add a higher res screen option, it's unfortunately at a large disadvantage in my eyes.

And NBR has reviewed the 8440w, the workstation discrete graphics variant of the 8440p, here.

 

I don't really want to buy it right now. Next year, may be, when its price drops to about 1200$. But forget about the configs and price, I think that 8440p is better than T410 in overall (may be slightly). Just my opinions. I still am a Thinkpad's user

 

I imagine the build quality of the LCD backing is a bit stronger.

 

looks same as before, hopefully this time the laptop doesn't use torx screws.

But i hate the super shiny top screen case.

 

The top screen case on my 2530P is hardly what I would call super shiny, and I am pretty sure that the new Elitebooks use the same (brushed aluminum) tops as the previous generation.

 

still too shiny for me, which is why i like to use classic Thinkpad.

 

I need to ask you something. Since all reviews of laptops are by people that have just seen the laptop they review. There are hardly any comments by people owning a laptop for longer time.

For how long do your have your 2530P? Can you please comment what you find good and what bad. Do you find the buttons of the touchpad to be sturdy enough? They look very fragile as an appearance.

I'm interested in the topic "Thinkpad T410 vs Elitebook 8440p". Can anybody with personal experience comment? That is to say if somebody owns any of the mentioned models and may post personal impression.

About the outlook. I find both ThinkPad and EliteBook good looking. More common perception would surely find ThinkPad ugly and EliteBook even nice. But I like the raw view of pragmatism in ThinkPad. EliteBook is not shiny it is just metallic

 

Both T410 and 8440p catch my eyes. T410 seems to better-looking for me, but I don't really care about the visual, but the comforts and feelings they give to me. IMO, the differences between T410 and T400 are not as impressive as the differences between 6930p and 8440p

 

Well, I have been using my 2530P for a few months. I guess my reference would be a used T60 widescreen I picked up recently, as well as some older Latitudes and a bunch of consumer-grade laptops I have used over the years.

Build-wise, the TP and Elitebook both "feel" equally sturdy. The Elitebook wins in terms of aesthetics (brushed aluminum top and palmrests > black plastic, IMO), while the TP's hinges are pretty much bulletproof. The hinges on the Elitebook are by no means weak, and compared to any consumer-grade laptop or an older Latitude, they are exceptional.

I actually prefer the trackpoint on the Elitebook, but the Thinkpad's is also perfectly usable. The keyboards are both excellent. I use the old super-clicky Model M's on my desktop systems, so I like the solid feedback of the T60 KB- however, the Elitebook's keyboard, while less tactile than that of the TP's, is still superb for a scissor switch. I prefer the finish on the buttons of the Elitebook.

As far as the touchpad buttons, there are absolutely no durability issues on either the TP or the 2530P. I actually like the soft-touch coating on the 2530P's touchpad buttons, and despite the reverse hinge design, they are no more difficult to use than those of the TP. They have, IMO, the perfect amount of travel, resistance, and tactility. I do like the middle scroll function of the trackpoint buttons on the TP, though.

The 2530P's LED display is actually quite good- plenty bright (once the ambient light sensor is disabled) and no worse than your typical TN panel in terms of viewing angles. Lighting is consistent throughout. It is really not fair to compare the display of the T60 with the 2530P, though, as a 3 year-old CCFL backlit panel is just not going to be as bright or evenly-lit. Oh, and I prefer the little pop-out light on the Elitebook to the hotkey-activated light on the T60.

I just purchased a Latitude E6510 for my wife's work. During the decision process, I also considered a T410/T510, as well as the 8440P with a 1600x900 screen. She did not like the look or feel of the T60, so the Thinkpad was out. The 8440P would have been perfect, if not for the fact that the only way to get 1600x900 is with a $1400+ CTO model. The E6510 was less than $1000 with a 1920x1080 panel and is supposed to have the brightest panel of the three, with reportedly solid build quality, so I went with that.

 

" The Elitebook wins in terms of aesthetics (brushed aluminum top and palmrests ".

But that's just it. To me the brushed aluminum detracts from the HP.

Renee

 

Hence the IMO at the end of the sentence

I don't think I would actually pay a premium just for looks, but if the 8440P were available with a 1600x900 screen for $150 or so more than an equivalent TP, I would probably go for the Elitebook for the 3-year warranty alone. The aesthetics would just be icing.

 

Looks aside, I'd rather have the finish on the thinkpad because scratching an elitebook (my roommate has one and I used them for work when I was in college) would be much more visible as "damage".

People do find the elitebook nicer looking based off comments comparing my ultraportable with my roommates. His is cute...mine is ugly.

 

Interesting, how much does the 3 year warranty cost from Lenovo?

 

hence why all the consumer laptops had silver paints on the plastic casing...

 

it's INCREDIBLY difficult to put a scratch in that brushed aluminum. It's coated with something, or hardened, because I put there "can't scratch it with steel wool" statement to the test and it held true. I could NOT scuff the lid with a steel wool pad. I like the TP aesthetically over the elitebook, but I don't doubt that while TP durability is staying constant at best or declining at worse... elitebook durability is definitely increasing. It is solid, and that's an understatement. The downside is that it's heavier than the thinkpad and more expensive than the thinkpad. HP support is also better IMO. I based my opinions off of playing around with an x200 and a 2540p though, no personal experience with the 8440p.

 

it is just triple anodised.

 

@wz25: Thank you

The outlook is not so important for business users. Actually I find ThinkPad to be even beautiful. Maybe I am a strange person . If they just stop putting those ugly stickers, it will be even perfect.

The display quality is an interesting topic for me and also a point of comparison.

Both have more or less not very satisfying display qualities. A friend of mine has a T400 and when you look at the monitor you feel like you are in a tunnel - light in the centre and darker to the sides and the corners. It also has bad viewing angles. But except the "tunnel" everything looks fine. I do not care about the colours too much. But the contrast is important I think and the viewing angle either.

In the review posted earlier in the thread the EliteBook is shown to have a really bad viewing angle, even worse that the ThinkPad. Maybe it is a compromise since the EliteBook's lighting is more even and there would not be a "tunnel" feeling. I think that the brightness is good and there are pros in a bit lower peak brightness. But the contrast ratio. This is strange. They say it is 140:1... There must be a reason for everything and HP surely know what and why they are doing and I'm sure they check the display of the produced top class business books. But I do not realise why they would put a display with so low contrast ratio. One possible reason is the numbers themself - different measure methods may give largely different numbers for almost equal displays. So the only way to conclude anything is to look at them "face to face" or put them side to side for comparison or even work on them for some time to see how it feels.

@vimvq1987: Why do you find impressive the differences between 6930p and 8440p?

 

@dadido: I read their reviews many times, and found that 8440p is not quieter but also cooler than 6930p. Keyboard is improved, too, screen is better, illumination reaches 90% (wow). T410 seems to be hotter than T400, and other improvements are small, so I'm quite not impressed with it.

 

the heat vent on the T410 is smaller than the T400, not sure why the heat vent cross section decreased in the current new thinkpad.

 

Thanks. I understand. T410 is not better enough than T400 so it is not worth switching to T410.

T410's display is better in one thing and 8440p's is better in other thing. So they are almost equal.

Here: Notebookcheck: Review Lenovo Thinkpad T410 2522-3FG Notebook

It looks like the contrast and the black value are almost the same. HP has better illumination and ThinkPad better colours and maybe a better viewing angel.

I can't think of an objective reason to prefer the one over the another.

PS: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thinkpad-T510-4349-4JG-Notebook.25722.0.html
What a big difference in display between T410 and T510 according to that site!

 

I'm a little confused. Have you actually used or seen a 6930p or 8440p?

I have an Elitebook 6930p, and it is an appalling PO consumerized S. The 8440p would have to be better since it could hardly be worse.

And that's not just my penchant for ThinkPads talking because the HP nc6220 that I was using prior to the EliteBook was a solid performer that rivaled the comparable ThinkPads.

 

Just remember panel quality is often draw of the luck since ODMs randomly pick screens from a pool of different manufacturers.

 

I tried 6930p, and decided to buy T400. Have not had a chance to try 8440p.

Don't really understand what you meant "an appalling PO consumerized S". Are you disappointed with it?

 

I don't like it at all from the keyboard feel and layout to the row of blue blinkenlights to the slippery aluminum top to the push-button screen latch to the constantly running fan.

Fortunately, I didn't pay for it since it's my work system.

 

You have quite reasons to hate it, I see. But I don't think Elitebooks are bad laptops. If there's a mainstream business laptop that get close to T400, it's 6930p (IMO, E6400 is third runner).

I hope to have a chance to try 8440p. Hopefully to see it some what better than 6930p

 

You talk very emotionally. May you please be more concrete? It would be interesting to hear the facts you can share. Would you please list the problems you have had with that notebook?

 

(quirks brow)

 

Wow, and a month later I pick up this discussion.

You were talking about the 6930p, do you have any experience with the 8440p?

 

LOL


I am personally not to found of Elitebooks like the 8440p due to a few reasons:

- Design. I love the industrial no-nonsense black design of ThinkPad. I am not fond the typical mix of black and aluminium or silver coated plastic. Aluminium or not the Elitebooks look like most other laptops in coloring and design. ThinkPads looks like... ThinkPads.

Other things are in the details. Things that most people don't care about or notice, but which I appreciate about my ThinkPads.

- Lighting. In their attempts to match ThinkPad features like ThinkLight, they have installed a similar lamp on the screen. But the fact that it is a pop-out lamp is a turn off for me. I like it simple and efficient like ThinkLight with a small cut-out which provides sufficient lighting. No pop-out lamp - one thing less that can break.

- Pointing device. I am yet to find another pointing device which is as good as the TrackPoint. In addition, the HP doesn't have a third/middle button - which I use about ever 5 seconds for scrolling.

- Rubber feet. I dislike rubber feet on the screen bezel, which most laptops have. ThinkPads don't. On the flip side I like the type of rubber feet ThinkPads have under the palmrest with a suspension/springy mechanism.

- ThinkPad familiarity/consistency. I love the fact that I always feel at "home" and at ease when using any type of ThinkPad. With all the ThinkPads I have had, small and large, old and new - they "feel" more or less the same. Safe, sturdy, no-nonsense, efficient and just the way I like it. If I want to disassemble one, I more or less know how to do it, without looking at the Hardware Maintenance Manual - regardless of the model. And then again, the Hardware Maintenance Manual is a very underestimated service/feature which I appreciate a lot.

- Keyboard. Need I say more. Not just for the feel, but again the familiarity. I use the X200, the X61, the X61s, the T43 and now also a T500 quite frequently and it is nice not having to adapt to a keyboard - which I find myself needing to do with other laptop brands, however good the keyboard is.

There are many other reasons why I am a die-hard ThinkPad fan, such as Parts availability and technical resources available.

I have had, worked on or played around with at least 80 laptops during my lifetime, including those from Sony, Dell, Apple, Acer, HP, Asus, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Toshiba, Samsung, NEc and I always return to the ThinkPads because of the aforementioned features... and then some.

A lot of the small details which mean a lot to me, will usually not be included in the assessment of a laptop, when reviews are done. If they were I am sure ThinkPads would win hands down everytime.

ThinkPad rant over

 

But would you rather get a thinkpad t410 with a wxga+ screen and a i5-540m with integrated graphics or an elitebook 8440p with a 1366x768 and a i-520m and the nvidia 3100 graphics when they cost the same amount?

 

WELL SAID. It is SUCH a blessing to hardly ever have/hear the fan in my ThinkPad running.

This is a godsend.

Ditto. They’re quality rubber feet.