Thinkpad dillemma, help me out

***PLEASE see second page of topic, I've come upon another point of indecision.

So I'm down to choosing between either a T400 or a T500 for my new notebook as I enter graduate school in engineering.

My problem is this: I like the T400 for it's lower weight and portability, but would added the 6-cell pack compromise this?

I can get either the T400 or T500 for the same price (pretty much, just a $20 difference).

I like the T500 for its larger screen and 6-cell pack, but I would be getting the LED screen so the resolution might be a little big and it would be heavier and more cumbersome to carry around.

Also I'm torn between paying the extra $100 for discrete graphics and the extra $$$ for the 2 or 3 year warranty.

My needs:
-This will be my only computer at school, I will have a 19-inch widescreen LCD at my apartment though to hook up to.
-Something moderately powerful, that will last me at least 3 years easy
-Can handle simple tasks such as Office programs, but also perhaps CAD work.
-Durable and dependable.

I'm really tempted to just go the cheap and simple route and get the T400, 4-cell, no warranty, integrated graphics, and LED screen.

Thanks for any input.


*and yes I know I spelled "dilemma" wrong.

 

Don't expect an Intel chip to handle CAD work.

 

People told me that 2D cad work is fine but 3d modeling would be a problem.

 

That's true. I'm a master's architect student--take it from me, for 2d drawing, you do not need 3D acceleration. I am stunned how often people say otherwise here.

 

Get the T400. Go cheap, but get the high resolution screen. One year warranty will be fine, and the 4 cell offers decent battery life. Being a graduate student, I doubt you be spending your time in lecture so you should have access to an outlet. If you find yourself needing more battery life you can always pick up a cheap spare on ebay later. As long as you are just 2d drafting, the system will be plenty powerful enough.

 

Thanks for the reply. It's cool that you are a master's student in architecture; I'm thinking of perhaps pursuing a master's in landscape architecture after I get my current graduate degree.

Actually I will probably be in lecture for a good number of hours a week (I'm taking 4 courses), but I prefer taking notes on a piece of paper with a pen or pencil.

However, I do like spending time outside doing my homework, studying, etc.

I would go for the higher res screen but it is not offered as a LED, and CCFL contains mercury, so I want to stay away from that.

 

If you like to do your work outside you may wish to consider the high nit screen. Plus it's supposedly the best of the T400 screens. If you want portability there's no reason to get the T500 unless you want WSXGA+ or the GPU, which you don't want either.

 

Unless you will be doing intensive 3D modeling, the T400 would be a better choice. Also, since you have a large monitor at home to connect to, the T500's larger high-resolution WSXGA+ screen is moot.

 

Hey well good luck with that if you do pursue landscape later.

The lower resolution is not a huge issue if you aren't doing design work, but it is nice to have. That said, the new high NIT LED screen is supposed to be quite nice. I am social studier, so I like to do my work at the library, at a coffeeshop, etc. Most of these places have outlets now, especially those around school, so battery life isn't an huge issue. When I owned a thinkpad, I had both the protruding 9 cell, and the flush 6 cell which was a nice mix to have depending if i wanted to travel light or long. If that's a big thing, then I still recommend going cheap, and picking up a battery on ebay (likely third party since its cheaper).

 

Thanks for the input.

So now I'm leaning heavily towards going cheap. Any good arguments for going with the discrete graphics besides for 3d modeling and gaming? Will my computer be outdated very soon? Will future software be uncompatible or require discrete graphics?

Oh and any other input on the battery? 4 cell vs. 6 cell.

Thanks.

 

It's not like you will be cracking open your display and licking the innards, so the fact that it has mercury hardly matters - unless you are concerned about what happens to your computer in the event that you decide to trash it.

In that case, I would recommend the WXGA High-Nit LED display on the T400, it is supposed to be both very bright and have better color reproduction.

No. If you're not doing either, then discrete graphics is pretty much pointless.

I would recommend the 6-cell battery, or even the 9-cell, if you need more than ~3 hours of battery time. Personally, I would go with the 9-cell.

 

Yes I am a ecologist so I am concerned with what happens during manufacturing and at end of life of something I will use.

Strange that Lenovo Canada offers a WXGA+ LED screen but US doesn't.

Also, the LED backlit displays consume less power.

Thanks.

 

Canada's much smaller population wise. They probably don't need near as many screens.

 

Still have not decided. Reason is is because there are some good deals on E6400s on Dell's outlet site that seem too good to pass up. The T400 I'm thinking about comes to about 750 with these specs

P8400, 2 gig 1 Dimm, 250GB HDD, Intel graphics, Intel 5300 wifi, 6-cell battery, media card reader, led backlit 14.1 with camera, vista basic, CDRW/DVDrom

The Dell has: P8700, 2gb ram, 160 GB 7200RPM HDD, Intel graphics, LED 14.1 Ultrasharp WXGA+, Intel 5300 wifi, Windows vista business, and DVD/RW, and three year warranty. (Even cheaper for models with normal WXGA which might be better for a 14.1 screen, also the models with the discrete graphics aren't much more but I'm worried about the battery life and the heat buildup)

The Dell is also cheaper. What do you guys think?

 

I have a Dell M4400 which is the mobile workstation version of the E6500. Without getting into it, I would go with the thinkpad. You should be able to find a comparable deal if not now then soon considering the time frame. Also search for the Lenovo EPP passwords, that"ll save you some coin too.

 

Please go into it a little bit if you can.

But yeah, I cannot quite get the same deal with a brand new Lenovo as with the Dell. The Dell comes with things the Lenovo won't, such as WXGA+ screen, DVDRW, and 3 year warranty. I'd be paying close to 200-300 more for the Lenovo if I were to get those. This is using CPP with the special coupon. EPP is employee pricing and it requires a IBM employee ID.

 

I went to Microcenter today to check out their Thinkpad stock. They had a T400 out on display and I played around with it for 15 minutes or so.

Things I noticed:
-The rubberized lid was less "rubberized" than I thought it would be. It felt more like grippy hard plastic.
-There was some keyboard flex when pressing hard and there was some chassis flex when gripping on both ends and bending it up or down.
-The trackpoint was very good, alot better than the one I have used on a D630.
-The keyboard did not blow me away. There was nothing wrong with the typing experience, but nothing truly exceptional.
-The overall quality of the built was average in my opinion. I was expecting something very solid but there was flex in the palm rest and other places.
-The off-center screen bothered me at first, but I got used to it a bit.
-The lid didn't close all the way. There was a little bit of play when latched shut.
-I found the trackpad kind of small. It is definitely smaller than the D630 trackpad.

Overall, I was a little disappointed. However, it must be said that this was a demo unit and could have suffered some sustained abuse.