Would you recommend a T400?

Hey all, I'm a student and in need of a new laptop for university. I'm thinking about the T400 as it looks nice, it's Lenovo, (was expecting good build quality), has all the specs I need, good battery life and so on.

Then I heard about the flex. The keyboard flex. And the poor build quality on the inside. Is this true? Is the keyboard flex and the poor build quality really that bad? Can someone post a picture of the keyboard flex?

Also, is the battery sticking out annoying in your opinion? I need something that I can easily carry around from class to class and will last me as long as possible on batteries.

 

If you have not already check out the review
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4946

 

The T400 is a perfect balance of price, performance, and mobility.

The keyboard flex issue has been "fixed" by Lenovo due to the number of complaints they had received. What they did in the beginning was send out replacements keyboards from different series (t4x, t6x) and these worked perfectly. Now I believe what Lenovo does is issue out their newer style of keyboards which have more support.

As for the battery sticking out, I'm sure it won't bother you alot since it's at the back, but just make sure you get a big enough case for the T400 and the extended battery.

OR

What you can do, is set your laptop to hibernate, let the computer save its current state into your RAM, then you take out your battery, and put the T400 in its case. When you get to your next class or when you need to turn it back on, put the battery back in, and power it on.

 

I have a T500 with the 9-cell battery (which sticks out a bit from the back). I actually find the extended battery useful when holding the laptop when it is open - it's kind of like a small "handle" for your hand to wrap around. Also, it's more comfortable to carry the laptop by the battery when it's closed as well.

 

I currently have a T400 with a 9-cell battery and I don't really get bothered by it. It's usually the width that is more annoying since some seats have really small areas to place your laptop and papers.

 

Search the threads for answers to your common questions. I’d recommend the T400 unequivocally.

 

Just a small correction there, the 6-cell sticks out too. Just not as much as the 9-cell.

 

Correct. Take a look at this thread on the Lenovo Forums for exact measurements and pictures.

 

my bad I'll fix that.