about to buy a thinkpad

Hey just making sure before I buy that you can upgrade parts of your thinkpad, like memory and hard drive, without voiding warranty.

Also is the express card slot on there a 54 or 34. thanks

 

I think they said you can in the review on the Thinkpad t61 all but the processor, like memory and HD are fine to do but the processor would void it. I'd still wait for someone else to confirm this though Nixus, I just thought I'd voice what I saw in the review on the T61 I just read last night that is why I still remember it pretty vividly.

What model are you going with?

 

well I am kind of torn between T400 and T500 but i think im going to have to go with the T500 for the sole reason of the better video card. ( I play games )

 

Does the W500 have a better card than the T500? They're similar sizes.

To anwer your original question, Thinkpads are very upgradeable and the list of FRUs (bits you can upgrade without voiding the warranty) is pretty comprehensive, from memory to wireless cards to keyboards. Obviously any upgraded part will not be covered by the original warranty but the rest of the machine still will be.

 

Ahhh that makes sense then. I bet you'll be really happy with it, will you come back and post your thoughts on it for us to see? I'd be interested in hearing how you like it and how it's performing for you.

 

The W500 and T500 use the same base video card. The only difference is that the W500's GPU is optimized for OpenGL and CAD work. The extra memory will not be beneficial for games.

 

Yes - in fact, because the W500's GPU is optimized not for gaming but for CAD work, it may perform worse than the T500 in games.

Addressing the OP's question: Yes, memory and hard drive are readily upgradeable, and there really isn't anything to stop you from upgrading the CPU - just make sure you don't damage anything in the process, and that if you are going to send the laptop back to Lenovo for warranty service, that you replace the original CPU.

 

yes i know i was never considering the w500 lol

i play source games, wow, war3 Im pretty sure the 3650 should handle them fine

 

oh and another question

with the T500 does the 6 cell battery stick out like the 9 cell one? Im having a hard time finding a picture

 

No, with the T500, the 6-cell battery is flush, while the 9-cell sticks out.

 

The t400 handles such games easily too. I play WoW, and orange box maxed at 1440x900 with good fps.

 

what do you think is the LED option worth the hit in resolution

 

no way bro. i once wanted led, but its backlit bleeding issues, lower contrast ratio, and smaller resolution was a turn off. the wsxga+ may be less bright but it is a high quality screen by its specs and many reviews and pics as opposed to no pics and many negative reviews of the led. unless your using your thinkpad in a bright sunlight or your eyes cant handle high rez, led/wxga isn't that necessary.

 

uhh im torn between the t400 and 500

someone help me decide

 

well then
the t500 has:
a wsxga+ ccfl screen
the stronger hd3650 gpu
6-7 hour battery life with 9 cell, 4-5 with 6 cell
heavier of the two,but honestly, you can handle the extra pound

the t400 has:
wxga+ ccfl and wxga led and high nit wxga[extremely bright for direct sunlight use]
weaker hd3470, but seriously dude, its still fast
lighter for better portability
7-8+ hr battery life with 9cell, 5-6 on 6 cell

 

I was told that LED is much brighter, lasts much longer, and consumes a lot less power (than LCD) and that it was worth it. Is this not true in your opinion? Do you think CCFL is better?

 

it all comes down to what youll use it for; portability or power. if your still confused look up some 't500 or t400' threads. i personally won't find myself taking a laptop with me all day, but when i do, a laptop like the t500 which can survive a drop by my clumsiness makes it a good choice for me

 

to clueless
led and ccfl are merely ways of backlighting an lcd;whichever it is doesn't dictate lcd quality, only more brightness with led[thanks ZaZ]. with the led, you will also get more battery life, but not that much. when you speak of the t500 wxga/led, it has been said by many owners to wash out the display. the ccfl doesn't do that. besides the ccfl is bright enough for most people. plus the wsxga+ has the most contrast and real estate of the t500's screens to choose from

 

Seconded what Rikimusha said. LED is a better backlight than CCFL but that doesn't determine screen quality, which has to do with the display panel instead.

 

I'd say the bottom line difference between the two is: portability vs. power. The t400 is a little lighter and the t500 is a little more powerful.

 

I guess I've decided on the t500 because:

its portable enough, I dont need super portability
the nicer graphics card and bigger screen
Since Im only buying a 6 cell battery on either machine, it will be nice not to have it stick out the back

Thanks for everyones help, I really appreciated it a lot!

 

Which is the more durable one though? Glad you decided Nixus! I think I am leaning towards a T400 myself because I don't need a lot of power.

 

Glad you made your decision Nixus

Honestly i believe both are on the same level of durability, but when it all comes down to the feel of durability, a smaller chassis may give that impression since there is less space inside/more compact for portability. They both have the same design elements so there is nothing to worry about as far as that.

 

ok few more things. What are the resolution increments on these screens and

the recovery DVDs are windows XP does that mean you can't recover the vista you paid for

 

I don't really know what your asking, but i'm guessing numbers so
WSXGA+ is 1680x1050

 

no i mean like this

 

You have to burn a recovery Vista disc, from the recovery partition they have installed on the HD.

Thanks Rikimusha for the answer to my question. I really appreciate your opinion on this.

 

oh i see. thanks for the info and glad to help :]

 

ohh, im not quite sure the all the numbers, but each increment will be have a ratio of 16:10; some are:
1280x800
1440x900

i may have to get a t400 despite my post content since i cant find a good spec'd t500 in the lenovo outlet. time will tell xD

 

you have a lenovo outlet?

 

But of course!

 

I am learning to love the lenovo outlet! WOOOOT!

 

so here it is. Took a lot of thought but Im very happy with the configuration and price, especially because it was so much more expensive a few months ago.


Can't wait!
T500
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9600 (2.8GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Business
Display type 15.4 WXGA TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight
System graphics ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz
Hard Drive 160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Wireless card Intel WiFi Link 5300
Battery 6 cell Li-Ion Battery

 

Looks good Nixis! I hope you'll share your thoughts on it once it arrives and you've had a chance to use it a bit.