help a mac user configure a t400 - how would you do it?

i'm helping my girlfriend configure a t400 but i could use some advice. i'm a mac guy and have some idea of what i want but when it comes down to it i just don't have the details.

i'm looking for the sweet spot between power and price.

here's my list of questions -

-which version of windows? (is Vista 64 bit ready for prime time? or jsut stick to XP?)
-which processor?
-display - LED vs. higher res
-DVD burner for +$70?
-wifi 5300 vs 5100
-3 year warranty for $119? accidental damage?

link to lenovo - http://shop.lenovo.com/us/notebooks/thinkpad/t-series/t400

 

Well, as with most things, it all depends on her need. I know you have decided on a notebook but fill out the FAQ (just post it in this thread) so we can understand her need, it will help us make a better fitting config. Thanks.

 

What about what she wants? It might help if you said a little bit about what her wants/needs are.

 

1) budget - $1500 but this is flexible.
2) c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
3) USA
4) No brand loyalty, just want a solid machine. looking for the pc equivalent of a 13" MacBook.
5) Architecture. but from what i can gather she doesn't need a high end machine to do this which puts her into the "general office stuff" category.
6) much lugging between class and home
7) no games
8) 3hr? not a terribly big concern.
9) can buy unseen
10) something windows. 64bit would be nice but i'm not sure whats best.
11) WXGA+
12) doesn't matter
13) style counts little
14) build quality is important. should last 3 years plus
15) i suspect i'll be installing a 500GB drive, otherwise 250GB is good.
16) CD-R necessary, DVD-R would be nice.

 

hm, looks like we'd have to go with WXGA+ / CCFL. Why can't we get that in LED??? WXGA sounds a bit low res.

I'm curious why the 2.53Ghz P9500 is more expensive than the 2.8Ghz T9600.

 

Not sure why WXGA+/LED isn't available. Used to be. I'm using one. In reality though CCFL will be fine.

P-series cpu is lower power usage than T-series, thus more costly.
For what she's going to use, a P8600 or P8700 will be more than plenty.

Get the DVD burner; cheaper to do it at build time than later down the road. Plus when she burns the Recovery Disks it means she can do 1 CDR and 2 DVD's instead of 10 CDR's.

Wifi 5300 is a little better at picking up weak signals than 5100, but for the most part not a huge difference between the two.

The 500GB WD Blue drive has seen a couple good reviews, and in one I read it beat out the other 500GB notebook drives even the 7200rpm Seagate.

You mentioned Architecture / school. At minimum she should get educational pricing; better to check for CPP pricing. (you'll have to google, can't tell you how to access due to forum rules) She should also check to see if her school has special configuration bundles available via the campus store or technology group; Lenovo sometimes bundles in extended warranty and/or accident coverage at little additional cost.

 

About the WiFi, 5300 has 3x3 internal antennae and the 5100 has 1x2 (as far as I recall), so the 5300 should be better, but it seems as though it's generally better if you have a wireless N router.

 

-which version of windows? (is Vista 64 bit ready for prime time? or jsut stick to XP?)

I would say vista 100% for the battery life and overall better performance, and yes 64 bit Vista has been ready for "prime time" for a while.

-which processor?

I went with a p8600 for a mix of power/heat reduction and performance. I can pretty much do anything I want with this CPU.

-display - LED vs. higher res

I would go for the wxga+ (1440x900) screen as it is the sweet spot for 14.1 laptops at the moment (Id love a wsxga+, but thats just me and they dont make them anyways). LED is nice for a little bit brighter screen and slightly less power consumption, but the lack of a higher res option kinda gimps the productivity of the rig imho.

-DVD burner for +$70?

Only if you plan to burn DVDs. I d quite frequently so I went for it.

-wifi 5300 vs 5100

I went with the 5100 and dont regret it at all, although the extra antenna would be somewhat nice(although my range is pretty sweet as is).

-3 year warranty for $119? accidental damage?

This is purely situational. I take my laptops everywhere, but I always go by the rule of if it is going to break its usually in the first year. Again this is up to the buyer and how you use it and how long youll keep it for.

 

does it make sense to get Vista Business 64bit with Windows 7 right around the corner? Will I need to get the 64bit version of windows 7 to use more than 3GB of ram?

is there any point to getting the Intel® Turbo Memory hard drive cache? I doubt it, but I thought I'd verify.

this goes a long way in answering my questions, thanks.

 

If you buy this laptop new, it will come with a free upgrade to Windows 7, so no worries there.

No, Intel Turbo Memory is not worth the cost. You'd rather save up for an SSD.

Yes, to put it simply, you will need a 64-bit OS to utilize more than ~3GB of RAM.

 

just get a base T400s with Vista Business 32 (and free upgrade to Win7 when it's available). Should have everything she wants (inlcuding an LED backlit WSXGA+ screen, the best 14" screen available from Lenovo) and is significantly thinner/lighter than the regular T400. Using the CPP discount you should be able to get it for under $1500.

 

Or you could get a t400 9cell with switchable graphics, more battery life at the cost of a little thickness for 1000-1100 and if she doesnt game then you could get it even cheaper. Reason I dont like the t400s is the lack of a 9 cell option.

 

Just a small correction, the 14" screen on the T400s is WXGA+ (1440x900), not WSXGA+ (1680x1050).

A T400s is nice, but it may not be worth the significant premium over the T400. It is, however, a very well-made machine with the latest Thinkpad design innovations.

 

Indeed. My mistake. Still the best 14" screen Lenovo offers.