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    t400 doesnt really seem that fast

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by KeithF40, Sep 13, 2009.

  1. KeithF40

    KeithF40 Notebook Consultant

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    i got a t9400 i believe, figured this should be faster, with 7200 rpm hard drive and 2 gigs of ram

    running clean install of xp pro with drivers slipstreamed in

    diskeeper auto defrag running

    turned off all 3rd party startup programs

    installed all windows updates

    anything im totally missing here
     
    KeithF40, Sep 13, 2009
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  2. jaredy

    jaredy Notebook Virtuoso

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    What does "seem" mean? It is pretty hard to quantify whatever your expectations are. What are your uses?

    An SSD generally has the most drastic effect on perceived snappiness.

    Regardless your CPU should be quite fast...
     
    jaredy, Sep 13, 2009
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  3. surfasb

    surfasb Titles Shmm-itles

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    Yeah, what do you mean by faster? Are certain tasks slower than normal?
     
    surfasb, Sep 13, 2009
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  4. Insomniac89

    Insomniac89 Notebook Consultant

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    There are limitations to how fast you can drive an Operating System, like Windows XP interface can only take advantage of so much until everything else seem like gravy on top.

    If your trying to say it's maybe slower then a previous generation computer (ie like a P4) running the operating system, it could be due to several reasons, like how much disc space you're using, whether your running your SATA harddrive in compatibility mode or not (assuming not cause you know how to slipstream), check to see if you have speedstep enabled or not, or just your perception or it.

    Also if this is your first laptop, your performance isn't going to be on par of an equivalent PC, ie Same clock same FSB, same everything, because laptops are designed to conserve power and give performance when needed, and hibernate the rest.

    just my opinion anyways
     
    Insomniac89, Sep 13, 2009
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  5. The Fire Snake

    The Fire Snake Notebook Virtuoso

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    Make sure you have all service packs installed. This is all I can think of, since you have done all the other obvious stuff.
     
    The Fire Snake, Sep 13, 2009
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  6. LoneWolf15

    LoneWolf15 The Chairman

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    Fast compared to what? And doing what tasks?

    "doesn't seem that fast" is a very subjective statement. Do you mean the boot time? How long it takes to do a Gaussian blur in Photoshop? Spreadsheet calculations? Maya 3D rendering? Encoding video?
     
    LoneWolf15, Sep 13, 2009
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  7. LDM91

    LDM91 Notebook Guru

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    You tried running RAM and HDD tests? Could phone Lenovo and ask but I did that and haven't really got anywhere except restoring to factory bloatware Vista haha.
     
    LDM91, Sep 13, 2009
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  8. yuio

    yuio NBR Assistive Tec. Tec.

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    well compaired to my Linux Distro's XP is a slow pig. Thinkpad T500 2.8Ghz/3GB/80GB SSD+500GB HD storage) boots Ubuntu Linux is about 8-10 seconds and far more responsive than Vista or XP. So is it just slow booting?
     
    yuio, Sep 13, 2009
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  9. KeithF40

    KeithF40 Notebook Consultant

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    sometimes slow in responding to seemingly easy tasks
     
    KeithF40, Sep 13, 2009
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  10. jaredy

    jaredy Notebook Virtuoso

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    Again...you are being completely subjective. In comparison to what. What programs; what tasks? Nobody can help you if you don't give specific context.
     
    jaredy, Sep 13, 2009
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  11. surfasb

    surfasb Titles Shmm-itles

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    Is it the boot time?

    Is it launching a certain application?

    A little information would go a long way towards helping you.
     
    surfasb, Sep 14, 2009
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  12. KeithF40

    KeithF40 Notebook Consultant

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    not in boot, sometimes it lags while opening simple programs, expected it to perform better given the cpu it contains

    just bought a new hd after my old one crapped out, same problem with the old one though

    i set it as compatability in the bios but when i go to achi it wont boot

    i have a wd3200bekt drive, where can i find the file that i need to install in windows so that it can boot using ahci

    it booted in achi with the same slipsteam disc when i had the stock hd

    i went to the wd page and the only files if found are utility programs, didnt see anything about a driver
     
    KeithF40, Sep 14, 2009
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  13. jaredy

    jaredy Notebook Virtuoso

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    jaredy, Sep 14, 2009
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  14. KeithF40

    KeithF40 Notebook Consultant

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    running xp
     
    KeithF40, Sep 14, 2009
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  15. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Get Vista then :p
     
    sgogeta4, Sep 14, 2009
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  16. KeithF40

    KeithF40 Notebook Consultant

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    nah vista is uber annoying
     
    KeithF40, Sep 14, 2009
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  17. Clutch

    Clutch cute and cuddly boys

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    Then try Win7

    Vistas ok as long as you get used to the quirks.
     
    Clutch, Sep 14, 2009
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  18. namaiki

    namaiki "basically rocks" Super Moderator

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    +1 for Vista or Windows 7 (without disabling any 'unnecessary' services, because they generally have a purpose and do it well)
     
    namaiki, Sep 14, 2009
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  19. Quicklite

    Quicklite Notebook Deity

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    Quicklite, Sep 14, 2009
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  20. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

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    I have never been a fan of slipstreaming, always seems to goof the install imho. But then again that is subjective. All i know is I just did a reinstall and with a 2.4ghz low voltage mine zips through pretty much anything.
     
    Thaenatos, Sep 14, 2009
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  21. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    How so? From my usages, 7 > Vista > XP (by far, especially 64-bit). I always use slipstreaming now, never had an install problem yet.
     
    sgogeta4, Sep 14, 2009
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  22. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

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    Pre SP1 i would agree with him. Vista was a pain then, but now it is exponentially better then XP in pretty much every aspect. I have yet to try windows 7, but that will come in time as I have a free upgrade now :) (thanks mom :p ).
     
    Thaenatos, Sep 14, 2009
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  23. ARom

    ARom -

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    T9400, is the bus speed?

    I had a 2.5ghz 800Mhz FSB 8510P and it didn't seem much faster than a 1.8Ghz 800Mhz...

    P8400 1066Mhz FSB is noticeably quicker.
     
    ARom, Sep 14, 2009
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  24. KeithF40

    KeithF40 Notebook Consultant

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    can anyone tell me how to enable achi on my t400 with a newly installed hd
     
    KeithF40, Sep 14, 2009
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  25. cosma12

    cosma12 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I agree, the bus speed seems to make a big difference, also with the newer processors that have 1066 Mhz FSB you have the DDR3 memory, and the whole combo makes for a spedier platform...
     
    cosma12, Sep 14, 2009
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  26. careta

    careta Newbie

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    If you don't play games, try the latest Ubuntu.

    You'll be surprised when you see the performance difference (no antivirus!).
     
    careta, Sep 17, 2009
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  27. antskip

    antskip Notebook Deity

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    Quite right. Ubuntu is dramatically quicker than either XP or Vista. But as my modern system with SSD is almost instantaneous already with Vista, I can't see why there's a need. With my old system, it was well worth it. Switchable graphics capability is stil the deal-clincher - and problematic Linux ATI drivers.
     
    antskip, Sep 17, 2009
    #27