t400s or t420i?

Found a t400s refurb for 550-600$'s, 3 month warranty, with the core 2 duo SP9400 and 1440x900 display. I'm attracted to it because I'm a fairly small guy (5'6" 140 pounds) and figure it would be much easier to carry to and from the train. I'm torn however, as I can get a new t420i with an SB i3 and a 1600x900 display for 700ish.

Is the smaller form factor of the t400s significantly more portable? Are there other factors (screen, build quality, etc) that I should know of? The thinkpad anniversary sale is almost over but I have a 10% new member's email coupon that should work, (it doesn't when I enter it into the website, will probably have to call in) that will bring the t420i down to 700.

Thanks.

 

Eh, the 3-month warranty could be a bit worrisome. If I were you, I'd get the T420i or the X220i for your needs. My girlfriend has a T420, and it's not too bad to carry around. My dad has an X220, and it's amazingly portable.

I haven't seen a T400s for quite some time, but assuming it's similar to the T420s, the build quality is about the same between it and the T420. Screen seems to be about the same as well.

 

Thanks. That's what I'm leaning towards too as the new is only 150$ or so more expensive...but the lighter weight and thinner profile is so tempting...

 

I doubt that ~1 lb. is going to be that noticeable. I never noticed a difference between my x100e (3 lbs.) and my y460 (5 lbs.) when I was walking across campus. I would go with the T420i. You're getting a known product that comes with a better warranty.

Like MidnightSun said; The x220 would be able to have the best of both worlds and is nearly the same price. The 1366x768 resolution isn't that great for some people but the IPS display makes up for it.

 

I carry my T420i around everyday on campus and it is definitely not heavy and bulky.

 

Just from the warranty alone, I'd get the T420i. Unless I am really sure about a notebook (or if it was bargain cheap), I wouldn't settle for anything less than a year of warranty. You're also getting an extra 160 pixels for the width of the screen, which will help fit more stuff at once.

I wouldn't worry too much about sales since you can still haggle with a rep over the phone. I did that a few months ago; there wasn't any sales (only the 10% email promotion), but I was able to get a great discount for my laptop by using the Barnes and Noble discount and by following this advice. In the end, I got ~24% off, so I would imagine you could knock 10% off the T420i easily.

As mentioned, the X220i also makes for a good choice. It's all a matter of how much screen rel estate you require.

I carry my W520 around everyday on campus and it's definitely not heavy and bulky

However, I'm also 6ft tall and 195lbs, soo.....

 

I'd say either the T400s or the X220 because of the portability.

Downside of T400s is the relatively poor battery life. You would need a bay battery/ charger to give you a full day's use. Also, 3 months warranty seems not good enough. It has the 16:10 screen ratio, higher resolution and better keyboard + palm rest (imo) than the X220 though.

X220 has a higher quality IPS screen, is slightly lighter, and much better battery life at a higher cost.

So, if you're using this as your main computer, I'll choose the T400s. Otherwise, X220 seems a better choice.

 

I wouldn't get the T400s and T410s, they are too fragile. The palmrest on the T400s/T410s have an extremely high failure rate due to cracks, and the LCD screen and the screen bezel have have a tendency to crack if you are slightly rough with it. These problems were fixed in the T420s. FYI i have a T400s, and the palmrest already cracked twice and screen bezel also cracked, i have treated it much better than my X301.

Keyboard on the T400s and X220 are the same, no difference.

 

Yes, but the much longer palmrest makes typing much more comfortable.

If you've used a T400s you wouldn't a T400 anymore. It's basically the same machine (CPU, ram, etc.) but much lighter. You can hold the T4xxs series with one hand without fatigue but not the T4xx

 

This is what causes the palmrest cracking, holding the laptop with one hand.

 

That to me is quite a difference. I tried comparing the weights with a 3 pound and 4 pound sandbag weight, but its not analogous to laptops as the weight is obviously distributed much differently. I went to Best Buy/Microcenter, but finding a 14" laptop, much less ones of those same weights and dimensions, was difficult.

Wow, is this something that can be mitigated with a stronger replacement bezel/palmrest or is it inherent to the design of the machine and the way its built/operates?

 

merged this post into the one above. please ignore

 

Way it is built. Some people have gone through several.

 

Depends on how you hold it. You can hold it with your hand flat under the laptop - the T4XXs laptops are just feather light.

My X220 I hold one handed by using the battery as a grip - I imagine after 4 years I'll be using that TPP.

 

T400s and T410s is light (the X301 is lighter), but they are not way as tough as the X220.

The cracking of the palmrest is due to Lenovo copying the X300/X301 palmrest design but not reinforced the chassis enough to minimise flexing. When the body chassis on the T400s and T410s does flex, the palmrest flexed slightly differently due to the different material used when under stress. Then the fact that it is bolted down with screws, which limited the amount of differential flexing caused the palmrest to crack at the usual spots (basically near where the screws are).

T420s improved this design by employing a stronger carbon fiber lid, and the palmrest and keyboard bezel were made into one piece, so that it can act as reinforcement against flexing, thirdly the palmrest lips do not come over the side of the chassis like they do on T400s and T410s, which allow a greater amount of differential flexing when under load.