t61 or t400 or t420??

Buying a laptop for a family member and want to get the best possible one with the least problems in the $250-$400 price range. Going to try buying on ebay., most likely a t400. Only thing im worried about is i heard there is keyboard flex on the t400. Is it a pain to type on it again or maybe just minor annoyance? Was also considering the t420 but idk if the longer warranty can justify spending an extra $100 or w/e at an outlet store . I'll ask family member about that i guess. Leaning towards buying a t400 on ebay atm. It's just going to be for casual stuff, like web browsing, listening to music, watching movies... stuff like that

 

you can get a new T61 keyboard on the T400 and the problem will be solved. Also the flexing keyboard issue isn't really what people make it out to be, especially if you are not a long time thinkpad user.

T420 is good, since the CPU is more up to date as oppose to the T400 which uses 2 generation old technology.

 

thanks that relieves my worries on that. I'm a t60 user btw, and love this keyboard and looks like it only costs $20 if it did end up being a concern. Glad im finally settling with the t400. At first the dell latitude e6400 was a possibility but everyone said the trackpoint doesn't compare to the thinkpads, which is a very important consideration for everyday use.

 

actually not seeing any good deals now for the t400. crap. might have to consider the t61 now.

 

Ask? Only for forgiveness, not permission:

Lenovo Outlet - ThinkPad T420 Refurbished

 

I have no problem with my T400 with the original keyboard.
But holy moly, with the above deal, you'll be hard pressed NOT to go with the T420.

 

Yes, the T420 deal that ConnectDon posted is an excellent price; if it's within your budget, I'd definitely go for that.

 

Just be wary with Lenovo Outlet, warranty extensions cannot be purchased while it is in warranty, you can only buy post warranty upgrades which are significantly more expensive.

 

I'd be pretty wary about getting a T61 unless you know the build is after 08/08 or that it has Intel graphics vs. the nvidia card. A large number of the nvidia-equipped motherboards have failed. I say this not just because my own just failed--there's a lot of evidence out there that they pretty much all fail in time; it's just a matter of when.

Lenovo extended the warranty on these to fix them "out of warranty", but sadly mine kicked after that expired. I actually looked at older T61's with the Intel graphics as a replacement, but when I compare the price to a new or refurbished Edge, I ended up going for that. It was so cheap (E420 I3 2450, 500GB HD, BT, etc for $350.00) that I figured if I hate it I'll just get a T420 to replace it and sell it for cheap to a friend. Comparing a new Edge to an older T-series 3 generations of processors old, I think the Edge is probably a better bet. $.02.

 

I think the same.