Hi.

I've been seriously considering purchsing a thinkpad T400, especially with the recent price drop making decent configuration T400 cost around $1K.

I've been wondering, what do you think the build quality and lifecycle of the new T400 line of thinkpad will be like? I'm looking for a laptop that will last a long time, possibly throughout multiple years of studies.

Depending on the projected lifecycle of T400, I might just go off and get a U330 ideapad, since they seem to have phenomenal build quality for a consumer laptop...

I'll be using my future laptop primarily for some matlab/mathematica, LaTeX editing, and possibly minimal gaming.... I also suspect that I'll be carrying around the laptop a lot.

A T400 will be better built than any IdeaPad.

How long any particular user's machine will last is pretty random and is affected by how its used and how its treated.

Why don't you get a 3 to 5 years extended warranty and you are covered against any build quality problems.

(this is coming from someone who has spent a week playing with the T400 for a review)

The T400 is just as good as any other ThinkPad T60 and up. I say T60 and up because I really hate the older Thinkpads prior to the rollcage and seeing so many motherboards fail from chassis flex. Anyways...

Build quality is excellent. Hinges are still very solid, plastics quality is near perfection, and even the keyboard quality is nice. What has changed that might upset some people is the keyboard has more flex than older models, but that isnt a flaw that reduces the overall lifespan as the parts quality of the keyboard is still very good.

Screen quality with the T400 w/ LED backlighting is EXCELLENT, brighter than any other ThinkPad I have set my eyes on. Viewing angles are good (not IPS/Flexview good, but still good) and colors are nice.

Expect to get at least 3 years of life from the notebook, with speed and performance being the main reasons you might want to upgrade the notebook, NOT the thing falling apart.

Oh and even a new thinkpad on its worst day is lightyears ahead of the IdeaPad notebooks in build quality. Yea they are nice compared to a Dell or something, but what isnt?

(caresses 600X while murmuring "there, there, he just never met you")

And that was the end of the golden road. The T2x's build quality BLOWS. That mother****** actually cracked apart on me from setting down on a seat. That's where superglue came in nicely. Back then I thought it was awesome, but I played with one after having my T60 for a year and half, and the T2x really does suck.

By the way, wasn't the T2x the next generation after the 600 series?

hahaha creeeeepy....the only thinkpad i worked with before the 60 series had that same problem right out of the box...the motherboard failed within the first month and they had to come out and replace it.