Thinkpads Forum

I currently have a T42 and I wan to get something a bit newer.I've narrowed the choices down to either a T61 or a T400, either of which I can get at pretty close to the same price. All that I plan to use it for is surfing the net, playing discs, and writing a few amateur short stories when I travel. The question, obviously, is, which would be he better computer for my very basic needs?

For the basic needs there will be little or no difference. Performance-wise, the series cover a broad range with a significant overlap, so it will depend on the specs of the exact machine.

A T61 can be had in 14" 4:3 factor, like your T42 (or is yours the 15"?). The T400 is 14" widescreen only.

Probably would be wise to avoid any T61 with Nvidia graphics. Other than that, it's all like dr_st says.

T400 takes DDR3 RAM so maxing out the RAM is much cheaper.

white avenger wrote:I currently have a T42 and I wan to get something a bit newer.I've narrowed the choices down to either a T61 or a T400, either of which I can get at pretty close to the same price.

If you have no specific reason to prefer the T61, e.g. because of display resolution/ratio, it would be advisable to rather go T400, as there are some technical advantages. Unlike the T61, the T400 Ultrabay is also SATA (instead of legacy IDE), and the DDR3 RAM used starting with this generation is much more affordable to max out the memory than with the DDR2 based T61 RAM. Furthermore, depending on the CPU used in the T400, you should get a much more cool and long running system, with the added benefit of less noise.

I have a WAY better than half-decent T400 for sale:
T400 (6475-HF8)
P8600(2.4GHz), 2GB RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HD, 14.1in 1280x800 LCD, Intel 4500MHD, CDRW/DVD, Intel 802.11agn wireless, WWAN option, Bluetooth, Modem, 1Gb Ether, UltraNav, Sec Chip, FPR Rdr, 6c Li-Ion, WinVista Business 32
RAM and HD size can be discussed.

PM me if interested.