T400

[jronald]

So it looks like Im moving on to my 4th laptop in 15 years. Like all of my other laptops this one started out as a used bare bones from Fleabay. And just like all of my other laptops its a Lenovo. My last Z61t was a souped up version that Lenovo never built. This one is a also souped up, because once again, Lenovo never built it.

Starting with a clean but low spec T400 I installed the moded BIOS then added a T9600 2.86 CPU , 8 gigs of memory, a 160 SSD, swapped the lid for a spotless high res display including the camera and finally tossed Windows 7 64bit on it. Also on board in place of the Turbo memory card I installed a PCI-e to Dual Micro Card adaptor. With two 32gig Sandisk cards installed I have plenty of place to put carp. Multiple windows open and playing music is NOT an issue. It typically kicks around 50% CPU and generally never exceeds 70% of the memory. Boots like "right now" and runs cool as a cucumber. Brand New Lenovo asked about $1950.00 for it. I have $50.00 in the base machine including the SSD. The new lid ran $30.00 and the memory was $25.00. BIOS was free, and so was the Windows 7 (thanks to the BIOS). Roughly 2 hours in the assembly, Im a cheap Tech so call it $50.00 in labor. The extra card/memory was $30.00.

So for less than $200.00 I have an almost cutting edge machine that does everything I throw at it with ease. Im not a super-duper math wiz but that's a $1700.00 savings over new. For the record, the Z61t ... after the 5th or 6th window was open as well as Clementine Music Player, it became a little laggy. It runs perfectly fine other than that.

These Lenovo's have to be one of the best machines EVER built. http://www.notebookreview.com/notebookr ... 00-review/

[emeraldgirl08]

With two 32gig Sandisk cards installed I have plenty of place to put carp.

You're going to put fish in the T400?

I kids. Enjoy your T400

[jronald]

Did not remember if Crap would pass muster.

edit: guess it will.

[ajkula66]

T400 is a decent machine for everyday use, even nowadays. Once you've swapped in a keyboard from R6x/T6x/Z6x, that is.

We bought a brand new one with high-res LED panel and switchable graphics directly from Lenovo back in the days. It was a pretty impressive machine - apart from the LCD - for that era.

Nowadays, I simply can't work with anything that's 1440x900, let alone lower. If it's a widescreen, 1920x1200 is the only acceptable option for silly old me, but that calls for a 15.4" system...

Enjoy your newly-discovered toy...

[brchan]

These machines were also available with optional 680-nit WXGA screens for outdoor use - by far the brightest screen ever put in a Thinkpad. However, Lenovo lists a different lcd cover, LCD magnesium frame, hinges, and LCD cable assembly for these models, so it doesn't seem like a drop in replacement like the other regular screens.

[jronald]

It has the 1440X900 and the brightest screen I have ever used. I doubt its the outside screen but I dont use it on high at anytime.

Ron

[Pokrzept]

It has the 1440X900 and the brightest screen I have ever used. I doubt its the outside screen but I dont use it on high at anytime.

Ron

Could you let us know who producent that awesome piece of art and what is the model number?

[brchan]

Judging by the fru list and panelook, the best 1440x900 screen that came with the T400 is the CCFL ID-TECH N141C3-L07 with FRU 42T0573. Min contrast ratio is 300:1, but is typically 450:1. The LED LG LP141WP2-TLB1 is the brightest at 250 nits, but has average contrast at 300:1. The LP141WP2-TLA2 panel was never included, but will probably be an easy drop in. This one has 500:1 contrast ratio and 300 nits brightness. However, it costs about $145 new on eBay and is still TN.

[Neil]

These machines were also available with optional 680-nit WXGA screens for outdoor use.

Interesting! That is something I might be interested in looking for, since I often use a ThinkPad in the car. Mine are only bright enough on cloudy days. Do you know the Type numbers for this model? I assume not all WXGA LED screens are the 680-nit, is that right?

[ajkula66]

I assume not all WXGA LED screens are the 680-nit, is that right?

Correct. The machines with hi-nit panels are pretty rare in my experience.

[brchan]

42T0623 is the fru. There is a data sheet here https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www ... TuV19R_HBQ

[Neil]

The panel FRU doesn't really do me much good, since it's not a drop in replacement for the more plentiful models. I understand that I will probably never find one, and that won't be much of a loss, but was just thinking of keeping my eye open for one should one surface at some point. I'm just not sure how I would identify such a model.

[brchan]

Almost all of them were CTO machines. If I read this correctly, machines with 6474-R86, 2767-9EC, etc. will all have the high nit screens.


6473-CTO
6474-CTO, R8x, R9x, REx, RKx
6475-CTO
7417-CTO
7420-CTO
7425-CTO
7434-CTO
2764-CTO
2765-CTO
2766-CTO
2767-CTO, 9Ex, 9Fx, 9Gx, 9Hx, 9Jx, FDx, FEx, FJx, FKx, FSx, FTx, FUx, FVx
2768-CTO
2769-CTO
2773-CTO

[TonyJZX]

Why are people so many people interested in very high nit screens? I dont expect people are that interested in using their T400 outdoors in the bright sun?

[brchan]

Why are people so many people interested in very high nit screens? I dont expect people are that interested in using their T400 outdoors in the bright sun?

High nit screens are not only useful outdoors. If you are near a window or in a room with many windows on a bright sunny day, you will probably find that even 270 or 300 nit displays are a bit dim.

[jronald]

SAMSUNG LTN141WD-L05 LAPTOP LCD SCREEN 14.1"
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... _sacat=293

Im running two steps down from highest

Ron

[TonyJZX]

Fair enough. I generally hover around 9/10 on the infamous Hotkey 1-15 screen brightness scale. Maybe 11 if I'm outside. I dont use in direct sunlight but I find 11 to be fine in a car where its not super bright out.

btw. these are LED screens right? My current field work driver (T400s) is more than bright enough for anything less than direct sunlight (which isnt really a good environment to be using a laptop).

[brchan]

I have compared the data sheets for the high nit screen and standard T400 screens:

1. Mounting points are the same
2. The high nit screen is 6.3mm thick vs 5.5mm on the standard ones. Other dimensions are the same.
3. This is the same panel used in the Dell E6400 XFR, but doesn't seem to be affected by the bubbling issue in the ATG models
4. LCD pinouts are completely different

It may be possible to put the high nit screen in a regular T400 and just upgrade the cable, but the screen is thicker so you would have to shim around the LCD bezel. This is just a theory, though. The LCD is around $60 + $45 for the cable.

[jronald]

The reading i did said everything from the hinges up was different, and the resolution was lower. So while they are bright, Im not that interested in it.

[TonyJZX]

Yeah 1,280 x 800 isnt cutting it in 2016. If you desperately need a sunlight capable laptop you'd already have one by now without resorting to performing surgery on a T400.

[jaspen-meyer]

Yeah 1,280 x 800 isnt cutting it in 2016.

Wow, really? I use 1024 x 800 most days and 1280 x 800 sometimes.

Why doesn't 1280 x 800 cut it anymore?

[brchan]

Wow, really? I use 1024 x 800 most days and 1280 x 800 sometimes.

Why doesn't 1280 x 800 cut it anymore?

This depends a lot on what you use your laptop for. If you will be looking at large diagrams or schematics, even 1080p won't be enough. 1680x1050 and even 1400x1050 are good for multitasking with multiple windows side by side. The extra vertical pixels allows you to fit a lot more text on the screen for reading or coding. Most web pages will fit on 1024x768 without horizontal scrolling, but that is changing.

I regularly switch between 1024x768 on my CF-19 and a 1080p screen when I am back home. There certainly are limitations, with the XGA screen, but it's not that bad. With the appropriate add-ons such as TileTabs and MicroFox in Firefox, you can actually have multiple web pages open side by side or on top of each other (as well as other configs) relatively OK. You may need to zoom out to 80%, in some cases.

http://oi68.tinypic.com/5bwj9g.jpg
http://oi63.tinypic.com/2lkcyn4.jpg

[TonyJZX]

The market these days is dominated by 1,366 x 768 and 1,920 x 1,080p.

768p isnt a resolution that many of us will accept. You can really see that FHD mods for all these laptops are popular.

800p isnt that bad IMO. I certain put up with it on 12" laptops where you trade resolution for screen size.

But once you get up to 14" I feel it is an unacceptable compromise since higher resolution screen are readily available.

768p at 15" is an abomination. I think that the 900p LED screen in the T400 is not common but this is my favorite model.

One of my laptop is 1,920 x 1,200 on a 15". This is over the top.

[markba633csi]

How did OP get a free Windows 7 by modding the BIOS? That's a neat trick
Mark S.
Mt. View, Ca

[RealBlackStuff]

Look up "Slic BIOS" and "Lenovo W7 Recovery Discs".