Thinkpads Forum

Ok so after browsing through the forums, I think (think) I'm going to go with a T400.

I love my T42 and its 15.4" screen but alas, the LED backlight issue has won me over. I would rather have the T500 but the lack of an LED backlight with the WSXGA is bumming me out.

System components
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Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9400 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)
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Genuine Windows Vista Business downgrade to Windows XP Professional
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14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight
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ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256MB
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2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
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UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
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160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
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DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
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Express Card Slot & PC Card Slot
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Integrated Bluetooth PAN
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Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN)
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Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable
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6 cell Li-Ion Battery
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Country Pack North America with Line cord & 90W AC adapter
Services and software
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3 Year Depot Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection

I may not be ordering it for another month (at the latest). Should get my hopes up and push that deadline for T500 LED backlight WSXGA screen? Or is that not going to happen at all?

In any case, I'd love some feedback on my config (which comes in at $1650 approx) and the possibility of an LED BL on a T500 WSXGA). Thanks for the help!

It really depends on what you do with your laptop.

My T400 differ from yours -
- P8400 cpu : still very powerful, 25W instead of 35W i.e. cheaper, cooler, and longer battery time.
- integrated graphics : I don't play game i.e. cheaper, cooler, and longer battery time.
- 80gb hd : cheapest option, immediately swap in with a 160gb 7k320 from zipzoomfly.i.e. cheaper and one extra hd.
- and I have the integrated camera too. Cheap option and hard to add them after the fact.

I also got the 6 cell battery but in hind sight, I should have ordered a 4 cell + a 9 cell. I still don't like the battery sticking out and 6 cell battery although last for 5 hrs or so, still not enough for the occasional all day off the grid usage.

HTH

The previous poster makes a lot of good points.

Ordinarily, I'd second the suggestion to go with the smallest HD possible and upgrade yourself. But Lenovo recently introduced the "enhanced" and "elite" lines. If you configure your system starting with the "elite" line you can save already $50 and get the built-on camera for free. So, picking the 160GB drive may not be a bad option (it's certainly less hassle).

To save more money get a friend who can hook you up with EPP (we are not allowed to mention EPP prices here but the savings are big) or alternatively look on other forums for something called CPP.

On your actual configuration, I'd probably choose to have Windows Vista Business installed and get the Win XP DVDs separately. This makes it a little bit less of a hassle if you decide to upgrade the HD yourself right from the start. In this case you'd start up the machine once, burn the Vista recovery DVDs (just in case you want to play around with Vista in the future), and then replace the HD with the new one and install XP from the supplied DVDs. Of course, you could also go the cloning route (there plenty of threads about this around here) but you'd need either an external HD USB enclosure ($10-$20) or an Ultrabay HD adapter ($40-$50).

I'd get an extra 1 GB RAM from www.newegg.com .
You can get 320 GB 7200 RPM hard drive from www.newegg.com for $110 last I looked.
I'd go with the lower powered P8400 processor as a previous poster noted. You probably won't notice a difference in performance, you'll get better battery life and the fan won't run as much.

Those are all very good points, thanks guys.

However, what affect does changing lenovo installed parts have on the computer's warranty?

Also, I have a distant cousin who helped me out with his EPP back when I bought my T42 so I'm well aware of the cost benefit HOWEVER, he worked for IBM, not Lenovo. I'm pretty sure he still works for IBM, not Lenovo. You guys don't think there's some sort of a heritage EPP deal left for IBM employees, right?

I'll have to call this distant cousin once again.

The T500 non LED Backlight screen is bugging me. Is the LED backlight enough of a push for you guys to go for the T400 instead of the T500 (personally) ?

Replacing the HD does not affect the warranty you get from Lenovo on the other parts of the laptop. If the new HD fails you'll get the HD manufacturer's warranty (which can be anywhere from one to five years). The HD from Lenovo will have the same warranty as the laptop (three years in your configuration).

IBMers still get EPP .

I have no clue about the LED backlight as I've never seen it in person. All I can say is that coming from an A31p UXGA IPS/flexview screen, I can live with the "lesser" T61p WUXGA LCD. I like the added screen real estate.

If you ask me, the 1 thing that really makes biggest improvement from my old T60 IS LED screen. Not only it can be very bright ( definitely enough in outdoor daylight situration, which I find T60 is borderline un-usable ), it can be very dim so in a dark bedroom ( or boardroom/classroom for that matter ) it would be a lot less disruptive to others. White seems to be more white and now looking back on my sxga+ T60 it seems slight "yellowish" when white background. Don't forget LED is instant on last a lot longer and its color and brightness never fade over time.