Purchasing a T400

[misbah]

So I was in the market for a new laptop, and then this employee pricing sale comes along and so I am definitely going to buy a new Thinkpad this thursday. I just had some questions about configuration. It seems to come out cheapest when I configure an Enhanced T400 (discrete graphics).

T9600
Vista Business 64
14.1" WXGA+ Led Backlight & Camera
2GB ram
UltraNav/TrackPad with no fingerprint reader
160GB 5400rpm HDD
DVD burner
Express Card + 7 in 1 card reader
Integrated Bluetooth
Intel Wifi Link 5300
9 cell batt.

All that, plus the trackpoint caps and the hard drive bay adapter come out to 1400.20. I'll probably add 1 year onsite + thinkpad protection.

Just wanted some general opinions of the set up I chose.

-I want the 2.8 just to keep the laptop future-proof and I do play RTS games and would like the power when necessary. But how much does choosing a 35w proc over a 25w one affect battery life?

-I chose vista business 64, because they don't offer Ultimate 64 (which I wouldn't want anyways) and I plan on upgrading the ram to 4gb of mushkin from newegg and would like to be able to utilize all the ram. Plus from what I've read on these forums, vista 64 has most of the driver support I will need and the T400 and all its bits and pieces should work from out of the box. Am I correct? I want something equivalent to XP Pro, so I *think* Vista Business is the equivalent?

-I also plan on upgrading the HDD to a WD 320 7200rpm, which is why I bought the hard drive bay adaptor (to stick the old 160 in there). I def need the card reader for my camera and phone SD cards, and I read the 5300 has better range than the 5100. I got the 9 cell because this laptop will be used mostly at school, on the couch, in bed, and I dont want to be tied to an adaptor and want great batt life. I've read some complaints that with the 9-cell the battery feels loose or flimsy. Is this true?

-The only two issues I'm really unsure about is the bluetooth and fingerprint reader. I don't like to get things I don't need, and I'm afraid those things will just be one more thing that can break on the laptop. The bluetooth I'll get anyways, just for occasional use with a mouse, phone syncing, etc, and I believe the device can be disabled when I'm not using it. The fingerprint reader... do I really need it? I don't mind typing in passwords. I used an older thinkpad once and it was annoying because every time my palm brushed over it it had an annoying pop up telling me my finger print wasn't read correctly.But then again, its only a 22 dollar price difference, and if it can be disabled from within windows, I'd rather pay the extra and have it?

-Since I'm getting the camera with the lcd, does this laptop have a built in mic? ie) if I want to have a web cam or VOIP conversation, I don't have to plug in a mic do i?

-Last question, with the 9 cell battery, will sleeves and messenger bags for 14" laptops work, or should I get 15" sizes?

Anyhow, I apologize for the long first post, but I just want to make sure I get a T400 that makes me happy. I really like the T-series! And with this employee pricing discount its a great deal!

[basketb]

So I was in the market for a new laptop, and then this employee pricing sale comes along and ... All that, plus the trackpoint caps and the hard drive bay adapter come out to 1400.20. ... I really like the T-series! And with this employee pricing discount its a great deal!

You may want to familiarize yourself with the forum rules (especially point 3 from the top). Other than that, your laptop looks OK to me, if you can live with a WXGA+ resolution and don't think the CPU is a waste of $400+. I personally would choose a bigger screen and a blu-ray burner, but you may not have a need for it.
As a comparison, here's a similar T400 (more RAM, faster drive but different LCD) in the Lenovo outlet for the same price http://stores.channeladvisor.com/Lenovo ... Free%20Bag.

[Tony Chan]

First of all, welcome to the forum.

I have a very similar T400 for few months now. I would get the bluetooth anyway as it cost next to nothing and is very hard to add after the fact. I find that fingerprint reader is more hassle than it's worth, but that just how I use my laptop. I've picked P8400 cpu because I feel the cpu is quick enough for what I'm doing, and probably provide longer battery time because of smaller cache, but I haven't actually benchmark it. In a few years when I need more horsepower, I'll just upgrade my cpu then. I'll probably grab a 4 cell "scratch and dent" battery from outlet for cheap and use it when I don't need extended off the grid computing. Like you, I purchased the cheapest hd and upgrade to a Seagate 7200.3 and put the original 80gb in a external usb enclouse. I picked integrated graphics for better battery time and because I don't play games.

And yes, it has built in mic. I do Skype with my son/wife when out of town. Mic works pretty well too.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the laptop. I bought a 6 cell but should have bought a 9 + 4. I just bought the "scratch and dent" 4 cell from outlet and should be here any day now.

Hope this helps.

[truk]

I got a 2.8ghz for the 'future proof' laptop. I love the thing. I actually like the print reader, as it is the only one I've seen work reliably for more than a couple weeks. I got the four cell with an ultrabay battery, since I hate the batteries that stick out. I can run it all day without plugging it in if I run the lower card, and get a few gaming hours on battery if I knock it up to full settings (keep in mind good eyes=minimum brightness.) I agree with keeping bluetooth, and running four gigs RAM, but I run XP pro myself, so I can't advise on Vista.

[misbah]

Thank's for the welcome. I didn't mean EPP/contract pricing for my job or anything. There just seems to be a 3 day sale going on at the Lenovo/US website... it says "Three Days Only, you pay what we pay, Employee pricing ends Feb 12, 8-25% off selected products" and theres a coupon code on the website that you can apply after you add the laptop to your cart. I figured everyone was able to see this? My mistake though for being unclear.

The WXGA+ res is all that's offered if I want an LED backlit screen, so I kind of don't have a choice with that. I was looking at a bigger screen with better discrete graphics in the T500, but the size of it put me off. It's a tad bit over the size limit I had in mind, but the T400 is just right. As for the Blu-Ray burner, maybe when the prices for them come down, I don't have a need for it yet. I do like the outlet product, except I really want the LED backlit screen, and I feel bad paying lenovo for extra ram when I can get 4 gigs of PC3-8500 for 90 bucks shipped and stick it in myself and sell the 2 1GB dimms.

I'm glad it does have a mic though.. it doesn't mention that anywhere so I wasn't sure. Anyhow, thanks for the feedback. I think I WILL get the bluetooth, but leave out the fingerprint reader. I just grabbed the 9-cell, because I'll be unplugged pretty much all the time except when I'm asleep at night and my laptop is charging. Where can I find the ultra bay battery? I looked under the power accessories on the website, but I couldn't find one that I could tell for sure fit the T400! I would much rather have a 4-cell and an ultra bay than a 9-cell that sticks out if it provides similar up-time. These forums have a great wealth of knowledge in them, I've found almost all my answers in here with just a bit of searching! Thanks.

[Tony Chan]

A word of caution with the ultrabay + 4 cell battery setup : Thinkpad is configured in a way that it will draw everything from the ultrabay FIRST, then go to the main battery. There isn't a option to leave maybe 10% on ultrabay before start using main battery. This could wear out the ultrabay battery rather quickly if your usage patten is extended period on battery. I think if you will be on battery all day most of the time, a 9 cell is a better option if you can withstand the added and unbalance of weight.