T400 vs. Dell M4400

[jrcade]

I'm in the market for a new system in the workplace. I have had a Thinkpad T43p for the past five years and it's just old now. Anyhow, the T400 and the Dell M4400 are the two laptops I am considering and wanted to get input on that comparison.

As far as performance is concerned, I just want a speedy, responsive system, compared to the laggy feeling I get from the T43p (given that it's hardware is now ancient). My heaviest work will be in Adobe CS4 (Photoshop and InDesign mainly). To assist further, I also want a docking station and 24" widescreen monitor for when I am in the office.

I like the size (14.1") of my current laptop, so that's a slight knock against the M4400 to start. But Dell's widescreen monitors seem of better quality than Lenovo's. If someone out there has the Lenovo L2440p, please let me know what you think of it. That could make my decision.

Again, here are my desires:
- 14.1" or smaller screen
- Speedy processing, mainly in Adobe CS4
- Nice docking system to pair with quality 24" widescreen

Also, I do plan to go with Windows 7.

Thanks for any input...

[ZaZ]

If you want speedy processing the quad core on the Dell offers it if you're applications can use multiple cores, which CS4 can. They do lessen battery life and output more heat. I don't think there's any 14" quad core notebooks yet. Still a dual core will be a major step up from what you've got now.

A SSD will give you a more responsive system if you can live with the low capacity. A SSD boot drive with a hard drive in the ultrabay might be an option. You might want to wait a few days to see if any of Lenovo's new ThinkPads, which are now being released, has anything you like.

[skriefal]

The primary benefit of the M4400 over the T400/T500 is the availability of the WUXGA RGB-LED panel and the quad-core processors. Disadvantages are the glossy screen and the Alps touchpad... but those are relatively minor. I've no experience with the docking stations.

Really, the M4400 and T400 are both good choices. The deciding factor will likely be weight, size, and/or screen quality. T400 wins on the first two; M4400 wins on the latter. I value screen quality over size/weight, so you can guess which of these two I'd choose.

[dr_st]

M4400 has glossy screen? No mention of that on the DELL site. Maybe the lid is glossy?

[skriefal]

The WUXGA RGB-LED screen is glossy. Not sure about the others.