Thinkpads Forum

Hey there.

I currently own both a T400 with hybrid graphics, which I've had for about nine months now. It's a good machine and after upgrading the display I've eliminated pretty much every issue with it I could eliminate.

However, I'm finding it lacking in the graphics horsepower department nowdays, as I do some light 3D modeling work as well as moderate gaming(nothing enthusiast, all I want from a game out of my TP is for it to run at native res. I can stand a low quality game much more than I can stand the fuzziness of running at a non-native resolution). I've really been thinking about waiting for the Sandy Bridge ThinkPads to be announced and seeing what they offer, but current speculation provides one glaring flaw that will likely be present in the new refresh: 16:9 displays. I can't stand 16:9 at all, and I refuse to purchase any notebook which has one. I know I'll eventually have to bow to the tastes of the LCD manufacturers, but for now selling off my trusty T400 and X200 then getting a well-specced T410 is looking very attractive, especially now that the T410 now has Optimus capabilities and integrated Displayport.

But, I have a few questions. Firstly, what I'm seeing on eBay is that LED displays between the T400 and T410 are interchangeable. Is this true? Looking up equivalent part numbers on eBay and Google reveals the LG WXGA+ display as being a LP141WP3. The LG WXGA display I have in my T400 is a LP141WP2, which I'm assuming isn't a drastic difference. If this is the case(and I don't receive an LG display with the T410), I may keep the LED display I swapped into the T400 and swap it back in... I'm not really worried about warranty.

Secondly, are Ultrabay accessories compatible between the T400 and the T410? I have a second HDD bay I'd like to continue using if at all possible.

I'm still on the fence about this as I really like my T400 now that I've gotten it mostly where I'd like it. I just see the need for more power in the next several months and want to make sure I get a good system for when school starts back up for me(in January), and before I can find only 16:9 systems on the new market. Any suggestions and advice on that end?

You might consider a T500. Those are still 16:10 (can have a 1920x1200 dropped in too) and have an ATI 3650 which is more powerful than the NVS3100M they're offering on the T510. Granted, it might be a bit too large replacing a 14.1".

Colonel O'Neill wrote:You might consider a T500. Those are still 16:10 (can have a 1920x1200 dropped in too) and have an ATI 3650 which is more powerful than the NVS3100M they're offering on the T510. Granted, it might be a bit too large replacing a 14.1".

That is true, but a 15.4" may be a little too large in footprint for me, unfortunately; it even has integrated Displayport which would be just fantastic as well. I'll do some more homework on it though, just in case. If I went that route I'd think 1680x1050 may be a good res for it; I once had an original Dell XPS with a 15.4" WUXGA and found that one painfully small.

Once again, thanks for the recommendation. I found a good deal on a decently-specced discrete T500 and jumped on it.