Ordered a T400s

T400/410/420 and T500/510/520 series specific matters only
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Brian10161
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Ordered a T400s

#1 Post by Brian10161 » Thu Jul 14, 2011 8:10 pm

Well, I can only say I am excited.

I like how they brought back the red striping on the trackpoint buttons. I can't understand why they removed the red stripes on the T60 and X60 series notebooks.

Looks like a pretty standard set of specs on it, and for the price it was a good buy.

Intel C2D SP9400, 4gb ram, 128gb ssd, 1440x900, Intel HD and Windows Vista. I will be upgrading to 7 though. Under warranty until February 5/2013.

How do you guys like your T400s notebooks?
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#2 Post by underclocker » Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:35 pm

Congrats! The T400s is a nice, fast and light machine. It's just a little delicate due to the loss of one pound over the regular T400/T410. Treat it well.

I like it even better with a webcam --> http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=92736
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#3 Post by krayzie » Fri Jul 15, 2011 1:41 pm

I just got a slightly used one last week with the exact same specs but with Windows 7 and it's the closest thing I can find to my 6 yr old T43. Very similar in thickness (a little slimmer) but it is much lighter to carry around. To be honest it's not as sturdy built as the old T40 series but new keyboard rocks! (I have a T400 brick from work that weighs a ton and has the sinking feel kb)

If you have next day on-site warranty then you should be in good hands with IBM field services as most of them really do a fantastic job with hardware.

I had a chance to buy a X300 instead but the LCD panel isn't as nice and the CPU obviously isn't as fast as the T400s. The only good thing about the X300 is that the high end built quality reminds me of the old 600x. You just can't have everything haha!
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#4 Post by hunterman223 » Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:32 pm

krayzie wrote:I just got a slightly used one last week with the exact same specs but with Windows 7 and it's the closest thing I can find to my 6 yr old T43. Very similar in thickness (a little slimmer) but it is much lighter to carry around. To be honest it's not as sturdy built as the old T40 series but new keyboard rocks! (I have a T400 brick from work that weighs a ton and has the sinking feel kb)

If you have next day on-site warranty then you should be in good hands with IBM field services as most of them really do a fantastic job with hardware.

I had a chance to buy a X300 instead but the LCD panel isn't as nice and the CPU obviously isn't as fast as the T400s. The only good thing about the X300 is that the high end built quality reminds me of the old 600x. You just can't have everything haha!
Do you have the special edition solid-steel T400 by any chance? :wink: We're talking 1/3 of an inch and less than a one pound difference between T400 and T400s. By design it does look thicker than it is in reality, but it is built like a tank.

About the keyboard, if you or someone at work call up Lenovo they will send out a decent solid-backplate keyboard. If you are partial to a certain make of keyboard be sure to specify, or else it's luck of the draw. I got Chicony, and I am quite pleased. Coming from an NMB even.
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#5 Post by Brian10161 » Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:03 pm

The one I ordered appears to come with a webcam. Isn't a selling feature for me because I never use them, but maybe if I sell it in the future it would be a selling feature.

Sounds like I made a good choice. I didn't want to go with the T400 because of the keyboard mush (I probably could have swapped my T60 keyboard in) and the buttons don't have the stripping like the old Thinkpads. Call me weird :)

It should ship on Monday, so I'm really getting anxious hehe
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#6 Post by sir_synthsalot » Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:24 pm

I recently ordered a loaded T400s but ended up getting a base T410s instead. I'm okay with that although I was looking forward to a SSD drive. The 1.8 inch mechanical drive is slow. On the positive side it's nice and thin with a decent display as well.
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#7 Post by ThinkRob » Sat Jul 16, 2011 9:31 am

I never worried about the keyboard issues with the T400/T500 since the T6x/R6x/Z6x keyboards are dirt cheap and easy to fit.

Still, I do think that the T400s has quite a nice industrial design, so if it weren't for the palmrest issue I'd probably have made the same choice!
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Ordered a T400s

#8 Post by hunterman223 » Sat Jul 16, 2011 6:18 pm

ThinkRob wrote:I never worried about the keyboard issues with the T400/T500 since the T6x/R6x/Z6x keyboards are dirt cheap and easy to fit.

Still, I do think that the T400s has quite a nice industrial design, so if it weren't for the palmrest issue I'd probably have made the same choice!
What issue is that? And I wish they used the same design for the T400, eg the volume and power buttons, red stripes etc.


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Re: Ordered a T400s

#9 Post by underclocker » Sat Jul 16, 2011 7:50 pm

hunterman223 wrote:What issue is that?
It seems that all T400s and T410s palmrests crack above the hard drive area. I didn't believe it until I looked closely at mine, there it was, a hairline crack! If I hadn't read about the issue, I probably wouldn't have noticed it...unless it grows...
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#10 Post by ThinkRob » Sat Jul 16, 2011 8:18 pm

underclocker is indeed correct.

AFAIK nearly all T400s/T410s palmrests are susceptible to it -- but unlike some mechanical issues this one is so very minor that I'd bet most people don't notice it.
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#11 Post by Brian10161 » Sat Jul 16, 2011 9:37 pm

It's good to know about, I'll keep an eye out for it on mine. A little crazy glue should fix it and hopefully prevent it from getting larger.
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Ordered a T400s

#12 Post by hunterman223 » Sun Jul 17, 2011 4:42 am

underclocker wrote:It seems that all T400s and T410s palmrests crack above the hard drive area. I didn't believe it until I looked closely at mine, there it was, a hairline crack! If I hadn't read about the issue, I probably wouldn't have noticed it...unless it grows...
Strange. I was just reading another thread about a T410s cracking all over the place, not just the palmrest. However that could be due to all kinds of things.



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Re: Ordered a T400s

#13 Post by krayzie » Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:14 pm

Haha I think I know why my T400 weighs a ton, cuz of the 9 cell battery!! :mrgreen:

BTW I think in general the new plastic pieces feel thinner? I've seen bezel cracks before on X300/X301 and that design seems to have a full contact lid which the T400s doesn't... strange indeed.
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#14 Post by Brian10161 » Tue Jul 26, 2011 5:20 pm

Well, it arrived today. My what a nice machine.

This thing is like new, just a minor scuff in the lid which I think will come out with a little bit of a cleaning. There is a stuck pixel on the display, but that was in the listing.

Only problem I had was it had no RAM when I got it. But a quick email to the seller should have that sorted. I took the RAM from another PC to test it. It's working perfectly. So far, the keyboard is excellent and the display is awesome. Having the extra screen space is such a nice step up from 1280 x 800.

Will post more as I get use to it :)
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#15 Post by mpcook » Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:22 pm

You will love it I am sure. I love my T400s. I've had it for 18 months now and it's traveled a lot, bounced around, still sturdy and fast and light.
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#16 Post by underclocker » Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:20 pm

Brian10161 wrote: There is a stuck pixel on the display, but that was in the listing.
Try a pixel massage - it worked one time for me.

Congrats on the acquisition.
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#17 Post by Brian10161 » Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:54 pm

Tried that and still stuck. It shows green on black screens lol oh well

I checked the palmrest, and no crack though. So I suppose that's good :)

I have noticed on battery the display is flickering a little bit. I installed the new Intel Display drivers however and that seems to have fixed it.
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#18 Post by krayzie » Wed Jul 27, 2011 1:11 pm

A piece of software called JScreenFix worked for me once with a stuck hot pixel (I think I paid like 4 bucks for it).

My T400s is 1.5 years old and no cracks on this palmrest (no fingerprint reader version). I have re-torqued the screws on it tho fingers crossed! :mrgreen:

I'm trying to find the fingerprint palmrest and I don't see it on eBay. I called IBM Parts (called twice with diff. agents just to make sure) and they want $375CAD!!! :eek:
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Ordered a T400s

#19 Post by hunterman223 » Wed Jul 27, 2011 4:42 pm

krayzie wrote:I'm trying to find the fingerprint palmrest and I don't see it on eBay. I called IBM Parts (called twice with diff. agents just to make sure) and they want $375CAD!!! :eek:
That's insane for a piece of plastic with a touchpad and a FPR. :eek:

I would post a WTB ad in the marketplace, I'm sure someone will have a spare palmrest that they are willing to part with for a heck of a lot cheaper than that.



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Re: Ordered a T400s

#20 Post by Brian10161 » Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:42 am

I just noticed something, not sure if the latest BIOS did it. But when I open the lid and turn the computer on, the first time I press the power button it doesn't respond, then when I press it again it starts.

Does it every time, so I don't think it's a hardware issue, but I don't think it did this when I first got it. It has BIOS 1.12, now its 1.20 I think.

Anyone else have this issue?
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#21 Post by mpcook » Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:56 am

Brian10161 wrote:I just noticed something, not sure if the latest BIOS did it. But when I open the lid and turn the computer on, the first time I press the power button it doesn't respond, then when I press it again it starts.

Does it every time, so I don't think it's a hardware issue, but I don't think it did this when I first got it. It has BIOS 1.12, now its 1.20 I think.

Anyone else have this issue?
I thought I had this problem, but I discovered if I wait just a bit, it starts with one press. Try that. Although, I just updated to 1.20 so I should check this again.

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Re: Ordered a T400s

#22 Post by Brian10161 » Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:14 pm

mpcook wrote:I thought I had this problem, but I discovered if I wait just a bit, it starts with one press. Try that. Although, I just updated to 1.20 so I should check this again.

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Tested and your right, I just have to let it sit for a sec then it starts. Kind of weird, but as long as it works lol

Thanks :)
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#23 Post by mpcook » Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:29 pm

Brian10161 wrote:
Tested and your right, I just have to let it sit for a sec then it starts. Kind of weird, but as long as it works lol

Thanks :)
Wow, I am glad to hear you "fixed" it, and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who thought my computer was "broken" because I was impatient!
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#24 Post by Brian10161 » Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:57 pm

Cool hehe

I managed to get Windows 7 Professional on this thing. I know all the debates and that, but from my personal experience so far, it's way faster on the SSD :)

Now I need to put my W7 sticker on the palm-rest :)
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Re: Ordered a T400s

#25 Post by Brian10161 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 3:36 pm

Ram came in today, huge boost in performance.

Boots up about 10 seconds faster now too, which is nice because I was getting a little worried about the performance of the SSD in this thing. Doesn't seem as fast as my Intel or OCz SSDs in my desktop, but still plenty fast enough for me.

Really loving this computer :)
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