Mr. Keith
Bracketologist
Well, now that I have had some time to mess around with my new computer, I thought I'd share my thoughts, just because.
Lenovo ThinkPad T400: good computer, but I am not blown away. Some of the little things have bugged me thus far.
The specs: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 / 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM (I bought it with 2 GB and added another 2 GB myself) / ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256 MB and switchable graphics technology / 14.1" WXGA+ screen / 6 cell battery
I'll start with the cons first:
-First and foremost, this computer does not possess the "legendary build quality" that ThinkPads have been known for. I don't consider this to be a huge drawback because I was more or less aware of this before I bought the computer. And really, the quality is still pretty good as far as I can tell. But there are some bothersome things though. The palmrests have an almost shocking amount of flex. That was the first thing I noticed when I opened up the computer. Not that I really even care about some flex in the palmrest, but still, the old IBM thinkpad is not like that at all. The keyboard is also not quite as good as the old IBM. Some would have you believe that it is a mushy keyboard. It is not. There is flex, but you have to forcefully press on the keyboard to notice it, which you would never do during normal use. The action is a little bit different. I might never have noticed if I didn't have another ThinkPad to directly compare it to. But having said all that, I don't really have a problem with the exterior. I just think it is worth noting that for the way Lenovo markets the ThinkPad as a super high quality machine, they have probably taken it down a notch, and I can see why maybe some long time ThinkPad fans have been a little disappointed.
-The crapware is pretty bad. I guess I can understand some of it, but what really gets me is that ThinkVantage is pretty much garbage. I seriously have no idea what value it adds to the machine, aside from the fact that you need it for switchable graphics, which I will get to later. Part of it is that they do a horrible job spelling out how you can get the most out of ThinkVantage. It took me way too long to figure out how to use the switchable graphics. It is very easy to use...you just need to look in the right place with the right mouse click. However, if you don't know where to look, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING that even indicates that you have the feature on your computer. Seriously, someone who is not tech savvy might never even know they have the feature.
So basically it's just not a good out-of-the-box experience.
But even though there were some things bothering me a little bit, it IS a nice computer. Here is what I like:
-The system runs like a dream. I couldn't be more pleased with the performance so far.
-It seems to do a good job of managing heat. I spent an hour or some with Galactic Civilizations II, and heat was not an issue at all. Granted, that game is probably not very demanding, but there was minimal heat. It is what it is. (I should also note that I just bought GCII to play on this computer, and I can't get into the game at all. I might need to get a copy of EU III.)
-Battery life seems quite good. I have not timed it, but it is a 6 cell battery and it must be lasting 5 hours or so. I guess that could be a pro or a con depending on what else it out there, but I am pleased. Turning off the discrete graphics seems to tack on an extra hour of battery life. And there is no need to reboot. Just click the discrete graphics on or off, and you are all set. I like it.
-And probably the biggest reason I purchased this computer was the price. A similarly configured Dell Latitude E6400 cost more than $200 extra at the time I was looking. The ThinkPad was very reasonably priced.
Lenovo ThinkPad T400: good computer, but I am not blown away. Some of the little things have bugged me thus far.
The specs: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 / 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM (I bought it with 2 GB and added another 2 GB myself) / ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256 MB and switchable graphics technology / 14.1" WXGA+ screen / 6 cell battery
I'll start with the cons first:
-First and foremost, this computer does not possess the "legendary build quality" that ThinkPads have been known for. I don't consider this to be a huge drawback because I was more or less aware of this before I bought the computer. And really, the quality is still pretty good as far as I can tell. But there are some bothersome things though. The palmrests have an almost shocking amount of flex. That was the first thing I noticed when I opened up the computer. Not that I really even care about some flex in the palmrest, but still, the old IBM thinkpad is not like that at all. The keyboard is also not quite as good as the old IBM. Some would have you believe that it is a mushy keyboard. It is not. There is flex, but you have to forcefully press on the keyboard to notice it, which you would never do during normal use. The action is a little bit different. I might never have noticed if I didn't have another ThinkPad to directly compare it to. But having said all that, I don't really have a problem with the exterior. I just think it is worth noting that for the way Lenovo markets the ThinkPad as a super high quality machine, they have probably taken it down a notch, and I can see why maybe some long time ThinkPad fans have been a little disappointed.
-The crapware is pretty bad. I guess I can understand some of it, but what really gets me is that ThinkVantage is pretty much garbage. I seriously have no idea what value it adds to the machine, aside from the fact that you need it for switchable graphics, which I will get to later. Part of it is that they do a horrible job spelling out how you can get the most out of ThinkVantage. It took me way too long to figure out how to use the switchable graphics. It is very easy to use...you just need to look in the right place with the right mouse click. However, if you don't know where to look, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING that even indicates that you have the feature on your computer. Seriously, someone who is not tech savvy might never even know they have the feature.
So basically it's just not a good out-of-the-box experience.
But even though there were some things bothering me a little bit, it IS a nice computer. Here is what I like:
-The system runs like a dream. I couldn't be more pleased with the performance so far.
-It seems to do a good job of managing heat. I spent an hour or some with Galactic Civilizations II, and heat was not an issue at all. Granted, that game is probably not very demanding, but there was minimal heat. It is what it is. (I should also note that I just bought GCII to play on this computer, and I can't get into the game at all. I might need to get a copy of EU III.)
-Battery life seems quite good. I have not timed it, but it is a 6 cell battery and it must be lasting 5 hours or so. I guess that could be a pro or a con depending on what else it out there, but I am pleased. Turning off the discrete graphics seems to tack on an extra hour of battery life. And there is no need to reboot. Just click the discrete graphics on or off, and you are all set. I like it.
-And probably the biggest reason I purchased this computer was the price. A similarly configured Dell Latitude E6400 cost more than $200 extra at the time I was looking. The ThinkPad was very reasonably priced.
