Lenovo ThinkPad T400

Author's product rating:   

Speed	Fast
Look & Feel	Good
Comfort & Portability	Excellent
Robustness & Durability	Excellent
Value For Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Long battery life, cool under working conditions .
Disadvantages:	ThinkLight is a little bit too bright

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Over the past few weeks, I have been sourcing for notebooks everywhere because I need one for my own personal use, and also to use it when I am outside. Acer, Fujitsu and Apple, they all have quite good and unique features but what I needed was a notebook with not too many sophisticated features and has adequate security solutions. Most of my friends use Acer but they did not advice me to get this brand. They told me that Acer's notebooks have quite short battery lives and that the exterior finishes are easily stained. So, I began my own exploration at a shopping mall which sells IT products. Walking and walking, until I found a notebook of my choice---Lenovo ThinkPad T400. I was pleased with its finishes and the looks. I asked for more information about the RAM and the security features it has. It has the latest DDR3 RAM. Security---built-in Fingerprint reader. It also packs a powerful processor---2.66 GHz, 6MB L2 cache and 1066MHz FSB. With enough thought, I immediately bought it.

Back home, I unpacked the notebook, opened it and took a good look while waiting for its booting. Yes, it was really worth my money. As a first time user, its graphics surely entice me. The screen has LED Backlit technology, which is commendable for a notebook. My ThinkPad comes with a carrying case + USB mouse + notebook lock + recovery software and a Maxtor portable backup & storage.

Let's talk about speed

The ThinkPad T400 has a powerful processor, from Intel. Mentioned earlier, it packs of 2.66 GHz, 6 MB L2 cache and 1066MHz FSB. Hmm... 2.66 GHz, it's the speed I wanted ever for a notebook to have. The FSB, which provides 1066 MHz, is an excellent speed. Another thing I like about the processor is the L2 cache, which is a considering factor when buying notebooks. The L2 cache is 6 MB in size! Hard to imagine but true. Haha.

Look at the display

I must say, the T400's display is brighter than other models and notebooks. You know what, its display panel is brighter than my previous Samsung NC10 (already sold). When I switched off my lights, I could still see some light reflected on the keyboards. The 6-bit LG LED backlit panel is easy on the eyes as it is not too glaring and moreover, you can adjust the brightness. My Samsung NC10, when under 'lights off' conditions, it will be too bright and when I adjusted the brightness, it will be a bit too dark.

Typing on the keyboard

The keyboard has some features, some include the red TrackPoint button and the ThinkVantage blue button, which provides access help and other topics regarding usage of the notebook. What I like is the ThinkVantage button. It's like, with a push of a button, you gain access to topics which you might want to know more or learn more, including security. Another feature would be the 'Fn' key, in short for function key. This key is a shortcut to 12 special ThinkPad features. Some of them include locking the computer , changing the display settings and switching on/off the ThinkLight .

Outstanding performance

The T400, besides having a powerful core 2 Duo processor, Lenovo included for the graphics, an ATI Radeon 3470 video card with 256MB of GDDR3 memory. A speedy 320 GB SATA HDD was also included, which enabled applications to load without much lag. For me, I would say that the T400 is strong and durable for day-to-day usage. It can also, like any other computer, handle games. Of course, this machine is better than other machines. For example, yesterday, I accessed my favourite website Miniclip, and played a random game. I was amazed by the performance!

If you want it to have a longer battery life, you can switch between the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 dedicated graphics, using Lenovo's Switchable Graphics Card Technology''' . This switch can be made without restarting the machine. By not using the dedicated graphics, I can save two hours of additional battery life. Good eh?

Speakers and audio quality

Ah ha!!! Gotcha! The speakers, however, are the Achilles' heel of the T400. Notebooks like the T400, which are designed more for business use, other features are good except for the audio quality. I tested them with a strong bass song and a jazz song. For the jazz song, the speaker fared okay but for the strong bass one, it did not do as well, because of the speakers' bass and midrange. If you wanna watch some videos, it's fine, I mean, from the speakers' performance.

Battery life

My T400 has a 6-cell battery pack which you'll attach them at the back of the computer. After charging them, I tested them out, by playing games with WiFi enabled and in '''Integrated Graphics Mode''' . Just like this, the machine managed 6 hours and 28 minutes roughly. For me, I think having this type of battery would be enough to pass your times.

Ports and output features

The T400 has 3 USB ports and no digital video output. It has VGA but I won't recommend you to make it as a "Part-time" HDTV! One feature that fascinates a first-time ThinkPad user like me, is the ThinkLight, which is a small white LED located above the screen that illuminates the keyboard. It gives a little light on the keys, which I think is a recommendable feature that most laptops/notebooks should have.

T400's engine, quiet or noisy?

The T400 is exceptionally quiet. You won't hear any single noise even if you are running some scans. There is almost no heat generated, and it's colder than warm! But then, if you are gaming, there's a slight noise and some heat.

'''Pros'''

1) 6.5 hours of battery life
2) Cool and quiet under normal working conditions
3) Very bright LED backlit LCD
4) Switchable Graphics Card Technology enabling less power consumption

'''Cons'''

1) ThinkLight is a little bit too glaring, haha!

'''Specifications'''

1) Intel Centrino 2 with vPro Technology
--Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9550
--2.66 GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB
2) Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
3) 14.1" High Resolution WXGA + TFT LCD Panel
4) Switchable Graphics Card Technology
--ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470, 256MB Discrete Video
--Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
5) 4GB PC3-8500 1066MHz DDR3
6) 320GB SATA HDD
7) Removable Dual Layer Super Multi Writer (DVD-R/ RW/ RAM)
8) Fingerprint Recognition Technology
9) Integrated Bluetooth, IEEE1394
10) Intel 10/100/100Mbps Gigabit Ethernet
11) Intel WiFi Link 5300AGN Network connection
12) Integrated 1.3 Mega-Pixel camera, 7 in 1 reader
13) Spill-resistant keyboard, with ThinkLight
14) 6-Cell battery (6.5 hours)
15) Roughly 2.1 Kg

Final verdict

In my opinion, the T400 is one of the best notebooks we can ever get. As a 14.1" notebook, the processor, battery life and some special features really make it shine. There is almost no flaws. The price that I paid for---837GBP. Complete with a carrier case, USB Mouse, notebook lock, Maxtor portable backup and storage and SIX months FREE insurance, it definitely makes it a worth buy!

'''ALSO POSTED ON CIAO.COM UNDER THE SAME USERNAME, JudgeIronFist'''