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Lenovo T400 or Sony Vaio FW140D

M

MyLeftNut

Senior member
I've been trying to decide and would like some opinions to help with my purchase. I will be using it for school during lectures and perhaps in libraries, I don't go around town messing around with my laptop to get me off. I also have a powerful desktop at home. My requirements are that the laptop just needs to be portable and I don't find carrying something 6lbs around to be heavy at all. Both laptops are around the same price.

Lenovo T400
Intel P8400 CPU
14.1" WXGA+ LED Backlight 1440x900
Ati Mobility 3470 256mb
3gb DDR3
80gb HD 5400rpm (cheap to upgrade myself)
CD-RW/DVD-ROM
9 cell Li-Ion Battery (~9hrs)
Intel 5100 Wifi N

Sony Vaio FW140D
Intel P8400 CPU
16.4" 1600x900 Xbrite-ECO (not LED)
Ati Mobility 3470 256mb
3gb DDR2
250gb HD 5400rpm
DVD-RW
Bluetooth
4 cell Li-Ion Battery (should last over 3hrs)
Wifi N

Other aspects of these laptops that I consider are the looks and size. Although the sony is a 16", it's actually quite slim and the quality is excellent and it uses magnesium alloy which gives it sturdyness. The lenovo is small and very portable, but it really is kinda ugly...


Thanks for looking.
 
if you just want portability and dont care about power, why not just get a netbook? theyre small and light. aaaaaand cheap.

otherwise id get the thinkpad. love my t60...but sometimes i dont even feel like taking *that* around with me to classes and its comparable to your t400.

between a bag, books and the t60 you get weighed down fast and sometimes it just feels like a hassle
 
A netbook was originally considered, but looking at the prices for a 6 cell, the only one that is priced reasonably is the Acer Aspire One here in Canada for $400. I don't really like the keyboard and the 9" screen on that though, although I can actually type on the keyboard but I do have to actually make an effort to type with more precision. People with smaller fingers than me seem to think it was hard to type on. Either way, unless another 6 cell netbook for around $400 comes around with better keyboard, netbooks are off the list.

How much extra battery life does an LED screen provide compared to CCFL though? The screen on the Sony does seem a bit dim at full brightness and the fact that it's a larger screen I would think would drain more battery to begin with. I really don't think the weight is going to bother me much. Regarding your thinkpad, what would you say about putting that in your bag and running a few kilometers frequently? Does it have the build and strength for it?
 
Originally posted by: MyLeftNut
A netbook was originally considered, but looking at the prices for a 6 cell, the only one that is priced reasonably is the Acer Aspire One here in Canada for $400. I don't really like the keyboard and the 9" screen on that though, although I can actually type on the keyboard but I do have to actually make an effort to type with more precision. People with smaller fingers than me seem to think it was hard to type on. Either way, unless another 6 cell netbook for around $400 comes around with better keyboard, netbooks are off the list.

How much extra battery life does an LED screen provide compared to CCFL though? The screen on the Sony does seem a bit dim at full brightness and the fact that it's a larger screen I would think would drain more battery to begin with. I really don't think the weight is going to bother me much. Regarding your thinkpad, what would you say about putting that in your bag and running a few kilometers frequently? Does it have the build and strength for it?
Click to expand...
dont know about the battery life. i have a used T60 with a 9 cell and get a good 3 hours out of it easily. probably get more if the battery was new but *shrug* i cant complain.

you want to run a few klicks with at least 7 lbs (bag and laptop) strapped to you? dont you have a locker? 😛

if you were going to run frequently id be concerned about the hard drive on *any* laptop, and thats probably all, at least as far as a thinkpad is concerned.

i cant imagine that vigorous movement like running would be good for a hard drive. wouldnt bother an SSD but thats a costly option where its available (figure ~$100 at least for a 32gb)
 
The T400 preview on Notebook review states that the T400 with the LED screen and hybrid graphics is capable of 7+ hours of battery life with a 9 cell battery.
 
Yeah I saw that review on notebookreview. Too bad I can't see the T400 in person and try it out. I was fortunate enough to play around with the sony that just came out and so far I'm impressed by the build quality and looks, but not so much the brightness of the screen.

And about the running part, yeah, if I were to have 10lbs strapped to me while I run that would be perfect. I used to run with like 40lbs-50lbs with a few text books, binders, laptop, charger and other stuff. This time, if I can go mostly electronic, I think I can cut down that weight by at least half. Say a laptop with charger, protective casing, mouse would be like 6lbs-8lbs? Add another 10lbs for smaller text books and stuff. So I think I can have a bag with around a 20lbs load.
 
If Lenovo would put a eSATA port on that puppy - I'd buy it sight unseen. In the meantime, I make do with my T60 and a eSATA PCMCIA card,
 
Originally posted by: corkyg
If Lenovo would put a eSATA port on that puppy - I'd buy it sight unseen. In the meantime, I make do with my T60 and a eSATA PCMCIA card,
Click to expand...

do you make use of it that often? i just use usb and im happy with it, but i very rarely do large data transfers so *shrug*
 
That eSATA port would be useful for sure, but I just don't think I'll be doing much large transfers with a laptop.
 
Originally posted by: xSauronx
do you make use of it that often? i just use usb and im happy with it, but i very rarely do large data transfers so *shrug*
Click to expand...
Absolutely! I clone the main drive of the T60 to an external eSATA drive every week. I always have a 100% drive replacement that way - eSATA is much faster than USB 2.

I also attach an eSATA external archive drive for digital photos - over 10,000 of them at last count.

 
Originally posted by: corkyg
Originally posted by: xSauronx
do you make use of it that often? i just use usb and im happy with it, but i very rarely do large data transfers so *shrug*
Click to expand...
Absolutely! I clone the main drive of the T60 to an external eSATA drive every week. I always have a 100% drive replacement that way - eSATA is much faster than USB 2.

I also attach an eSATA external archive drive for digital photos - over 10,000 of them at last count.
Click to expand...

you know after looking around im kinda tempted to switch for the hell of it. by the time i sold my drive and bought an esata drive id really only be spending money on the card. hmmmm *starts thinking, probably means im gonna do it*

i wonder if any of the esata cards have linux support
 
Originally posted by: RESmonkey
I have an FW, but I would have gotten a thinkpad if they were availbile/cheaper.
Click to expand...


Any particular reason for the preference for a thinkpad instead of the FW? Also, how was the battery life on the FW for you and did you find that the screen was a bit dim?
 
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