I received my Thinkpad T40p and Inspiron 8600 about a week ago. Since then I've been camping out with both of them, using them solid every day. Here are my observations. Note that weight and price are of no concern to me. I'm a software developer writing heavy-duty image processing applications, but I'm not much of a gamer. Benchmarks performed on systems with most recent officially-released video drivers.
8600: I bought the WSXGA+ 1680x1050 version, 1.7 GHz, 80GB/4800rpm drive, 512MB, NVidia GeForce FX Go5650. You simply can't imagine how good the screen is. It absolutely blows away any other computer screen I've ever seen. Even my wife is impressed. The resolution is perfect for this 15.4" widescreen size. I'm really glad I didn't go with the next higher resolution WUXGA. The system is incredibly fast, and the keyboard is actually pretty good. I'm a Thinkpad keyboard snob, so it's a big issue with me. I've been developing code on it for a week now, and I'm enjoying using it. It doesn't have the keyboard flex/bounce issues that I've been reading about with regards to the 8500. The only problem I've found is the left button for the trackpoint stick is difficult to press. The 8600 is pretty bulky, but fits right into either of my carrying bags with no problem. For all it's bulk, I'm surprised Dell didn't add a second optical bay or built-in floppy. When you run graphics-intensive apps (like Aquamark) you can hear the fan turn on and I'd say it's "medium loud" but the 8600 stays cool. I haven't tested burning DVD's yet. It's much better built than the previous Dell's I've seen (notably the Inspiron 8000), but still not rock-solid like the Thinkpads. The wireless LAN is very good. The speakers produce excellent sound. Again - you can't believe how good this screen is. Really.
My 8600 Benchmarks:
Sandra Sisoft combined index: 1627
Sisoft file system benchmark: 15281
Aquamark3: 12714 (GFX=1386, CPU=7711)
3DMark03 Patch 330: 2705
3DMark2001 SE Build 330: 9902 3DMarks
GLExcess (OpenGL benchmark): 14374 XSMARKS (all tests run)
T40p: I bought the only-available 1400x1050 resolution, 1.6GHz, 60GB/7200, 512MB, ATI Mobility Radeon FireGL 9000. This is a very solid machine. It's smaller than I expected. Every time I grab it to move it, I'm always amazed how thin this thing is. The 14.1" screen is just average. The colors are bluish and the picture lacks the brightness and contrast of the 8600. The extended-life battery sticks out the back so far that, even though the T40p is smaller than the 8600, it doesn't fit into either of my carrying cases correctly. A lot of the I/O ports have been moved to the sides which is annoying if you're going to use it on a desk without a Dock. The keyboard is (of course) excellent. Speakers produce okay sound. The biggest problem I've found with the T40p is the poor quality of the external video. The external image looks fuzzy (even when used in the Dock II). I set two other systems with the exact same resolution/scan rate and compared all three: The T40p external video definitely has a problem (Note: my unit was made in Mexico, not China). The T40p comes with 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet adapter, which would be nice in the future when I upgrade the rest of my hardware. And I love the Thinklight at the top of the LCD, something I wish the 8600 had. The wireless LAN had problems dropping out between suspend/resume sessions. The fan is very quiet, but the T40p got VERY hot at times.
My T40p Benchmarks
Sandra Sisoft combined index: 1556
Sisoft file system benchmark: 16662
Aquamark3: 3838 (GFX=399, CPU=4798) (see note below)
3DMark03 Patch 330: 931
3DMark2001 SE Build 330: 6876 3DMarks
GLExcess (OpenGL benchmark): 6164 XSMARKS (all tests run)
Note: It was painful to watch the Aquamark3 benchmark running on the T40p. There were a lot of strange draw errors and performance was horrible. I don't know why. The T40p comes with the ATI Mobility FireGL 9000, and I used driver version 6.13.10.6344, which is the current driver on IBM's website.
Between the machines, the 8600 has a 1.7GHz Centrino and the T40p has a 1.6 GHz. But the 8600 has only a 4800RPM drive, while the T40p has a 7200RPM drive. Overall, I judge the two machines to be equal in non-gaming performance, with the 8600 trashing the T40p in gaming performance. I've been following the HL2/DX9 performance issues between the Radeon 9800 and the NVidia 5650 and think that it's a bunch of B.S. Valve is being unreasonable to NVidia (in my opinion) as discussed at TomsHardware (http://www20.tomshardware.com/business/20030911/index.html).
Summary: I'm returning the T40p and keeping the 8600. I'm a long-time Thinkpad fan and I really expected to like the T40p better, but the Inspiron is simply a better machine for me. I'll probably upgrade the 8600 to an 80GB/7200 drive as they become available. And every time I look over at the 8600's screen, I think "Wow."
8600: I bought the WSXGA+ 1680x1050 version, 1.7 GHz, 80GB/4800rpm drive, 512MB, NVidia GeForce FX Go5650. You simply can't imagine how good the screen is. It absolutely blows away any other computer screen I've ever seen. Even my wife is impressed. The resolution is perfect for this 15.4" widescreen size. I'm really glad I didn't go with the next higher resolution WUXGA. The system is incredibly fast, and the keyboard is actually pretty good. I'm a Thinkpad keyboard snob, so it's a big issue with me. I've been developing code on it for a week now, and I'm enjoying using it. It doesn't have the keyboard flex/bounce issues that I've been reading about with regards to the 8500. The only problem I've found is the left button for the trackpoint stick is difficult to press. The 8600 is pretty bulky, but fits right into either of my carrying bags with no problem. For all it's bulk, I'm surprised Dell didn't add a second optical bay or built-in floppy. When you run graphics-intensive apps (like Aquamark) you can hear the fan turn on and I'd say it's "medium loud" but the 8600 stays cool. I haven't tested burning DVD's yet. It's much better built than the previous Dell's I've seen (notably the Inspiron 8000), but still not rock-solid like the Thinkpads. The wireless LAN is very good. The speakers produce excellent sound. Again - you can't believe how good this screen is. Really.
My 8600 Benchmarks:
Sandra Sisoft combined index: 1627
Sisoft file system benchmark: 15281
Aquamark3: 12714 (GFX=1386, CPU=7711)
3DMark03 Patch 330: 2705
3DMark2001 SE Build 330: 9902 3DMarks
GLExcess (OpenGL benchmark): 14374 XSMARKS (all tests run)
T40p: I bought the only-available 1400x1050 resolution, 1.6GHz, 60GB/7200, 512MB, ATI Mobility Radeon FireGL 9000. This is a very solid machine. It's smaller than I expected. Every time I grab it to move it, I'm always amazed how thin this thing is. The 14.1" screen is just average. The colors are bluish and the picture lacks the brightness and contrast of the 8600. The extended-life battery sticks out the back so far that, even though the T40p is smaller than the 8600, it doesn't fit into either of my carrying cases correctly. A lot of the I/O ports have been moved to the sides which is annoying if you're going to use it on a desk without a Dock. The keyboard is (of course) excellent. Speakers produce okay sound. The biggest problem I've found with the T40p is the poor quality of the external video. The external image looks fuzzy (even when used in the Dock II). I set two other systems with the exact same resolution/scan rate and compared all three: The T40p external video definitely has a problem (Note: my unit was made in Mexico, not China). The T40p comes with 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet adapter, which would be nice in the future when I upgrade the rest of my hardware. And I love the Thinklight at the top of the LCD, something I wish the 8600 had. The wireless LAN had problems dropping out between suspend/resume sessions. The fan is very quiet, but the T40p got VERY hot at times.
My T40p Benchmarks
Sandra Sisoft combined index: 1556
Sisoft file system benchmark: 16662
Aquamark3: 3838 (GFX=399, CPU=4798) (see note below)
3DMark03 Patch 330: 931
3DMark2001 SE Build 330: 6876 3DMarks
GLExcess (OpenGL benchmark): 6164 XSMARKS (all tests run)
Note: It was painful to watch the Aquamark3 benchmark running on the T40p. There were a lot of strange draw errors and performance was horrible. I don't know why. The T40p comes with the ATI Mobility FireGL 9000, and I used driver version 6.13.10.6344, which is the current driver on IBM's website.
Between the machines, the 8600 has a 1.7GHz Centrino and the T40p has a 1.6 GHz. But the 8600 has only a 4800RPM drive, while the T40p has a 7200RPM drive. Overall, I judge the two machines to be equal in non-gaming performance, with the 8600 trashing the T40p in gaming performance. I've been following the HL2/DX9 performance issues between the Radeon 9800 and the NVidia 5650 and think that it's a bunch of B.S. Valve is being unreasonable to NVidia (in my opinion) as discussed at TomsHardware (http://www20.tomshardware.com/business/20030911/index.html).
Summary: I'm returning the T40p and keeping the 8600. I'm a long-time Thinkpad fan and I really expected to like the T40p better, but the Inspiron is simply a better machine for me. I'll probably upgrade the 8600 to an 80GB/7200 drive as they become available. And every time I look over at the 8600's screen, I think "Wow."
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