Latitude E6400 durability vs T400

I am currently trying to figure out which new laptop to buy for myself. My main choices are now lenovo T400 and Dell E6400. I've had good experiences with thinkpad's durability, but what makes me apprehensive to buy one right now is the dubious panel quality that lenovo uses. Dell on the other hand seems to use much better LED panels, but I am worried about durability of the computer. I've used Latitude D820 (work laptop) and a 15" Inspiron (my wife's) and both have literally fallen appart in year and a half. By fallen appart i mean extremely loose monitor hinges, keys falling off and chipped plastic parts. The Latitude developed a discolored streak on the bottom of the panel. IBM T42 and Asus (G1) I am currently using have held up very well to abuse that I throw at them. Both are still extremely solid with hinges and other parts having barely any wear or deterioration. I dont baby my laptops at all, and need them to be able to hold up being carried everywhere with me all the time, bumpy bicycle commutes in my backpack (vibrations) and ability to haldle a possible drop once a in while.

Are the new latitudes any better build quality wise and will stand up to a very abusive user like myself? Has anybody used one heavily since the time they first came out and can comment on their general durability?

 

I've only had my E6400 for only a couple of weeks, so I can't comment too much on their long-term durability. I can say that compared to the D-series and old Inspirons they are a major improvement in quality. They don't feel like hunks of plastic. The magnesium-alloy definitely puts it on the same level as Lenovo's.

I was in the same boat, deciding between a T400 and a E6400. I wanted my laptop to last (ideally) 5 years of heavy daily use, but not as much abuse as you mentioned. The deciding factor for me was the LCD-backlit high-res screen, cheaper SSD, and the backlit keyboard the E6400 has. But if your highest concern is durability, I would concede that the T400 may be your better bet.

Either way, invest in the best warranty you can afford Oh, and a neoprene laptop sleeve + a backpack made for laptops would probably be nice too.

 

You think the T42 is better built than the D820 ?
I've had both laptops, and can say with 100% confidence that the D820 is better built.
Problems with the T42:
GPU flex due to weak casing
Screen damage due to weak lcd cover.


The damage to your D820 sounds non-critical, the damage to the T42 above is critical.

That being said, the current crop of thinkpads is MUCH better than the T42, with the inetrnnal rollcage (incl. around the lcd).

I'd recommend to go with whatver laptop has the best specs/price. You may also want to invest in accidental damage coverage.

 

I've had the total opposite experience. D820 flexed like crazy on LCD cover and keyboard was super flexy as well. The screen even developed a reddish streak towards the bottom of the panel, which i thought was due to flexing. It literally fell appart from the beating, while t42 is still relatively solid. Fortunatley i didnt buy the D820 myself. And my biggest worry now is that the E6400 is anything like the D820, which i had a completely terrible experience with.

 

I have to say the T42 I've used is probably one of the best built notebooks ever. The subsequent T61/T400 seems to go down in quality. While Dell's D and E series have had very good build quality but have seen improvements in build quality in newer generations.

 

and the end of the day.... it's your preferences in viewing the LCD and typing on the keyboard

the rest can either be warrantied-replaced or repaired

but doing productivity that matched your body is different


coz in my case, i find the keyboard of the dell easy and comfortable to type compared to the lenovo series
i find the hp NX series better in keyboard compared to IBM's T series
the best for me was the latitude series

 

I believe that the E6500 has a better keyboard than the T400 and definitely a better screen. It is the same screen as the one used in the macbook pro. If you are only interested in the E6400, then I think that you're talking about the same screen as used in the T400 LED (although I think they no longer offer the wxga+ variant). Get the Samsung screen in the T400 and you may not be happy at the milky appearance. Get the LG one, and things should be a bit better. But it is still my opinion that the Macbook pro screen that is used in the E6500 is the best LED screen b/c of its crazy brightness (great for watching video without inherently wanting "more" brightness) and its high contrast ratio. There was no such thing as black on the T400 screen that I had, although it was bright as anything, but it was milky. The E6500 screen that I've got suffers from none of those problems, and of course that's why I got it. It's as good as advertised, and somewhere between 35-50% of a macbook pro price.
The keyboard is softer and has great, deep travel, just enough resistance, and no flex. It's also backlit like the macbook pro's rather than just a thinklight.
I would rate the T400's build quality as better, but not by much.
The T400's touchpad and pointing stick are better, though.
If you must have a 14" and don't care about nuts about screen quality, get the E6400 over the T400.

 

Unfortunately I dont want a 15 inch laptop now. This is not ideal, as i love the panels on macbook pros (my wife has one), but commuting on a bike they simply too big to lug everywhere. Ideally I would like a 13" panel, but all decent options are priced out of my range (sony z, lenovo x301, etc). Is the LG LED panel on lenovo same as on dell? What is the part number of that panel that is used on the dell? Is there also a lottery between samsung/LG panels on outlet models or new builds?

Lenovo doesnt offer the wxga+ LED screen to general public right now, but it is still available through state purchasing contract with no delay, and i can take advantage of that. I have a hunch that the option will appear again soon for everybody.

 

I again flat out disagree. The T42 may look and feel better (and may have really better keyboard); but structurally, its no comparison to the T61/T400 with its internal casing. The T61/T400 may look cheesy due to their cheap outer plastic encasing, but really thats just an outer skin. You have to look inside to appreciate the quality.

Regarding screen flex on the D820 vs T42, not sure about that. But I can say that when I press the LCD cover, the T42 ripples a lot more. I actually think I may have damaged an LCD as I had put it in a tightly packed bacpack. Now, I'm afraid to put it in a backpack with other stuff.

Also, the SXGA+ panels in T42/T30/T60 were some of the worst I have seen

 

I say take the E6400 plus if you go in the outlet you can score an amazing deal on one.

The Lenovo outlet to me is now set up too well.