A few questions before I pull the trigger on a T500..

hey guys, new here. found out about this place from my extensive research on the T500.. and got a couple of questions before I jump in..

my main uses for this pc is usage in
- university
- games (but no heavy ones, just old games like starcraft, warcraft.. integrated is fine imo?)
- watching movies (720p is probably highest i'll watch)
- burning dvds as well

now onto my system configuration.. which I have a few questions on

System components
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) 25W
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic - English
15.4" WXGA TFT with LED Backlight
Intel GMA X4500
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (2 DIMM)
US English Keyboard
160GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
DVD Recordable, Ultrabay Slim
Express Card & PC Card Slots
Intel WiFi Link 5300
Yes - AMoM
9 cell Li-Ion Battery
65W AC Adapter; NA, LA, (2pin)
English US Publication

1. for CPU, i'm thinking P8400 for starters then I can upgrade if I ever feel the need to right? like I can buy a cpu from somewhere else then pop it in?

2. LED backlight instead of CCFL backlight, less battery usage on LED backlighting?

3. would 1280x800 be enough for stuff like coding? I was going to get WSXGA+ but it doesnt have LED backlighting.. opinions please

4. can you buy a DVD recordable for this laptop seperately? cause if its cheaper to get it somewhere else than lenovo then I rather do that to save some

5. okay as for the expresscard slot, I wanted eSATA on this, so would "nGear Expresscard 34MM Dual eSATA II Controller for PCI-E Notebooks" work on this? http://www.directcanada.com/search/?kw=esata+expresscard

6. also is the screen a LCD? i heard they are better in terms of battery usage

umm as for part specific questions thats it..
I might decide on getting a T400 (gonna go in store to check out screen sizes tommorow) depending on how big it seems. i'll be carrying this around in my backpack so being portable isnt much of a deal. I mainly chose this because of reading around and convinced that it will be better than a dell in terms of build quality and the 'legendary' keyboard feel. so i hope it doesnt let me down

i'm aware of the flex the T400 might have, so thats kinda pushing me away from it still or has that been fixed?

that will conclude this post for now.. cant think of anything else. all this will total around 1000$~ before tax.
yay for epp and summer sale coupon

Thanks for all the help in advance! looking forward to getting all this cleared up before I jump on board
any comments and opinions is greatly appreciated as well

 

1) choose which cpu you want, and be done with it. whatever way you go, you will find bigger differences to system performance in the other choices you make (like HDD, ram, gpu and OS). cpu is only one part of system performance. all the options are great, as long as P or T series.
2) LED uses less power, and extends battery life, but not as much as having a spare battery, or having a SSD.
3) for detail, you would probably much prefer the WSXGA+. it also gives higher definition/less pixilation/clearer images and text. Higher HD is hard to beat, LED or not.
4) buy the DVD-burner from Lenovo with purchase and forget about it.

15.4' laptops are really desktop luggables. hauling them around can quickly become annoying. they are entirely different from their smaller cousins (though 14" is lot a huge difference - to me, real portability means around 12"). what is OK at the beginning can seem much heavier through the day. I would seriously consider at least a 14".

as for flex (mainly keyboard): I have seen some with flex, others without. The one I was sent is fantastic - much better than expected. I can't work it all out myself...

 

If you're going to get the integrated GPU and WXGA display I would highly recommend looking at the T400, R400, or x200 as they are substantially lighter than the T500. The main reasons to get the T500 are the WSXGA+ display and Radeon 3650.

 

thanks for the tips. i would still like to get get a better picture in person tommorow. btw is there any difference in LED and CCFL back lighting other than lower battery consumption?

thanks as well.
what about WXSGA+ and integrated then? still go for T400?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8sOO-8LP4E
this is my main reason for pulling away a bit from the T400.. i've read that they improved or went back to old thinkpad ways, but can anyone confirm this? (flex mainly)

 

For the T500, the WSXGA+ CCFL display is actually supposed to be of higher quality than the LED variant. Alternatively, the "high-nit" display on the T400 is supposed to be quite good [bright, efficient, great contrast, decent viewing angles]. It all comes down to personal preference, but I find 15.4" laptops to be too big.

 

Yes they should have went back to the old thinkpad ways as documented by the latest reviews.

LEDs are more energy efficient and typically brighter

I would not recommend an integrated card on a system like the T500

 

will put my final decision on the size tommorow, though the t400 does look promising as well

great, but whats your reasoning for not having the integrated on the T500?

 

Might as well get the GPU power with ATI if you are going 15" since it has hybrid graphics. The T400 is better for mobile usage due to smaller size.

 

There is no need to have spend the extra on the dedicated gpu unless you are going to use it. For web surfing, office programs, and most general operations there is absolutely no need for it. For general operation there is mostly downsides: more power used, more heat created, and a noisier system through greater use of the cooling fans. That said, the option to switch on the fly to a powerful dedicated gpu is a fabulous thing to have waiting there on the system.You may one day find that is the case, though you cannot envisage it now. Unless there is a huge extra cost savings involved, having that option hidden away in a system even if hardly ever used, could become really valuable - the difference even between being able to run a program or not. I use the integrated gpu 99% of the time. but occasionally (like when running Google Earth) I switch to the dedicated gpu. One of the reasons i switched to Lenovo from Dell. It is just brilliant. I more have it for future-proofing - and with the W500, I did not have a choice. Whatever you do, do not buy a system without the integrated gpu! - unless you know that the software being used in every given moment demands the dedicated gpu. That's not what the initial question suggested to me...

 

Having dedicated video memory is always a good thing and for university its hard to say when it might come in handy. In addition, its not a huge price boost anyways and you loose very little in terms of battery life because of switchable graphics.

 

get the WSXGA+ and the integrated graphics. i rarely use the 3650 outside gaming. it runs cooler, quieter and has terrific battery life(9 cell). I am sure it will last long this way. I am presently typing this with the T500 on my lap

The WSXGA+ panel is very good for watching HD movies, playing games and doing some plain old multitasking. I do a lot of coding and surfing on this laptop.

Someone was remarking about the substantial amount of RAM that can be saved by stopping the switchable graphics in the bios. You might want to look into that.

The display port is a good addition, but it does not do audio.

The T400 is thinner , lighter and does all of the above without a WSXGA+ screen.

If only lenovo would come with a thinner and lighter T510s with WSXGA+ and WUXGA screens

 

okay havent bought it yet, but can anyone answer the expresscard question? esata is really important to me since its alot faster than USB

 

just ordered.. with WSXGA+ and P8600 (2.40Ghz) + 250gb 5400rpm.

cant wait!

 

I hope you like it! I am sure you will. These are beautiful machines. The main negative (other than hit-and-miss tech support quality) I have found is annoying array of Lenovo add-ons that it is unclear what they do, and not being provided with windows install dvd's; rather being forced to make one's own set of back-to-factory setting disks. A clumsy, time-consuming, and second-class OS arrangement compared to the best of the opposition.

 

heh, i'm used to hit and miss techs.. dealt with too many with my isp already so i'm used to it already

backups shouldnt be a prob either, i've got time

btw it wasa $1150CAD taxes in

 

I dont see any reason why it shouldnt

 

That eSATA card should work fine and provide much faster transfers than USB. However, you should be aware that the current crop of ThinkPads does NOT support booting via an ESATA card (shouldn't be a problem, but you need to be aware).

 

ok thanks for the responses.. had to be sure. i dont need it to boot from esata just data backup i have on esata

esata > usb, must have it heh

playing the waiting game now..