Connecting External Monitor to the T400

I'm looking into purchasing the ViewSonic VP2365WB, to use as an external monitor for my Lenovo T400, but I've read that with the T400s there can be connectivity issues with LCD monitors.

This might be a dumb question, but will this require a docking station or any kind of adapter? Or should it work right out of the box? (Forgive me, but I do not know too much about the video ports)

Thanks for the help.

 

You can do it via VGA, but you'll need dock for a digital connection.

 

First question is do you own a T400 or a T400s? They're rather different machines. I have direct experience with a T400, so hopefully this will help you:

The monitor you're looking at has both VGA and DVI outputs. The T400 has an integrated VGA adapter, so if you're looking for the cheapest solution you can simply plug the VGA cable into the side of the T400 and use it like that.

However, some people notice image 'fuzziness' and other image quality reduction issues with using an analog connection like VGA. If you experience this and it bothers you, you can purchase a ThinkPad Advanced Mini Dock off of eBay; I just picked up one for my T500 for around $40-50. This is the more elegant solution and one I definitely recommend.

With the dock, you can attach the DVI cable from the monitor to the dock; if you have other peripherals you want to keep at your desk(external keyboard, mouse and speakers for example) you can attach those to the dock as well. Connect a ThinkPad power adapter to the dock and you can simply set your system in the dock and use the external monitor and peripherals without having to plug and unplug a bunch of devices from your machine every time you want to use or leave your setup. If you want to you can have a second monitor attached via the included VGA port on the dock; the T400's internal display will be disabled if you go this route, though.

 

T400s <--- as in the actual T400s machine have displayport, which mean you can use a DP->DVI converter to directly connect to the dvi port of an external LCD.

For T400 machines, the cheapest way to get the DVI function is to get a second hand Advanced mini dock, which also has a SPDIF connector that you can use. (You would also gain the function of a usb hub, parallel/serial, ps/2, etc.

 

My laptop is a standard T400.

I anticipate learning/doing a lot of graphic design work with Photoshop, Ilustrator, etc. in the near future so I am looking for the best picture quality possible. It sounds like the mini dock might be the best way to go.