Having a second thought on T400, Please help!!!

Hello, Folks,

This is what I ordered yesterday during 48hours sale.

Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9600 ( 2.8GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Business with Windows XP Professional Downgrade
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight, Camera
ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256MB
3 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
200 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm with Disk Encryption
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable
6 cell Li-Ion Battery
1 Year Depot Warranty
1 Year ThinkPad Protection
WBR-1310 D-Link Wireless G Router WBR-1310 - wireless router

$1,815.15 (tax included)

It seems pretty good spec at first and now I am having a second thought because of two things.

1. price
Even after 48 hours sales discout, it is expensive. I know I order the top line but is this price appropriate?

2. I have a concern about ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256MB.
Since my use is for autocad, sketchup and 3d modeling work, i realized ati doesn't really cut it. I was trying to contact sales rep all day to switch it to MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 570 Dual-DVI, which used to be for T61.
But no one's answering my email. Is it even possible to switch part before it's shipped to me? very confused and frustrated.

3. one last question.
Okay, if i end up with my original order, how bad is ati for autocad, sketchup, 3d? i don't play game so it's not a factor.

time's ticking, please save my soul and maybe money as well.

JL.

 

Have you tried finding some EPP/CPP discounts or even coupons available online.

I think it will be highly unlikely you will be able to exchange ATI for Nvidia as a graphics option.

 

If you need a good GPU, you're probably going to have to step up to a 15.4" notebook. Smaller notebooks just don't do well with the heat. In fact the 14" version of the T61p you mentioned was pulled for just such reasons. They can't swap the GPU for you because it's soldered to the board. If you're looking to save money the T9600 is a good place to start. It hardly justifies the almost $300 price increase. I'd also get 1GB of memory, then buy a 2GB stick elsewhere. That will save you some money too.

 

I don't have the T400 so I can't comment specifically, but a lot of people are very happy with it. That does seem expensive, near what I dropped on a loaded W500, but I haven't been keeping up with prices since, and I see you included a router.

Not that I know from experience, but from lots of research before my order, I can say that Lenovo does not offer the best return policy. I would say swapping an nvidia would be pretty much impossible.

If you find it suitable to your needs, I would stop looking around for alternatives because you will never be happy with yours if you are constantly looking at the latest greatest computers available; something better always comes along later, it's inevitable.

 

For your needs, you should probably opt for a T500 or W500 (which has a graphics card specially designed for CAD work).

To cut down on price (which I would recommend), first ax the T9600. Its performance edge does not come close to justifying the price premium over the T9400. I might also suggest going for a cheaper hard disk, unless you really do need the disk encryption. You can always buy a hard drive later and swap it (it's very simple on the T400). I also suggest buying it with 1 DIMM of 1GB RAM, and then buying a 2GB stick from Lenovo (remarkably, it's quite a bit cheaper) or elsewhere.

 

One note on the above suggestions regarding backing off to 1 gig and adding a 2-gig stick to save $$...
1 - DDR memory is intended to install in matching pairs (e.g. 2 1-gigs, 2 2-gigs etc). While it will run "asynchronously" the performance is not as good, you will not get the Double Data Rate. Thus go for either 2 gigs (1 stick) now and plan to add another 2 gigs...
2 - newest T400 uses the new DDR3 memory. It is still new and pretty pricy to buy alone, IMO the amount saved this way is not much for the effort and perfoemance hit.

 

Thanks Folks,

but I'll be ed..
I just got the email that they shipped my order today.
The receipt said it will be shipped by 1/19/09. huh....
I guess i'm f***d.

what should i do? should I return despite restocking charge...?

I sent 4 email today to put on hold and no one read!!!

JL-frustrated deeply..

 

When you get it, don't open the box and call for a RMA number. If you don't open it, you will get a full refund. If it's open... restocking fees may apply. Call them before you receive it to make sure though... hopefully you get a CSR that knows what they are doing... I've dealt with a few... undertrained... staff members. It's no fun.

 

1: that is true, performance technically is better in matching pairs. However, in real world benchmarking, the difference in performance is negligible and definitely unnoticable, so you don't have to worry too much about it. The laptop in my sig is running a 1GB stick with a 256MB stick, and it's been chugging along for 4 years.
2: The main advantage of DDR3 is its lower power consumption. Speed difference is, like you said, pretty negligible in real world usage.

I wouldn't go through the hassle now that it's actually shipped. Plus, the restocking fee is 15%, so any cost savings you might have gotten will be balanced out - just enjoy your new lappy when it comes

 

From my readings here, Lenovo seems to ship before the estimated date.

Another thing I seem to have noticed is that whenever someone has second thoughts and tries to cancel or change an order before it ships, they receive no response but somehow the system gets shipped?? Of course I have no proof of this, I just remember reading about things like this happening. Probably just because the satisfied customers are greatly outspoken by those that run into problems.

 

/RatLabGuy

So my 3gb ddr3 combination won't do 100% job?
was I supposed to get 2 2gig sticks for best performance?
(I needed more than 2gig anyway)

 

Generally, people are moved to post on forums to ask for advice/help when something goes wrong with their laptops. Fewer people post online to brag about their new computers

See my post above.

 

Thank you everyone.

it'd been better if I knew this forum b4 I hit order button.

only thing not answered now is the real performance of ati card for cad work.

compared to video card that comes with W500, how bad is this ati card?

I don't want my 3d model move slugish when I rotated it around.

if anyone with t400 has exp on that, please shed some light for me.

Again thank a million!

JL.

ps. I'll call customer service when it arrives to find out about restocking fee.
no restocking fee for unopened box makes sense...but shipping fee may be on me...i suppose.

 

If you're planning to order another config, it may be waived. However, I don't think it was that much ($10 for the 2-day shipping on my custom order)

 

The T400 and W500 use graphic cards that are quite similar from a hardware perspective. The difference comes down to drivers. The Radeons are tuned for games, while the FireGLs (often the exact same card) are tuned for direct OpenGL calls from rendering applications (CAD, Maya, Solidworks, etc.).

The ATI3470 will probably perform far worse than the FireGL (as well as the QuadroFX in the T61P) with the STOCK DRIVERS. However, it may be possible to install FireGL drivers on the Radeon (this sometimes works for desktop cards). However, this will almost certainly not be supported, and may void your warranty.

 

Once it ships you're hosed on the restocking fee. About the only way I've heard of anyone getting out of paying lately is to purchase another machine before returning the other machine. All of this points out the importance of doing your homework, not just in terms of what you need, but reading the policies as well. This is especially true if you're unsure about what you need or a novice in the ways of computers. If you're thinking of trying a return, I'd contact Lenovo soon to see what your options are.

Also, watch the language. We run a very PG forum. I understand this is disconcerting, but that's not an excuse.

 

regarding matching RAM,

how much of a performance his is there by buying 1 stick of 2GB in the T400, then buying another stick of 2GB (different brand)?

Is it ideal to have 2 identical sticks, or if the size/speed is matching that is all that matters?