Intel 4500HD vs. ATI 3570

Hi,

I'm debating whether to purchase the T400 (ATI 3570) or X200(Intel 4500MHD). I like the T400 because it'll be a power house, but the X200 because it's small. My main tipping point is the graphics card. I want to be able to play some games (new or old) with decent settings. For example, with Microsoft Flight Sim X, I'd want to be able to play it with almost all the settings on high.

I couldn't really find any comparisons or what will work and what won't work with the Intel card and such.

I'm looking to buy my computer within a few hours, so any advice is much appreciated!

 

you cant be thrown between T400 and X200. Both cater to 2 different needs.

X200 is all about portability and T400, as you mentioned, is a solid laptop.
if you play games, use photoshop (lets say) and stuff and still wanna carry it around T400 is what you should go for (that's what I did)

If portability is the only concern, like .. you're always on the move, you wanna check your mails, be upto date, do non-rigorous word-processing etc You need a laptop with decent power which is more portable. X200 is your friend then.

I havent answered your question. You gotta see for yourself what you expect from this laptop.

ike you can carry it around without trouble but cant play your games, or it can do a *lot* but its a pain to take it anywhere.

Its upto you now !

 

True, they do cater to different needs, but I guess I'm not sure what I want.

I like the portability of the x200 since it'll be nice to carry around, but the power of the t400. I'm a college student and would like to use this laptop for several years.

I would assume the x200 would be able to handle Photoshop, Illustrator, and such without slowing down. Am I assuming wrong?

Games arent' as important to me as being able to do Photoshop, etc without noticing a dramatic slow down.

 

The T400 has a slightly faster proccesor you can choose from and is quite a bit larger and heavier. It is a more complete laptop with the hybrid graphics and larger screen. However it is also not fully magnesium alloy and not as rigid or strong a portable as the X200. If you are on the road often and need to carry the laptop around everywhere you go, the wieght should play a bigger factor and yes you can play games with the X200 and it is the fastest laptop in its ultra-portable segment and has the record so far for longest battery life using the 9 cell battery. Get more ram if you are worried about photoshop as the proccesor has plenty of juice to make it run fast. If it is gaming that is most important, I would look into the T500 as it has an even better switchable GPU.

 

You won't be able to run any (recent) games on decent settings with the 4500.
You can probably run medium settings with the ATI card, but don't expect performance that you would get from a desktop..

 

I'm a student myself and I went with T400.

and I dont think someone would keep a laptop for several years. I always invest moderately and change often.

This would be my third laptop .. Previous owned a Compaq 1.6 Turion and an Acer ..

my $.02

 

Thanks for the help! I think I'm going with the x200 since it's lighter, smaller, and seems like a great buy.

Jeffjose, I do expect a laptop to last throughout college (4 years) if you take care of it.

 

Here is the summary of my configed x200:

Intel Core2 Duo processor P8400 (2.26GHz, 3MB L2, 1066MHz FSB)1
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic12
12.1 WXGA (1280x800), 2x2 UltraConnect II antenna , WWAN, Camera
Intel GMA X4500 HD
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)8
TrackPoint
80GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm4
No Bluetooth
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN)10
Integrated Wireless Wide Area Network upgradable65
ThinkPad X200 Series 9 cell Li-Ion Battery60
7454: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller7

~$1000

I wasn't sure how much of a difference the P8600 processor would be over the P8400 and how much I'd be using blue tooth.

 

Good Luck with the buy.

I'd buy a 12inch laptop as soon as they have dedicated graphics in them
But I think my new t400 is gonna last for long (since i'm planning to take good care of the machine )

@sudeepr71 You from India, and going for engineering or something ?

 

Yeah, I understand the dedicated graphics (hence this thread).

Any ideas on the P8400 vs. P8600?

@jeffjose. No, I go to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But I am doing engineering.

 

Don't expect any laptop to run FSX well....

 

Hello. I'm also meditate upon purchasing notebook with one of these two graphic cards. I prefer mobility, but may be somebody could tell me how much longer (approximately, of course) notebook works with Intel 4500MHD (if other conditions are the same). I just want to understand if the difference in working time that provides Intel 4500MHD is considerable or it isn't...

 

If you go for the T400 it has BOTH the x4500MHD and ATI 3470. You can use the Intel graphics for extended battery life (or low heat) and switch to the ATI for light gaming. The difference between the two cards should be on the order of about 3 watts (can be quite significant).

Personally, I find the value of portability to outweigh the moderate improvement in graphics performance, but you will have to make this decision yourself.

 

Agreed. Advantages of the T400 are switchable graphics, LED backlighting, higher resolution and integrated optical drive, trackpad (though I prefer the trackpoint). If you aren't set on any of those features, I'd recommend the x200. The integrated graphics are suprisingly good and the perfomance of this system in general is outstanding. The only downside to the x200 in my opinion is the screen. The screen has relatively poor viewing angles and the black/greys could be better during video playback, but minor details. You'll appreciate the form factor/weight and there are very few drawbacks.

 

Very true, although the x200s eliminates the LED backlight and resolution advantages and the x200T has a screen better than any other current ThinkPad.

 

There is a 12 incher with GPU, the HP Pavilion Dv2. It uses ATI GPU.

 

In theory it has 140 Mhz advantage, but in real life you will not see any diference. I wouldn't bother to pay more for the P8600.