Is T400 portable enough?

Hi
T400 is one of the notebooks im looking at right now.
I am going to use it for school and carry it around a lot so im worrying about its portability.
Do you think it is portable enough?

 

OMG yes. Actually, take what I say with a grain of salt because I've never carried one, lol. However, I do own the T500 which is bigger and in my opinion IS plenty portable. If the T500 is then the T400 must be fantastic.

 

It sort of depends. I know that this will make it up to you to decide, but take it for what's it worth.

I grew tired of using big computers after years of using Powerbooks and MacBook Pros - all of my recent ones being 15" (@ a laughable 1440x900 for a 15'incher). Anyway, I didn't need the power of a T-series or most of the other series for that matter, but I wanted something I could do my work on. I mostly do audio, but I also write. This lead me to the X200s in my signature.

However, and this is the point, I wasn't going to go down in screen resolution, but I wanted something much smaller than my 15" MBP, but mostly I wanted something lighter and with much more battery life than most things out there. Weight-wise it matters a lot to me, as I carry enough gear around as it is, so my "compromise" is to get many benefits from this computer in exchange for a slightly less powerful CPU than I otherwise would have gotten and no discrete graphics. Both of those last ones are concessions that are miniscule in relation to the other benefits this computer gives me.

With that said, were I doing some other kind of work, I would have made other choices, other concessions.

My girlfriend's T400 is a great computer. She needs the extra power in order to do video-work, and one huge benefit of that design over the X200s (at least when we talk video) is that she's able to fit another HDD to use as a scratch disk (instead of the optical drive) when out and about. That benefit alone makes it quite the portable computer for what she does.

With that said, the T400 isn't a big computer. I wouldn't take it with me to travel (backpacking etc.) unless it was seriously needed, whereas I'd contemplate taking mine. It's not as heavy as I thought it would be when it arrived (her T400, that is), and the size of the screen is perhaps better for some than mine (we have the same resolution).

What I'm saying, is that it's all a compromise. If you need the slightly bigger screen vs. resolution, then you have to compare it to others with the same screen size and/or resolution. If you need optical, then compare it to computers with optical drives and so on and so forth. How will you transport yourself also matters. Recording audio as an example is an entirely different beast whether you will be doing recording for a big movie production or as a journalist in a war zone. One place, carrying a generator and a huge UPS is considered "portable" whereas in the other situation even the setup in my signature is considered big and somewhat unwieldy these days.

As said, it isn't huge. So add the weight of your books to the weight of the computer (remember to carry the one, lol), and try to make a decision from that. Either way, I think you will like the size of the T400. To me the size and weight seems like a good "all-rounder" as opposed to mine, which is a bit more "specialised", so to speak.




The most portable computer, of course, will be something easily pocketable, or even a USB-stick.

 

Yes 100%. I have been lugging around a 17in heavy vostro for a while and after switching to the t400 for mobile use I have noticed a HUGE difference in bag weight. 14.1 is commonly referred to as the best size to performance ratio laptop size. Not to mention it gets great battery life, I work all day on battery power with room to spare when i get home before having to plug in.

 

Absolutely agree.

 

Do you have the 6-cell or 9-cell battery?

 

While I agree with a 14.1" being a good compromise between performance and size I find the value of a 15.4" laptop being the higher resolution screens and generally better performance/price ratio. The added size to me is not enough to keep me from bringing it places, and the weight difference isn't that noticeable. I can just as easily lug my T500 around as any T400.

 

I have the 9 cell. Wouldn't get it any other way for this model.

I agree as well. Had I not had my 17in dell back at home I would have chosen the t500 or probably a w500 for the higher res screens and better GPUs. But since I have high res 17in back home the t400 fits me perfectly. To put things into perspective I was one of those guys always claiming 17in are perfectly portable, and I still think this is true. The only time I have run into issues with my 17in is on a plane, and I fly maybe 1-3 times a year on short trips so it isnt too much of an issue. But alas my work broke down and bought me a t400 to replace the 3 laptops I have had die in service to the company.

 

I lug my W500 around everywhere, sometimes not even in a backpack or case because I feel it's light enough. The T400 should be significantly easier.

 

I feel it's fine, it's just about the weight and size of a medium sized textbook. if you really worry about portability, then look at the x200s.

 

Everyone who is saying yes is mostly going off of comparisons with carrying heavier laptops. I think op need give usage as well. The t400 is certainly a laptop you can carry around but an x200 is even more so. Just depends to what extent OP wants features and compromise for weight.

 

I agree the T400 is the best compromise between size, weight and performance. I've had smaller and I've hard larger, but in my opinion the 14.1" T400 is perfect!

 

Portability wise, it depends on what other things you carry around. If you are going to be carrying around couple of textbooks(some of them are really heavier than they should be) along with the laptop then the weight of the T400 is a bit cumbersome. However, if that is not the case, then the T400 should do fine along with some lighter books. Maybe get the 9 cell battery and it should probably be enough for a day of classes and you dont have to carry the A/C adapter.

 

See I carry my t400 with my heavy calculus books and/or java just fine. Heck before my t400 came I was carrying a huge 17in laptop in the place of the t400 just fine. The great thing is I also went for the slim ac adapter so I saved a little weight on that too. See the only issue I have with 12in laptops are the lack of GPU options. I miss my tx2500 and the 3200 that came with it, but it is what led me to the t400 fortunately.

For the general masses anything 15.4 and smaller is considered pretty portable, and if you do what I did before buying youll see that the size difference isnt as much as youd think. Right before I pulled the trigger on my t400 I took my old tx2500, my moms 14.1 gateway, my old acer 5672 15.4 and my dell 17in and to be perfectly honest the size difference between models is negligible at best. It was the difference between the 12in and the 14.1 and my 17 and my old acer that were semi noticeable. The rest of the differences were so minor that most wouldn't even know the difference until both were sitting next to each other.

 

Wow you're not very sensitive to weight difference . I think it also depends on the type of bag you carry. A 15inch laptop is very doable in a backpack, however if you are carrying it with your arm or in a manpurse, etc. a real ultra portable is very nice to have.

 

I would say the T400 is small/light enough to be considered fairly portable. However, it only just makes that level in my opinion.

If you are carrying it around frequently and can make do without the optical drive, dedicated GPU (only a plus for light-moderate gaming), and the second spindle (optical or 2nd HDD) then I think one of the x200 variants would be a far better choice. You sacrifice very little performance, have the option of increased usability and screen quality (tablet), and reduce your carry weight by 28-50% depending on configuration (a 9 cell T400 is 5.4 lb. vs. a 6 cell x200s at 2.71 lb. with identical resolution and battery life).

 

I've only used standard screens and I love the 14.1 form factor, although I've never had an ultraportable which those seems really nice.
But I'm wondering if people here likes it better the 14.1 widescreen version versus the old 4:3 form factor, in terms of portability.

 

In my opinion, the 14.1" widescreen versions are WORSE than the old 4:3 form factor for portability.

Case in point (all measurements in mm at the THICKEST POINT [from taBook or tawBook]):

Dimensions for my x200 Tablet w/ 8 cell battery:

295x257x33 @ 1.76kg

Dimensions of x200s w/ 6 cell battery:

295x210x35 @ 1.23kg

Dimensions of my old 14.1" T40 w/ 6 cell battery:

311x255x31 @ 2.22kg

Dimensions for T400 w/ 6 cell battery:

335x270x32 @ 2.3kg


As you can see, the new 14.1" wide models are not only wider, but they are also deeper than the old 14.1" standard models (6 cell sticks out the back on 14W machines). In fact, the 12.1" x200 Tablet w/ 8 cell is by far the closest machine to the old T4x in terms of cross section (and substantially lighter in weight).

These are the numbers I went by when I upgraded my T40 as I did not want anything with a larger overall footprint (often more important than weight in my opinion).

 

I carried my 17in in a backpack, messenger bag and in hand all felt normal and fine. It really stinks that my dell doesnt have decent battery life.

 

Thinkpads do not belong in a manbag.

 

What may I ask do you call a "manbag".

Because I think the case that I use might match that description and is a fantastic case for a ThinkPad.

 

Heh, Jon.

Mastah: people can use whatever they want to carry their stuff . I use a backpack myself.

 

I carry my T500 in a nice (and cheap, I got it when Fry's had it for $10) Samsonite messenger bag. Even though it's quite heavy (6.3 pounds with the 9-cell, and I usually bring alone my spare adapter and other small accessories as well), it's still quite portable unless I have to carry it around for hours. Then the weight starts to show.

In my opinion, a 14" like the T400 is plenty portable. A 12" laptop like my old Averatec was really nice to carry around though.