Is it worth buying a T400/x301 now?

Hey ya'll

Just wondering on your opinions, I'm about to jump the gun and buy a T400 nicely loaded, or an X301 from the outlet.

But wanted to know if it was worth it to wait till the new models come out or not.

 

Well, you know that the new refresh is coming out in 1 month. But it might be 2 months until you get it in your hands. If the firesales on the T400 and X301 are already starting, then you might as well grab it now. The new models won't be heavily discounted. If your goal is not price, but having the latest and greatest, then I would wait.

 

I figure a core2duo should be pretty sufficient for a while. It's only a secondary machine, as I already have a powerful workstation at home for any gaming needs.

At most, I'll be playing starcraft 2, or some other games to pass the time. Office, light photoshop, lots of web browsing and movie watching.

 

New versions will likely have bigger trackpad with multi-touch and eSata - and probably better quality screen options for movie watching too.

At this point with 3 weeks to go and the thing takes like 2 weeks to deliver anyway, I just dont see the point. if you figure you want the thing to last you 2-3-4 years why saddle yourself with old-generation technology instead of new.

 

well if the new ones come out at $1500++, he can save 50% and still get a great laptop.

Also, I don't think a lot of ppl need the i7 processors - except if you're gaming or using Matlab etc.

I'd only consider the new ones if they are thinner+lighter, if it's just the specs then forget about it. However I'd wait till they come out, as prices would drop more.

 

I would go ahead and buy now, I just bought a new X301 a few weeks ago. Plus, I managed to get an extra $100 off (the black Friday sale, I did a price match). The X301 is supposedly going to be refreshed a little after the regualer T410, T510, etc. So, probably around late March you'd have the new X302/Xwhatever in hand.

 

I dont think its an "if" - Lenovo has more or less telegraphed that what they did in the T400s is a testbed for next iteration of the regular T400 series, then you are likely to have better screens and multi-touch touchpad as well. Sot that's not specs - in fact the CPU is the least of my concerns. The screen in particular on these models needs upgrading, so if that comes it is well worth the wait.

Things like the screen and touchpad and body size/weight are not things you can upgrade or improve yourself. So to be caught on the wrong side of generational change is not good.

In any case when the new one comes out you will still be able to buy the old models for some time cheap as a refurb from lenovo and new via their resellers. So there really isnt any downside to waiting 3 weeks.

 

If you dont need it now then wait, otherwise grab one. For those light tasks anything out now will do those tasks the same. The C2D will be more then sufficient in those tasks for many years to come.

 

Well, the X301 will stick around in the outlet for awhile regardless. It also looks like they won't be updating it until at least March. However, the T400 might not be available much past January, and customizability will certainly start losing some options.

Why worry about the T400 options after the new machines are out? Like others have said, the T410 will NOT be priced the same as the T400 is now for some months. Look at the base price for a minimum spec T400, it's just over $1200. Slowly since release that's come down to $740, plus you get sizable discounts on top of that. Sure, there will be the 15% and 20% sales shortly after release, but that base price is going to take time to come down.

You need to decide if your budget can stretch to that $1200+ level.

 

Unfortunately, I don't see Lenovo getting better screen options for their next revision...

 

If you're going to watch lots of movies, pay particular attention to the screen quality. The x301 is thought to have a poor screen, and the T400 high nit screen is supposed to be not bad. I wouldn't hold your breath for finding a good screen in Lenovo non-tablet laptop. I still have no clue why Lenovo can't source better screens and charge a premium for it. Would it kill them to do that? They're a big company and have full volume buying power leverage, so it can't be that they can't afford it. They are simply penny wise and pound foolish, i.e., they're trying to get their unit cost down as low as possible (by buying the cheapest and worst screens that they can procure) and in the process slowly but surely eroding their reputation. It's just not the way to do business.

 

You could hardly go wrong with the dirt cheap deals they have on the T400 right now! I don't even need a new laptop and I'm tempted to order one.....


ThinkPad T400
2.4GHz Intel C2D P8600
Windows 7 Home Premium 64
14.1" WXGA (1280x800) CCFL display
2GB DDR3 RAM (1-DIMM, 1-slot open)
160GB 5400rpm hard drive
DVD-RW
Intel 5100AGN wireless
4-cell Battery
$565.33 after discounts!!!

You can't even buy a crappy plastic retail notebook with those specs for anywhere near that price! And you get a magnesium alloy ThinkPad Roll Cage, Top Cover Roll Cage, amazing keyboard and much longer life expectancy!

If you change your mind and want a newer model in a few months, I'd be willing to bet you could easily sell the T400 for $550 on Ebay.... just a thought.

 

I have physically seen the X301's display and the T400's WXGA CCFL and WXGA+ LED display option. T400's WXGA+ (1440x900) LED is a noticeable improvement over the base display in overall image quality, not just brightness (the base CCFL has a brightness rating of 185 nits, the WXGA LED is 200nits and the WXGA+ is a much brighter 250 nits). It's well worth the upgrade, IMO.

 

if they are on special now, then now to around Christmas is the best time to take advantage of the discount offer.

 

I'd wait until Jan 7? when the new machines will be formally announced. Then you'll be able to compare the specs of interest on both lines and make a decision.

It's not like they are going to stop making the T400/x301 come January. They will likely be in production for another 6 months.

 

I doubt they will keep making T400 for 6months after Jan7...They need the production lines for the new series.

Like look at the SL400-500 example, when the new series came out they were immediately replaced. (immediately=1week)

 

They'll keep making them in the background, but they won't be available on the website for long. There have been exceptions to this in the past, but I don't think they will this time.

Lenovo's bread and butter for the Thinkpad line is larger businesses. These businesses often don't validate many machines for purchase, and don't want to validate new machines often. So they'll keep some key preconfigured models available for some time.

 

when a new model is released, the old model that is still available will severely limited in options and you would have to wait a long time for delivery, as sometimes they are building it with parts left over from different places. It is not unheard of, to wait around one or two months for the delivery. There is also a chance that your order may get cancelled at the last minute, when they can't get the parts for your machine, after you have waited for a month.

 

I agree.

I would pull the trigger before January at the latest. Boxing day sales might be the best time to get the cheapest price. I placed my T61 order right before the new refresh came out last August.

 

Well Considering I can get a pretty loaded T400 for about $1150 (which is pushing my budget)

-C2D 2.8Ghz 6mb cache
-4GB Ram
-250GB Encrypted Drive
-Upgraded Wi-fi
-LED + Camera Screen (WXGA+)
-New (not outlet)

or an X301 for approx the same price.

I dont think I could get this kind of deal later on in january.

 

there is no real point of getting a really expensive top of the line CPU, so just get an entry level P8xxx or entry level T9xxx CPU, this is the most cost effective. P8xxx with 3 mb of L2 cache is no slouch compared to the T9xxx L2 6 mb cache.

 

The T400 with integrated graphics comes with the 2.4GHz P8600 and the model with dedicated graphics comes with the 2.53GHz P8700. Both are highly capable processors for most users. Besides, Lenovo's upgrade pricing is pretty steep-

P8700-standard
P8800- $50
T9600- $120
P9500- $225
T9900- $375

The only difference between the standard P8700 and the $225 upgrade P9500 is 3mb vs. 6mb of L2 cache)....so not worth it!

 

Are you Canadian? Even that, it's pretty expensive for a T400. Get the cheapest option of RAM and HDD.

 

Any particular reason for that? I chose the 4GB because the sticks would come matched from the factory. I've had bad experiences purchasing machines with 2GB (1 Dimm), and adding another.

The HDD is 250GB Encrypted. Again, straight from the factory so everything works properly.

BTW, the price I posted was after tax

 

Lenovo's prices on memory and hard drives are pretty good, actually, unless you go SSD or single sticks of memory. I would stick with the 4GB 2 DIMM configuration, but do you really need/want full drive encryption? If you do, and can't do it yourself, go for it.

 

At some point I may have to store lots of financial data on the drive itself.
I have a 5TB array at home for storage, and a 2TB file/media server in my laundry room... so space isn't really an issue.

 

Ok, it makes more sense if it's after tax. Still, a single 2GB stick will cut your price down...If you need more RAM, just get another stick from a reputated maufacturer.