lenovo-thinkpad-t400The T series of Lenovo’s Thinkpad family offers a strong combination of value, performance and portability. They are less bulkier than SL business series or budget R series and costs less than ultra-portable X series or powerful W series. This time its  T400 business notebook that we are going to review. It offers good performance at a reasonable price. In this review you’ll find details of :

Design

The T400 design is based on the classic ThinkPad look rather than trying to be modern like the Dell or HP laptops. The chassis and the keyboard are black with some slate blue markings on some keys including the ThinkVantage button which launches Lenovo’s utility software and the Enter key. The green status lights are just below the screen.
The hinges are plain and metallic rather than sleek and black ones.

Processor, RAM

From a vast choice of processor and memories, the standard system is equipped with a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and a Centrino 2 Chipset with 2GB DDR3 RAM. Multitasking on T400 is a breeze and performance is more than good in both energy saving graphics mode or high performance mode.
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Graphics

There are two graphics options :  an integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD chip or a switchable graphics solution, which lets users toggle between the same energy-efficient Intel chip and a more-powerful discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 card without needing to reboot. The switchable graphics if switched to energy efficient mode makes the battery run 20% longer on normal operation.
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Ports

There are all standard ports to fulfill your professional needs. On the right side are the optical drive and a single USB port. On the left is an ExpressCard/54 slot, an Ethernet port, a modem jack, and two more USB ports. The front lip houses a FireWire port, along with microphone and headphone jacks, while the back has a Kensington lock. The system even comes with a fingerprint reader for added security. The only missing thing is display port or HDMI port which is not vital anyway.
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Screen

The anti-glare LED backlit display screen with 300:1 contrast ratio produces bright colors and sharp images. You can select among two resolution of 1280X800 pixel or 1440X900 pixel offered in the 14.1 inch 16:10 aspect ratio screen. Viewing angle was enough for three persons to seat near the screen and watch contents on it without any problem.

Keyboard

Keyboard is similar to other thinkpads with strong feedback and predictable key placement.

Trackpoint

There is a pointing stick between the G and H keys is accurate enough to select a particular item.
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Touchpad

It is placed just below the spacebar and is highly accurate. There are two sets of click buttons. You may use anyone you like to.

Audio

The integrated speakers are loud and clear for both voice and music with little or no distortion even at maximum volume. Though audiophiles would like to attach good headphones to listen to high fidelity sound.

Hard Disk

There are option of a 5,400 rpm, 7,200 rpm and a solid state drive. The capacity choice is 160GB or 250GB and for solid state drive options there are 64 GB priced at $249 and a 128GB priced at $499.
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Battery

The system is available with nine cell, six cell and four cell options. The nine cell battery can run the laptop 10 hours in normal operation mode which is much higher than the standard. Even in good workload condition it will last at least 6 hours. The smaller four cell battery should offer less endurance.

Wireless

The Intel WiFi Link 5100 wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n card has good transfer rates. It is also available with Integrated mobile broadband cards from At&T and Verizon wireless.

Webcam

There is a 1.3 MP webcam for videoconferencing. Pictures and videos taken with it is clear and sharp even in low light.

Price

At a base price of under $1000, it is a good buy for the business peoples.
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Final Words

Coming as a replacement to the T61 series, the T400 is a rock solid machine in a lightweight format. It is powerful enough for all your business computing needs and with the 9 cell battery, it will not run out of battery amidst your important work. The screen is bright but still it does not suck the battery as one would expect.