Lenovo Thinkpad SL400
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Average of 13 scores (from 15 reviews)
Reviews for the Lenovo Thinkpad SL400
Source: vnunet.com Archive.org version
The old adage of ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ certainly applies to Lenovo’s Thinkpad styling. There have been some subtle changes to the design over the years, but you can recognise the familiar black slab across a crowded room. The new SL400 is a worthy addition to the family with a good blend of features, security, system tools and a reasonable price tag
80, Preis 80, Leistung 60, Ausstattung 80
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 03/31/2009
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% performance: 60% features: 80%
Source: Techradar Archive.org version
The Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 will not suit everyone, as its performance is basic, but it makes up for this in being compact with a great battery life.
4 von 5, Verarbeitung gut, Mobilität gut, Leistung schlecht
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/20/2008
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 40% mobility: 80% workmanship: 80%
Source: Tech Advisor Archive.org version
Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 is a sound business laptop. Although it doesn't pack the firepower of some high-end machines, it gets the job done handily. Its combination of performance and value places it near the top of our charts.
3.5 von 5, Leistung gut, Preis gut
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/30/2008
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 80% performance: 80%
Source: PC World Archive.org version
Overall, the SL400 is a sound business laptop. Though it doesn't pack the firepower of some high-end machines, it gets the job done handily. Its combination of performance and value places it near the top of our charts.
(von 100): 82, Leistung 81, Ausstattung 79, Preis gut
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/29/2008
Rating: Total score: 82% price: 80% performance: 81% features: 79%
Source: CNet Archive.org version
Take the ThinkPad R series, remove the internal roll cage and the TPM chip, add dedicated GeForce graphics, an HDMI port, and a glossy lid, and you get the ThinkPad SL400. Lenovo didn't shed too many features in rolling out its cheapest ThinkPad to date, the 14-inch SL400. Don't let the glossy lid fool you, there are a lot of familiar ThinkPad touches that make it a good bet for business users.
(von 10): 75, Ausstattung 8, Leistung 7, Mobilität 7, Preis gut, Display gut
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/03/2008
Rating: Total score: 75% price: 80% performance: 70% features: 80% display: 80% mobility: 70%
Source: Digital Trends Archive.org version
With the SL400, Lenovo has taken the best features of its iconic T-series, stripped out the fluff, and put a nice gloss (literally) on the final product. Unfortunately, it could use a little more polishing on the inside, given the unusually long nag list that we usually don’t find with Lenovo notebooks. But a few pinholes won’t sink this sturdy business notebook, and we would definitely recommend it to power users who don’t mind figuratively grinding a few rough edges off the notebook themselves. Considering these machines can be had for as little as $639 in usable configurations, they may be some of the most attractive notebooks in Lenovo’s line for budget-minded business buyers.
7 von 10, Display gut, Preis gut
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/08/2008
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 80% display: 80%
Source: Computer Shopper Archive.org version
Lenovo pushed all the right buttons when it crafted the ThinkPad SL400 business laptop. It's portable enough to suit most road warriors, but fast enough to keep their apps running smoothly. Plus, the display is roomy enough to accommodate some entertainment during down time.
8.2 von 10, Mobilität gut, Leistung mäßig, Display sehr gut
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 08/20/2008
Rating: Total score: 82% performance: 60% display: 90% mobility: 80%
Source: Laptop Logic Archive.org version
It’s a little bulky and a little heavy, but it packs some decent processing punch. The SL400 is a pretty able multipurpose machine which suits its purpose – being a workhorse for small to medium business owners – admirably. We could complain some more about the size and weight, but we won’t, and neither will you when you consider the price point of only around $800.
4 von 5, Preis gut, Leistung sehr gut, Emissionen sehr schlecht, Mobilität mangelhaft
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/18/2008
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% performance: 90% mobility: 50% emissions: 90%
Source: Geek.com Archive.org version
Compared to similar offerings from Dell, HP, and other companies the SL series is still looking pretty good because Lenovo was able to leverage the existing ThinkPads in order to put out a very solid product. With strong performance and a solid design, the SL isn’t an R or T, but it it’s worth checking out if you want get a business computer with a low starting price.
Leistung gut, Preis gut
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/18/2008
Rating: price: 80% performance: 80%
Source: PC Mag Archive.org version
The predictable demise of Lenovo's small-business notebook line—the 3000 series—happened with little or no notice. The gap between the enterprise ThinkPads and the 3000 series was simply too wide for any small-business user to bridge. Bidding farewell to the 3000 series produced the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400—a better, faster, and more energy-efficient small-business line for Lenovo.
4 von 5, Preis sehr gut, Leistung exzellent, Mobilität gut
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/05/2008
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 90% performance: 95% mobility: 80%
Source: Notebookreview.com Archive.org version
Overall, there is a lot we can say in favor of the ThinkPad SL400. Lenovo is offering a solid budget ThinkPad for only $799 and also offering pre-configured models with better performance and features for $1,249 or less. That said, like most notebooks in the small business class, the SL400 suffers from cheap plastics used in the chassis construction, weak built-in speakers, and an overall build that is slightly thicker and heaver than needed. As it stands now, there are a number of reasons you might want to pick up an SL400 rather than a similar notebook from the Dell Vostro lineup or Toshiba Satellite Pro line. That said, diehard ThinkPad owners might criticize the glossy lid, lack of lid latch, and the type of plastics used in some places. The performance of our test configuration suggests the SL400 packs enough raw power to satisfy most small business owners, but it's clear that the new SL series isn't the same ThinkPad we've seen before.
Preis gut, Display gut, Leistung gut, Emissionen sehr gut, Verarbeitung mangelhaft
User Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/22/2008
Rating: price: 80% performance: 80% display: 80% workmanship: 50% emissions: 90%
Source: Laptop Mag Archive.org version
Lenovo has targeted the small-to-medium–business market with a stylish system that’s powerful enough for both work and play. Not only does the SL400 offer plenty of processing power and battery life but also great support and wireless performance. To top it all off, this notebook can cut loose after-hours with strong multimedia and decent gaming performance. Unfortunately, this powerful package is not without its flaws. The slow hard drive and obstructed ports mar an otherwise superior system. However, it’s easy to look past these warts and recommend the SL400.
3.5 von 5, Leistung gut, Mobilität gut
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/14/2008
Rating: Total score: 70% performance: 80% mobility: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebookcheck DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/28/2008
Rating: Total score: 85% performance: 82% display: 76% mobility: 77% workmanship: 86% ergonomy: 90% emissions: 87%
Source: PCM NL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/18/2008
Rating: Total score: 73% performance: 74% display: 50% mobility: 76% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 65%
Source: Laptopy.info.pl PL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/03/2009
Rating: Total score: 62% performance: 30% display: 80% mobility: 50%
Comment
NVIDIA GeForce 9300M G: Enhanced 8400M GS chip, which is manufactured in 65nm and shows slightly better performance due to a few minor optimizations.
Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core 2 Duo: This is the Core Duo and Core Solo successor with a longer pipeline and 5-20% more speed without more power consumption. As an addition to the Core Duo design there exists a fourth decoder, an amplified SSE-unit and an additional arithmetical logical unit (ALU).
The Core 2 Duo for laptops is identical to the desktop Core 2 Duo processors but the notebook-processors work with lower voltages (0.95 to 1188 Volt) and a lower Frontside bus clock (1066 vs 667 MHz). The performance of equally clocked notebooks is 20-25% lower than Desktop PCs because of the lower Frontside bus clock and the slower hard disks.
P8400:
Middle class dual core CPU with a TDP of 25 Watt. For high end gamer the performance could be not sufficient (for class 1 graphic cards).
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.14.10":
14 inch display size represents a middle ground between the small subnotebook formats and the screens of the standard 15 inch laptops.
The reason for the popularity of mid-sized displays is that this size is reasonably easy on the eyes, provides good resolutions with usable detail sizes, yet does not consume too much power and the devices can still be reasonably compact.
In the past, 14-inch devices were very rare, but now they are the standard for laptops after the 15-inchers.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.Lenovo: Lenovo ("Le" from English legend, novo (Latin) for new) was founded in 1984 as a Chinese computer trading company. As of 2004, the company was the largest laptop manufacturer in China and, after acquiring IBM's PC division in 2005, the fourth largest in the world. In addition to desktops and notebooks, the company manufactures monitors, projectors, servers, etc, and specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, enterprise solutions and related services.
In 2016, the company ranked first in the world in computer sales. It still held it in 2023 with about 23% global market share. Important product lines are Thinkpad, Legion and Ideapad.
In 2011, it acquired a majority stake in Medion AG, a European computer hardware manufacturer. In 2014, Motorola Mobility was purchased, which gave Lenovo a boost in the smartphone market.
76.08%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.