Thinkpad X41 vs. Thinkpad X100e

[IBM-BOY]

Ok, this is my first post on the thinkpad forums! Anyway, I have been struggling to decide which thinkpad would suit me best as a freshman student. The options are the following: Thinkpad X41, or Thinkpad X100e. I can't choose and need some support on which machine is a more viable option, i was considering a maxed out thinkpad x41 with a 1.6Ghz Pentium M, 2GB of DDR2 Memory, and an intel 40gb SSD or an X100e with an AMD 1.6Ghz L335, 2GB of DDR2 Memory, and an intel 40gb SSD. I owned a thinkpad T40 through out Middle School and absolutely loved it, but that was manufactured by IBM and I'm concerned the build quality won't be as good from a fully lenovo-branded machine with a non-traditional thinkpad keyboard. The keyboard was amazing on the T40 and that's one thing I'm keen on. If the battery life is greater than 3hrs that would be acceptable. Also, I cannot afford an X200 as this is coming out of a scholarship budget program. Thank you, I've put about an hour of research into finding my new thinkpad as I could not trust any other brand with my data.

Sincerely,

IBM-BOY

[ZAGNUT]

i had to make the same decision recently. i used to use an x41 a couple of years ago and knew what they were all about so i waited until i could try out an x100. no comparison IMO. on the x100 the keyboard and display suck in the extreme sense of the word unless maybe you're comparing them to the crappier netbooks. i need my machine for typing so those two things are very important. if you enjoyed the t40's keyboard then you'll be right at home on the x41.

battery life: wasn't expecting much as my machine came with the original 8 cell battery and although the machine looks as though it's never been used 5 years is still a lot of time. so i was pleasantly surprised that running win7 ultimate without any power saving options i get 4+ hours. by switching to a lightened xp and tweaking things with NHC things should be even better and a new 4 cell should probably also give decent times.

BTW, for what a decent x41 costs here i could have picked up an X6x but IMO they are also inferior to the x41. all depends on what you need the machine for...

[pianowizard]

i was considering a maxed out thinkpad x41 with a 1.6Ghz Pentium M, 2GB of DDR2 Memory

The max RAM for the X41 is 1.5GB.

If you ever want to view two windows/documents side by side, get the X100e. The X41's 1024x768 resolution just won't cut it. Yesterday, I was working on my 240Z which is also 1024x768, and I needed to either copy or paraphrase lots of material from one Word doc to another. To view the documents side by side, I had to zoom out to 70%, making the text look really small. With the X100e's 1366x768 screen, it would have been a much more pleasant experience.

Welcome to the forum!

[dorronto]

Max ram in a x41 is 2GB using one 2GB stick. The other 512MG is ignored in the system. I've installed that many times.

Ron

[ZAGNUT]

the X40 is the one that's limited to 1.5GB.

and while i can agree that a wide screen is usually better for viewing a pair of windows side by side it doesn't really make that much of a difference when you're talking about netbook sized displays.

[IBM-BOY]

I'm not sure if i should go with a fully lenovo notebook, because IBM's quality sold me with the T40. What I like about the X100e is the faster performance, higher resolution display, and greater memory capacity. What I like about the X41 is it's IBM original ergonomics, Award winning keyboard, and rugged durability. What I don't like about the X100e is the redesigned keyboard, short battery life, and slight overheating. What I don't like about the X41 is it's older processor, lack of a camera, and slow 1.8" 4,200rpm HDD (I could just replace it with an SSD though.)

Would it be possible to install Windows 7 on an x41?

[ZAGNUT]

Would it be possible to install Windows 7 on an x41?

i'm running 7 ultimate as that's what came with the X41 i just got. runs just fine, boots reasonably quick and i don't really fell the slowness everybody moans about with the stock HDD. that being said i don't really run anything intensive and will still be going back to either win2k or xp when i get the time to play a bit.

[emeraldgirl08]

Doesn't the X41 have the "2010 error" without the approved hard drive? I was interested in getting an X41tablet for a project but since I'm limited on money also I'm just going to save up for an X201. The 2010 error irked me on an R52 that I used to own. I'm not sure how the X100e are as far as build and efficiency. I think I may have read they are basically netbooks which would suggest for my needs that it is an inadequate unit.

[ZaZ]

I don't see either as a great choice. There's no Intel SSD for the X41. The X41 uses a non-standard hard drive with limited/expensive upgrade options. The X100e is OK, but the thing that sucks about the AMD in general is they run hot. You can undervolt I suppose. If you're willing to spend the money for a X100e, I would think you could get a X200 either from the outlet or eBay and it wouldn't cost much more. This is an excellent option. It would offer you better quality, performance and battery life while running much cooler. It might require a little patience to find the right deal. Good Luck.

[IBM-BOY]

I Beg to differ, look up "1.8" intel SSD" on amazon and you'll clearly see that they do indeed make intel SSDs in 1.8" form, however the more popular ones are the 2.5" ones as is in general with any laptop manufacturer involved with mainstream notebooks. The X200 is $600 dollars, compared to a well-configured x100e with an L335 AMD CPU it is still about $80 dollars more. I already have a two 800Mhz 2048Mb memory modules. I can't surpass $600 dollars, even if i pay the remaining $20 out of pocket, because it has to be payed only out of scholarship.

[ZaZ]

The certainly do make 1.8" SSDs, but the Intel drive will still not work in the X41 because the X41 uses a different hard drive connector. There are SSDs available for the X41, like this, but they won't offer the performance of the Intel drive because limited capacity of the PATA connector.

Personally, I wouldn't go with the AMD because of the heat. I'd look for a similarly sized CULV notebook. It will offer better performance and battery life while running much cooler. You could definitely get something like that within your budget, but that's only my opinion.

[ThinkRob]

IMO, the X6x series are the best of both worlds. They've got basically the same form factor as the X4x, but ship with dual-core processors, support for standard 2.5" SATA drives (such as Intel's wicked-fast SSDs), and feature the same quality keyboard as we've come to love.

[IBM-BOY]

Thank you All! I have purchased an x200 off the lenovo outlet for $595 (My scholarship director made an exception for me) and I love it! It's much better than my old rusty Thinkpad T40. How many years will it last, do you think 4 years? I only wish I could've gotten an optical drive with it too.

[ThinkRob]

Thank you All! I have purchased an x200 off the lenovo outlet for $595 (My scholarship director made an exception for me) and I love it! It's much better than my old rusty Thinkpad T40. How many years will it last, do you think 4 years? I only wish I could've gotten an optical drive with it too.

Yeah, I didn't realize that an X200 was an option -- but at that price you can get a pretty nice one.

If you treat it well it can definitely last 4 years if not longer.

[ZaZ]

Thank you All! I have purchased an x200 off the lenovo outlet for $595 (My scholarship director made an exception for me) and I love it! It's much better than my old rusty Thinkpad T40. How many years will it last, do you think 4 years? I only wish I could've gotten an optical drive with it too.

Did you get the one I linked? That's a heck of a deal. There was four or five of them that day right around $600 that day. That's about as good a price as I've seen in the outlet since the 20% coupon they had in February. Mine is a great machine. It should serve you well. I don't see a reason why it can't last four years, but luck always play a role. You can always pick up an optical drive down the road if you want. Congrats.

[IBM-BOY]

I'm loving it, besides the fact it almost died when i tried to install vista on it, because it was loaded with windows xp for some reason. I was pretty bummed out, because i assumed it had a cd-drive, the graphics are decent, but could do better, besides that it rocks! Maybe ill go for an x202/x210 if it has a gpu and is under $600 in 2 years!

[ThinkRob]

I'm loving it, besides the fact it almost died when i tried to install vista on it, because it was loaded with windows xp for some reason. I was pretty bummed out, because i assumed it had a cd-drive, the graphics are decent, but could do better, besides that it rocks! Maybe ill go for an x202/x210 if it has a gpu and is under $600 in 2 years!

If you want a good GPU, the X series might not be the best option for you...

X-series machines are meant to be lightweight, durable, ultra-portables for people who work on the go (and they're absolute lifesavers for those of us who fly a lot.) They're not meant to be desktop replacements, and if you're looking for your next gaming rig... well... look elsewhere or learn to like older games.

[ZaZ]

The Vidock would be a gaming option if it's at home.

[j-dawg]

It should be fine with Vista. My X61 tablet has Vista and integrated graphics and runs Aero just fine.

Don't worry about quality. Some argue that it's decreased. People who use my tablet disagree. I don't want to make any promises about better/worse than IBM, but the current Thinkpad line's build quality is still well ahead of the competition.