Thinkpads Forum

HI, so many of you received the x60s, I want to hear your voice on them.

I received mine yestaday.
I used to have a X31, and the first impress when I got my X60s.
was like wow...so small, light and thin!
but I kinda dislike the feeling of keyboard, unlike my X31 that solid feeling.
Also the speaker is a little bit weaker than X31
Other than that, it's a very solid well-built machine!
I like it!

How about the screen?

mzd wrote:How about the screen?

The screen is brighter and clear then my X31 for sure.

X60s use Samsung LCD screens so that's why it's brighter (Just FYI)

Mine arrived this a.m., still setting it up. Keyboard seems FINE compared to X41. Machine is lighter, feels great -- and fingerprint reader works MUCH better on my semi-invisible fingerprints.

I ordered on 2/10.
It shipped on 2/28.
It was delivered on 3/2.
China in 2 days!!! - wow.

First impressions.
I'm annoyed that they use a different power adapter. I have several 72W adapters that I held onto as my X60 was arriving, but the 72W adapters do not fit in the 65W adapter holes. Very annoying.

The laptop itself is great.
The Verizon, WiFi, etc all work. I have to figure out the best way to use the verizon, etc, but currenly they are all tested and working.

I'm currenltly syncing my outlook off of my exchange server, and then I'll be up and running. This is the first website that I have visited.

The keyboard feels pretty good, I personally like the windows key.
Yes, the keyboard is pretty small, but the feel of the keyboard is excellent.

I was pleased that the system has the T2400 processor; there was some confusion if it did or not - but it does.
I'm still waiting for my order on an additional 1GB of memory; I guess I'll have to live on just 1GB for right now.

I found it interesting that the ultrabay had the DVD drive pre-installed, I kind of expected having to install it myself.

I took pictures of the box, unpacking, etc, and will find a way to post them.

Oh, one last thing.
The thinkpad has 3 USB ports.
The ultrabay has 4 USB ports.
I was *very* impressed that when docked you can access all 7 USB ports - two thumbs way up to Lenovo for this one!

-=Nick=-

I just got mine today when I came home. It's my first ThinkPad and I already love it. Everything is so much better than my previous laptop, a Dell Inspirion, although it was already 5 years old.

Nick, when you say that the 72w adapter doesn't fit in the 65w adapter's hole, do you mean the cord that connects to the wallsocket itself?

Please guys post a review!!! I'm drooling

Okay, I've literally had this laptop for 12 hours now...

I've had a couple of problems with the verizon. I haven't yet figured out how to make the Thinkvantage Access Connections manage this well.
I would like the laptop to automatically use the LAN / WLAN / WWAN cards, in the priority just listed; but I can't figure out how to do this.

I was impressed that the Thinkvantage Software Installer did not have the usual 200Mb of updates - only about 10Mb.

The laptop gets warm under the right hand palm rest.

I like the fact that the ultrabay has a built in wedge, that can be raised to futher tilt the base up at the back. I know the old ones had this, but it is a nice touch worth mentioning.

I'm annoyed by the 72W power supplies not fitting the laptop. The power plug that plugs into the Thinkpad simply does not fit. Quite annoying.
I have one of the 72W AC/DC power supplies, which is great, but I can't use it.
I have ordered 3 more of the 65w power supplies - at lest they're cheap.
I really need IBM to hurry up and come up with the 65W AC/DC power supply - perhaps they'll make it lighter this time.

The screen is really bright and easy to use. The resolution is just right for me, much as I like high-res screens (1400x1050) I feel that it would be too small on a screen of this size.

I like the fact that there are indicator lights for WiFi, Bluetooth & WWAN.
Dedicated sleep light is nice too.

I like the fact that there is a switch that turns off all the Wireless devices (it's on the front of the laptop, just under where the lid latches; so it can be accessed with the lid open or closed.)

I like the fact that the ultrabase has a cut-out allowing access to the wireless switch I just talked about.

I like the fact that the ultrabase has LED's showing the docking status.
If you need to press the undock button (ie the laptop is still fully docked) then there is a red warning next to the undock lever, and a green triangle pointing to the undock button.
If you are ready undock, then there is a green arrow pointing to the undock lever.
This is a nice little touch.

I like the 8-cell battery.
It is ergernomic to carry, and fits the hand well. You do not really get the feeling that it is "sticking out of the back."

My screen hinge feels very "light". But then the screen is light so I guess if I'll have to see if it is up to the job.

I prefer the Txx location of the fingerprint reader - on the right hand palmreset. The Xxx location under the trackpoint buttons is okay - just a personal preference here.

I like the keyboard. It's small, but it has excellent feel.

I love the password utility - it works really well.

I've ordered myself the USB CDRW/DVD (40Y8637).
I feel that I can travel with the laptop without the ultradock, and just have the portable CDROM on hand. This should keep down the weight of my laptop bag.

I like the keyboard light. It's surprising how well it works.

The ThinkVantage productivity center is new and interesting. I have not decided if I like it fully yet, but it does seem clean and effecient.

The system came with "productivity software"...
DiskKeeper light - to keep your disk de-fragmented.
Google Desktop.
Sonic RecordNow - for CD/DVD authoring.
Intervideo WinDVD - for DVD playback.
Symantec Client Security - firewall & antivirus
Adobe Acrobat Reader

Okay, that's about all I have to say right now.

I have pictures, but noplace to post them right now. I'll work on that.

Thanks.

-=Nick=-

So, I'm new to this forum, but I just got my X60s (my third Thinkpad) and had a couple comments and questions.

Comments: On first use and review, my new X60s (model #17043du) has mostly exceeded my expectations. I'm moving from my T40 because of portability and battery. I got the extended 8-cell battery on my X60s and I have to say that the battery life is phenomenal. I got 6-7 hours on my first charge -- a huge improvement than the less than 2 hours my T40 gets.

I'm a writer, and the keyboard has also exceeded my expectations. I find it quite comfortable to type. The keyboard definitely has a different feel than the one on my T40 (the texture of the keys is slightly different I think), but I've mostly gotten used to it. The screen is also very bright with very nice color -- and running it on full brightness still allows impressive battery life.

The model i chose came with pretty slim memory (only 256mb with the basic system), and the additional memory I bought is on backorder, so for now it's slightly lagging in speed (I have the 1.66ghz core duo processor, L2400). I'm betting this will be improved once I bump the memory up to at least 1gb.

Finally, the laptop is amazingly compact and light. I hardly notice carrying it around.

Questions: I have a couple questions though, in relation to my X60s. If anyone has thoughts or answers, I'd really appreciate it.

1. The X60s is much louder than my T40 when it's "working." The sound's not constant, but still relatively frequent. The X60s has the 1.66ghz core duo processor and a 60gb 5400rpm hard drive, and the T40 has a 1.5ghz pentium m and a 40gb 5400rpm hard drive. Does anyone know why the X60s would be louder?

2. I'm coming from a high res (1400x1050) 14.1 inch screen, I admit, but a couple things on the X60s screen are a bit choppy -- particularly the letters on the "start" menu. The "start" word itself looks like something out of a 70s scifi movie, it's so choppy. The rest of the screen and the resolution is great. Is my computer the only one with this situation, or has anyone else noticed this? Is this normal?

[quote]1. The X60s is much louder than my T40 when it's "working." The sound's not constant, but still relatively frequent. The X60s has the 1.66ghz core duo processor and a 60gb 5400rpm hard drive, and the T40 has a 1.5ghz pentium m and a 40gb 5400rpm hard drive. Does anyone know why the X60s would be louder?
[/quote]

I think X60s are still much quieter than my T43.
I don't think you're comparing an apple to an apple. The CPU on your T40, of course, runs cooler due to lower clock speed, when compared to the latest cutting edge CPU's.
I believe we should be comparing X60s with T60.
No offense to you, just expressing my opinion.

[quote]2. I'm coming from a high res (1400x1050) 14.1 inch screen, I admit, but a couple things on the X60s screen are a bit choppy -- particularly the letters on the "start" menu. The "start" word itself looks like something out of a 70s scifi movie, it's so choppy. The rest of the screen and the resolution is great. Is my computer the only one with this situation, or has anyone else noticed this? Is this normal?[/quote]

Try chaning the font size. When I got my T43 a year ago, I noticed the same. All I had to do was to change the font type and size to the Windows default values.

So nice to hear from ppl who get their X60 and X60s. Lookign for pic and more reviews!

cmp wrote:

The X60s is much louder than my T40 when it's "working."

I guess it is the harddisk that makes the machine louder - your T40 has probably Toshiba HDD installed whereas your X60 Hitachi.

You could try to adjust the HDD loudness with the "Feature Tool (v2.00)" from Hitachi that features Automatic Acoustic Management and allows you to set your HDD in a "Quiet Seek Mode". It is available here: http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm. Maybe that'll help.

Regards Zed

How much space do others who ordered a 100GB disc have? Mine shows as only 80 GB of free space out of the box

Ajw

ajwells wrote:How much space do others who ordered a 100GB disc have? Mine shows as only 80 GB of free space out of the box

Ajw

I have a 100GB drive.
Disk Manager shows this as a 93GB Drive.
Of that, 4.6GB is used by the hidden EISA Rescue & Recovery Partition.
Windows is then left with a 88.5GB partition.

For the Math wizzes out there...
1KB is really 1024 bytes, not 1000.
However, the drive manufacturers like to think that it's 1000.

They think that a 100GB drive is 100,000,000,000 bytes.
However, 1GB is really 1,073,741,824 bytes.

Therefore, 100,000,000,000 divided by 1,073,741,824 = 93.13.

So, a 100GB drive (manufacturer spec) is really 93.13GB using computer science math.

Basically, when dealing with GB you get a 7.3% rounding error.

Don't you just hate rounding errors?!

-=Nick=-

nickpoore wrote:

ajwells wrote:How much space do others who ordered a 100GB disc have? Mine shows as only 80 GB of free space out of the box

Ajw

I have a 100GB drive.
Disk Manager shows this as a 93GB Drive.
Of that, 4.6GB is used by the hidden EISA Rescue & Recovery Partition.
Windows is then left with a 88.5GB partition.

For the Math wizzes out there...
1KB is really 1024 bytes, not 1000.
However, the drive manufacturers like to think that it's 1000.

They think that a 100GB drive is 100,000,000,000 bytes.
However, 1GB is really 1,073,741,824 bytes.

Therefore, 100,000,000,000 divided by 1,073,741,824 = 93.13.

So, a 100GB drive (manufacturer spec) is really 93.13GB using computer science math.

Basically, when dealing with GB you get a 7.3% rounding error.

Don't you just hate rounding errors?!

-=Nick=-

Thanks for the info... I reason I ask is that I had trouble with the EVDO card and software that I couldnt solve and I restored the system from the hidden partition, but in my first setup I did the fingerprint security procedure which partitions a part of the disc as secure and I realized that I didnt need that so I just have a basic single partition after the restore procedure... I wanted to make sure that I reclaimed all of this disc area during the restore... my machine shows 88.5 gb total capacity, 7.86 gb used and 80.6gb available... did I get the secure partition back during the restore or is it in that 7.86 gb area?

Ajw

Pull up Disk Manager.
Administrative Tools.
Computer Manager
Storage
Disk Management.

Have a look at the Disk0.
It should show 93.16GB online.
C: should be 88.51GB
IBM_SERVICE should be 4.64GB.

-=Nick=-

nickpoore wrote:Pull up Disk Manager.
Administrative Tools.
Computer Manager
Storage
Disk Management.

Have a look at the Disk0.
It should show 93.16GB online.
C: should be 88.51GB
IBM_SERVICE should be 4.64GB.

-=Nick=-

thanks... I know this is stupid, but how do I access the disk manager? It sounds like I havent lost any space during the restore procedure... thanks again for the info

Ajw

right click on my computer select manage from the pop up, you'll see it on the left side.

Kyocera wrote:right click on my computer select manage from the pop up, you'll see it on the left side.

Thanks very much!

Ajw

Note about 72W adapter not fitting in 65W adapter slot or whatever: DON'T DO IT OR TRY TO! The reason Lenovo made the adapters different is so you WOULDN'T do that. The Z, T60, & X60's moved to a 20V power system to keep up with power demands of forthcoming technologies; previous models were on a 10.8V.

Thanks Sonoma, I tried that fix -- "Try chaning the font size. When I got my T43 a year ago, I noticed the same. All I had to do was to change the font type and size to the Windows default values" -- and it worked. I appreciate the help!

As well, just to add to my review, I've taken my X60s out of town for a week-long work conference, and it has performed exceedingly well. Battery, keyboard (done lots of touch typing), screen brightness (it's very bright even on battery), fan noise (incredibly quiet), wireless, etc. And of course, I've gotten many admiring questions and comments from coworkers about the weight, size and design of the laptop. And, the power adapter is actually quite lightweight -- lighter than the previous adapters (although, like others, I did have a power adapter stockpile for my T40 that I won't be able to use for the X60s).

sonoma wrote:X60s use Samsung LCD screens so that's why it's brighter (Just FYI)

that is not accurate. Lenovo uses three different LCD suppliers for the X60/s:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-62914

fbrdphreak wrote:Note about 72W adapter not fitting in 65W adapter slot or whatever: DON'T DO IT OR TRY TO! The reason Lenovo made the adapters different is so you WOULDN'T do that. The Z, T60, & X60's moved to a 20V power system to keep up with power demands of forthcoming technologies; previous models were on a 10.8V.

This is something I don't understand. Why suddenly 20V ?!?!?

They should be going to 5V. The highest voltage needed in the system is the CCFL, which produces 800-1200V. It is only a matter of months until all new screens will use LEDs for the backlight.

Processor, Ram etc. run at 0.8 to 2.65V.
So downsizing 20V to those small voltages will generate a lot of heat and waste in the internal transformers. That should go into the external power brick.

beeblebrox wrote:

fbrdphreak wrote:Note about 72W adapter not fitting in 65W adapter slot or whatever: DON'T DO IT OR TRY TO! The reason Lenovo made the adapters different is so you WOULDN'T do that. The Z, T60, & X60's moved to a 20V power system to keep up with power demands of forthcoming technologies; previous models were on a 10.8V.

This is something I don't understand. Why suddenly 20V ?!?!?

They should be going to 5V. The highest voltage needed in the system is the CCFL, which produces 800-1200V. It is only a matter of months until all new screens will use LEDs for the backlight.

Processor, Ram etc. run at 0.8 to 2.65V.
So downsizing 20V to those small voltages will generate a lot of heat and waste in the internal transformers. That should go into the external power brick.

I'm pretty sure they know what they are doing when they say they need it for future technologies.

beeblebrox wrote:

fbrdphreak wrote: They should be going to 5V. The highest voltage needed in the system is the CCFL, which produces 800-1200V. It is only a matter of months until all new screens will use LEDs for the backlight.

Processor, Ram etc. run at 0.8 to 2.65V.
So downsizing 20V to those small voltages will generate a lot of heat and waste in the internal transformers. That should go into the external power brick.

Why don't you tell them that? Maybe you know more than they do?