Thinking of buying a new X60, but would like some advice

[Clifford]

Hello,

I work as a graphic designer and I currently have a monstrosity of a notebook: an HP nx9600. This has a full-size keyboard and weighs 10 pounds and a battery life of less than an hour. I've ended up just using it as a desktop, but that's what I intended when I bought it...

I want a notebook that's small and light that I'll want to take with me when I leave the office. I've had a number of Toshiba Porteges over the years, but Toshiba's current ultraportable lineup is pretty weak. I think that the X60 might be the best fit for me, but I would like some advice.

The model that I'm looking at has a Core 2 Duo 7200. Do you think that this will be comparable the P4 3.0Ghz in my current HP notebook?

At the office I would like to be able to dock it and use an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, scanner, hard drives, etc. I was thinking of getting either the "Thinkpad Port Replicator II" or the "ThinkPad Mini Dock". Both of these say that they support the X series and both come with DVI output. My hope is that I'll be able to run my 24" (1920 x 1200) monitor with the DVI connection from the dock. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it possible?

Getting this computer to play nicely with my monitor is probably my biggest concern at this point. I'd really appreciate hearing some feedback from anyone who has used the X60 with a dock that has DVI.

Thanks!
- Clifford

[pianowizard]

but Toshiba's current ultraportable lineup is pretty weak.

I owned a Portege R100 which was extremely light (2.38 lbs) but the lid was so soft.

The model that I'm looking at has a Core 2 Duo 7200. Do you think that this will be comparable the P4 3.0Ghz in my current HP notebook?

MUCH faster than the 3GHz P4. See this site

I'd really appreciate hearing some feedback from anyone who has used the X60 with a dock that has DVI.

I owned an X60s for about a month, used it to drive a 24" external monitor and the image looked totally acceptable. You don't need DVI to get a good image.

[Clifford]

Thanks for the quick reply pianowizard!

That's good news about the processor! I wasn't aware that the performance improvement was that dramatic. (I haven't really kept up with processors since Intel stopped sequentially numbering their Pentiums...

I'm currently driving my 24" LCD with the VGA out of my HP notebook, but one of the things that I was looking for when upgrading a notebook was a DVI connection to run my monitor. I've looked into the VTBook PC Card option, but it mentions that it has some issues with the Ricoh Cardbus controller on the X60.

I know that some of the docking options for the X60 have DVI ports, but I'm beginning to wonder if the DVI would even be enabled with the X60 docked. Any experiences with this anyone?

[dfumento]

I know that some of the docking options for the X60 have DVI ports, but I'm beginning to wonder if the DVI would even be enabled with the X60 docked. Any experiences with this anyone?

No, unfortunately the X6 base does not have DVI out only VGA and in fact even the 'T' version does not have DVI out when using the built-in Intel GMA 950 chip. But I use VGA it it looks good if not as sharp as DVI.

[Ken Fox]

I know that some of the docking options for the X60 have DVI ports, but I'm beginning to wonder if the DVI would even be enabled with the X60 docked. Any experiences with this anyone?

No, unfortunately the X6 base does not have DVI out only VGA and in fact even the 'T' version does not have DVI out when using the built-in Intel GMA 950 chip. But I use VGA it it looks good if not as sharp as DVI.

What were they thinking, when they designed the X6 base? I'm awaiting a replacement X60 (with ultrabase) having had to RMA back my first set due to an uncomfortably hot right palmrest. During the couple of weeks I used the X60, I grew fond of the ultrabase which seems well designed (and small!), however without a DVI it limits the usefullness of this product as a docking station.

It's difficult to even buy a CRT monitor these days as the market has shifted to LCDs. Only the cheapest LCD monitors lack DVI inputs these days.

The absence of a DVI port on the X60 itself is understandable, but on the base it is a design flaw in my opinion.

[Clifford]

Thanks David and Ken for your responses. I must admit that I'm finding it exceedingly difficult to find notebooks in the ultraportable and thin and light category that have reliable DVI connections. Unfortunately the X60 is not the exception in this area...

I contacted the makers of the VTBook graphics card and they informed me that their card in an X60 would support a 1920 x 1200 LCD monitor on DVI. They also mentioned this caveat: "Ricoh controller delivers slower performances... Don't expect the same performance of your internal graphics card." Does anyone care to take the plunge now??

I've written back to try to get more specifics how this slow performance would affect the general usage of the computer. If/when I hear back, I'll post here to let you know.

Cheers,
- Cliff

[Clifford]

Ok, I just heard back from the makers of the VTBook card regarding my "slower performance on the X60" question.

Slower performance compared to the internal graphics card will affect everything. The point is understand how much a slower scroll or moving pictures around is really slowing down your work compared to having much more display space where you can arrange your work.

Ideally you should relay on your internal notebook graphics (internal screen or external VGA) for the most speed-critical activities and the screen connected to VTBook to the more static parto of your work (reference documents, palettes, control panels, operating system, email & communication applications, etc).

If you can arrange your work in this way, i.e. using still the internal graphics for your main work space and VTBook for extra space, you will get the most benefit from VTBook.

[tomh009]

Clifford, I think what you need is to see the quality of the VGA connection with your own eyes so that you can judge for yourself.

If you'd like to pop up to Waterloo, I can show you my X31 driving a Dell 2001FP 1600x1200 panel. We could even hook up my X31 to your LCD, but it won't do the wide-screen resolution.

I might be able to locate someone with an X60 as well ...

[Clifford]

Thank you Tom for your incredibly generous offer!

Unfortunately I've decided to buy a Sony SZ model with dock. The decision didn't boil down to the X60 lack of DVI -- it was a combination of things including the X60's lack of a touch pad (by far my preference over the pointing stick), 3:4 aspect ratio, and lack of a dedicated video card, all of which are not issues on the SZ, and it still weighs less than 4lbs.

While I still feel that the X60 is a better computer on the whole, in the end the Sony is a better fit for my uses.

Thank you all for all of your very helpful comments over the last couple of days!

All the best,
- Cliff

[tomh009]

Cliff, good luck with the Sony -- we'll be waiting for you to come back to the forums once you decide that a TrackPoint is better than a touchpad after all!