Thinkpads Forum

Hi - I could use some advice on which thinkpad to buy. I'm looking for an ultraportable and from the research I've done so far, it looks like the x61, x61s, x200 and x300 would all be possibilities. There's also the x60 and x60s, but are those still around? Anyway, here are the features I care most about -- lightweight, decent battery life, doesn't run too hot (unlike my four-year-old T42, which runs unpleasantly hot), good keyboard, decent screen (doesn't have to blow me away). What do people think would be the best bet? Thanks!

Do you have a preference for standard screen (X6x) or widescreen (X200/X300)?

How important is high resolution?

High performance (X60/X61/X200) vs Low weight (X61s/X300) - what is more important to you?

dr_st wrote:Do you have a preference for standard screen (X6x) or widescreen (X200/X300)?

How important is high resolution?

High performance (X60/X61/X200) vs Low weight (X61s/X300) - what is more important to you?

I don't really know the difference between standard screen and widescreen. Is there a big advantage of one over the other? If not, I could go either way.

I don't think high resolution is essential to me.

I'd say low weight is more important than high performance. I'll be doing mostly basic tasks - typing, emailing, web browsing, listening to music, occasional video watching.

And the heat issue is pretty important.

What you will be doing (which you've mentioned), your preferences, requirements and your budget are all factors.

Preferences and requirements include things like the included operating system, expansion and upgrade capabilities, resale value, and your desire to have the latest and greatest.

An X40 may do the job for you. If you have to buy new, the X61s may do just fine. If budget is a big concern, I'd go with cheap, as any of these machines will be more than adequate for what you write you'll be doing.

If it's not a concern, the X300 is a great machine, and will be usable for much longer.

It's always a really personal choice.

Thanks for your responses. Given what everyone has said, I'm leaning toward the x61S. I think the x300 is just too expensive for me. But I'm still concerned about the heat issue. I've read some posts here about the x61s being uncomfortably hot. Does anyone have an opinion about that? Is there a similar model that isn't as hot? Is there anything one can do to make the x61s run less hot?

I have a X61s. It's doesn't run "hot." It get a little warm, but not nearly as warm as my T43 or T61p. You could pull up a review of the X61s from notebookreview.com . They tend to have pictures showing recorded temperatures on various parts of different notebooks.