Thinkpads Forum

x201 looks good. does it have the rollcage? the tabook.pdf file on lenovo website mentions it has it in the display cover. what about the bottom part where the motherboard is. Otherwise could it be suspect to motherboard flexing like in the T4x series? thanks

ok i found the answer here http://www.pc.ibm.com/europe/thinkpad/w ... &cc=europe

irus wrote:x201 looks good. does it have the rollcage? the tabook.pdf file on lenovo website mentions it has it in the display cover.

Nope. No rollcage in either the top or bottom casing.

The top casing is a carbon-fiber composite Lenovo markets as a "next generation rollcage", but it's not an actual metal endoskeleton like the one found in the T61/T400/T500.

the confusion never seems to end.

I don't think its a deal breaker. Do you play tennis or fish? Racquets and fishing rods are made of carbon fiber and they don't break. If its good enough for Anna Kournikova (she likes it hard and strong but with some flex) then it should be good enough for you. lol

i dont mind the materials used. just they should be more forthcoming with the details to avoid confusion between different generation of models.

all i need is an assurance its well protected and a bit of how it is so... whether crpf or gprf or abs or mg alloy or what they like is upto them!

irus wrote:i dont mind the materials used. just they should be more forthcoming with the details to avoid confusion between different generation of models.

all i need is an assurance its well protected and a bit of how it is so... whether crpf or gprf or abs or mg alloy or what they like is upto them!

Irus you need to find the nearest Lenovo dealer in New Dehli. These decisions are ultimately based on personal inspection. I can tell you that IMO its a fine machine and the only one in the class of ultraportables that has best power and portability.

will be doing that

My biggest concerns about the x201 is actually build quality:
1) CPU whine on other machines especially the T410s with the i5 540M. Only 2 which I have read about related to the x201 though.
2) Screen dimming which I read about. 1 case currently unresolved.

I didn't see nor hear any of these problems in the store machine I checked out.

irus wrote:the confusion never seems to end.

It's pretty simple actually: the X20x series do not have the metal endoskeleton that the T6x/T4x0/T5x0 series have. Instead, they use composite materials to achieve a good deal of strength without adding substantial weight. Lenovo has chosen to describe some of these materials as a "next generation roll cage", but despite the name it is *not* the same thing as the roll cage in the T-series. That's not to say it's any worse -- it's designed with different goals and limitations -- it's just not the same thing.

Hope that cleared it up.

thanks thinkrob for clearing it up. id like to know the source of that information for future reference if you dont mind? lenovoblogs or tabook?

irus wrote:thanks thinkrob for clearing it up. id like to know the source of that information for future reference if you dont mind? lenovoblogs or tabook?

Yes.

There's a picture of a X200 being picked up by the top corner of the lid when it was open. No pressure marks on the LCD panel. I've replicated it with my mom's X200, too chicken to try it with my X301.

(if anyone knows where the photo is, please share!)

Edit: I just tried it with the X301- it works. I'm pretty sure it has a lid rollcage, though.

x301 has both bottom and lid rollcage, its the best one out there including the t410 i think that too has both upper and lower rollcage+more features compared to x301.

irus wrote:x301 has both bottom and lid rollcage, its the best one out there including the t410 i think that too has both upper and lower rollcage+more features compared to x301.

The X200s/X201s and X300 series both have the "next generation rollcage" mentioned above: i.e. they do *NOT* a magnesium frame in the top casing, but rather a lid made from carbon-fiber reinforced plastic.

Edit: clarified which "X200 series" have CFRP lids.

irus wrote:x301 has both bottom and lid rollcage, its the best one out there including the t410 i think that too has both upper and lower rollcage+more features compared to x301.

Not true. The T410 build quality was much debated lately as it doesn't have the lid roll-cage, it only has the bottom one.

ThinkRob wrote:
The X200 and X300 series both have the "next generation rollcage" mentioned above: i.e. they do *NOT* a magnesium frame in the top casing, but rather a lid made from carbon-fiber reinforced plastic.

the x300/301 have the proper endoskeleton i believe unlike the x200.

The X201 and X201t do NOT have a roll cage (or "next generation" roll cage) in on the top display cover while the X201s DOES have a "next generation" roll cage and is stated in the tabook, "(Compared to the X201, the X201s has lighter weight, low voltage processors, and roll cage in display cover)."

X201: magnesium alloy (top and bottom covers)
X201s: carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (top cover - "next generation roll cage" in display cover), magnesium alloy (bottom cover)
X201t: magnesium alloy (top and bottom covers)

initial d thanks for that precise analysis the moot point is whether this mg alloy is the endoskeleton or not in of the kind in T400/T500?

im calling the endoskeleton rollcage to be the thing present in x300/301 and not in x200/1/s/t which features a non endoskeleton type tough material in the covers only.

irus wrote: the x300/301 have the proper endoskeleton i believe unlike the x200.

Whoops. I haven't taken an X30x apart, so I didn't know that it actually had the roll-cage in the base. Looking at some photos online it appears that it does have a sort of endoskeleton over the optical drive at least. AFAICT, however, it has the same sort of lid as the X200s -- CFRP, no frame.

Folks what difference does it really make. What is your other option? It's rigid enough.

gmk the endoskeleton rollcage (erc) suspends the motherboard from touching the external chasis directly (info from navck's analysis) thereby giving much better protection than a construction which keeps the motherboard directly in touch with the external chasis i.e. tough materials/next gen roll cage. this maybe the diff between x300 n 200 cost.

assuming there is proper cooling the erc should be the better way of protecting..

GrandMasterKhan wrote:Folks what difference does it really make. What is your other option? It's rigid enough.

Not much IMHO. As a previous owner of an X200s, I agree with the last sentence (at least with regards to the chassis base.)

forget dropping a cold laptop on wooden/conrete floor, how about a hot laptop on the couch/bed?

try running the laptop at 90 C for 10 minutes under prime95 and then drop it on the floor... many hot solder joints will be damaged... an ERC (endoskeleton rollcage) is needed to keep the motherboard suspended after a 90 C workout. tough materials wont do much when one mishandles a hot laptop.

most cold thinkpads will pass this youtube test. the real deal is a hot thinkpad passing it. that's the whole root cause of chips coming off motherboards like GPU/Southbridge/northbridge. and you dont even need to drop the hot laptop for damage to occur just a bit of mishandling/single hand pickup is all it takes. thats the real test IMHO. and thats why the stress on an ERC IMHO.

I have an x301 and it has pressure marks. I'm on my second display and they cam back in the same spots as they were in before. I never hold it at the corners. It travels everyday with me in a very well padded compartment of a tumi bag. I carry nothing else in this bad except for a notepad and some small trinkets (in a different compartment of course).

--gene

gene303 wrote:I have an x301 and it has pressure marks. I'm on my second display and they cam back in the same spots as they were in before. I never hold it at the corners. It travels everyday with me in a very well padded compartment of a tumi bag. I carry nothing else in this bad except for a notepad and some small trinkets (in a different compartment of course).

--gene

Suggests some kind of alignment issue inside the lid as you claim no blunt force trauma to the notebook. I think your "case" may have had two subway doors shut on it on your 5 train bound for Brooklyn?

@gene303: By pressure marks, do you mean marks on the screen made by the keyboard? If not, ignore this, otherwise maybe you might want to invest in a microfiber cloth placed in-between the LCD and keyboard. I needed one for my T43 as the TrackPoint was known for rubbing against the LCD while closed.

Initial D wrote:@gene303: By pressure marks, do you mean marks on the screen made by the keyboard? If not, ignore this, otherwise maybe you might want to invest in a microfiber cloth placed in-between the LCD and keyboard. I needed one for my T43 as the TrackPoint was known for rubbing against the LCD while closed.

BTW he means pressing from the lid cover side. If the lid is so called weak then the pressure ripples the LCD. I thought you were the one overly concerned about the roll cage and seat belts for the machine.

Incidentally, I have a microfiber clothe that i place on the keyboard. It is cut for a 13.3 laptop. I got it from shaggymac.com. The pressure marks are not where the trackpoint is. The pressure marks are in several places. Those places line up with keys on the keyboard, but like i said, there is a microfiber clothe.

Do you guys suggest I press lenovo for both a display and a lid replacement? It's so hard to articulate the problem to someone who cares very little. I have on-site warranty and I'd be surprised if theyd ship both a lid and a display for on-site replacement, but I guess I'm going to try. Certainly worth it.

Any other ideas? All ideas welcome. Thanks.