Looking into getting an X200

[doktorek]

I don't really detect a CPU whine on battery, although I'll admit my hearing is kinda damaged. I forget which machine I noticed it with, though... it may have been my X60s/61s

The whine is there in x200 running Linux...What a pity. Not sure about battery as of now, but today I've bought a mouse and after connecting it through USB receiver, the whining starts (on AC power). I remember reading somewhere, that this whine was also connected with using USB devices. Well, I have to learn to live with it, just as I did with T60.

[EchoFox]

OP here. Thought I'd mention I did finally get a X200, and it is, so far, great.

I can't hear anything coming from it. The thing's very much silent, which is great since my last laptop had this really loud fan whirring sound going on.

[ThinkRob]

The whine is there in x200 running Linux...What a pity.

CPU whine isn't due to your choice of OS.

[Eduard]

I just upgraded from a T60 to a refurbed X201. My experience has been that it is exactly like the T60 but lighter. Both systems run 1280x800 so resoultion wasn't a problem for me.

I run 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Ultimate, Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 3 and Office 2010. They all run faster than on my 32-bit desktop. The i5 processor is very nice. I was on a flight back from Vienna a couple weeks ago and utilizing the battery extender feature, read a book using the Kindle software and did email for over 6 hours (with the 6 cell battery). The battery showed just over 2 hours remaining. Phenomenal. And when the person in front of me leaned back, the X201 still fit in the space. The T60 would never have worked.

The display is very good but not perfect. I don't know why it isn't automatically installed, but adding the monitor inf file seems to improve the experience.

I did a clean install so I don't know if the OS would recover from swapping the hard drive. It is physically possible.

[jihe]

You know if the x200 were an apple product the tn panel would be called the privacy feature.

I switched from a flexview R60 to a X200. I love it and I wouldn't go back to one of those behemoths. I'd get one to use around the house maybe, but even there I prefer the smaller size. Sure you're giving up some resolution, but you're getting a much more portable machine in return. Plus, scrolling on the trackpoint is so much easier, I think it to a large degree mitigates the lower resolution. If you're really a resolution junkie, there's always the X200s or the X201s, but there's not WXGA+ AFFS to upgrade.

I believe the X200 can take up to 8gb of memory if you're inclined. The Core 2 Duo in the X200 is three generations newer than the one in the T60. It'll be faster if you're pushing it, but probably won't seem much faster in day to day usage.

I did the AFFS mod on my X200. Once you've gone flexview, it's hard to use anything else. It requires a bit more finesse than the T60 or R60 as it's much more tightly packed, but it's doable. If you're looking for the matte version, they can be hard to find and expensive. You might want to take that into consideration. I got the glossy myself. I don't find the glare that bad. I'm just happy to have a good screen. I didn't find the original Samsung screen to be all that bad, at least compared to what else is available out there, but it'll never have the angles like the AFFS.

As I recall, I pulled the hard drive from my R60 and put it in my X200. It blue screened. I'd say it's a definite maybe on the hard drive swap.

I think you're right that while the performance is probably slightly better on the X201, the X200 probably offers much better value because you can get it for less.

[ZaZ]

Perhaps that's what Lenovo should do.