choosing a light thinkpad

[achat_2]

Hi All,

don't know if this is the correct topic, anyway..

I have been an happy owner of few thinkpads, since 2003, one R40 (bought new), and two T41p (bought used).
All are still working, despite two of them with some fan issues.

I am now thinking to buy a used or new Thinkpad to be easily carried on with me while traveling.
My back is getting older and I want a light one.

I have studied a bit the last few days the current market and offers by Lenovo and here are the alternatives I am considering, just let me know if you think I should definetively go for one of them, or delete another. Ideally I would like to spend about 500/600 euros, or even less, but if it is worth to spend more I may consider.

a) buy a new X121e (europe version, ... but I read of the noisy fan, and I don't really like noisy/always on fan)
b) buy a used X100, (serious heat problems?)
c) buy a new or used X220 (would means to spend something more)
d) buy a used X60 ( heat problem, what would be a fair price to pay for it?)

So I am actually a bit confused. Additionally I am not familiar with wide screens at all, and I am reading the current 1366x768 resolution would be a significant reduction in vertical space with respect to 1400x1050 to which I am used with my T41p.

Any suggestion is well appreciated.

[Kimmo]

What type of software do you plan on running?

If you just want to do web browsing and run Microsoft Office and things like that, then you won't need the CPU power offered by the X220/X200 and you could save money by getting an X100/X121. (although that depends on if you don't mind the keyboard on the 100 series)

[achat_2]

What type of software do you plan on running?

If you just want to do web browsing and run Microsoft Office and things like that, then you won't need the CPU power offered by the X220/X200 and you could save money by getting an X100/X121. (although that depends on if you don't mind the keyboard on the 100 series)

Is the new chiclet keyboard so bad with respect to the standard one?

As for CPU power, I think I would in any case shift to the i3 for the X121e, since I read it produces less heat and better battery life of AMD processors. I think the most computationally intensive thing I do with my laptop is a bit of audio/video editing.
But I am really attracted by the long battery life with the standard 6cells battery of the X220..

[azX32]

I have the X100e and the X220, both with 6-cell battery. I don't find any significant difference in weight between the two. The X220 seems to be marginally lighter when holding them side by side, though it's not enough to really matter when traveling.

I like the chiclet keyboard on the X100e a lot. I think it has a somewhat tighter feel than the X220 keyboard, though I don't prefer one over the other. Both have the high quality I expect from a ThinkPad keyboard.

I haven't had a fan or heat issue with either the X100e (L335) or the X220. My main preference for the X220 is for the longer battery life, larger screen (and also significantly better screen, if you get an X220 with IPS), and the ThinkLight and several status LEDs that are missing on the X100e.

My recommendaton would be to go with the X220 if it's within your budget. If not, then give the X100 series a serious consideration.

[penartur]

You can also consider used X200/X201. They occasionally pop out on marketplace for a decent price, sometimes with AFFS screen.
Also, there is an X300/X301.
I'd certainly ruled out X100e, it is just to week, 11" and non-thinkpadish, and used X200 costs about the same.

It depends on the price you're willing to spend and on your weight/screen requirements.
If you need the laptop to be as lightweight as possible, and want it to have an ultrabay and large screen, you should went the X300/X301 route.
Otherwise, you should choose between X60, X61, X200, X201 and X220 (with AFFS/IPS screen where possible) according to the money you want to spend. If X220 w/IPS is within your budget, just get it and don't look back, its battery life and the screen are awesome, and it is quite future-proof with sandy bridge, mSATA etc... (even if you don't need all that performance now, you'll need it a few years later).

[achat_2]

Thanks penartur,

actually yesterday I was seriously considering an X200s (with the 1440x900 lcd) , but it has been sold immediately.
I read some reviews and they are even silent and cool which is something that I like.
It is _so_ light, just 1.2 with the 4cell battery! And it looks like it should be possible to find them around 450$ or 450 Euros..

But it will be maybe hard to find another one here in Italy, and for what I see people in the Marketplace here are mostly shipping in US, hardly Europe.
Maybe i could post a WTB and see what happens.

thanks again,
A.

p.s. is AFFS and IPS the same thing? or X20x just came out with AFFS and X220 with IPS?

You can also consider used X200/X201. They occasionally pop out on marketplace for a decent price, sometimes with AFFS screen.
Also, there is an X300/X301.
I'd certainly ruled out X100e, it is just to week, 11" and non-thinkpadish, and used X200 costs about the same.

It depends on the price you're willing to spend and on your weight/screen requirements.
If you need the laptop to be as lightweight as possible, and want it to have an ultrabay and large screen, you should went the X300/X301 route.
Otherwise, you should choose between X60, X61, X200, X201 and X220 (with AFFS/IPS screen where possible) according to the money you want to spend. If X220 w/IPS is within your budget, just get it and don't look back, its battery life and the screen are awesome, and it is quite future-proof with sandy bridge, mSATA etc... (even if you don't need all that performance now, you'll need it a few years later).

[penartur]

But it will be maybe hard to find another one here in Italy, and for what I see people in the Marketplace here are mostly shipping in US, hardly Europe.

You can find it on ebay. Marketplace is good for finding X200/X201 equipped with AFFS (because most modders reside on forum.thinkpads.com anyway, so if they want to sell their modded laptop, they'll probably offer it there before putting it on ebay).

p.s. is AFFS and IPS the same thing? or X20x just came out with AFFS and X220 with IPS?

AFFS is a subtype of IPS.
X200/s and X201/s only came with TN. However, it is possible to replace stock TN with an AFFS or *VA manually.
X220 comes in two kinds, with TN and with IPS. X220's stock IPS is much better than AFFS or *VA one could put in their X200/X201; however, X220 might be out of your budget.
Also, when you're considering weight, keep in mind that X220 lives from 6-cell battery nearly as long as X200s/X201s are from 9-cell one, while being lighter AFAIK.

[achat_2]

Thanks again!

Well after such a detailed explanation I think now I have two waiting list:

a) a used X61s or X200s/201s with a TN screen, (to be paid by me not more than 450 euros)
b) a brand new X220 with IPS just in case I may get some research funds from my university (something that I should know in few weeks)

To be prepared to the second case I will now start a deep research to choose my ideal X220.
Certainly the 1440:900 IPS on those models could have been a dream...

A.

You can find it on ebay. Marketplace is good for finding X200/X201 equipped with AFFS (because most modders reside on forum.thinkpads.com anyway, so if they want to sell their modded laptop, they'll probably offer it there before putting it on ebay).

AFFS is a subtype of IPS.
X200/s and X201/s only came with TN. However, it is possible to replace stock TN with an AFFS or *VA manually.
X220 comes in two kinds, with TN and with IPS. X220's stock IPS is much better than AFFS or *VA one could put in their X200/X201; however, X220 might be out of your budget.
Also, when you're considering weight, keep in mind that X220 lives from 6-cell battery nearly as long as X200s/X201s are from 9-cell one, while being lighter AFAIK.

[underclocker]

Please take a look at a T400s or T410s. They weigh 4 lbs., have 14" widescreen 1440 x 900 WXGA+ LCDs, internal optical (or second battery), very long runtime, etc. This would be a great T41p replacement and it would shave 1 lb from the weight. You could use it for home and travel.

Otherwise, I really like my X100e. I upgraded from an X60s and wouldn't go back. The X100e is 3 lbs. with the 3 cell battery and 3.3 lbs. with the 6 cell battery.

[sanjuro]

Talking of light Thinkpad, I wish that Lenovo would sanction building a T4xx replacement that weighs less than 4 lb. If they can get it down to less than 3 or 3.5 lb, that would be awesome. I do hope that it will come preferably with a 16:10 IPS LCD.

[penartur]

To be prepared to the second case I will now start a deep research to choose my ideal X220.
Certainly the 1440:900 IPS on those models could have been a dream...

X220 comes only with 1280*800, whether it is TN or IPS.
Basically, there is only a couple of major differences between different X220 configurations:
1) TN vs. IPS, this one is pretty obvious, and you should probably choose IPS.
2) CPU. i5 and i7 (except for i5-2410M) do support Intel VT-d (accelerates virtual machines in certain scenarios; all CPUs do support basic virtual acceleration Intel VT-x) and AES-NI (accelerates certain encryption workloads), while i3 and i5-2410M do not. Also, there is a slight performance difference; you hardly will notice it.
3) USB3.0 (in USA it only comes with i7, do not know about EU though). You probably don't need it.
4) HDD/SSD. AFAIK, currently lenovo offers a choice between 320GB @5400RPM, 320GB @7200RPM and 160GB SSD. The much better choice would be to have hybrid storage (SSD for speed + HDD for data), but lenovo doesn't offer such an option. You can get it by ordering the cheaper HDD configuration and ordering an mSATA Intel 310 SSD separately (e.g. on www.computeruniverse.net , where i got mine); note that Intel 310 80GB offers significantly higher performance when compared to 40GB one. With such a setup the HDD speed won't bother you, so it doesn't matter whether it would be 5400RPM or 7200RPM.
5) RAM. It is so cheap now (about 20EUR/4GB stick AFAIK), that it hardly makes any sense to look at the specific configuration RAM size.

To summarize it all: most likely, the cheapest configuration with IPS will suit all your needs; later you may purchase Intel 310 80GB SSD and an additional RAM to make it 6/8GB total.

Please take a look at a T400s or T410s. They weigh 4 lbs., have 14" widescreen 1440 x 900 WXGA+ LCDs, internal optical (or second battery), very long runtime, etc. This would be a great T41p replacement and it would shave 1 lb from the weight. You could use it for home and travel.

Isn't T4**s runtime very low compared to their non-s counterparts? Also there are some drawbacks, particularly 1.8" HDD and lack of battery options.
I'd rather choose X300/X301, it has the same drawbacks and the same screen resolution, however, the weight savings are more significant (even with it being a 1" smaller).

[asiafish]

Highly recommend X220. I will point out that so far three of us on this forum have run into significant stability problems when running IE9 with Windows 7 SP1 (mine is 64 bit, not sure of others). With IE8 it is rock-solid and the computer is super fast (i5 2540, SSD).

[dr_st]

Isn't T4**s runtime very low compared to their non-s counterparts?

I haven't owned one myself, but have indeed heard complaints from some users that T400s/T410s (as well as X300/X301) have a hard time reaching their declared battery life. One thing to pay attention to is that the 6-cell batteries in the -s models have about 15-20% lower capacity than the 6-cell for the regular models (44/48Wh vs 56Wh). And of course the only way to extend the battery life is to replace the optical drive with a bay battery, which adds to the weight. Even then, the total capacity would be 44+32=76Wh versus 94Wh for the 9-cell of the T410.

The T410s components may be a bit more power efficient, but generally not enough to offset for the 20% capacity difference. There are no free meals - longer battery life means larger batteries means more weight.