Thinkpads Forum

I spent a good month doing research on ultra portable notebooks before I decided on the x100e and it was soooo worth it.
Total Price Paid was $475.

I got the Elite x100e/Black/2GB Ram/Win7 Pro/Bluetooth

I knew I would have to make a few sacrifices if I were to get a good laptop with everything I wanted for under $500. The x100e made it so that the only sacrifice I had to make was the battery life. So here is my mini review of the system.

Keyboard = Great (Just constantly amazed at how smooth my typing is on this thing, even one handed. It's nearly on par with full sized stand alone keyboards. My only real issue has been setting up the ultranav the way I like it. Using the nub for navigation is a bad idea as it is inaccurate and jerky, even when dialed down to the slowest setting it just doesn't compare to the touchpad for pinpoint accuracy. However, using it to scroll pages like a middle mouse button is a really nice feature that I use often. Like many reviewers I do think the whole ultranav system could have been tweaked a bit for this laptop due to it's size but, overall I'm really happy with it.)

Screen = 6.5 out of 10 (I'm a CRT guy, and use an FW900 CRT at home. Nothing compares to it. That said, I've used some really good fixed pixel displays like that on the Motion Computing View Anywhere LE 1600 tablet which I'd rate an 8 and some really crappy ones I'd rate around a 2. Although this display isn't great it isn't necessarily bad either. Being Matte and having the ability to fold back beyond 90* is a big plus. It also runs at a high resolution, is widescreen, and turning off vari-brite does give the display a pleasing look. I don't strain my eyes after some calibration. Matte screen is also nice that it doesn't show fingerprints and doesn't glare. I do wish the screen was a little taller but, otherwise this is a perfectly good display even capable of some photo editing. Mine had way high blue gamma but was easily adjusted in windows 7. Text is clear and crisp, and while blacks aren't very deep the display still looks very nice it just needs better viewing angles if you have more than one person looking at the screen.)

Overall Performance = 7 out of 10 ( I know some people may think that's high, that the system should be around a 5 or 6 or even lower. I disagree, while it isn't the fastest ultra portable out there by a long stretch, it's faster than a ferrari one and it has an ATI graphics card. I'm able to run Photoshop, Unity 3D, Maya, and older video games. It also plays HD video very smoothly. It isn't an Alieinware M11x but, it has a better looking screen at least and, it is capable of doing what the average person needs. For the record, it can run the Unity 3D demo at a decent framerate, with updated ATI drivers and some tweaks applied like installing D3D Overrider.)

Build Quality 8 out of 10 (It's very sturdy and stiff so it doesn't flex much, it's lightweight too, and the plastic it's made of feels much sturdier that most other laptops I've used. The system itself is matte which just happens to give you a little extra grip when carrying the thing around. That extra grip lets you do some really neat things like standing up holding the x100e with one hand and typing with the other with the screen tilted back for easy viewing. Upgrades are also really easy since the bottom of the laptop comes off by just removing a few screws. The keys are also fantastic and quiet to the touch and water resistant. The only issue I had was there was a wire sticking out of the bottom of my x100e when it arrived. I applied a piece of electrical tape to it and reseated it then put the bottom back on. It was the wire that is used when installing the 3G receiver. I do wish the battery didn't stick out of the back so much, but honestly it actually gives you a sort of handle to use when carrying the laptop around. And I much prefer the battery like this than it pointing downward making the laptop thicker than it needs to be. I honestly think Lenovo made the right choice with how they handled the battery. Now they just need one that's the same size but is a 9 cell to solve the battery problem. This is just a very well built ultra portable that is a joy to use.)


Sound = acceptable (No real complaints here, the speakers sound decent enough and headphones sound good. NO HDMI audio but I don't see it as an issue. While it doesn't compete with my 7.1 surround sound home system it does sound perfectly acceptable for a laptop.)

Connectability = Good (While HDMI would be a plus and, there is no firewire, the system does have 3 USB ports and a card reader, VGA out, ethernet, 3G option, bluetooth, and wifi b/g/n. Also, one of the USB ports can be used as a charger while the system is off. I also like the fact that Lenovo put two USB's on one side by themselves as it allows me to use and power a portable DVD burner without blocking the other ports. I'm not sure how some reviewers missed this feature as it is a very intelligent decision by Lenovo. The lack of HDMI isn't a big deal for me as it allows me to connect to my CRT at home.)

The only real issue I have with the laptop is battery life, I've used RMClock but, haven't adjusted everything permanently yet but, It will allow for better battery life or at least more consistent battery life when more cpu power is needed. Luckily, the battery charges very fast and it's really small so keeping a spare with you shouldn't be much of an issue assuming Lenovo makes a stand alone battery charger.

Overall, I love this laptop. I really, really, love this ultra portable. I know other laptops may have other things like longer battery life, or more ports but, this seems to be the only one anywhere that does everything I need and the level I need to do it. I think Lenovo cut the correct corners to produce a wonderful portable computing system.

clinesr wrote:this seems to be the only one anywhere that does everything I need and the level I need to do it.

Then that's all that matters. Congrats on the machine.

The X100e is a really nice machine. I didn't quite like the keyboard at first; I originally thought it was because it was chiclet, but then realized it was the missing millimeter of stroke depth that I was used to. Battery life is definitely mediocre; on my X100e, it gets around 5.5 hours on 6-cell after undervolting. I, however, found the TrackPoint on the X100e to be more sensitive than my T400 (less finger strain); but it might just be because it has a new TrackPoint cap.

Performance is pretty good except for CPU intensive tasks; I was able to run MW2 at barely playable settings. It does get hot though.

All in all, I thought the machine was a cut above the rest of the regular netbooks (excluding battery life).
Mine is now in the hands of my younger brother who uses it solely for playing RollerCoaster Tycoon.

Enjoy your X100e!

Thanks for the replies.

The battery life really does seem to be the only real complaint I have with the machine.
I was able to undervolt the CPU a decent amount.

Stock settings are: 4.0x (800MHz) = 0.8V & 8.0x (1.6GHz) = 0.95V
My settings are: 4.0x (800MHz) = 0.8V & 8.0x (1.6GHz) = 0.8V
Which, I assume, means I can leave everything at .8 Volts across the board, so I'm guessing there is no reason to even use anything but the highest P-state (8.0x @ 1.6GHz).

I'm just thankful the battery charges up fairly quickly and, that I can simply close the lid to set it in standby mode. It's also nice that the charger is very small and the optional one is even smaller although, I'd rather just have a 9 cell battery that's about the same size as the 6 cell. A 9 cell alone would completely solve the battery life issues of this laptop.

To be honest, I think after setting up RMClock the way I want I'll be able to get a handle on the battery life. Compared to my LE1600 with 2x batteries installed the x100e is actually on par with it. I really haven't explored all the options available to reduce power consumption yet, and I'm sure there are other things I can do like installing a solid state drive (which is way to expensive for me to do now but, the option to upgrade later is there).

I'm wondering if undervolting the GPU is a possibility as well.

Sorry if I missed this from the post, but do you have the MV-40, Athlon X2, or Turion X2 model?

I know that the MV-40's life is supposedly quite poor, but the I thought that subsequent iterations were a bit better in this regard...

The GPU can definitely by undervolted using the AMD GPU Clock tool to 16/100 (any lower and the app crashes). However, I've always had issues with the system glitching up after closing and reopening the lid. I have lid close set to do nothing. You could always go into Catalyst and check your PowerPlay settings.

ThinkRob wrote:Sorry if I missed this from the post, but do you have the MV-40, Athlon X2, or Turion X2 model?

I know that the MV-40's life is supposedly quite poor, but the I thought that subsequent iterations were a bit better in this regard...

This is the TurionX2 model ( the L625) which has more cache and I think has an extra P-state 4x, 6x, and 8x although I usually just see 4x and 8x speeds. I would imagine the extra middle clock setting of 6x gives it slightly better battery life over the L325 model and since both of X2 models have Power Now technology they should both get the same or better battery life than the MV-40 model.

I think any version of the x100e is a good buy simply due to the build quality and all around fantastic design of these laptops but, I do think the Turionx2 is the top end version. However, the L325 Athlon might be the best deal from the outlet store as I've seen them for under $350 or usually a lot cheaper than the Turionx2s.

Now if you go to some forums like notebookreview.com (which is a fine website) you will find some people, that aren't x100e owners, talk pretty badly of the x100e. Either they are dumb or have some other agenda going on (Is there a such thing as a laptop fanboy?). I hear all kinds of garbage talk like how the x100e has poor performance, even though it can wipe the floor with models like the Dell Inspirion 11z and it outperforms a ferrari one. Some people even have the audacity to claim that the laptop is noisy. Seriously, if your x100e is noisy then you need to send it back to lenovo or change from cat back to human form when using it. Now, I'm not claiming the x100e has great performance or is completely silent but, I just wonder about some people's expecations. At present, no laptop on earth is going to outperfrom my desktop and this laptop isn't designed for workstation use like a Dell Precision, it isn't designed or marketed as a gaming laptop like the M11x and it isn't going to be as quiet as my android phone on silent but, my x100e lives up to all and, exceeds some of my expectations.

To be perfectly honest, battery life is only a real issue depending on how you use the laptop. If you are editing textures in Photoshop and are making some objects in Maya at the same time then don't plan on getting more than 2 hours or so out of the thing. If your just reading, taking some notes or typing a paper, or maybe just surfing the internet then yeah, you'll get a good 4+ hours with the right settings.

The thing is just about any other ultra portable that I can throw in my backpack and take to school I'll get 5 hours of battery life and some of them can even get me a full 8 hours or more. The difference though, is that the one that gets me 5-8 hours of battery life won't have enough power to run Photoshop and Maya at the same time at a usable setting, nor will it have a good keyboard or a great screen. Heck, even something like an M11x and all it's gaming power glory still ends up having a bad keyboard and a glossy screen, both of which are much bigger issues than battery life. I mean, I really gave it a lot of thought, and the only time battery life is an issue is when the battery is dead and I have no way to charge it. Having a bad keyboard, a glossy screen, weak internal graphics, low resolution display, subpar build construction, and whatever other hardware corner cutting that was done is an issue 100% of the time and, there aren't really any easy workarounds. Battery life, is more like a service than a hardware issue and there are relatively easy solutions like an outlet, an extra battery, a car charger, firmware updates, software updates, hardware upgrades (which are super easy on this laptop), undervolting, and even just changing the settings of the laptop depending on use.

The point is, even though the x100e has pretty terrible battery life under heavy use at least with this laptop I have the option of the heavy use (running photoshop, maya, 1080p video, light gaming, etc). I can always force the laptop to get better battery life by setting it to the lowest cpu speed among other adjustments, and the battery charges back up very quickly.

Sorry for the long posts, I just can't say enough wonderful things about this laptop. I know it isn't for everyone, I mean if most of what you do is spreasheets or net surfing then you might be better off getting something with exceptional battery life like the Acer Timeline 1810t instead (If you can stand the glossy screen) but, if you are looking for something that has a bit of everything and battery life isn't a big issue then the x100e is a no brainer. I really hope Lenovo ends up making a 9 cell batter for this thing sometime in the future, it would be the perfect ultra portable then.

I'm surprised you get as much as 5.5 hours on your X100e, as I don't get any more than that on my X200s with C2D SL9400 and 6-cell battery.

For the $$...the X100e is a nice little laptop.

If any of you with success with the AMD GPU Clock, or rmclock could post their full settings, I'd appreciate it. I grabbed rmclock. Still working on understanding what all the options do, and which are safe and not before I start tweaking.

Jason404 wrote:I'm surprised you get as much as 5.5 hours on your X100e, as I don't get any more than that on my X200s with C2D SL9400 and 6-cell battery.

I did some more tests and I actually get around 5 hours tops without using RMclock with bluetooth disabled and the screen brightness on low with the battery fully charged and the system forced at the lowest CPU speed.

I normally see around 3.75 to 4.25 hours with lite surfing and note taking with my battery set to only charge to 95%. I've decided to not use RMClock as I'm just not seeing enough of a difference in voltages to bother with it. I can get some decent undervolting at 8x but at 4x I keep getting errors when doing any undervolting. I notice when RMClock isn't running I always get 15 to 30 minutes more batter life and I'm assuming it has to do with how the BIOS and CPU regulate voltage and overall power consumption over letting RMClock do it.

I also think part of the slightly longer battery life I get is because I only have 1x2GB stick of ram where 2x2GB sticks would use twice the voltage of 1.

And maybe it's just my imagination but, I feel the laptop runs a little smoother with the newest Bios 1.28 update coming from 1.25.

I do have a question though, will I see any improvements in battery life or system speed if I switch to Windows 7 64bit? If so how exactly do I go about doing it properly?

One last thing, is that there are two firmware updates for the x100e batteries. Turns out some of the laptops reviewed may have had batteries without these firmware updates which would cause them to artificially show less battery life than the battery actually holds.

Single-core MV-40 user here. I get just a shade over 5:00 at best with the 6-cell battery and no underclocking, with an X25-V SSD installed. I agree, my main gripe is with the battery life. The build quality and ergonomics are stellar, especially for the price. I prefer the keyboard to the X201 keyboard.

You could install AMD GPU Clock tool and underclock the GPU. That gets a fair bit more (lowest the HD3200 takes is 16/100) but it introduces some issues if you open and close the lid.

Colonel O'Neill wrote:You could install AMD GPU Clock tool and underclock the GPU. That gets a fair bit more (lowest the HD3200 takes is 16/100) but it introduces some issues if you open and close the lid.

Thanks, I will keep it in mind. Unfortunately I always use my laptops that way, and also have suspend/resume keyed to the lid state.

clinesr wrote:Now if you go to some forums like notebookreview.com (which is a fine website) you will find some people, that aren't x100e owners, talk pretty badly of the x100e.

many people find the need to speak negatively of a product they've never seen or used, basing their words solely on opinion rather than first-hand experience.   this happens on every product forum, not just NBR.

the lesson to take away from it is not to accept everything you read on forums as fact.   unless the user lists an X100e in their signature or sounds like they've actually used one, you can take what's said with salt.   these days, everyone's an "expert" on the internet.

myself, i've not only used an X100e but have the photo to prove it: http://lenovoblogs.com/connections/?p=1241