Thinkpads Forum

Confused about the x240 docks.. looks like there is no ultrabase option at this moment or its not coming out ?

The us site only has the docks
ThinkPad Basic Dock - 90W 199
ThinkPad Pro Dock - 90W 249
ThinkPad Ultra Dock - 90W US 269


You guys order your x240 yet ?

The docks you have listed are the only options. There will be no replacement for the UltraBase Series 3, and so no new UltraBase for the X240.

There will be an Ultrabase 3 docking station equivalent for the X240, like the one for the X230.

The docking connector will be slightly different because the laptop connectors have changed on the X240

Yeah I got the system in December.. I like the ultrabase because you can plug a dvd drive in there.. it might out later or not at all.. using a usb dvd drive now.. takes up space on desk.

I am sorry to say our Lenovo account manager has reneged on his statement over Ultras bases and X240's

There will be no Ultrabase for the X240. The Thinkpad Pro Dock 65W with an external USB DVD drive option is the official solution.

What a poor backward step on Lenovo's part.

Hi, why need any Pro Dock station? cant you plug an USB DVD drive directly into the laptop?
It makes me so glad I got the x230. Nowadays you just have to buy things ASAP and pay for extra super extended warranties on them...as products seem to get progressively worse over time. The ultrabase is a super thing..My x230 is hardly larger than a heavier old Toshiba, with the Ultrabase on it. When you are burning a film onto a DVD, it is so much safer than an external USB drive...say you want to move it all into another room, as you dont want to hear the noise. Easy with the Ultrabase, a pain with a slim external USB drive as the USB cable is likely to slip out of the laptop...
I will now go and look at the price of a warranty extension...



quote There will be no Ultrabase for the X240. The Thinkpad Pro Dock 65W with an external USB DVD drive option is the official solution.

PRAGUEGUY wrote:Hi, why need any Pro Dock station? cant you plug an USB DVD drive directly into the laptop?

Yes, you can. I believe the recommended solution is for people who are looking for some kind of dock for general expansion / connectivity / fixed desktop setup, and also wish to have an optical drive.

I must however admit that the new docking stations are not that bad either. They have a DVI digital output...that is quite valuable, I have never seen a Display Port input on any standard office monitor, I cannot understand what the rationale is behind them.
And these new docking stations look lighter than the Ultrabase, which feels basically like one half of my x230 laptop.

PRAGUEGUY wrote:I must however admit that the new docking stations are not that bad either. They have a DVI digital output...that is quite valuable, I have never seen a Display Port input on any standard office monitor, I cannot understand what the rationale is behind them.

You've only seen cheap or old office monitors, then. DisplayPort is becoming more common. The rationale behind it is that it supports higher resolutions and refresh rates than DVI, and some other useful features (none of which, however, present themselves in standard office monitors).

The old Series 3 docking stations (not Ultrabase) also had DVI, and DisplayPort, and unlike in the new Pro Dock, these could actually be used at the same time, so you could connect 2 monitors via digital connections. With the Pro Dock now you can only use one or the other, which means if you want two monitors - one will have to use the analog VGA, which has its downsides.

Now, when you have a single digital port, it does make sense to make it DisplayPort and not DVI. Because DisplayPort++ (which is standard nowadays) can output DVI signals (since DVI/HDMI are basically the same), so you can use a simple adapter to connect to a DVI monitor. Vice-versa isn't true.

PRAGUEGUY wrote:And these new docking stations look lighter than the Ultrabase, which feels basically like one half of my x230 laptop.

Yep, they are. For starts, they don't have the optical drive built-in. The neat thing about the X220/X230 series is that they are fully compatible with the standard docking stations, AND they have their own Ultrabase. So you can enjoy both worlds.