X200s & X61 - buying advice

[Monocat]

Hi guys,

I am in need of a subnotebook and I do not want to shell our a lot of money for it.
This, and the fact that I am in love with the classic Thinkpad design and mean, that I am looking for a x200 or x61.

I have two options (there are not many thinkpads for sale in Slovakia):

X61 - C2D T7300 2Ghz, 2GB RAM, 80gb 5400 HDD & supposedly a new 8 cell battery
199 euro (249 usd / 157 GBP)

x200s - C2D SL9400 1,86Ghz, 2GB RAM, 320Gb 7200 HDD, 1280x800 display & 9 cell battery, supposedly lasting about 6hours
250 euro (312 USD / 197 GBP)

Are these machines acceptable by todays standards? Would you buy them again, if your budget would be 250eur?

Is there anything special I should be aware before I purchase one these?

I know about the hot palmrest problem of the x61 and the somewhat less acceptable resolution. x200s seems to be a better deal, although more expensive... Would you pull the trigger on the x200s?

[Tasurinchi]

Welcome to the forum!

Me? For 50€ difference I would go to the X200, you gain a bit of more resolution, the CPU is more modern and the RAM is cheaper if you want/need to upgrade. It also has SATA-II speeds out of the box, the X61 needs to used a modded BIOS for that.

In your options below you also get a bigger and faster hard drive...

Your call now, have fun deciding

[slangeditorial]

Tasu pretty much got it all. RAM for the x200s is significantly cheaper, so if upgrading is important, go with the x200s.

[Monocat]

Thanks for the info guys!

Just one more question: is the 1280x800 screen used in x200s really terrible compared to contemporary notebooks? Or is it bearable?
My budget might e tight, but I do not want to end with a screen that is a pain to look at...

[Monocat]

Ok. I bought the x200s. The display quality is definitely suficient

[Soul_Est]

Thanks for the info guys!

Just one more question: is the 1280x800 screen used in x200s really terrible compared to contemporary notebooks? Or is it bearable?
My budget might e tight, but I do not want to end with a screen that is a pain to look at...

You mean the X200 or X200s? The X200 has a resolution of 1280x800 while the X200s has a resolution of 1440x900.

[Tasurinchi]

... while the X200s has a resolution of 1440x900.

Not all of them, many models also had WXGA (like mine, a 7469). In fact I think the WXGA+ were the "rare" exclusive ones

[Monocat]

I have got the 7466-3RG model, it is 1280x800.
I exchanged the HDD for a SSD and this thing flies.

[marYn]

Hi guys,

I am in need of a subnotebook and I do not want to shell our a lot of money for it.
This, and the fact that I am in love with the classic Thinkpad design and mean, that I am looking for a x200 or x61.

I have two options (there are not many thinkpads for sale in Slovakia):

X61 - C2D T7300 2Ghz, 2GB RAM, 80gb 5400 HDD & supposedly a new 8 cell battery
199 euro (249 usd / 157 GBP)

x200s - C2D SL9400 1,86Ghz, 2GB RAM, 320Gb 7200 HDD, 1280x800 display & 9 cell battery, supposedly lasting about 6hours
250 euro (312 USD / 197 GBP)

Are these machines acceptable by todays standards? Would you buy them again, if your budget would be 250eur?

Is there anything special I should be aware before I purchase one these?

I know about the hot palmrest problem of the x61 and the somewhat less acceptable resolution. x200s seems to be a better deal, although more expensive... Would you pull the trigger on the x200s?

Ahoj, zdravím z Moravy!

I'd go definitely with X200s which has much better specifications regarding the heat - X61 gets very warm especially in the palmrest area. X200 is one of coolest ultraportables. RAM's cheaper and the best upgrade is the AFFS screen. It's an easy modification and the result is perfect. I also got one in my X200 and so many people asks me about the screen when they see the colors.

In my opinion is the X200 line one of the best notebooks built ever.

[Monocat]

Pozdravy za Bratislavy

Is it possible to fit the European x200s with affs screen?
How much does it cost?

I do not want to spend more on the screen than on the notebook itself

[marYn]

Pozdravy za Bratislavy
Is it possible to fit the European x200s with affs screen?
How much does it cost?
I do not want to spend more on the screen than on the notebook itself

There are 2 types of LCD covers being used by X200s

- one which is thinner and lighter, used with high resolution LCD - you can't fit the AFFS in it
- the other is "normal" size, with plastic end (WiFi antennae are there)
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab23 ... cover2.jpg

If you want to build in the AFFS screen, search for X200s with the compatible cover and CFFL display, so you would need only to swap the LCD. Or another possibility is to buy X200, it's almost the same size and if you use 6 cell battery, there is no size difference at all.

[Monocat]

I do already have the "right" x200s
I will look for the specific of this mod.
Especially the price of the display.

[marYn]

I bought a year (?) ago the glossy version, the digitizer layer had been already removed by the seller (see the link). Matte was too expensive, now I see the seller changed the prices and the glossy is expensive

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-BOE-AFFS-LC ... 19ca17ea13

[Monocat]

Hmm. That seem quite pricey, in comparison to what I paid for the x200s

I found some cheaper options on ebay, although I am not sure about the quality, or if that are refurbished item. I doubt I will be able to return the screen to the seller after I remove the touchscreen...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=HV1 ... &_from=R40

this looks particularly promising
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOEHYDIS-HV121W ... 3f1b6aed28

[Tasurinchi]

this looks particularly promising
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOEHYDIS-HV121W ... 3f1b6aed28

Check the shipping costs. I paid 98 USD in May for that screen. It's really worthy, the contrast and brilliance are incredible! But keep in mind it's a glossy screen. If you don't like glossy surfaces better stick to the screen you have now.

[Monocat]

Ahoj, well, I passionately hate glossy displays, but It seems that they are quite cheap now...
What about power consumption, is it similar to the standard display?

[marYn]

These cheaper screens have a touchscreen surface (digitizer) which you have to remove first. You have to be careful while doing that. More expensive items are already without this surface and ready for X200.

Glossy has better colors than matte

[Monocat]

Ah, well. I bought the x200s for long battery life and antiglare display, as outdoor usability is quite important to me. I suppose that when the boe hydis panel has only marginally higher brightness, the glossiness would get in the way of usability under direct sunlight. Or would not it?

Anyway, considered the current prices of boe matte displays, I think I am better served by the standard screen

[ZaZ]

I believe the brightness is pretty close between the standard screens and the Hydis, around 200 nits, if not the same, but the Hydis offers better contrast and angles. Most of the Hydis screens are glossy, which will cut down on the outdoor usability. There is a matte version of the screen, the 120, but it tends to be more expensive.

[Soul_Est]

... while the X200s has a resolution of 1440x900.

Not all of them, many models also had WXGA (like mine, a 7469). In fact I think the WXGA+ were the "rare" exclusive ones

Ah, that explains it. Thank you. Would you consider the 7470 "rare" then?

[Tasurinchi]

Would you consider the 7470 "rare" then?

Maybe the right word would be "special"

According to the psref book, all 7465 models were WXGA. Whereas 7466's, 7469's and 7470's could be either WXGA or WXGA+. But there may be more models not listed in the psref book...

Edit: You can get the psref book here