New ThinkPad: X230 or T430s

[nlf]

New here. Currently in the market for a ThinkPad. Currently using a 13" MBP (mid-2010).

Quick rundown of my preferences:
Portability- Going from home/school/work/travel often, so I'm looking for something on the lighter end. Also, a long battery life would be a plus

RAM-8GB+

HD-Preferably SSD

Screen size-Torn b/w 12.5" and 14", slightly leaning toward 14", but I can deal with 12.5"

Price range- <$1500

I will mostly be using this laptop for business and school work. I usually have multiple Excel worksheets open simultaneously along with Chrome and other engineering related software. I've been back and forth b/w T430s and X230. With the T430s, I like the bigger screen, but not the extra weight. I haven't too much experience with a wide view screen, so I don't know how drastic a change the X230 would be. The shorter palm rest doesn't look like it'll bother me as much as I have smaller hands.

Any suggestions? If something similar has been posted before, please redirect me to the appropriate thread. Thanks in advance.

[ZaZ]

I think the reason to get the T430s would be if you want the HD+ LCD. The screen itself is average, but you'll get more screen real estate, which may be helpful for large spreadsheets. Otherwise, the X230 has a better screen, is more portable and gets better battery life.

[lead_org]

T430s benefits:

-Optical Drive can be swapped for a hdd caddy, so you can 3 storage (main hdd, hdd in ultrabay, and mSATA)
-Nvidia Optimus option
-1600x900

X230 benefits:

-Lighter and more portable
-up to 18 hours battery time with the 9 cells main battery + slice battery
-IPS LCD option

[ducky2802]

If youre on the move a lot, I wouldnt hesitate for a second to go with the smallest, lightest setup possible. The X series, especially tablet variant, is incredibly well suited to the college lifestyle and on the go usage. Dont get me wrong, the T series is a good all-round performer, but the X just makes traveling a bit easier and unless you need the horsepower of a bigger machine or really plan on using your laptop screen only (read: no ext monitor), then Id vote for X.

[omnivertex]

I'm a software developer. Is X230 better than T430s for this feat?

Is X230 with standar resolution display (1366x768) enough for coding?

[RealBlackStuff]

For just coding you can use ANY laptop, as long as it has enough vertical space.
If you are looking at small, check out the X60/X60s/X60T and X61/X61s/X61T.
All have 12.1" screens (4:3 format) and are available with XGA (1024x768).
X60T/X61T (tablets) are also available with SXGA+ (1400x1050), ideal for coding.
They have the same dimensions
X60 models can have 4GB RAM (only 3GB usable), X61 models can have 8GB (all 8GB available with a 64-bit OS).
X60 models are SATA I, X61 models are SATA II (with Middleton BIOS).
These screens are much more suited for coding, their battery life varies between 5-8 hours (with an SSD).
The X60s and X61s are slightly slower than the others, but have the best battery life.
(My own travel machine is an X61s with SSD)

Read up about X60 and X60s here: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2828
X61 is basically the next generation of the X60, with more RAM as the most noticeable feat.

[omnivertex]

Hi RealBlackStuff,

Thanks for your recommendations.

So X60T and X61T are the only classic X-series thinkpad that has the biggest display resolution?

Is there lightweight classic T-series that has vertical display resolution bigger than 768 too?

[pianowizard]

I've been back and forth b/w T430s and X230. With the T430s, I like the bigger screen, but not the extra weight.

Have you considered the X1 Carbon? Though it has only 4GB RAM, it meets your screen size and weight preferences perfectly, since it has the size of the T430s but is even lighter than the X230. Are you sure you need 8GB+ RAM? I am an extreme multitasker and yet 4GB RAM is sufficient at least 99% of the time.

BTW, the X60 and X61 tablets with SXGA+ weigh about the same as the T430s.

[nlf]

Thanks for the input. I went to a local computer store to try out the X230 (they didn't have the T430s in stock). I liked it a lot, I thought I would be turned off by the screen size, but it didn't bother me too much, neither did the shorter palm rest. I haven't used a ThinkPad since the fifth grade, back when there was no touchpad, but I instinctively, it seems, gravitated toward the trackpoint anyway. The notebook was lightweight and felt sturdy in my hands. I went home and ordered the X230. Barring any issues, it should arrive within the next two weeks.

Configuration details, if interested:
i5-3230M
12.5" Premium HD with 3x3 antenna
Win 7
4 GB RAM
500 GB HDD (will most likely upgrade to SSD)
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
6 cell battery

I believe the total before tax was around $780

[ZaZ]

Congrats. It's a fantastic little notebook. I wouldn't trade my X220i for anything else. I might suggest, if you're not planning on using WWAN, picking up the mSATA SSD and keeping the hard drive in the bay. This way you'll get the speed benefit of the SSD, but retain the platter drive for storage where speed is not as critical.

[maguro]

Thanks for the input. I went to a local computer store to try out the X230 (they didn't have the T430s in stock). I liked it a lot, I thought I would be turned off by the screen size, but it didn't bother me too much, neither did the shorter palm rest. I haven't used a ThinkPad since the fifth grade, back when there was no touchpad, but I instinctively, it seems, gravitated toward the trackpoint anyway. The notebook was lightweight and felt sturdy in my hands. I went home and ordered the X230. Barring any issues, it should arrive within the next two weeks.

Good choice! I was faced with the same decision as well. I actually have an x200 so I really wanted to like the T430s for a change but it's hard to overlook the size and weight of the x230.

Since I'm in no major rush, I'll probably wait for the release of the x230s/x231s - only because it should drop the price of the x230.

[omnivertex]

I hope the upcoming X230s/X231 will provide HD+ display at base configuration. If that's true, that will be an ideal thinkpad for me, although I have to see first how is the new trackpoint's integrated buttons.

[nlf]

I was hoping to not hit any bumps with the shipping, but no luck. My order status changed to "In Production" a few days after I placed the order. It was slated to ship out the past Friday--nothing. I checked with the post sales team and they said it would ship out tomorrow and be delivered by the end of this week. Then I checked my status a few hours later and the ship date had been delayed another week.

UPDATE: Apparently, it has already shipped. Here's the order status timeline if anyone is interested:
4/5/13- Order date
4/7/13- "Released to Manufacturing" Est. ship date: 4/15/13
4/10/13- "In Production" Est. ship date: 4/12/13
4/14/13 13:00 PDT- "In Production" Est. ship date: 4/12/13
4/14/13 21:30 PDT- "In Production" Est. ship date: 4/22/13
4/15/13 4:05 PDT- "Shipped" Actual ship date: 4/14/13

[nlf]

Just picked up my X230 this morning. Shipping took all of this work week, 4/15-19.

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