Does the X series make a good main computer?

[HamTard]

Are there people who use their X series as their main computer? How well is that going for you? What is the cheapest X series I can possibly get my hands on (Ontario, Canada)? Is the X41 that much better than an X32?

[beerak]

I use X40 as a backup and for travelling. For main work I have desktop machine. If you have external LCD and keyboard then you can use X40 as main, otherwise it is too small

[bhtooefr]

Am I the only one here that actually uses an X as a primary?

What are you going to use your X for? If you're gaming, you'll want either a T series or an X + desktop. If you need high resolution (higher than 1024x768), then either a T, an X + Dock II or X4 Dock + external display, or an X + desktop. Otherwise, get yourself an X32 with the UltraBase X3. (I recommend the 32 over the 41 if it's your primary rig, b/c the 32 can take much larger HDDs.)

[holdrege]

I'm about to switch to an X41 for a primary. I'm full time mobile so no desktop for me. I don't game either. Just email and web and Office and a few other apps. I rarely use a CD/DVD so I'm just going to get a USB CD/DVD.

I'm giving up a beat up T40. The X41 has a faster CPU and more disk and memory. So I should be better off, right?

[nolifer]

My only machine is sig's X31... but with a lot of external stuff:

- 17" TFT
- 250GB HDD USB2.0
- 40GB HDD USB2.0
- DVD+/-RW USB2.0
- Mouse&Keyboard

It's quite ok, but photoshop needs more RAM than 512MB, and at the moment I can't afford to buy 512MB more...

[bhtooefr]

holdredge, nolifer: Perfect examples of people that the X series is suited towards as a main rig.

FWIW, if there was a Mobility Radeon X300 (or, heck, I'd prefer a GeForce Go 6200, but it seems that nV cards are reserved for the G series... ) in the X32, I'd be all over that, and for gaming too. Of course, I'd take anything over this Rage Mobility M...

[JonathanGennick]

I've run an X30 as my primary machine for a few years now, except that I took maybe a six-month "intemission" wherein I used a desktop as my primary. I spend the bulk of my time in Microsoft Word and in email.

[K. Eng]

I wouldn't use an X40/41 as my main computer because the HDD is too slow. I might consider an X31/32 provided that I had a dock and good external display.

[WilsonF]

Like everything else, it depends on what you use the system to do.

Several lawyers in my firm use X4x systems as their main computers. They wouldn't have anything else. However, they generally use them only for word processing, creating Acrobat documents, email and browsing, and tend to be the ones who travel much. I travel a lot with a T42p and no regrets.

If you have an external DVD writer with power and a large monitor and keyboard if you want them, and don't use the X4x for games, you'll be fine.

If you use an X4x to edit photos with Photoshop or do graphics-intensive work with other Adobe (or similar) applications, you may feel a little under-powered with an X4x.

[wingman]

I use my x31 as my main system. In fact, I got rid of my x24 for my x31 (both were/are my main system). I have two external HDs, a DVD+RW, kb, mouse, scanner, 17" LCD, printer and 1.5 GB of RAM. Mine works great. I used to use laptops as backup or travel only, but I think that technology has progressed to the point where they can be used as full time main systems. Mine works great with no problems.

[beerak]

If you're full mobile then:

more travelling wiht handbag ~ less working => X series
less travelling ~ more working => T series
sporadic travelling => R series

[slagmi]

There's no reason you couldn't use you X as the main computer provided you don't mind using the little keyboard all the time and you don't mind the external optical drive.

Myself I leave the optical drive at home and mount a virtual drive with Alcohol 120%. Plus, now that 1GB USB keys are 50 bucks, anyone can put a CD ISO on the key and still have room to spare!

[pphilipko]

There's no reason you couldn't use you X as the main computer provided you don't mind using the little keyboard all the time and you don't mind the external optical drive.

Myself I leave the optical drive at home and mount a virtual drive with Alcohol 120%. Plus, now that 1GB USB keys are 50 bucks, anyone can put a CD ISO on the key and still have room to spare!

The X40 does not have a "little" keyboard.

[bhtooefr]

It's a little more cramped than a T series keyboard, no?

Not saying that it's small, though...

[pphilipko]

It's a little more cramped than a T series keyboard, no?

Not saying that it's small, though...

It is more cramped, but it's by no means little. The keys on my X40 are "bigger" than the keys on my Dell Quietkey...

[bhtooefr]

Interesting... the letter keys on my X21 are the same size as the letter keys on my Model M. And, I've had that Model M next to a Dell QuietKey, before, and the keys were the same size...

[beerak]

There's no reason you couldn't use you X as the main computer provided you don't mind using the little keyboard all the time and you don't mind the external optical drive.

Myself I leave the optical drive at home and mount a virtual drive with Alcohol 120%. Plus, now that 1GB USB keys are 50 bucks, anyone can put a CD ISO on the key and still have room to spare!

yes there's not a reason related to the power of the machine. But there is a medical reason. Tell it to your back when you're 40 or 50 years old. X-series is sometimes too small for a longer work when you're a bigger guy. That's what can't be ignored.

[bhtooefr]

Hmm... didn't think of that. However, depending on how you use it, even a 15" could cause that. It's the fact that it's a laptop, not that it's a 12.1" screen.

They put a VGA port on the ThinkPads for a reason, ya know

Besides, your back will thank you for carrying around the smaller laptop

[beerak]

Hmm... didn't think of that. However, depending on how you use it, even a 15" could cause that. It's the fact that it's a laptop, not that it's a 12.1" screen.

They put a VGA port on the ThinkPads for a reason, ya know

Besides, your back will thank you for carrying around the smaller laptop

Hm, you're right but I worked with T40 and with X40 and I have to say that X40 without external LCD and keyboard is worse for longer work. But as you said it is light and ultraportable. X40 is perfectly small

[ragefury32]

Oh, I use my X31 as my main commuting-to-work machine, and I <3 it. It might not have the big HDD space and insane 3D accelerator of my desktop (which I only use once in awhile as a file server), but it gets my coding done quickly, efficiently and I will trust it 150%. Of course, if I need to bring a machine to a LAN party or for a presentation for 3D design work, it'll be the T41p in my bag. I do believe that my T41p is capable of nearly everything.

[dc_slim]

I've been using an x30 as my primary machine for about a year now and love it. I too was concerned that the keyboard and screen might be uncomfortably small, but I've gotten used to them and don't really miss having a larger screen. The keyboard is great -- slightly smaller than a T-series machine, but only slightly. I'm a fast touch-typist (90 wpm) and do lots of note-taking -- I really don't find the keyboard to be a problem.

The small screen is perfectly adequate for most tasks. There are certainly times when I'd prefer a larger screen so that I could display two or three windows side-by-side, but that's a minor point. Most of the time, it's fine.

I'm an academic, so I am not doing processor or video-intensive work with my machine. Mostly email, wordprocessing, Photoshop, some database stuff, etc., etc. I've got 1Gb of memory and have partitioned my HD so that Photoshop has a dedicated scratch disk. This setup works great.

As with any computer, it all depends on personal preference. But for me, the X-series has been great. So light, so portable, and plenty of power for my computing needs.

[slagmi]

Re: X30--
And the battery lasts longer than any other notebook I've owned-
Most days I leave the a/c adapter at home too.

But if I'm doing a lot of typing I still prefer my A31...

[artuero]

My wife uses an X22 as her main computer and it works fine for her. Your usage makes a big difference. She doesn't play games or do photo or video editing or other stressful applications. So the X22 works great as her sole computer.

I on the other hand do run more stressful apps and games with some frequency, so I couldn't get by with just an X. Currently my laptop is a 600E which is long in the tooth but works fine for Office, email, and internet browsing. I am one of the many awaiting an X41 tablet, which I am looking forward to. But there is no way it could be my only computer.

Somewhat of an aside, but when on the road, if I need to run a demanding application I run it remotely (using MS remote desktop) on my desktop system. This really works great and was what convinced me to stick with portability as the most important feature of my new laptop (hence choosing X over T).

[Nebelfelsen]

I am using a X31 as main computer together with an IBM dock and Matrox dual head PCI-card. Works fine at work and at home.

The X4x can not be connected wiht so many different IBM docking solutions as the X3x. Only X4 Ultrabase is avaialbe which is - in my opinion- not the best solution to place on your desk (Dock, Dock II and MiniDock are better, e.g. cable management).

The 1.8 inch hard drive of the X4x is a bit slow and it is loud, too. In addition, you cannot extend the drive space to more than 60 GB (or 80 ?) at them moment. 2.5 inch hard drives are available with 100/120 GB

[rjs]

My new X41 has replaced a four and a half year old Dell C600 as my main computer. In short WOW!!!

1. Keyboard - Superior to anything I have used before (Dell and Toshiba). I don't find it to be cramped at all.

2. Harddrive - It does bog down occasionally and clicks all the time. For what I do (email, web, MS Office) it is more than acceptable. I have ripped DVDs to HD and they run fine.

3. Battery - My big compromise was to buy a 4 cell battery to have the lowest possible mass to lug around. BTW, wow this thing is light and sweet. I get around 2 hours time with the screen set to the lowest brightness and no WIFI or Bluetooth (wireless and the screen seem to suck the most battery). I haven't used the larger battery so far.

I don't think I am ever going back to a 6 lbs notebook.

[hkhalil]

I have been using my X31 since last November as my main machine and I think it's great. I have added the usual upgrades i.e. Bluetooth, speedy HD, more RAM and a X3 Dock.

This combo works fine for all I do. I'm not a big gamer, but am into web and graphics design; the extra RAM and fast HD help lots with this. I haven't noticed any extra strain on the battery because of this either; although, if I'm using it for hours & hours things can get a little warm.

I think it's a great machine and it has totaly changed my preconceived opinion about IBM laptops - they don't exactly look the part, but after you've used one for a while, you realise that it's because they're tools - not toys.

just my 2 pennies worth