Need help choosing W500 or X200

[Zionsword]

My school is offering these two laptops :

Lenovo ThinkPad X200 - $1868
- Core 2 Duo T9550 2.66GHz
- 4GB DDR3 RAM
- Intel X4500 Graphics
- 320 GB HDD
- 6 Cell battery
- 12.1" display (1280x800)
- 3 Years on-site and international warranty

Lenovo ThinkPad W500 - $1998
- Core 2 Duo T9550 2.66GHz
- 4GB DDR3 RAM
- ATI FireGL V5700 512MB
- 320 GB HDD
- 6 Cell battery
- 15.4" display (1680 x 1050)
- 3 Years on-site and international warranty


As you can see the price difference isn't very big.and i don't mind having either of the specs but it will be better to get W500 with higher specs. I have read quite a few reviews on the X200 which praise on its battery life and design built so i am not worried about it. I would like to hear from the users regarding W500 battery life on 6-cell , built quality ( Keyboard flex* , hinges etc) and other problems.

Thanks

[Marin85]

Welcome to the forum!

IMO, you can assume that X200 and W500 have the same build quality. Regarding the battery life, X200 seems to be able to reach about 8 hours with the extended 8-cells battery. Despite its switchable graphics, I don´t believe W500 is able to come even close to that. W500 doesn´t have LED backlit, which otherwise would save battery life because of the power-efficiency of LEDs, it has bigger screen and bigger resolution, and a full fat cpu But the latter, of course, significantly adds to its performance.

[dr_st]

The question is whether you are looking for an ultraportable or a desktop replacement. This alone has a bigger impact on usage than anything else.

BTW - X200 (non-s) with a 1440x900? Is that a typo?

[Zionsword]

The question is whether you are looking for an ultraportable or a desktop replacement. This alone has a bigger impact on usage than anything else.

BTW - X200 (non-s) with a 1440x900? Is that a typo?

Ooops it should be1280x800

[Zionsword]

Hmm a desktop replacment sounds fine to me as my current one is really sucky.I would like to hear more about real life battery life , doing task like browsing and playing games. I saw a thread with large numbers of users complaining about keyboard flex on the w500 and one review pointing out the space key makes a loud clack sound. Is it true and does it really affect the typing experience?

[Rich.Carpenter]

If you're at all interested in playing games, and you can live with 3-4 hours of battery life (conservative estimate) and extra two to three pounds to lug around, I would choose the W500. Aside from portability and longer battery life, there is just no compelling reason to choose the X200. The W500 will be more comfortable to work on and give you the opportunity for play as well.

[Zionsword]

Ok i guess i will take the W500 , thanks everyone for the quick replies appreciate it

[ajkula66]

Another vote for W500. A fine machine indeed, and OMG very sweet for gaming which is normally not my cup of tea but am writing a review on it...

[archer6]

Yes, one more vote for the W500.
I just received mine and could not be happier.
For a quick read see my first impressions here.
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=73892

Cheers...

[barrywohl]

The X200 lacks an Ultranav pad. For some, that would not matter. For me, it is a deal breaker.

My last ThinkPad without an Ultranav pad was an A21p. I use the Ultranav pad all the time and ignore the TrackPoint. I won't buy a ThinkPad without an Ultranav pad.

I know many never use the Ultranav pad and turn it off. It is a matter of individual preference.

The X300 would be my minimum X series if I were buying today.

[archer6]

<snip> The X200 lacks an Ultranav pad. For me, it is a deal breaker. I use the Ultranav pad all the time and ignore the TrackPoint. I won't buy a ThinkPad without an Ultranav pad.<snip>

I can certainly appreciate your opinion as the input device that serves as a mouse on a laptop is indeed very important and largely a matter of personal preference. This is one of the reasons that I was impressed when the first "UltraNav" dual input device incorporating both the TrackPoint and TouchPad were installed in ThinkPads.

Because I'm such a long time user I've become acclimated and truly love the TrackPoint, however conversely it makes perfect sense to me that a TouchPad would be preferable to many users. Ideally I would like to see Lenovo offer a CTO model where one could choose either. Much like my preference _not_ to have a fingerprint reader, since my prints are very hard to read. Whenever I order a CTO machine, I leave it off whenever that is an option. Knowing that this forum is read my Lenovo, I think it's a great idea to do what you have done and voice your preferences. At least this way they can hear from those who would like a choice.

Cheers...

[Zionsword]

W500 is great man , best laptop i have ever used . It so happen that the w500 which was for display had noticable keyboard flex but the set i recieved has literally zer0 flex , i am amazed o.o. As for usuability of the it , it might be quite hard to get used to the interface and softwares in the beginning but its good as its everything you essentially need in a laptop. Great buy for me

[asiafish]

W500 is great man , best laptop i have ever used . It so happen that the w500 which was for display had noticable keyboard flex but the set i recieved has literally zer0 flex , i am amazed o.o. As for usuability of the it , it might be quite hard to get used to the interface and softwares in the beginning but its good as its everything you essentially need in a laptop. Great buy for me

Judging from what I read at laptopreviews it seems that Lenovo did a "refresh" of the T400, T500 and W500 (not sure about W700) models to address keybaord flex. THey did this by going back to the solid backplate and with some additional bracing in the rollcage under the keyboard.

I will receive my T400 next week (bought really cheap from TigerDirect) and I expect that mine will be the older version. Of course, I can always call Lenovo if there is too much flex and get the improved keyboard (T61 part, I believe).

[archer6]

Judging from what I read at laptopreviews it seems that Lenovo did a "refresh" of the T400, T500 and W500 (not sure about W700) models to address keybaord flex. THey did this by going back to the solid backplate and with some additional bracing in the rollcage under the keyboard.

Just for clarification. I have the "new" improved W500 / T500 and T400 hundred models.

They keyboards are indeed very nice and solid. They are _not_ the solid back plate, old type as I have in my T60. But rather they added a very well engineered support system and this has taken care of the problem without adding the weight of the solid back plate keyboard. I took one out, and held the perforated keyboard in one hand with a solid back plate T60 spare keyboard in the other, the difference in weight is very noticeable. In addition, I tried to "twist them" to see what the difference is and it was hardly noticeable, therefore the difference is largely confined to the horizontal movement allowed by the perforations. With the new supports that has be resolved.

Cheers...

[asiafish]

I hope my T400 has the new support. I bought it from TigerDirect instead of Lenovo, so it could be old stock.

[archer6]

I hope my T400 has the new support. I bought it from TigerDirect instead of Lenovo, so it could be old stock.

This is true, however taking the positive approach, I would "guess" that you have a very good chance of getting new inventory, as Tiger sells at such a high volume that hopefully yours will be the latest.

As I'm sure you already know the build date (month and year) are listed on the bottom of the computer. It's my understanding that the change was rolled into production sometime towards the early part of April. So should you receive one that is built in April or May, there's a great likelihood that you will be just fine.

I can say that by typing on it you will know. I had both an early T400 and T500 and replaced them for just that reason. The new ones are just as nice as my older T60/T60p and T43 models.

Cheers...

[asiafish]

April 09 or April 08? If it is one of the older ones, will Lenovo "repair" it to make it rigid? Do they do that by using a T61 keyboard or installing the new rollcage?

[archer6]

April 09 or April 08? If it is one of the older ones, will Lenovo "repair" it to make it rigid? Do they do that by using a T61 keyboard or installing the new rollcage?

April 09. Lenovo does not "go backwards" by installing a keyboard from an older model. That is a rumor or myth that got started by people that thought they were engineers and had a better idea than Lenovo.

What Lenovo has done, is to engineer an excellent way to upgrade the computer with some reinforcing pieces that take care of the issue while still taking advantage of the new perforated keyboard which in it's own rights, beyond the weight savings, is actually in my opinion a better keyboard.

I have inspected them very closely and noticed an improvement to the mechanisms that the keys rest on, and the tactile improvement is noticeable to me in terms of being more precise. I type very fast and the newer keyboards enhance my speed, as they register each and every input with ease. I've never experienced keyboards as good as these new ones. And it's important to note that I've had every keyboard that they have used in ThinkPads for the last decade. NMB, Chicony, Alps, you name it, I have it and without a doubt I really prefer these new ones.

Cheers...

[asiafish]

So does that mean if I get a T400 from before the revision that Lenovo can install these plastic supports to bring it up to spec?