Which Thinkpad should I buy? Advice needed

[Nebelfelsen]

Hello,

I am torn between X-Series and T400-Series and would appreciate your advices. Thank you very much in advance.

I started using Thinkpads with an A-Series in 2002. Later on I bought a X31 and also two docking stations (one for the office and one for the home office) both with a matrox dual head graphic card and both with two external screens. This was the best solution for me, because I have had all data on a lightweight notebook which is only infrequently used on the road and mostly in combination with one of its docking stations.

Unfortunately the newer X-Series (>31) where not able any more to fit in the standard dock. So I decided to switch over to a T60 in the end of 2006, also in combination with a docking station and a dual head graphic card. But for my needs when I am on the road, a small, lightweight notebook with all my data would be sufficient. I choosed the T60 just because it was dockable to the full dock and because of the CPU, which was more powerfull than the ones in the X-Series.

Now it is time to decide for a new Thinkpad and I wonder if I should choose a T-Series again or if I should use two separate Thinkcentre-PCs in office and home office and a small X-Series Thinkpad for travelling around.

When deciding for the X-Series, a small dock is required that makes it easy to connect the Thinkpad in the office and at home. This docking solution should also help to make the desk look tidy concerning the cable management. A docking station that makes it still necessary to plug in some cables manually or where the cables come out behind as well as one the left and on the right would not be an option for me. Does any one know if a docking solution fitting the X-Series is fullfilling my needs?

Furthermore, I would have to synchronise my data when docking the Thinkpad. Every file in a special folder should be synchronized with one of the Thinkcentres when the Thinkpad is docked. A solution which is starting automatically without pressing a key is preffered. Does anyone know how this can be made possible? OS is Windows XP Professional, Workgroup-based networking.

[Harryc]

For the X6X series, an X6 Ultrabase is small and the connections are at the rear, same for an x200 Ultrabase. For the T400's an advanced minidock is small-ish and the connections are also at the rear or the dock. I don't understand the rest of your post. Nothing of what you've posted would help a casual observer to help you choose a laptop.

[Nebelfelsen]

Hello Harryc,

my English is not very well. Perhaps this is the reason why you did not understand my post completely.

My problem ist, that I have to drive a multi monitor setup and that I want to use an external graphic card for that.

Therefore, the T400 in combination with the full dock would be an option, because a graphic card can used within the docking station. Disadvantages: a) T400 is bigger dann X-Series and for mobility use a X-Series would fit; b) after integrating a graphic card into the full dock, the fan sound becomes very loud.

I would prefer a X200 or X300, but in this case I would use two fixed Thinkcentre PCs, one in the office and one in the home office. I wonder if there is a comfortable possibility of synchronizing the data. This is the most important condition for me, because I want to synchronize all my data betwenn the Thinkpad and the office PC every time I come into the office, dock my Thinkpad and switch it on. Same when I am at the home office.

Thus the most important challenge for me is it, to find such a comfortable synchronization method. I hope that one of the forum members has alreay tried something similar e.g. when synchronising data to another PC oder harddisc drive after a Thinkpad was docked or to copy data automatically to a secondery (ultrabay) harddisc drive. I know several synchronizing programs, of course, but I have got difficulties in finding a solution that is detecting that there is another device (USB-harddisc or network-folder) and then starting such a synchronisation automatically depending on the presence of this device.

Furthermore I wonder if the X300 can be also used with an Ultrabase or a port replicator. The technical data sheet of the X300 says, there is a docking connector, but I cannot find compatible docking accessories.

Thanks again for any helpful hint.

[Harryc]

I don't sync my data so I'll let others comment on their methods, but as far as the X300 and docking solutions, it uses a USB port replicator.
http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bi ... anguage=en