wher does the x100e stands compared to a x60s/x61s

[schmaud]

Hi,

I just realized that the x100e has more or less the same footprint and weight as my aging x60s. So earlier or later the question will come up, x100e, or another used x6x (the x200 series has a significantly bigger foot print).

Which leaves me with some questions:
- does the x100e has a back-lighted keyboard? / it doesn`t get a think light that is for sure.
- how does the amd processor compare to the older coreduo /core2duo?

Just in terms of usability the main difference between the x6x and x100e is in my view: bigger screen vs. higher resolution.

Thanks for any input!

cheers

r.

[comptechexpert]

Well I am currently interestend in this because on my "Is this good for school" post people are saying that maybe I should get an X61?
So I dont know what to do?

[ThinkRob]

Just in terms of usability the main difference between the x6x and x100e is in my view: bigger screen vs. higher resolution.

The only difference is in horizontal resolution -- vertical res. is the same AFAIK.

Personally, I'd upgrade from an X60s to the X61s or (if you need more power) the X61. That'll get you to a much faster C2D without losing much in the way of battery life. As an added bonus, all your accessories will still work, and your old machine can be used for replacement parts (plastics, etc. are almost entirely interchangeable.) Lastly, you'll end up paying only a very slight premium for an X61(s) in stellar condition over what you would for a well-spec'd X100e.

As far as a straight CPU comparison goes, the C2D in the X61 will run circles around the base X100e CPU. Heck, the X61s has a much slower LV chip, and it'll outrun the X100e.

[schmaud]

@ Thinkrob
I will look for a replacement at some point, not an upgrade. the l2400 is just fine for my applications. Therfor the question on processing power. At the end it will come down (at least for me)to: used system with likely better build quality, or new system with better waranty.
If the keyboard is not illuminated it is a deal killer for me.

@comtechexpert
depends entirely on your application.
For normal office and even some heavy data crunching ( upto 1 GB igor binaries) and some photoshop the x60s serves me just fine. just sometimes I would like to have more screen real estate ( pixel, not size). But this you will not get on most computers this size.
Read up on the x60 "bugs" before buying: in some cases the fan can get noisy, and the wlan card can heat the palm rest.
My L2400 x60s is quite and the wlan card ( with activated power management) is not annoyingly hot.
Just be aware on the limitation: with a coreduo ( not core2duo) you have to stick to 32 bit OS.

Another remark: for school weight and for print are important. So check the dimensions of the unit, not the inches of screen size. quite a view of the 10-11 in ch netbooks are nor really smaller than an x60.

[comptechexpert]

Would the X100e be able to do that stuff that you said?

[ThinkRob]

@ Thinkrob
I will look for a replacement at some point, not an upgrade. the l2400 is just fine for my applications. Therfor the question on processing power. At the end it will come down (at least for me)to: used system with likely better build quality, or new system with better waranty.

Fair point. It is worth noting that the X61s was/is elligible for warranties up to 5 years in length, whereas (when last I checked) the X100e tops out at 3 years. So up until 2011 you still might be able to find an X61s with a warranty that outdoes that available with the X100e. (My X61s, for example, is covered until Dec. 2012 -- so even if I buy an X100e today, my X61s will have a better warranty). Not saying that the X61s is right because of this -- just something to keep in mind when shopping for your next machine.

Read up on the x60 "bugs" before buying: in some cases the fan can get noisy, and the wlan card can heat the palm rest.
My L2400 x60s is quite and the wlan card ( with activated power management) is not annoyingly hot.
Just be aware on the limitation: with a coreduo ( not core2duo) you have to stick to 32 bit OS.

Also, keep in mind that the X61(s) doesn't really have the same flaws. There is improved heat shielding on the right palmrest (as well as the fact that many models shipped with the cooler-running 4965 WLAN adapter). The palmrest still gets warm, but nowhere near as warm as the X60(s) palmrest. Also, the chipset/CPU combo tends to run quite a bit cooler than the one in the X60s -- my X60s tops out at 80C (and that's *with* re-done Arctic Silver thermal paste), whereas my X61s (with stock thermal paste) hasn't cracked 70C.

As for the 32-bit thing -- again, not an issue for the X61(s): they all shipped with 64-bit Core 2 Duos.

Another remark: for school weight and for print are important. So check the dimensions of the unit, not the inches of screen size. quite a view of the 10-11 in ch netbooks are nor really smaller than an x60.

This is a very good point, and definitely one that you should consider. The X6x form factor is quite small, and the thin screen bezel makes it much less bulky than you'd think from reading the specs.

[comptechexpert]

Can somebody find me a good place to get an X61 so I can look into it even though I will probably go with the X100e alongside a second hand T42.

[schmaud]

Fair point. It is worth noting that the X61s was/is elligible for warranties up to 5 years in length, whereas (when last I checked) the X100e tops out at 3 years.

unfortunately the lenovo waranty policy differs between countries, I coudl not elongate it for my x60s.

Would the X100e be able to do that stuff that you said?

no idea, thats why I asked how the dual-core amd compare to e.g. the l2400

Can somebody find me a good place to get an X61 so I can look into it even though I will probably go with the X100e alongside a second hand T42.

Market place here, ebay, eventually lenovo outlet (I guess not anymore), any big system house selling thinkpads. ( they have sometimes good deal for returning lease machines)

[ThinkRob]

Can somebody find me a good place to get an X61 so I can look into it even though I will probably go with the X100e alongside a second hand T42.

Check the marketplace here.

You also might keep an eye on IBM's certified used sales. They're currently selling refurbished/used X60s for the same price as the X100e, and I've seen X61s crop up there from time to time.

Another option is eBay. I know it's not the favorite of many of the members here, but I've bought and sold ThinkPad gear on eBay numerous times and have always been satisfied; just remember to be cautious, check out the auctions carefully before buying, and do your research and you'll be fine.

[comptechexpert]

Thanks for that I will look at the marketplace here and on ebay can you also give me some pointers on what to look for thanks.

[Synthetickiller]

Here's a simple breakdown between the AMD Neo and Intel Atom:


I wanted to post this to give you guys an idea how how fast the neo is. Its about the same in benchmarks as the atom, but draws a LOT more power. a C2D isn't going to draw that much more power and the performance is dramatically higher in the c2d line of processors.

I would stay away from any single core cpus. If you really like the x100e, wait till a neo turion x2 variant comes out. You'll feel the pinch with any sort of multitasking.

[comptechexpert]

Would the X100e and the T42 be a good setup.

[ThinkRob]

Would the X100e and the T42 be a good setup.

Again, it's going to be extremely difficult for us to give you a meaningful answer when you keep asking vague, highly subjective questions like "would ______ be good?"

Whether or not a particular machine or machines is good depends entirely on what criteria you use to judge them. I have no idea what you consider as a "good" laptop, thus it's hard for me to comment on the setup you proposed.

[BigMacSangwich]

I'd go for another x6x for sure!

They say the x100e is an entry-level professional ultraportable laptop or whatever but to me it's just a glorified netbook with a trackpoint. IMO, a higher resolution isn't worth paying $$ to downgrade to a slower single-core that will give you approximately the same battery life as an x6x.

The only reason I would get an x100e over an x6x would be for the novelty of owning a netbook-sized Thinkpad... aww how cute ^_^

However, I might sacrifice awesome battery life of an Intel Atom netbook and get an x100e just for its trackpoint.

Hi,

I just realized that the x100e has more or less the same footprint and weight as my aging x60s. So earlier or later the question will come up, x100e, or another used x6x (the x200 series has a significantly bigger foot print).

Which leaves me with some questions:
- does the x100e has a back-lighted keyboard? / it doesn`t get a think light that is for sure.
- how does the amd processor compare to the older coreduo /core2duo?

Just in terms of usability the main difference between the x6x and x100e is in my view: bigger screen vs. higher resolution.

Thanks for any input!

cheers

r.

[istudio]

I would stay away from any single core cpus. If you really like the x100e, wait till a neo turion x2 variant comes out. You'll feel the pinch with any sort of multitasking.

Anyone know when we will see x2 coming out on Thinkpads? And just to confirm again, X100e does not support WWAN internally?

[visionviper]

Here's a simple breakdown between the AMD Neo and Intel Atom:


I wanted to post this to give you guys an idea how how fast the neo is. Its about the same in benchmarks as the atom, but draws a LOT more power. a C2D isn't going to draw that much more power and the performance is dramatically higher in the c2d line of processors.

I would stay away from any single core cpus. If you really like the x100e, wait till a neo turion x2 variant comes out. You'll feel the pinch with any sort of multitasking.

The Neo isn't exactly a slouch. It was a whole 2 minutes faster than the Atom in the iTunes encoding test -- just saying.

Personally I don't like any of these low power/netbook CPUs, so maybe my opinion shouldn't matter anyways.

[ThinkRob]

Personally I'm more interested in Atom due to the power efficiency as compared to the Neo. Netbooks are all about untethered computing, so having only 2-3 hours of battery under normal usage makes it pretty much useless for me.

[bhtooefr]

While fighting Intel is admirable, even the VIA Nano makes more sense for a laptop than the AMD stuff, due to Atom-ballpark platform power consumption out of a faster chip than the Atom.

Although, you do get better graphics with the AMD stuff.

Myself, if I ever replace my netbook, it'll probably be with something using Intel's CULV platform. CULV is basically slower single and dual-core versions of the CPUs found in the X200s, combined with the same chipset as the X200s. Acer has a quite decent 1.2 GHz dual-core CULV machine that sells for $400. (And, Acer's quality isn't half-bad nowadays. I'm typing this on an Aspire One D250. Now, if only they made one with a TrackPoint...)

Of course, if screen real estate is the name of the game, you can beat an X100e (1366x768) with a modified X60s or X61s (1400x1050 after modifications, it's quite nice for such a small machine...) take a look at erik's thread on fitting an X61 Tablet's screen. That said, IIRC, that mod was rather expensive and very difficult to do, because it involved a custom LCD cable. If I had the skills and money to do that, that's the ultimate "netbook" right there.

[sparta.rising]

Check the benchmark scores here:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

AMD Athlon Neo MV-40: 397 (X100e)
Intel Atom N270 @ 1.60GHz: 305 (most netbooks)
Intel Pentium M 1.40GHz: 305 (X40)
Intel Pentium M 1.60GHz: 397 (X41)
Intel Core Duo L2400 @ 1.66GHz: 780 (X60s)
Intel Core Duo T2400 @ 1.83GHz: 884 (X60)
Intel Core2 Duo L7700 @ 1.80GHz:1083 (x60s)
Intel Core2 Duo T9300 @ 2.50GHz: 1663 (X61)

Just to give you a general idea of what you can expect from speeds. You will get similar performance as you'd get in an X41 (but won't be crippled by its HDD). I'll be interested to see how the dual-core neo stacks up.