Lenovo ThinkPad X200

The Lenovo X200 is unique among ultraportable notebooks in that it gives you a full-power Core 2 Duo processor in a 3lb package - most everything else this size comes with a much-less-powerful ULV chip.… Despite the lack of an ULV processor the computer runs cool and easily manages 3-4 hours with the six-cell battery. Owing to the full-power processor, the performance is outstanding - nothing in its size class can touch it. The stark black design is a matter of taste. Some will complain that it's virtually indistinguishable from a ten-year old Thinkpad, but I dig the classic look. The machine is functionally flawless - no design element makes you ask "What were they thinking?" The keyboard is great to type on, the pointing stick sets the standard and plenty of ports are included. After four months of very heavy use the computer still looks like new. A few minor complaints - the mouse buttons are a bit looser than they used to be, the battery has always had a bit of wiggle, and the hinges have less resistance than those of the x61. My machine was one of the earlier models - maybe the newer ones are better, but other than these quirks the quality is outstanding. The screen could be a bit brighter, viewing angles could be better, and the graphics performance leaves something to be desired - my old 12" PB G4 upstages the Lenovo in this regard. Still, despite these issues there's no notebook that I'd rather have.

expand

collapse

I like small laptops, but unwilling to compromise on performance so the EEE category is not for me. The X200 is just that, light weight, small dimensions, powerfull enough for internet/office/others, and it… has great pricing right now, without worrying about small HD's or weak processor. It was shipped just as ordered, arrived on time from ANT and there are really no complaints. Why 4 stars and not 5? This specific model is not the best of the series, and it might be wise to add another 300$ or so and get the slightly more advanced models of this type.

expand

collapse

After 5 years of lugging around a Dell D600 (14", about 5.5 lbs.), my primary concern in choosing a new laptop was ultraportability. I seriously considered one of the new netbooks (like the Asus Eee) until… I came to my senses. I need a real computer. I liked the Dell, but I travel a lot, and after years of loading up the hard drive, upgrading programs, etc., it was getting really slow. I figured I would have to make some sacrifices to get the smallest possible computer, but it really hasn't worked out that way. This is a fast, feature packed computer in a very compact package. I have loaded it with MS Office, AutoCAD, and Adobe Creative Suite and have had no performance issues. The days of opening Photoshop and then taking a coffee break are over. Amazing how it all fits into this small package. The keyboard is impressive, full size, and has a great feel. I was worried about the lack of a touchpad, but the trackpoint is pretty responsive and, besides, I use a mouse 95% of the time. I don't mean to pile on to the Vista bashing bandwagon, but probably the second most important reason I bought the X200 was the fact that it came with the XP "downgrade." Actually, I don't know anything about Vista, so I won't criticize it. I have an office network running Windows Server 2003 and all the other machines run XP Pro, and I simply wasn't interested in experimenting. Actually, I have always wanted to buy the latest hardware and use it with an older OS; the speed is truly impressive. To be sure, the size does mean some compromises. There is no optical drive, but a $90 external USB unit solves that, and I hardly ever use it. My generic unit plugged right in and required neither setup nor external power. I only needed it to load software, and I don't plan to travel with it. With thumb drives, CDs as a data medium are getting almost obsolete. Obviously, the screen is small at 12.1", but it has good resolution at 1280 x 800. Of course, that means that icons and text are pretty small, but I haven't found it too eye-straining yet. In fact, I have a desktop with a 19" screen on my desk, but I use the laptop most of the time. A few minor drawbacks: all of the ports are on the sides, so the power cord and network cable are visible when I'm plugged in at my desk. The Dell had them behind, where they belong, in my opinion. I suppose it makes sense to have the USB ports on the side for convenience, but with the mouse plugged in to the right side, the cord did tend to get in the way. Lenovo makes a nice Bluetooth travel mouse that works beautifully and has the same matte black finish as the X200 - problem solved. And, one less thing to plug in while on the move. Overall, I'm delighted. Yes, it's small, but that's the point. Despite its light weight (right at 3 lbs. with the 4 cell battery,) it feels and performs like a solid, quality product.

expand

collapse

Pros: Processor, Memory, Input/Output compatibility, Keyboard/peripherals, Display resolution, Weight, Battery Cons: comes with Vista and there's an extra charge for XP "downgrade" Simply thrilled with… this purchase. Did 6 weeks of research after my Dell Inspiron 600m finally died (motherboard failure). The key factors for me were processing power, clock-speed, brightness of screen, battery life and weight (I travel a lot). I was looking closely at the ultraportable category, including the X300, Hewlett-packard, Dell, Apple AirBook. I was surprised to read a PC Magazine review that informed me that the August 2008 version of the X200 was faster and lighter than the X300 (paradoxical, in the sense that most higher-up model numbers are typically superior to the lower model number -- not the case here, given that Lenovo was already out with the X300 and didn't want to create a new X400). With the new Intel Dual-Core technology onboard, this is a fast, resilient, bright, superlite, superbly-engineered machine that handles my spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and web-surfing activities with elegance and ease. It has plenty of ports for input and the keyboard is the most receptive from a tactile perspective as any machine I've ever owned. True, this is not a cheap machine. I paid almost $2,000 for my top-of-the-line configuration after about $1,000 in savings during ThinkPad's 17th anniversary event. And there are some critics who harp about how this ThinkPad has the same look as it did from the beginning, including a steadfast refusal to drop the iconic red pointer-button in favor of a me-too touchpad. Some may swoon over the AirBook, but I prefer the two deccades of engineering behind the ThinkPad and Lenovo's commitment to improve upon IBM's well-established top-tick quality for the ThinkPad brand. A few caveats: 1) you should always use a well-trained salesperson to help you maximize your savings. There are a myriad of coupons and special offers that are coming and going, and the salesperson helped me save over $1,000 with a code I didn't have access to. 2) I despise Microsoft Vista (even though I've been a huge fan of Microsoft products over the years), so I paid $75 to DOWNGRADE to Windows XP. As a result, this laptop blazes through its processes and is up and running within 20 seconds of my booting up the machine. I highly recommend this downgrade. 3) As is the case with most ultra-portables, there is no built-in DVD player. I had to order the not-inexpensive UltraBase to load all my programs (you can achieve the same with a portable DVD drive). It was an additional cost, but that's one of the gotchas about ultraportables -- and in this case worth the additional money. And I also opted for a much bigger HD, by foregoing the solid state HD everyone is raving about. The 64 GB size is just too small, despite its touted benefits and reliability.

expand

collapse