I know a lot of people (including me) were upset about the x200 pricing but bit the bullet anyway. I decided to cancel my order since I believe that the TopSeller configuration will be out by the end of the month. I ordered on August 5th and, despite the fact that my only config options were a downgrade to Vista basic and an upgrade to the 6-cell battery, my unit still hadn't shipped after a week. I think that's kind of slow personally. Also, because the TopSeller is not configurable, when it hits retailer stock shelves it can be shipped immediately rather than me having to wait a week.
I have called several retailers that show the x200 on their website and all but one are showing an anticipated stock by the end of the month. I also failed to notice this attachment on Lenovo's website until I googled "74542gu topseller" (attached below with the following link to the site as well: http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cg...pe=CA&htmlfid=897/ENUS108-500&appname=USN#toc . The attachment says that the TopSeller configurations are expected in August. Given that the pricing I see from most retailers is even lower than the $1,199 quoted in the press release, I feel like going with the TopSeller config is the best way to go since I need a laptop for school soon, but not so soon that I can't wait another 15 days.
Feel free to post if you decide to do the same. I think for two more weeks wait it is a wise choice for for a config with double the hard drive, double the RAM, bluetooth, n Wifi, fingerprint reader (but no cam), Vista business, and a faster processer that is at least $234 less than the current base config.
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Isn't it little too farfetched for a new machine to reduce about $300 in few weeks? Just my opinion.
Question: Does Lenovo start charging 15% stocking fee once it's processed and shipped?
I'd like to get it at that price too if available, but my school is starting in about 2 weeks or so. -
I agree with this statement... but I think that it was a good idea for you to cancel your original order. Waiting another few weeks to see where the topseller pricing is going to land isn't going to kill you.
On a side note, what are some reliable Lenovo retailers? -
I think they do charge a restocking fee once it has shipped, but you could get a price match on the same config. However, if I remember correctly, you got the 64GB SSD, so that could put in a monkey wrench. I don't know how Lenovo will be selling the x200 (in terms of price points, preconfigs, once the TopSeller version for third party retail sales is released. -
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KUNFUCHOPSTICKS Notebook Consultant
I agree with you. You really shouldn't have to wait long if you ordered right on the 5th. They put a release date, that mean they have units READY on that date. They don't make parts from scratch after you order... But if say you are in line and a part runs out, then you will have to wait for bottleneck to clear. Lenovo is a big company now, I'm sure they have a really good supply chain department.
Personally if the extra money paid wasn't an issue, I'd wait another week before canceling. Give then 2 weeks max. -
Nevermind, I see it now
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I'm not too familiar with Lenovo but is TopSeller part of Lenovo corporation? And do they allow configurations too?
I would love to get 4GB RAM as well as UltraBase, but I don't want to go beyond $1600 range that's why.
I mean if it's that cheaper, I do not mind not getting SSD. I'd rather configure to run faster overall.
I'm moving out in two weeks that's why.. I'm using my mother's laptop now. that's the only thing that's worrying me.. and yet I don't want to cancel my order if in any case, there's no $1200 deal and also lose SSD at the same time.. lol
Hopefully something comes up soon..
Processor Intel® Core 2 Duo processor P8600 (2.4GHz, 3MB L2, 1066MHz FSB))
Operating system Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate
Operating system language Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate US English
Display type 12.1 WXGA (1280x800), 2x2 UltraConnect II antenna , WWAN, Camera
System graphics Intel GMA X4500 HD
Total memory8 2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Keyboard Keyboard US English
Pointing device TrackPoint with Fingerprint Reader
Hard drive 64GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA
System expansion slots 5-1 Media Card Reader and Modem
Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel WiFi Link 5300 (3x3 AGN)
Wireless WWAN accessories Integrated Wireless Wide Area Network upgradable
Battery ThinkPad X200 Series 9 cell Li-Ion Battery
Power cord Country Pack North America with Line cord and 65W AC adapter
Language pack Language Pack US English
I paid $1570 for this spec (including 2 day shipping and tax) -
I read your TopSeller link.. so basically, we can only choose from one of those pre-built configurations?
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If you want to wait for a better price or for it to be available at a retailer that seems a more valid reason to cancel, but to cancel since it hasn't shipped in a week doesn't take in account the massive complexities of building and shipping such a large number of notebook.s -
My question is it worth it for price reduction or keep free 64GB SSD?
BTW, does anyone know if it's SLC or MLC (and also the brand name) for these SSD? -
A 64GB SSD seems pretty good. I read somewhere that Lenovo uses SLC (or whatever the better one is) in their thinkpad line, but I'm not sure.
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I hope so. I'd be pretty mad if they sent OCZ brand or cheaper MLC for example.
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Yes, if they don't put in a good SSD you would have been better off getting a normal HDD... maybe you could call Lenovo to find out? If they are going to put in a cheaper one then it's probably not a very good deal.
I never heard of TopSeller and I'm glad I saw this post. I wasn't planning to buy the X200 now and $1400 is way out of my price range for a secondary notebook, but if the $1199 models do come out this month the X200 will be back at the top of my list. -
I talked to a representative last week and all he said was that they only use one SSD brand and it's one of the leading brand (unfortunately, he was not sure what brand it is).
I think I might try call them again tomorrow or Friday. -
But is 64GB enough for Vista Ultimate though?
Main programs that I'm going to install are MS Office 2007 Prof, Visual Studio 2008 Prof, Acrobat 8 Prof, and Kaspersky Internet Security 2009.. that's about it.. rest are small-medium program like MSN Messenger, WinAmp, etc..
I'm planning to leave music, pictures on my external HD. -
Those TopSeller prices aren't much to write home about, even if true.
Consider that if you want to get the $1199 configuration you'll have to live with a 4-cell battery (so goodbye 9 hours) and a 5400-rpm hard drive.
I could never buy a laptop with those specifications if I can have a 9-cell and 7200-rpm hdd for just $200 more. But that's just I. -
So TopSeller site is not configurable? Basically is Lenovo only site that one could configure?
I think I'd stick with this deal if I could find out what SSD they're giving it to me, but I don't know. Yea, same for me too. 4 cell battery and 5400-rpm will be a problem for me too.
Seems like higher priced deal only added ultra base, swap to 6 cell battery, and some 7200rpm configurations as opposed to $1199. -
On the bottom of the given link it says the following:
For ThinkPad education models, the following software is preloaded. Education preload software is not available on machines with a 64-bit operating system.
Additional preloaded software for education
Adobe Digital School Collection, including:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
Adobe Premier Elements 4
Adobe Contribute 4
Adobe Acrobat Professional 8
VitalSource Bookshelf
Microsoft OneNote 2007
I used student discount to purchase my X200, so does it mean it will include full version of these softwares? -
Personally, if you got the free 64gb SSD deal (like I did) AND a student discount (which I didn't), I think you'd be foolish to cancel your order to wait for the TopSeller (which isn't even for sale yet and its pricepoint is NOT certain). Keep this in mind: unlike a TopSeller, you got to customize the system to your specs (with all the bells and whistles), you got a free SSD AND the total out-the-door price was only a few hundred more than the anticipated TopSeller price. Sounds like you got a pretty good deal.
I think canceling an order with the free SSD would be folly.
I highly doubt that Lenovo has the ability in their supply chain to change from their standard SLC SSD to a cheaper one, just to fulfill the orders that got in on the deal. And if they did, they'd have a LOT of unhappy customers. -
Your idea about supply chain really does make sense. I'm actually taking an economics class right now and I couldn't even thought about such idea
Imagine, only if I knew about CPP discount before. That would've been very crazy deal. CPP + $70 discount + cheaper configuration prices + 64GB SSD. That's what have been bothering me, but I've cleared that up already. I just decided to go with that price. It just adds up stress whenever I think about it.
I hope it arrives before my college starts on 25th. It is supposed to be here on next Saturday (23th).
But I'm wondering if 64GB SSD will be enough though. I'm going to install Microsoft Office 2007 Professional, Visual Studio 2008 Professional, Acrobat 8 Professional, Kaspersky Internet Security 2009, and other minor programs (ex: Messenger, WinAmp).
I do have 250GB external hard drive, but I think I will use them for backups, music, pictures, videos, and such.
Are you going to purchase the extended warranty? I tried to look up the warranty for X200 with given code on the TopSeller, but there wasn't any information available. I think I'm probably going to purchase 3 year warranty early next month (so I don't get charged more in addition to notebook this month).
I'm glad I'm not the only one who jumped on that deal -
I know you are a student, and money is tight, but dont sweat it--at the end of the day, is $200 (what you might have saved) really worth it? I dont think so.
I think the 64gb drive should be plenty big, so long as you store most of your photos/music on an external drive. You can always buy a really big SD card as extra storage.
Finally, don't worry if it doesnt arrive in time for school--if your school is far from home, then just have UPS re-direct the shipment to your school address. I didn't buy the extended warranty, but I think you can buy that separately so long as you do it within 30 days (I think). I probably wont bother, since my AmEx doubles the standard warranty.
goph -
In the end, I'm just glad to own another ultra portable. I had Vaio SZ previously but its motherboard died. So I'm practically without a notebook now.
The more I hear from you, the more I feel relieved to have purchased X200
It's just that I would like to have a day or two to either do fresh install or at least get rid of bloatwares.
I think it would be wise to get the warranty especially with SSD. 3 yr basic warranty costed about $120 or something. -
64GB should be enough, but it could get tight. I have an 80GB with all the programs you mentioned and more and it uses 50GB.
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32Gb USB flash drives have become very cheap lately, so, as others have suggested, a 64Gb system SSD would be plenty.
As for prices, I used the USPONEDAY coupon from a couple days ago and my unit ended up costing much less that way than if I'd taken the student discount (with which it was not stackable). Ah the wonders of coupons! -
strangesweet: how do you get the student discount? I'm in 3rd year university.. am i eligible?
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No no, I wasn't that lucky. Just a good ol' 7200-rpm HDD.
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With that said, CPP discount will probably beat student discount. You'll need to search for the CPP code as it cannot be given out here per forum rules. Many have stated that the CPP program is effectively open to anyone who orders online and no checking is done. -
When are you people going to get your shipment? -
Granted, if someone just wants the base specs, that's cool. When I price the base specs with the two upgrades of a 160GB 7200rpm and a 9-cell (Your must-have specs - why you don't have 2GB of RAM on there, I don't know), I get $1609. That's $10 pricier relative to the SKU I mentioned earlier which has 2GB RAM and 2GB Turbo Memory, UltraBay, faster processor, bluetooth, fingerprint reader, n wifi, Vista business, 6-cell battery and 160GB 7200. You could probably easily hock your Ultrabay off ebay for a 9-cell battery and call it a day and you're still coming out ahead.
The bottom line is that yes, if you need a 9-cell battery or a HD > 160GB that is 7200 rpm, either go with the configurable units now (or later) or buy them separately as add-ons. At ~$150 for an additional battery and given that Lenovo charges $95 for just the UPGRADE to 160GB 7200rpm (which I can buy stand alone for $100 on Newegg), I don't see how the TopSellers aren't an outstanding deal IF (and only IF) they come out at that pricing. Basically every other spec on the TopSellers are maxed out on the $1600 models yet it's over $400 cheaper.
For those that mentioned it, I didn't cancel my order because I was upset that they took so long. I was just surprised that it did take so long and I'm glad I got the chance to cancel it in time to find the TopSeller pricing and info. My intent is not to make everyone have buyers remorse if they are happy with their purchase. My intent is to help anyone who (like me) is budget conscious and wants to get the most for their money. So far I haven't seen anyone mention that their x200 has shipped, and every day we get another day closer to retailers stocking x200s. We will see if the pricing actually pans out as Lenovo has suggested. -
The ship date keeps inching back further and further...I was able to get the x200 with the free 64g SSD with the CPP (so it did show up with the error). If you think the topseller price will be reflected in the CTO pricing then you could always rely on a price match. If you received the SSD though I personally would not cancel. You can always sell off the unit...
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How are you supposed to price match when TopSeller models aren't configurable?
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I hope there won't be delay. My estimated date is perfect date before school. Otherwise, I'd be without one for the school.
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I talked to a rep online earlier today and he said that he felt that the estimated ship date would be pushed back again due to the web error with the SSDs.
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I called Lenovo one hour ago and found out that they've been holding my order in process because I put different shipping and billing address. Yet, they don't even bother to inform me in any way. They were going to cancel my order if I didn't make changes (how do I know that I'm supposed to make change when there's no indication to make such change?)
Well, I called them and switched to a credit card that has same billing/shipping address, but Lenovo only changed the shipping address and left the old billing address.
They are really terrible. I asked them twice whether the billing/shipping address is same, and they said yes.
And now their office is closed. I have to wait till tomorrow.
They said they'll let me know my estimated date on next week Monday. I think it will get pushed back.
Not great. -
I think the support is hit or miss. I have had pretty good experiences so far with my questions for support. Of course I have not had any issues with addresses...
I need the laptop anyways so whenever it ships, it ships. You can always get UPS to redirect your package once it does ship (assuming it is updated to inform you, hah). -
The thing is that I don't have a laptop right now, so I have to take my mother's with me if I don't get it before school starts.
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If it's college you're going to, it probably has computers all over the place. I spent my first month in college without a computer, precisely because my shipment was delayed. I managed just fine. YMMV, of course.
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I live and die with computer.. haha. I find almost everything online.. yellow page, doctor's #, computer peripherals, tv schedule.. etc etc.
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I'm beginning to grow hatred towards Lenovo. They declined my card again because the name on shipping and billing address again - though it has same name under "Attn:".
I'm never going to get this laptop shipped, right? -
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For TopSeller are those already built and ready to ship? So if shopblt.com says they have stock and you order one it will be shipped pretty quickly?
I wonder what the specs are for the lower priced one. I would surely like to get a X200. Right now I'm between the S10, U330 and X200... all Lenovo.
strangesweet. I hope you get your laptop shipped before you leave for school. Yeah, that is one thing about Lenovo, they make nice computers but their support is not very good. I used to think Dell support was terrible until I had to call Lenovo for something. I call, no one answers. I call, someone answers but they can't help me and need to call back and then no one calls back... doh! -
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I was supposed to call Credit Card Services line, but they never answered a call for two hours, so I just went through sales representative. It seems like there's only one credit card representative since there is no option whatsoever but to either for one of them to pick up the phone or leave a message.
Hopefully, I hear something tomorrow. I ordered on 8/5, which was supposed to ship on 8/21. But today is 8/18 and basically nothing has been taken care of, so I bet it would take much longer than that.
I would go with TopSeller if it offered better battery and other options, but I'll be getting free 64GB SSD so that's what is holding me. I was also looking at U330 but seems like it's not configurable.
Since it has been delayed for so long, I'm hoping for price drop to happen. I'm guessing there will be a price drop somewhere along the line. It's 21-day after I receive my laptop right? -
The topseller config is nice...but to buy a 9cell battery on your own would be quite expensive. I hope you can work it out strangesweet. Seems to be quite the hassle .
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Cancelled x200 order, waiting for $1199 TopSeller config
Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Clorox, Aug 13, 2008.