Cheap x61 or base x200?

Hi, for the past month I've been browsing this forum looking for info on the x200. I'm really into buying an ultra portable laptop as my own personal computer.

But yesterday I found someone who was selling a used X61 for $800 with the following specs:

But the catch:

pic:



The points worth considering for me:
1. Resolution. hands-down x200 wins... but is it worth double the price? I could afford to buy a 22 inch LCD and leave it at home for when I need to use graphic apps.
2. Battery. Hows the battery on the x61? I can buy a 9cell battery and that would probably last me 4-5 hrs?
3. x3100 graphics. 4500 would have been better...

No problems with the RAM for me since both x61 and x200 only has a max RAM of 4gb. DDR2 sticks are cheaper anyways. I could probably wait for 2010 and get a new laptop whose max RAM would be 8 or 12.

$800 (+$200 for a 22"inch LCD) vs $1600+ (+tax and all) ..... do you guys think this x61 is worth it?

thanks.

 

Don't forget about the X200 topseller models, they can be had for under $1199. Another point to think about is the aspect ratio, do you have a preference between standard and widescreen?

 

just an FYI, you can get a brand new x61 with similar specs and 1 year warranty, for around $900+tax using the CPP discount.

the x200 is starting at $12xx using CPP

i was making a similar decision too, except i was considering the x61s and soon-to-be-released x200s. i decided to wait for the x200s based on the longer battery life, bigger keyboard, and the assumption that it will run cooler.
it will be more expensive, but i'm going to wait till they have discounts, which will hopefully be a month or two

 

When is the x200s coming out and what is going to be better about it?

 

Lenovo's spec sheet lists the x61 w/8-cell at 8.2hrs, compared to the x200 w/9-cell at 9.4hrs. While that's a decent difference, 8.2hrs is not shabby at all.

For me, though, warranty is a pretty big deal. Electronics break, especially if you are planning on keeping it 2+years. That is a great computer for $800, but personally, the lack of warranty would probably keep me away.

 

I'd look in the Lenovo Outlet Store as well. You can find machines in there for $800 or less though not with the T8300, but if you're just doing Office and Internet, you likely won't notice a difference. A one week warranty would be a no go for me.

 

You are way way better off getting an X200 new from cpp or a used X61 from Lenovo with the one year warranty.. You will regret it if you run into a dead hard drive or a dead motherboard that needs replacing.. So many issues can go wrong with a new and used machine.. The scratches are worry-some as well on the used one.. The X200 is going to run a lot longer and a lot cooler than the X61 and be a lot faster running programs.. For only $400 more, get the X200...

 

Lenovo hasn't really said much about the x200s yet.. i'm hoping it will come out this month

Lots of speculation here. It should have even better battery life than the x200, and should run just as cool, if not cooler, than the x200. The LED screen will be brighter. It will also be a bit thinner and lighter.

Here is a spec sheet that shouldn't be too far off from the real thing
http://www.hknotebook.com/bu2008/notebooks/Slim/X200s.html

 

Lovin' the wide screen displays as I have been using my Acer travelmate (office issued) 1280x800 screen... but if the sacrificing the wide screen would save me half the amount I would shed out... then thats a big plus.

If it were any other brand of laptop I wouldn't even take a second look, but it's a thinkpad so I had high hopes that there is a high possibility that it wouldn't break down so easily after a year.

I'm into system administration (virtual machine testing), database administration (high processor workloads when benchmarking), digital photography (high cpu and video usage) so I'm gonna need something that is solid and capable. This one week warranty..... argh! (Actually my office issued entry-level Acer celeron m 1.7 and 2gb ram can do all that for me) I just want something faster and more portable.

Thanks for the inputs guys!

 

even if it's made by lenovo all the components are not Lenovo and are prone to failure just like if they were sitting in any other laptop. I am not sure what motherboard brand they use.

 

I don't think the aspect ratio should really matter here, because the X200 (1280x800) has more horizontal and vertical pixels than the X61 (1024x768). So even if you dislike widescreen, the X200 still has a better screen than the X61. And add to that fact that the X200 has a bigger keyboard and produces less heat, I think the winner becomes pretty clear

For me, the low resolution on the X61 would be a real deal-breaker. 1024x768 resolution is inadequate for browsing many web sites these days.

 

call me weird, but the lower resolution on the X61 is actually a plus for me...

you're right that you get more pixels, but cramming 1280x800 into a wide screen 12.1", which has less area than 4:3 12.1", makes everything look almost too small for my eyes. that said, it is probably something i will learn to accept

 

4:3 screen is also taller therefore easier to read.

 

@Faruk, feelhong

Played with an IBM R50e with 1024x768 14"inch LCD yesterday for browsing.... I was having a problem with the screen real estate.... its too small, most website I visit has a horizontal scroll bar... ok I'll pass for this x61....

thanks guys again for the inputs.