Difference between the v200 and x61

What is exactly the difference between the v200 and x61? Why is a v200 in general much cheaper then the x61

For example I saw a 2.0ghz, 2gb ram, x3100, 802.11abgn v200 and when I wanted to compare it to the x61 with the same specs it was alot more expensive. I couldnt even get 802.11n on an x61

 

You're looking at some pretty major differences in build quality and materials, probably. The V200 is made out of plastic, and its also a fair bit thicker and heavier than an X61.

The V200 is designed to be an inexpensive fairly lightweight small laptop, while the X61 is higher end. If you read the details about what the X61 is made of and how it is constructed/etc. and compare it to a V200, you should be able to tell whether that is worth it to you.

 

I checked the official lenovo website and it didnt have shockabsorbers, reinforced chassis according to their table. The r/t61 did have them but the not the x61

The only difference I could tell is battery life, the trackpoint and fingerprint scanner.

 

V200 Dimensions: 12.0 by 8.9 by 1.3, 4.3Lbs min weight
X61 Dimensions: 10.5 by 9.4 by 1.5, 3.8Lbs min weight

No mobile broadband option on V200.
Better construction on X61.
V200 has a built-in DVD burner, which probably explains the weight difference.
I don't think the V200 has any docking options like the X61 ultrabase where you can get more ports and Ultrabay expandability.

Check out this link for reviews of the two machines: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,123867-page,1/article.html

 

Thanks alot. But they dont have a side by side comparisson of the two. They gave the x61 a higher score then the v200 but they didnt tell me why. Ofcourse obviously its slightly better if you look at the specs. But many consider the asus EEE the best pound for pound laptop on the market even though it has crappy specs

Both reviews were positive about the notebooks so its hard for me to tell wich one would be a better choice for my needs. I rather have reviews wich are negative so I know what the flaws of each machines are

 

The V200 is a budget notebook and it's made of plastic as posted, also, it's not exactly "ulrtaportable" and it's terribly ugly but that's subjective...

And the x61 doesn't have rollcage since it's all magnesium alloy...

 

The v200 will probably have a better screen than the X61. The screen on the X61 is really low quality. Everything else, the X61 is better than the V200.

 

Not far from the truth, but not quite correct.

X61 with 4-cell enhanced battery
Dimensions: 10.5" x 8.3" x 0.80-1.39" / 268mm x 211mm x 20-35mm
Weight: 3.11 lb / 1.41kg

X61 with 8-cell battery
Dimensions: 10.5" x 9.4" x 0.80-1.39" / 268mm x 238mm x 20-35mm
Weight: 3.59 lb / 1.63kg

 

One of the reasons I was turned off by the V200 was the build quality. I was so close to buying one but then CS rep he advised me not to purchase oneThe CS didn't push me to buy any other notebooks like an expensive one. I'm a university student and was looking for an ultra portable. He recommended that the notebook shouldn't be carried around with you or anything that could crush, like textbooks, since it doesn't have any shock absorbing parts. He recommended that I should keep at home on a desk or get a really good carrying case if I took it anywhere with me. Besides that the V200 does have good battery life and its cheaper than the X61.

 

Alright thanks alot. Guess I'll just have to go for a macbook then. The x61 is just too pricey for me.

 

The Macbook is quite heavy for its size. I owned a Macbook before I sold it and bought a ThinkPad X61s.

Search around the forum. I think there's a coupon right now for the X series that should drop it to around $1100.

Take a look at this thread for discounts and coupons.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=190105

 

With coupons and sales (Lenovo has one right now going on, with like $450 off an X61 plus an additional 25% off with coupon), you should easily be able to get an X61 for a similar price to a MacBook, or even less, really.

The MacBook is really an entirely different machine. It is larger and significantly heavier than the X61 or the V200. And of course it's running OS X, not Windows.

-Zadillo

 

I know but the Macbook is still portable. I'm from europe btw. The macbook offers the best bang for my buck. The v200 is about the same price as the Macbook (similar specs) but comes with windows. If I could choose I would chose the x61 but unfortunately its out of my league. I'm talking about roughly a 400-600 euro difference ($560/840) with similar specs

Would you guys recommend importing a x61 from usa as its much cheaper there with the coupons and sale? If its possible

 

Well, again, the MacBook is going to be cheaper because it doesn't have the portability of the X61 (although weight aside, it is still at least thin).

Do you like OS X though? I mean, that's definitely a big consideration here.

I don't mean to dissuade you from a MacBook, but I have a hard time believing there isn't a better bang for your buck out there - I'm almost positive you could probably find any number of similar laptops for considerably cheaper than a MacBook that would suit your needs. The reason to get the MacBook would primarily be if you wanted to switch to OS X.

-Zadillo

 

I dont know if I'll like OS X. I've worked with it a few times at school but too short to give an opinion about. I'm always open for changes though. And if I dont like it I could always run windows XP.

But I cant get a 13" notebook with the same specs as a macbook. I checked every online stores and every organization that would give me a student discount. None or if there are any cheaper alternatives (I dont think there are) they would most likely not be reliable. 1049 euro for a 13" c2d 2,0ghz is already cheap and I get a 10% discount on top of that.

 

Fair enough. Someone who knows more about the European market might be able to offer some alternatives though. I still just have a hard time believing the MacBook could be the cheapest option for you, since they are historically more expensive, and I've heard that's especially true in European markets.

 

Fill out the FAQ in the "what to buy" section...

Edit: Actually, you have already done that... I didn't realize that I even answered in one of your threads..

 

I've only considered the usual brands (sony, toshiba, asus) and none of them had the same price/spec ratio of the macbook. V200 was the only one that came close and even that was slighty more expensive then the macbook. Everything including tax and studentdiscount if applicable. I know its hard to believe but its true. On the other hand the macbook pro is indeed more expensive compared to others.

Btw I also suspect that is the case in usa. The difference here though is that the 1049 euro macbook already includes tax. Its roughly 950 euro with studentdiscount and tax. Would a macbook of $950 (incl. tax) be cheap in usa?

I did. I asked about the t61 vs macbook. But I changed my mind and wanted something smaller. Someone suggested the x61 in that topic so... I feel bad opening another topic.

 

Interesting, as I pulled these from Lenovo's site...

 

I have purchased an X60s, X61s, and V100 in the last 6 months.

The V100 is very good build quality, but the X-series puts it to shame, along with most other notebooks. The v-series and the x-series are entirely different machines and should hardly be compared IMHO...

The X61 can be under 3 lbs with the slimline battery vs. the v-series with a weight of 4.3lbs with the slim battery. That is a fairly significant difference in weight, but also consider the large difference in size! The x-series with the slimline battery (or extended for that matter) is very small and entirely portable.

To make the V-series useful for portability you must use the extended battery which is extra weight, size, and cost. Without it you can only really plan on just over 2 hours which isn't enough time to make it portable.

The screen on the v-series is easily better than the x-series, but only when it comes to viewing multimedia. For school use (writing documents, taking notes etc) the x-series is actually a better screen due to having a matte finish which is way better to use under fluorescent indoor lighting - way less glare! I can keep my x-series on lowest backlight setting (so max battery life) and still use it under fluorescent indoor lighting at school. I can not do this comfortably with the v-series or other glossy screens.

Another big plus in day-to-day use for the x-series is the trackpoint which I far prefer to a trackpad as well as the thinklight which is awesome for using while in a dimly lit school setting (giving a presentation or sitting in a lecture/seminar).

If you are looking for an ultra-portable, the macbook shouldn't even be considered for a second. Macbooks have advantages and disadvantages that we could talk about, but when it comes to portability, they are not especialy small and are heavy as ****e when compared to other ultra portables! Do a search using this site's "notebook database" from the main menu - you will see that the Macbook is the heaviest notebook in its class (13.3" screens and under, excluding tablet PCs of course). A Macbook is almost twice the weight of an X61s with slimline battery and will get very little (if any, depending on useage) additional battery life.

 

I agree with most of your sentiments, but when it comes to weight, you must be referring to the X61 s (2.73 lb with 4-cell slimline), as the X61 due to a slightly different design, cannot be fitted with the Slim Line battery and hence the lowest weight for the X61 is 3.11 lb.

Yes, that is odd. I'd be interested in seeing the link to where you found the dimensions on the Lenovo site. Could you post it please?

In any event, the dimensions you got from Lenovo's site cannot be accurate, as the height measurement in those is constant. The X61 is shorter in the front and taller in the back (like many other notebooks).

The dimensions and weight I stated, are based on the Tabook (Personal Systems Reference for Lenovo ThinkPad Notebooks) version 331 (November 2007).

 

For reference the exact dimensions and weight for the V200 is:

3-cell (WxDxH): 12.01"x 8.94"x 1.25"; 305.1mm x 227.0mm x 31.7mm
6-cell (WxDxH): 12.01"x 9.68"x 1.25"; 305.1mm x 246.0mm x 31.7mm
with optical drive and battery: 4.0 lb (1.81kg) to 4.4 lb (1.99kg)

Based on 3book version 330 (October 2007) - Personal Systems Reference
Lenovo 3000 Notebooks.