Disappointing X200

I got my X200 yesterday and was hugely disappointed considering all the hype.

1. Poor screen - the screen is very dim and anything less than 60% brightness hurts my eye. However anything above 60% drains the battery like there's no tomorrow.

2. Poor battery life - I am only getting 4-5 hours of normal usage (9-cell). If you have to throttle down everything and make your screen so dark it's impossible to read, why don't I just get a netbook?

3. Poor keyboard feedback - The keyboard layout is nice by there's just a plastic feeling about it. I have been using Thinkpad for a long time and this is one of the worst.

4. Poor video playback - I get screen tearing when playing HD videos. This never happend on my previous Thinkpads. I have to change the video setting to max power usage to avoid this problem.

Maybe I shouldn't have listened to the hype so I won't be disappointed.

 

i agree with some of your points, i dont get NEAR 6 hours with the 6 cell & conservative usage (browsing the web with wifi only)

but why would brightness BELOW 60% hurt ur eyes?
i agree that anything above 60% does kill battery life like crazy?

i love the keyboard... so far.

didn't notice any tearing with hd video... maybe its because of some high cpu ur HDD usage in the background?

 

4 - 5 hours is above average.

 

1) The screen is not the best. However, it is reasonably bright (200 nit), and brighter than the x61 that it replaced.

2) What do you define as "normal usage"? 7-8 hours is certainly possible with a 9 cell, 60% screen, wi-fi on, and web browsing, office applications, etc. I don't think you'll find any computer (especially a netbook) that is much better.

3) What brand keyboard do you have? There are 3 different manufacturers (Alps, NMB, Chicony) and they all have a slightly different feel. You may be most satisfied with a Chicony (this is what I have) it tends to have a bit more feedback, although it also tends to be noisier. The x200 also accepts keyboards from the T60/61 if you prefer the feel of those.

4) That most likely sounds like a reduced refresh rate. You can customize the power profiles and turn off that type of power management in a "Video playback" or other profile. This reduced refresh rate is designed to maximize battery life, and it has little to no effect on documents (hence the fact that is enabled by default).

 

If bright screen and long life are your most important considerations, you probably would have been happier with one of the LED-lit X200s models, which are more efficient for longer bright usage. You don't mention which battery you're using, but of course if you're not using a 9-cell, you could get more lifetime there. 4-5 hrs is probably about right for my X200T, with most of the options on (radios, relatively bright screen).

Warren.

 

1) I guess we all have different eyes. I just got my x200 a week ago on ebay, without having seen the brightness of the screen. However, I can say that 50% if more than fine for me in classroom lighting.

2) I do wish 6 cell battery life were a bit better but 4-5 hours is above average. Plus like others have said you can get a 9 cell battery if you need 7-8 hours.

3) This is my first thinkpad and the keyboard has met my expectations

4) I don't think you'd want to run HD content on max battery life.

With all this being said, I did consider getting a netbook (Samsung N10). It's all relative. I don't think this laptop is worth 1300 dollars. I got it for much less and the difference between this and a 400 dollar netbook (bigger screen, better performance, thinkpad quality construction, just as lightweight) was worth it

 

2) My normal usage: 9 cell battery, 70% screen, wi-fi on, web browsing, office applications, and music.

3) Where can I check my keyboard type?

4) I tried using "video playback" profile but I still get screen tearing. Is there a way to adjust refresh rate?

 

Just a few questions:

1. Will downgrading to Windows XP improve battery life? I do have the XP recovery disk.

2. How do I disable system beep? For example when I close the cover the system will make a beep sound and goes to sleep mode.

 

1. XP is supposed to help a bit
2. In the BIOS (ThinkVantage button on boot up) you can disable this.

 

In my experience, the opposite is actually true. Donwngrading to XP will not help, and may actually hurt, battery life.

If you want better battery life in Vista, I would suggest turning off the sidebar and Aero when on battery.

You can adjust all the system beeps in BIOS.

 

You can adjust refresh rates in advanced display properties

 

You can check the keyboard type with the Lenovo parts lookup page. Just enter your type/serial and you will get FRU numbers for all of your parts. You can then Google these numbers and find out your manufacturer.

The quickest way is via visual inspection. Each of the three keyboards uses a slightly different switch technology. You can look under the keys (arrow keys are best due to the palmrest) and see the switches. If they are white and slant up left '/' you have ALPS. If they are white and slant down left '\' you have Chicony. If they are blue pads you have NMB. I have a Chicony and am satisfied with my keyboard.

 

Thanks for the tip. Aren't all keyoboards the same though?? I assume the Chicony keyboards are supposed to be the better ones??

 

All the keyboards have the same layout and are interchangeable. However, each of the manufacturers have a slightly different feel (feedback, noise character, etc).

I am very happy with the Chicony on my x200 Tablet. It has a great feel, good feedback, and only a moderate amount of noise (my old T40 was much louder).

However, the historical preference seems to be for the NMB boards (in particular those from the T60/61), followed by ALPS, followed by Chicony. All of them are better than any keyboard from a different vendor, but they are slightly different in feel to people that really care about keyboards.

 

Hmm, I feel like most of your concerns were discussed previously on these forums.