Get an X300 today, or wait for the X200?

I have to get a laptop by August 28 (and have it in hand).

I have $3k to spend on the laptop (and only the laptop - thanks employer!)

Should I buy the X300 today or wait for the X200 (the big difference being a much faster processor, I think).

Thoughts?

 

I'd wait...

 

I would wait until mid to late July for news and decide on the model then.

 

Not a bad idea... The X200 initial info suggests the There's no 802.11 a wireless, which makes it out for me as my b-school uses the a-band exclusively!

 

If you don't need it now, then why get it? I'd say you should wait. I'm kinda in the same situation (except for being unemployed and with definitely less money) and I'm also waiting for something new and fresh.

 

The X200 will be 12.1" I believe?

So it depends what size you want/need.

 

Note also with the X300 about $1000 is alone is going towards that 64GB SSD. If you got 'free' money to blow, then don't worry about it, but it's not smart to pay that kind of price for technology that's going half in price every quarter.

 

The biggest thing holding me back from getting the X300 is the 1.2 GHz processor.

If I could get an X200 with a 2.0 Core 2 Duo or greater, then it's a no brainer...

 

The slow processor on the X300 is the biggest downside IMO, id much rather give up the optical drive and touchpad for a real processor.

 

The CPU in my X300 was pretty peppy. I didn't have any problems at all using it on a daily basis, but I didn't do anything CPU intensive either. The biggest issue I had with the machine was the rather poor quality LCD. By far the worst 12" - 13" widescreen I've seen to date.

 

I've heard mixed reviews about the LED... But the 13.3" widescreen is definitely an improvement over the X61.

 

The LED is in general a great screen. Some might have problems, but it's definitely better than a standard one from my point of view.

 

The ultralight display in my X61s is better quality, but yes, overall Lenovo uses low quality displays in all their machines.

 

On the X200 vs. X300 debate... I'm wondering if the X300 will also see a "refresh" with Centrino 2 and maybe a processor bump? Or is that unexpected as the system is still "new"?

True ultraportable junkies scoff at the integrated optical drive but I'd prefer the X300 - splitting the difference (in theory) between portability and functionality as I do rely on the optical drive for data CD burning. But the weak processor is a kill for me, so I'm also waiting for the X200 (or an X300 update).

 

I'm in kind of the same situation. The X300 looks really really good, but I'm not sure if I can justify paying so much for a notebook that will be outdated in 2 months when the Latitude E4300 comes out, so I cancelled my order (since the 6-cell battery ETA is 1-2 months!). Lenovo should have at least offered a 1.6GHz version so it doesn't feel so anorexic.
The X300 also gets pretty paltry battery life for an ultraportable.

 

the price of SSD technology is hardly going down at all on an annual basis, let alone going half in price every quarter.

 

I've had my share of thinkpads. The best one was probably the T40, T41, and T42 series. BEST battery life out there. Three hours on the 6-cell. close to 5 hours on the 9-cell.

My new X300 is not bad. I've seen better screens even from the Thinkpad line. BUT, you can't beat the portability in the X300. It's light very light for all the features. Battery life is probably 3.5 hours on the 6-cell. I'll echo what everyone else says. I wish the processor was more powerful for the price I paid. Having said that, I only use the laptop for internet and word processing. There's one thing that I really like about the X300; it's quiet very quiet. i.e., I remember sufing on the web with a T4x series and whenever the HD kicked it, I would be annoyed. With the X300's SSD, there no such thing.


Overall, it's not bad. I like it. Am I glad I paid a lot for it? no. BUT, I did pay close to $3,000 for my T40 when it first came out. Was I happy then. yes.

 

X300 is a fine machine - that's for sure. It has attractive form factor, high resolution screen and plethora of other positives. But it wouldn't hurt to wait for official release of X200 as what we've (unoficially) heard is also very promising. Even smaller form factor, faster CPU and GPU, the same great keyboard, lack of touchpad (for me that's a plus).

In the end I'd probably go for X200 as it's smaller and more powerfull but I sure hope there'll be higher than 1280x800 resolutions available for it and if refreshed X300 will be available (with faster CPU and GPU) I'll have a tough decision to make.

 

All great comments - thanks!

I think the win-win situation is a X300 refresh with a faster processor. So long as the system is < $3k then my company pays for all of it