Have X61. X200 vs T400 need your comments/feedback.

Hi all,

Looking for some feedback on the X200 and/or T400, hopefully those that had an x61 and now own an X200 or T400 can offer some advice/feedback.

At the company where I work, I have the option of getting an X200 or T400 - I currently have an X61 with a T7500 processor and 4GB RAM (running XP, Win7Pro64 and UNIX). I have a choice of systems to replace the X61, which I get to keep for personal use. I'm leaning towards the X200 because of portability and battery life - my current X61 is nice and solid, no whine, no squeaks, no flex ....

I'm not really sold on the T400 because of the sheer size of the thing, although it has the advantage of using a second HDD in a caddy which is rather appealing. I understand that the High-Nit screen on the T400 offers much better viewing angles than the WXGA+ LED backlit screen. True?

I really like my X61 for the form factor, the speed is ok (T7500 @2.2GHz) but I find it somewhat sluggish at times when compiling databases or crunching other stuff. The major beef with the X61 is the screen - the vertical viewing angles are quite bad. I constantly find myself adjusting and re-adjusting the lid to get a good rendering of the screen struggling to find a sweet spot where the colors aren't inverted or washed out. Drives me crazy. I don't do heavy graphics (sometimes a little photo processing - if that's even possible on this screen), I don't play games (aside for some Civ3 or SimCity while waiting for the plane), but even when running software like in a DOS fullscreen type of environment, the inverted/washed-out output is a real PITA.

Looking for comments/feedback on the following - again for anyone that had/owned/used an X61:

- X200 vs T400 compared to the X61 (general system speed + P8600 vs. T9600 compared to the T7500 in X61) - (rather important factor for me)
- screen brightness/viewing angles/resolution (important factor for me)
- portability (X200 would win in this category no doubt)
- build quality (T400 more solid than X200 ? )
- battery life (if the T400, I'd opt for the 6-cell to keep weight down ... 9 cell for the X200) ... Not so important, computer plugged in more often than not.
- don't care about "dedicated" graphics cards ... X4500 would be all I need.

Essentially would boil down to:
- X200, with P8600, 4GB RAM WXGA
- T400, with T9600, 4GB, HN WXGA (or would the WXGA+ be better? ). Real estate would be nice but not at the expense of crummy viewing angles.

Should I wait for Lenovo's refreshed offerings in January or is it safe to go with either of the above-mentioned?

I'd really appreciate your comments/suggestions.

Cheers

 

the x200's screen won't be _that_ much nicer, so considering you already have an x61, i would suggest a t400...

also the x200 also wouldn't be _that_ much quicker...p8600 has a higher clock speed, yes (2.4vs2.2@t7500), but t7500 has 4mb l2 cache, whereas the p8600 only as 3. i would also suggest the wxga+ because i love hires screens

 

If you want a good screen, I'd suggest getting one of the tablets. They're the best screens Lenovo is offering.

Another option if you don't mind voiding the warranty is to get the X200 and swap the screen out for the AFFS screen available on eBay. See here.

 

he wants faster processor than what he got, not slower.

to the op, you've boiled down exactly what you gain or lose with each choice, and ultimately you know how much you prefer size/portability over better screen/cpu/2nd hdd. that's your call.

 

The SL9400 is pretty close to what they've got now, but you're left with a better screen.

If you want a better CPU and a good screen, I think the X200 screen swap is the best answer, but it's not the perfect solution either. Maybe you want to wait for the new machines coming next year. The P8600, while a bit faster than what you've got now, is not a big leap in performance.

 

T400S FTW

Awesome performance . Dead slient. very light. new FP

 

x200 is an ultraportable like your X61, so if you enjoy this kind of format, then go for it. If you use the laptop more on desks and don't really mind carrying around a slightly bigger laptop, then T400 is obviously better.

Since you didn't really mention whether you want the optical drive, so the final choice of either two machines comes down to price and portability. Given that the current discounts in USA, the price of these two machines should incur only 200 dollars of difference for moderate spec.

The benefits of the T9xxx and P8xxx are not that huge in a portable machines, since you should worry about the TDP (thermal dissipation power bit more). Also a tip for smart purchaser, is to go with the cheapest version of the T9xxx and P8xxx, as you could get most of the benefits new CPU architecture (i.e. more L2 cache), without the higher prices.

The quality of the T400 is same as T61, and the X200 is similar to the X61.

The keyboard on the X200 is the same size as the one on T400.

Since you are worried about weight, then given the fact that you don't really need the optical drive or the discrete GPU.

Then it maybe better for you to get the X200 if the price is right for you.

 

Since OP's company is footing the bill, I don't think price would be a huge concern.

 

if price is no concern then get the T400s, the best of both world.

 

Since OP's company is footing the bill, I don't think he gets to choose whatever he wants... it's either X200 or T400.

 

if it is free, he should be happy with either one.

 

+1 T400s, can do a 1.8" SSD + 2.5" HDD setup. Lovely unit. SL9400/SL9600 12.1" HP 2530P can do the same.

 

Thanks for the opinions and comments so far. Very much appreciated.

Indeed, I'm not overly concerned about optical drives, but more about overall system speed and portability. I realize that I sacrifice one for the other with the choice given to me (X200 vs T400), but one aspect of the X200 that doesn't really sit well with me is the potential lack of screen quality (which is quite important for me since I sit in front of the damn thing for hours on end).

Yes I do travel often, but I don't believe the weight of a T400 would bother me that much - the off-center bezel would be more of a niggle than the weight. As mentioned, good battery life is preferable but not a deciding factor, since I do plug it in whenever possible for better performance anyways.



Keep in mind I do not have the option of choosing a tablet system. Also, I cannot mod a computer provided by the company in any way - not only because it would void the warranty, but because the computer does not belong to me. I have a choice of picking a new system now or have a system provided to me at their discretion in a month's time (for all I know they could burden me with a leftover T500 that no one else wants due to its "largesse"). Essentially I'm offered a chance for first pickings.

Getting back to screen quality:
I'm really looking for feedback on the X200 vs T400 WXGA/WXGA+ quality. For anyone that has used an X61 before, are the screens on the current Lenovo line-up (x, t series) as bad as those on the X61 or better? I understand that the X200 is a 200 nit screen (while my X61 is 150), but brightness aside, is there a difference in viewing angles / color wash-out / color inversion ??

As said before, the WXGA+ option on the T400 would provide more screen real estate, but are the viewing angles good or same/similar to the X61? If they are similar, then (pardon the pun), that option would be a washout. Would the WXGA HN be a better bet?



Thanks again

 

Yes. It's supposedly the best screen being offered on the T series right now, but it's not near as good as the AFFS screens on the tablets. There's a post here with some pics of the HN screen on the T400 if you want to poke around a bit. I think you're coming up against the reality that no one's offering decent screens on mainstream notebooks these days, other than the tablets. I hear the Dell RGB-LED is nice, but it's a 15". I've not seen one myself. I've seen the MBP, which is supposed to be one of the better screens right now. The contrast was good, but the glare was terrible on the one I saw. I don't know if it was just that unit or all of them. They don't offer the angles either.

 

I'd go for the X200 hands down. Superior portability, Excellent build quality, which is better than the X61 - especially when it comes to the latch mechanism and lid ruggedness. If you can get the P8800 2.66GHz version you would have quite a jump in CPU power with the addition of the faster RAM and bus.

 

Just an update, the company's offered me the X200 with a P8700 (2.53GHz) CPU, 8GB RAM, 9cell battery, 320GB 7200rpm hdd. Initially I though that was a mistake, but confirmed it's 8GB RAM - hell of an expense! last time I checked the price of SODIMMs. Odd that Lenovo states 4GB max, but this one's configured with 8. So I took them up on this machine instead of the T400 which was configured with a T9600 CPU and 4GB RAM and a 250GB 5400rpm drive.

Like I mentioned, battery life and CPU power are important to me, it was a toss-up between the two, but opted for the X200 due to ease of portability vis-à-vis the T400.

Waiting on the system as I should receive it next week, looking forward to getting it and reporting back here with thoughts/comments.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

The X200 with a 9 cell battery can last up to 8-9 hours. Awfully insane.

This might not be true but If cost isnt a factor, why not get the T9900 for the T400

 

Not a choice I can make. There were a number of system configs presented to me, I get dibs on a system and I so picked one from a list. At this point, due to my travel requirements, I opted for a smaller and relatively quick machine rather than a heavier, more power-hungry machine - the CPU is slightly weaker on the X200 (P8700 - 2.53GHz, 1066, 3MB cache, 25 TDP) than the T400 offered (T9600 - 2.8GHz, 1066, 6MB cache, 35 TDP).

Figured the P8700 is no slouch and with the weight savings and extra energy gain, I opted for the X200.
Difficult choice to make.

Look, if it were completely up to me, I'd order myself a T400s and be done with it. But I don't have that option...

 

Its a difficult choice to make, but the end result will be the same. I'm sure you will be happy with a X200. Its a quality laptop, with a long lasting battery and efficient processor.