Horrible price on the X200s !!!

Is it me or did you guys notice that none of the X200s listed on the tabook has an option for WWAN? That would really suck!

 

Not only that, but they don't seem to have a configuration with all the bells and whistles. I'm looking for a machine where I would be able to add components/software (buy a the Ultrabase and Multiburner at a later time) rather than replace components in one of the TopSeller/Preconfigured models (replace the 4/6 cell with a 9 cell and the Intel Wifi 5100 for the 5300).

Best scenario for me however, would be the option to add the WXGA+ LED Screen to a standard X200 with the 2.4 Ghz processor.

 

I don't understand, why all models with intel 5300 wifi come with a 4 cell battery, while all models with intel 5100 wifi come with a 6 cell battery ?, what is the reasoning behind this ?, according to logic, if the 5300 uses more power, it should have had the stronger battery and not vice versa...

I was already set for the 74663HU from Provantage, but now noticed it has a low reception intel 5100 wifi card. Is it possible to ask Provantage to upgrade this to the 5300, or does Provantage sell only a pre-configured model with no ability to change anything ?

 

Provantage has 74663HU pre-configured. You wont be able to customize it.

I ask about their title listing the screen of 74663HU as WXGA instead of WXGA+. The sales representative I talked to had no idea about this. I know 74663HU should use WXGA+. But the invoice shows wxga. I am just a little worry about it.

 

dont know why you would get this over the x200, considering the 9 cell on the x200 is 9 hours battery life, which is one of the big points for low voltage processors....but 9 hours on a full voltage processor kind of makes it pointless

and i really feel sorry for the poeple who got the su9300 and didn't pay the extra $75 to get the sl9400 which is about 660mhz more, and double the cache, while being higher fsb

maybe i just dont get it, but why would anyone get this if the x200 is literally 1,000 cheaper for the same specs (i just spec'd out mine on the x200s and it was roughly 1K more) besides the processor - but to me, the only reason you would get the low voltage processor is for battery, but the x200 is still an amazing 9 hours so who knows.


i'm not trying to start an argument or anything, but really do wonder what reasons people buy this over the x200, besides the battery life increase, and the slight weight decrease?

i know my points kind of sound harsh and i apologize for that, but just am really thinking this is an oddly high price for something so similar to their x200 model which is so much cheaper


EDIT: just realized it has a 1400x900 led screen which is rare for a 12.1" laptop so i know that will be a big selling point for some, but still 1K just doesn't seem justified for it. but thats for me

 

I agree.
X200s is so overpriced. The only difference would be the cpu and the screen. It doesn't worth $1000 nor $500.

I would say < $300 is reasonable.

I ordered x200s. Simply because high resolution and LED backlight matter.

 

Take a look at this URL which I posted earlier in this thread.

http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cg...tmlfid=897/ENUS108-614&appname=USN#h2-prodnox

I don't think you have anything to worry about. The tabook posted in this thread also says WXGA+.

 

I understand your wonder at how anyone can rationalize the X200s vs the X200. It's a common kind of problem: people have different perspectives. You are looking at "bang-per-buck": how much computer you're getting for the dollar, and that is generally a good measure. I'm looking at fairly specific needs, and almost a money-is-no-object situation.

First, I'm guessing the price difference is largely discounts/coupons? None of which apply to the new machines (X301, X200s, X200t)? Regardless, it's still a price difference to be weighed against what you get for it. So why would I spend so much on this slow machine?

It's mostly the reasons you identify: Low power-draw, and low weight. Some of this comes from a meeting point of technologies... the "centrino 2 platform", SSD, and LED backlit display.

I want low power-draw, not just "battery life", because I want to be able to run off a portable solar array. Having bigger batteries doesn't count. Faster by 50%? That's not really significant... this SU9300 will already be more than 200x faster than the 486 I used to program on just fine. I'm glad we're getting more efficient CPUs now. Crappy software is just wasting this speed anyway.

Soon I'll head off to travel around the world while programming. I mostly want isolation, so that I have nothing to do except program. This means I want to head out into rural areas or wilderness, away from people and wifi... I'll be taking this laptop with me everywhere and working on it probably most of every day. I don't want it to be a physical burden, and I don't want to feel chained to a power-grid. So I'm willing to pay a premium for a machine that seems suited to these constraints.

There are other factors which exclude even lower power and lower weight machines (like netbooks)... I want a decent keyboard and the display resolution of the X200s is appealing for my work.

Since I'm going to be living off savings for the next few years anyway, and just working on this machine... price wasn't much of an object. I don't want to just give away money where it doesn't seem deserved (f@^$ing MS tax aside). This seems to be a nice machine and it's competitively priced with similar machines from other companies, but in the details I like the others less. The others mostly look fancier, but methinks looks are deceiving in this case (Sony TT?).

If I wasn't in need of a machine very soon, I'd certainly wait for the X200s to shift out of "new and expensive" status. Really, the X200 is an awesome deal, and I don't see many people wanting the marginally better power and weight qualities of the X200s for the premium price... but there are some people for whom that is important, and those are the people the 's' variation is made for, isn't it? Most others just wouldn't understand why.

Hope this helps show that everyone buying an X200s isn't insane... or maybe that's exactly what I'm making it look like. Your point is valid though: I don't think most people need this. If I wanted a laptop for school or normal work, it would probably be the X200. And then I'd use the 9-cell battery too.

 

The screen is what sold it for me. And the price difference isn't nearly as large as you're suggesting with the pre-built top-sellers from the VARs (74663HU is ~$1,500).

 

The answer to this is very simple (and I don't give a **** about the 1440x900, I really wish it was a 1280x800 instead).

If you go with the X200 and 9cell battery, you are going to get ~9 hours battery life, and a 1.64kg weight.

If you go with the X200 s and 6cell battery, you are going to get ~9 hours battery life, and a 1.23kg weight.

This is a substantial weight difference (33% more weight with the X200 !).

Moreover, the 6 cell battery sits flush, while the 9 cell battery protrudes in a violent and ugly way, making the X200 with a 9 cell battery, even less portable than the X200s with a 6 cell battery.

So, to conclude, the X200s is simply a whole different animal than the X200, when it comes to portability. Actually, there isn't any other laptop in the world today that can offer a better (or even the same) combination of portability/battery life/price for a 12.1" screen laptop, than the X200s.

Now regarding the price difference, the price difference between a similar spec'ed X200 and X200s is just $360 USD (at Provantage), where the only difference between them is that the X200 has a 2.4Ghz CPU and CCFL 1280x800 screen, while the X200s has a 1.86Ghz CPU and LED 1440x900 screen.

If you're buying the laptop mainly for Office and Internet, the difference in CPU isn't an issue.

 

atavener you seem like a cool guy and the solar array reasoning has never crossed my mind but a good idea. I'm planning to do some volunteering in third world countries after i graduate and this whole solar array idea is awesome.... where would someone get such a device in the first place though?

 

With proper tweaking I will get at least 11 hours out of the X200s. I always get the amount of battery life that Lenovo advertise with heavy tweaking and downclocking the cpu. So a fast CPU such as in the X200 is not necessary for me because I'm going to downclock it all the way down anyway.
By the way, I'm using a U7500 equipped laptop downclock to 800mhz, and Windows Vista run as snappy as on my desktop and I can even watch 720p movies

 

According to the updated tabook,
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pcinstitute/psref/tabook.pdf

The 2GB memory on 7466-3HU from provantage use only ONE slot. There is one available for later upgrade.

Yeah!! I am gonna order another 2G when it is shipped.

And it comes with 3 year limited warranty, another good news. I thought it only comes with one year warranty and I have included another $100-$200 warranty upgrade in my budget.

 

the price difference through lenovo is roughly $600 right now at the same specs as i have on mine below (besides processor obviously (sl9400 of the x200s))....HOWEVER, lenovo has a 20% discount on the x200 right now, and i stacked it with a 5% discount on top of that

and at the time of that writing, i made the mistake of comparing the x200 on cpp, and the x200s on regular lenovo price....and also i didnt know there was a 20% discount on the x200 at the time with no discount on the x200s.

$600 is still to much for me....but again, thats for me and that 3/4 pound lighter would be terribly nice....

 

You can still cancel your order, add $340 USD, and go with the X200s from Provantage. You'll probably even get it sooner...

 

There are several fold-able or roll-able solar options. Googling for "laptop solar panels" brings up a lot of places selling them. Once my X200s changes status to "shipped" I'll order one, so that if panels don't work with the laptop I have 30 days to return the solar kit... I don't want to be stuck sitting on the solar panels waiting for an eternally delayed laptop.

There are also solar laptop bags. But we shouldn't stray from the topic... which is these expensive X200s's...!

 

thanks atavener

but ya... i'm sure the prices will drop the x200s... the x200 dropped in about a month or so... so be hopeful everyone if you want one! =) Plus check out the prices of the Dell E4200... now they're expensive compare to the x200s =)

 

ha, in no way do i want to pay $340 to go with a lighter laptop that is definitely slower

3.5 pounds is one of the lightest, if not lightest full voltage processor laptop you can buy (and thats with a 9 cell battery)....and 9 hours of battery life on something like that is unheard of.

besides missing a touchpad and optical drive, its the perfect laptop....extreme battery life, and i mean eXtreme compared to others, full powered cpu, extremely light, small form

perfect for me anyway (dont care for graphics card, and like small, and fast)....i do have to get one of those VGA to HDMI boxes though, would like to use it on my 50" plasma, but no vga port in the tv.

EDIT: The cheapest x200s on provantage is $700 more than my configuration below....so not $340

 

It seems that you already made up your mind so I don't want to give you anymore second thoughts, but it is only $340 more...

http://www.provantage.com/lenovo-74663hu~7LENO0XX.htm

 

Looks like all the topseller models are now showing available to order on provantage:

http://www.provantage.com/scripts/search.dll?QUERY=lenovo+x200s

Are you guys calculating the cost for a 3-year warranty into your comparisons of the X200 and X200s? All of the X200s models come with either a 3-year depot or 3-year ONSITE warranty.

 

Is this an international warranty, or is it valid only in the US ?

 

Tabook says that the warranty is International.

 

Comparing the X200 and X200s pricing:

CostCentral X200s 7466-3HU : $1486 shipped
http://www.costcentral.com/proddeta...2GB_160_GB_121_WXGA_BT_FP_XPP/74663HU/T35290/

Lenovo Direct X200 Contractor Purchase Program (cheapest available price) : $1229 shipped
(same config as X200s above including the top end processor and 3-year warranty)

Difference: $257

For the extra $257 you are getting a lighter weight and WXGA+ LED screen.

 

Jack, I'm not sure about the CostCentral link that you gave. They write in the link that this laptop has a 2.53Ghz T9400 CPU. This is a full voltage CPU not a X200s CPU.

On the other hand the model number fits the X200s line.

Not sure what's going on...

 

also not showing an LED screen and the wxga+ screen....but that could of just been left out

 

but has worse specs, is around $600 more with the same specs....

 

You can't really change the specs with the X200s I showed you because it's a pre-built laptop. Still, it doesn't have "worse specs", it has different specs, in part worse than your setup (2GB RAM instead of 3GB, 160GB HD instead of 250GB, Intel 5100 instead 5300 even though no one knows if there is a real world difference between these cards), but in part better than your setup (LED screen instead a CCFL screen which means better contrast and better luminance, 7200RPM HD instead of 5400RPM, 3 years warranty instead of 1 year warranty).

 

Cost Central (and most other topseller retailers) don't actually stock the notebooks. They just have the part number (7466-3HU in this case) which they will order from Lenovo. The specs that are on their description don't really matter and are obviously incorrect. What matters is that you will receive a 7466-3HU from Lenovo and those specs are known from tabook.

kickace: the X200s is more expensive. You don't want it. Let it die.

 

Sounds like a great deal, where do I get a x200, 3GB ram, 250GB disk, wireless 5300 and 9 cell for $1176.16 shipped? I checked provantage and found:
http://www.provantage.com/lenovo-74542gu~7LENO0MC.htm

But it's missing 1GB ram and the 5300. I also found:
http://www.provantage.com/lenovo-74542nu~7LENO0UJ.htm

But it's missing 1GB ram and the wireless and the 250GB disk.

 

He's using the CPP codes. It's illegal to do so since it's not intended for consumers, only contracted resellers. Plus, you can't return your laptop even when you are willing to pay the restocking fee.

 

LOLZ 67890

 

considering i just bought the u330 on the cpp program and then just shipped it back with a full refund, no restocking fee i would say you are wrong about returning it (simply said i wont pay the restocking fee, and the first manager said sure)....but never once was it said i can't return it because i purchased through cpp

and you have no idea if i am a consumer or a contracted resellers....so not illegal at all

not to mention that thousands of people use that code who aren't resellers....but who knows; if i am a consumer: jail is imminent

 

if that's a cpp code.. word of warning you will get banned in this forum. It's pretty clear that we're not allow to release any cpp code. You laugh? Guess what.. he is right it is illegal.. it's called Fraud.

are you joking me? like seriously... i can't believe how your logic functions. Just cause you think (i stress the word think) that Lenovo can't find out... it makes it legal? Or that.. thousands of people use that code that shouldn't be using it, makes it legal?

Dude man if Lenovo wanted to find out... it's not that hard... it's just you're not worth the time.

Please do not give any FALSE information that can result in others well being. Thank you.

 

i never said it wasn't wrong, never once did. just pointing out that many do it. and pointing out that it is a lie that you can't return a product ordered under cpp, simply because i just returned one.

and when did i say lenovo couldn't find out? frankly, if they wanted to, its as simple as asking what company do you work for....but not one restrictive question is asked. That still doesn't make it right, but it shows lenovo isn't making it a priority to care.

and i know the rules of this forum, and will not be posting any info on how to get into the website nor will i explain even if i have that info.

please don't lecture me on morals, i'll live my life - you live yours.

 

umm.. when did i talk about anything with regards to you being wrong or right. It was all about legality. I'm just plane out saying... just because lenovo or us posters don't know if you were CPP valid user, doesn't automatically make it legal. It's irrelevant to zephir post, he/she was just stating a point with regards to the validity of using CPP and the well being of the readers.

Sorry but you are wrong with regards to returns, the official policy is you are NOT allow to return or price quote but managers can always make an exception but this is varied by situations making your claim not correct.

Maybe i misread your tone of voice because to me you sounded a bit ****y with your comment to zephir. So sorry on my part.

No ones talking about your morals, if you felt an attack to your morals, then maybe that's showing something.

 

well i didn't need a manager to approve the return because they immediately said, that is fine but then said there would be a restocking fee. i simply explained that because my system is defective, there is no way that i will be paying a restocking fee, then she transfered me to a manager who quickly said theyre would be none.

i wasn't sounding coc*ky at all, just wasn't aware of the official policy and since i had no return problems with mine, i figured there was no such policy.

and it shows me that you think im awesome....and for a response, i think your awesome too so im glad we settled this matter

 

okay settled.. we're both awesome

 

The cheapest X200s model (74663HU) just went up in price at Provantage... bummer :-(

 

To clarify the issue kickace, it seems that you are allowed to return the laptop only because it is defective. I don't think you can return it simply if you don't want it if you purchase through CPP. And yes, I know my fact, it is illegal to do so. Because a lot of people do it doesn't mean it is legal. Regardless you can do anything you want, and I'm just trying to look out for others.

 

Has anyone had their x200s from Provantage ship yet? Ordered Sunday but it hasn't shipped yet.

 

Are there any x200s reviews? It frustrating that x200t and now the W700 have reviews, but not the x200s, and its been for sale for a week now. I hate You Lenovo Marketing dept.

 

Maybe the thread of this title should be changed since the X200s price is definitely NOT "horrible" . Maybe something like "X200s price not too bad! Dell E4200: horrible price!"

 

Is it just me, or did the price just drop a little tiny bit?

 

i believe you are correct good sir....from $1709 i remember last

but don't quote me on that

 

and now i believe i know why....the windows basic home is now the starting option.

before it was i believe vista premium or something, where if you went down to home basic, it would take off about $80 or so

 

the price will drop when they stop x61s production?

 

any guess on when?