Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Review Discussion

Do i3 consume any less power vs the i5?

 

I'm not sure about power consumption, but they have the same TDP's as the i5.

 

the TDP is only the threshold- the maximum power limit the cpu will consume, it's not the actual power consumption. in practice i believe that core i5 and i7 with higher speed will consume slightly more power because of the higher frequency. but for a given task, because of their higher speed, core i5/i7 with higher frequency (and other technologies like turbo boost)will finish the job faster, it's really hard to say if core i3 save energy or not.

the price of i5/i7 is not too much more than core i3, why not invest more bucks to go for a decent i7 cpu, especially when you're considering buying a 1k+ laptop? later on you may upgrade memory, hard drive, replace the battery, but you won't upgrade your cpu- most likely you're stuck with it until you buy a new system a few years later.

 

That and the graphics core is clocked at 500/667 for the i3 vs. 500/733 for the i5/i7 (not much of a difference but still notable). Honestly for light duty stuff, I see no reason not to get an i3 if it's a good deal cheaper than an i5/i7 model.

 

for x series, i3 is not an option on lenovo.com at this moment

 

No, but soon I think. The x201i (core i3) is listed in tabook.

 

If you check the model number from the tabook e.g 3249-J2U you'll find some reseller that have i3 x201 in stock.

I don't think I have the right to post a reseller link but google the model number and you should find it

 

so, are you just saying you shouldnt go through or the trouble?

i was wondering if it would be at all possible with the x201.
also, i was wondering if it has expresscard... or firewire or anything high speed.

does anyone know?

 

TDP is not the power a CPU will consume. TDP (Thermal Design Power) is the amount of _heat_ that the cooling system needs to dissipate from the CPU at full load. Now, it can be somewhat argued that TDP can be a very rough measure of how much power a CPU consumes, but depending on the actual efficiency of the architecture, the actual correlation between TDP and power consumed will be rather different. The rest of your argument is valid, though.

As for replacing the CPU, it's actually not terribly difficult, assuming you're technically minded enough to want to go to the trouble. The issue with replacing the CPU is that it'll often void your warranty, so I do agree that you should probably go with the best that you can afford and use at the time of purchase.

From the review, it has an Expresscard/54 slot, which you can then use to add in eSATA or Firewire if needed.

 

thanks
im excited.

 

For a detailed comparison of power consumption 'per task' for the i3 / i5 / i7, see the second graph here: http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18448/4
Note that this is just one page of an 18-page saga, in case you want to know more.

 

Are the 4 and 6 cell batteries really the same dimensions? Why?

 

They are not the same. The six-cell sticks out the bottom.

 

The i7-620M chip that Lenovo is using on the x201 is apparently an embedded chip, meaning that for that particular chipset (QM57, I believe) its not a chip you can just swap out.
It looks like the i7-640LM that is used on the x201 is not embedded (all of this according to the Intel spec sheets, BTW)

I thought about this while trying to make up my mind between the 201 and the 201s, and decided that even with the embedded chip, the performance boost on the 620M chip is worth it. Heck, the i7-620M is performs nearly as well as the C2Q 9550 (12MB L2) according to Notebookcheck

 

Wallmage - just a note of thanks for pointing the way to the SPP site. I just put together an x201 and was very pleased to see the difference in price between the SPP offering and the standard retail site.

 

My X201 arrived today. Mid-range i5 with the 6-cell battery. Its light!
Here are some pics of what was in the box: http://www.flickr.com/photos/family_noakes/sets/72157623596447368/

2010-12-21 - Got an X100e today. Put up some rough and ready pics up showing it compared to my X201.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/family_noakes/sets/72157625517719097/

 

The new generation TP have all gotten sleekier and sexier while conserving the same design.

 

Cool! Can you take some pics showing how much the 6cell puts the laptop on an incline? I'm trying to decide what battery to get...

 

No problem, I've added 2 pics that attempt to show the step caused by the battery. I'm right in the middle of downloading and installing all the stuff I need so had to take the pics while all plugged in. As for the step caused by the battery - It's basically negligible. Less than I was expecting and it doesn't stick out the back at all.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/family_noakes/sets/72157623596447368/

 

Cool, thanks! Doesnt look so bad. Also, Anyone know what brand the hard drive is that comes with the Lenovo?

 

Lenovo uses various brands of hard drives, depending on what is available. They've been known to use Seagates, Hitachis, Toshibas, and Samsungs, if I remember correctly. For the SSD options, Lenovo uses the Intel G2 drives for the 80GB option, and either Samsung or Toshiba drives for the 128GB option.

 

They don't seem to be selling the Intel SSD drives with the x201 (at least not yet, and not in the US). The 128GB SSD option is most likely the Samsung drive, and hopefully the second gen drive or better.

 

Thanks TeKairangi for the pics. Ordered mine on 3/8 with an expected ship date of 3/24, can't wait.

 

Same here - hope it changes status from "In Process" soon!
Didn't bother calling to verify CC payment (as I've seen other forum members do) ... not in a terrible rush so if it takes a couple extra days its OK. Still, it'd be nice to get it before the end of the month.

 

Well that was fast, just got a shipping notice today for it. That was a nice surprise.

 

did you call to verify the order and payment? maybe that sped things up a bit?

 

nope, never called to verify the order and payment.

 

Hmmm... my config. is essentially the same as yours. It better not be that Samsung SSD that holds my build up!

Although I did place my order on the 9th - guess we'll get a sense of how quickly a build can come together and how long it can take by comparing our orders!

 

Hooray! All or part of my order has shipped! Better not be just the power cable!

 

Question for you guys, is there any other laptops that has the same specs as this but without the hefty price? I'm a broke student that want nice stuff

 

Not really, you will need to accept lower performance if you have a tight budget. You can look at hp tm2 or acer 1820pt(z).

 

Some of the machines in ASUS's UL line (the 30 and 50, in particular) are not too much bigger than the x201 and have pretty solid processor choices. They check in around 800-1000 depending on the config.
But, pound for pound, its really hard to find anyone making anything with the horsepower that Lenovo has put in the 201. Fujitsu has a comparable build, but it weighs more and costs about the same.

Go take a look at xoticpc.com

 

Ooops, sorry, I am hooked up on the x201t right now and forgot that this thread is not only about the tablet version...

 

The UL30 looks very nice but I been using the nipple on my T61 since day 1, sort of hard to surf the internet without it now. But asus ul30 fit my preference.. will look into it thanks!

 

You could take a look at the Core 2 Duo Thinkpad X200 models if your budget is tight.

 

What do you think about the thinkpad edge?

 

For the price of the Edge, you should be able to find a Thinkpad X200, which is overall a better-built and more powerful system, although the Edge isn't a bad computer - it's just overpriced for what you get, in my opinion.

 

To Bilsko, do you get your computer? I also want to get a i7 x201, but I am wondering if it will be running hot during heavy load, like watching a 1080p movie? Could you do some small test to test it?

Thanks,

 

Have you received the laptop, and have you installed ubuntu on it yet?

A friend of mine is thinking about buying the x201 or the x201t if ubuntu can be installed on it.

I will do the installation and I am not afraid of having to tweak it to get it to work, but before ordering the laptop I would like to get some feedback from people who have succeeded in running a GNU/Linux distribution on it.

Hope you or someone else can give some feedback on this

Best regards

 

Hi all... I am seriously considering the purchase of a X201 and am concerned about how loud the fan on this unit might be. I read other people interested in this too.. anyone care to comment? Muchly appreciated...

Jess

 

I got my Thinkpad X201 5 days ago (today is Mar.22) and only the left speaker works. I am going to return it to Lenovo. A new machine that just came out of factory should not have any problems. I purchased the warranty which I was not planing to use it for a brand new laptop.

Lenovo either has no quality control or they knew that the X201 has this problem, but they shipped it out anyway, just hoping that their customers are stupid enough that they would not notice or they would just accept it as they way it is. I hope that anyone who has this problem will contact Lenovo and let them know that they need to do something about this!!!

 

Plz. correct me if i'm wrong.
The X201 is in the middle on the sceens pic.
and the tablet is on the left side.

N.B
On my wife's X201 the right speaker does not work as I shift the balance the left is working on both directions.
Also,the batery is not well fixed.

 

Seems to be a driver issue.

 

Does anybody know how to buy core i7 X201? Now Lenovo website (US) only has two options for core i5.

 

One option would be to try to find pre-configured TopSeller models at other online retailers. Lenovo apparently has a shortage of Core i7 motherboards for the X201 at the moment.

 

How does the sound of a dual spkr X201(with updated driver) compare to a T42 or SL410. The T42 sound is just adequate for my needs, but I don't want to go any worse. Are stereo spkrs located underneath?

 

Yes, they are underneath. I wasn't really looking for good sound, so had low expectations - but it's better than I expected - not much worse than my previous 14 inch Dell which had the speakers along the bottom of the screen, So, on the X201 I find them good enough for web clips and quiet music listening, but not good enough to use for presentations to any more than say 4 people. For the true multimedia experience I put a pen cap or something small under the front that lifts the front a cm or so off the table. The sound is better than on my wife's R40.

Based upon some comments question made on the flickr album - some more comparison pics showing an x201, an old R40 and a DELL Vostro 1400. http://www.flickr.com/photos/family_noakes/sets/72157623596447368/

 

I have had my X201 for two weeks now. Unfortunately I'm not very happy with it ...

The screen is without a doubt the worst I have seen in a laptop in years. Even cheap netbooks have better screens than this. Colors are washed out, contrast is low and the screen has a very strong blue tint that was very difficult to correct for. The color corrections I've applied make it somewhat acceptable, but often when I wake the X201 from standby the colors often revert to the blue defaults, forcing me to open graphics properties and reapply my corrections.

This would be bad enough on its own, but I haven't even mentioned the biggest problem yet: vertical viewing angles. These are so bad that just moving my head position a few centimeters (e.g. slightly shifting my weight back in my chair) makes a white screen go yellow. I'm CONSTANTLY adjusting the angle of the the screen to have my eyes exactly at a right angle from the center of the screen. (Horizontal viewing angles are acceptable though.)

I also hear a strange faint modem-like high frequency noise on certain web pages. At first I thought it was flash related since it often appears with animated ads, but not all pages with flash are affected. On average every 10 sites have this noise, even when using Adblock to get rid of the worst offenders. Most importantly, the noise is present on Gmail, which drives me crazy when writing e-mails in a quiet room.

Apart from these issues the X201 seems well-engineered. The Core i5 is fast but the fan remains quiet most of the time. The main mechanical noise is seeking noise from the HDD, not the fan. Also, tpfancontrol works.

However, the horrible screen and modem noise on webpages are deal breakers; I just e-mailed my supplier to negotiate a return. No more Lenovo for me.

 

Can the touchpad be disabled without disabling the pointing stick?

 

Yes, all Thinkpads have this feature. You can disable either of the two, or keep both enabled.