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Lenovo ThinkPad X301 now available with 1.8-inch spinning hard drive

Monday, August 17th, 2009

x300_over_trackpointsLenovo’s flagship ThinkPad X301 laptop can now be found in certain configurations with a 1.8-inch magnetic hard drive, rather than the fast and expensive Solid State Drives, once included exclusively.

Unfortunately the new drives are not available on Lenovo.com as part of a build-it-yourself configuration, yet. Instead you are restricted to one of two pre-built configurations available through resellers:

  • Model 2776-H1U: SU9400 1.4GHz CPU, 2GB DDR3, Webcam, 120GB 5400rpm, DVDRW, Intel 5100 WiFi, WWAN upgradeable, 2GB Turbo Memory, Bluetooth, Fingerprint reader, 6-cell battery, Vista Business 32 – Street price ~$1700-1800
  • Model 2776-32U: SU9600 1.6GHz CPU, 2GB DDR3, Webcam, 250GB 5400rpm, DVDRW, Intel 5100 WiFi, WWAN upgradeable, Bluetooth, Fingerprint reader, 6-cell battery, XP Professional – Street price – ~$1700

Considering you can only get the ThinkPad X301 into the $1600 range, sans DVDRW and other goodies, on Lenovo.com with coupons, this actually isn’t a bad deal. The magnetic HDD clearly saves you a chunk of change here. In fact, if you look for the nearly identical model 2776-33U, which adds a 64GB SSD over the 2776-32U listed above, it adds on average $200-300 to the price tag. You still need to do in-depth price comparison to find the model that best fits your needs, but the potential is here for some cost savings.

More background
lenovo_thinkpad_t400s_upgrade_ssd-toshiba When the ThinkPad X300 launched, it was criticized for its high price tag, which was largely driven by the then-expensive SSDs. The drive itself cost over $700, which is a huge portion of any laptop’s cost, considering you could get a fairly well equipped machine for that much. When questioned about offering a 1.8-inch HDD to bring the starting cost down, Lenovo stated it had investigated that route, but that the performance of those drives was just not up to par for such a high end machine. Indeed, a system’s storage drive is one of the largest bottlenecks on a modern computer.

Since the ThinkPad X300 launched, SSD prices have dropped significantly bringing the X301 into the sub-$2000 price range. However, HDD technology has also advanced and not only are 1.8-inch drives faster, but they have greater capacity too. Hopefully Lenovo will start offering these 1.8-inch HDD’s for the X301 on Lenovo.com, so we can truly see what kind of value they can drive out of the flagship ThinkPad.

Read other posts related to the ThinkPad X301 or SSDs

Deal of the day: 15% Coupon ThinkPad X200 Tablet convertible laptop plus free upgrades

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

lenovo_thinkpad_x200_tablet

Today we bring you word of a pretty sweet deal on Lenovo’s ThinkPad X200 Tablet. If you have been in the market for a convertible tablet, it’s safe to say now is the time to pick the ThinkPad tablet up. The base price starts at a hefty $1929, but Lenovo is currently running a $485 instant discount with a special 15% stackable coupon and FREE upgrade to 250GB Hard Drive and 8-Cell battery upgrade. This amazing discount brings the base price down to $1365 shipped free.

The coupon is only valid until 8/17

Base system specs (upgradeable)

  • Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 1.2GHz or SL9400 1.86GHz CPU options
  • Vista; Intel GMA 4500MHD; up to 4GB DDR3; Fingerprint reader
  • Up to 320GB Hard Drive or 64GB SSD; Bluetooth; 802.11n

How to get the deal

  1. Click here to configure your X200 Tablet
  2. Select 250GB Hard Disk Drive as FREE Upgrade
  3. Select ThinkPad X200 Tablet 8-cell Battery as FREE Upgrade
  4. Enter following coupon code in shopping cart (make sure there are no spaces before/after): USPNOTEBOOKS

Cheaper Intel CULV SU9400 processor now available in ThinkPad X200s

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Lenovo ThinkPad X200s with Intel CULV processor

Lenovo has quietly begun adding Intel’s Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) processor to their ThinkPad X200s business notebooks.

Lenovo Thinkpad X200sIt was way back at the end of April, eons ago in tech-time, when word was leaking that the X200 was to be outfitted with one of Intel’s new low cost, CULV processors. A few weeks later, the X200s popped up with an uber-low-end Celeron M chip to bring the price point down to $999. We thought this is what the rumor was referencing and went on about lives, blissfully unaware.

Carefully stalking every Lenovo webpage, today we noticed that the X200s has a new processor option. If you go with the “Enhanced” X200s, the default processor is now the Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400, whereas before you could only choose the Core 2 Duo SL9400. While you give up a fair amount of performance, my opinion is that most users don’t even dip into the full performance of their processors.

I didn’t happen to jot down the price before the SU9400 was added, so the $75 upgrade to the faster processor might not be quite the savings it seems. Still more choice is good and most people should be plenty happy with the 1.4GHz SU9400, saving at least some money in the process.

Disclaimer: both the Enhanced and Elite models of the X200s are showing as more than 4 weeks before shipment and it looks like the unique WXGA+ panels used on those models are to blame. The WXGA-equipped base model has only a 9 day wait listed, but your only choices there are the truly pokey Celeron M or the Core 2 SL9400 for another $375.

Deal of the day: ThinkPad X301 25% off, starting at $1454

Friday, July 10th, 2009

It’s not often this MacBook Air killer goes on steep sale, but today we bring you a whopping 25% off coupon on top of already discounted prices. If you’re not familiar with Lenovo’s ThinkPad X301, it is an uber thin & light 13.3-inch mobile workhorse with every feature in the book, but staying under 3 lb and less than an inch thin WITH an optical drive.

Whenever I post about the X301, I can’t help but post a favorite parody video of mine, which you can find embedded at the top of the post. For now, check out the base specs below and the details on how to get your 25% off. It is also worth noting, purchasing a Lenovo PC now qualifies for a free Windows 7 upgrade - see here for details.

  • Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4GHz; Vista Basic; 13.3 WXGA+ LED
  • GMA 4500MHD graphics; 1GB DDR3 1067MHz RAM; WebCam
  • Travel Bezel; Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN; WWAN Mobile Broadband
  • 64GB SSD; Bluetooth; 3-cell; Free Windows 7 upgrade

How to get the deal

  1. Click here to configure your ThinkPad X301 (Note: Deal expires on 7/12 or with 100 uses)
  2. Upon checkout, apply this coupon (no spaces before/after): USPX301SAVE

ThinkPad X301 20% off – starting at $1551

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

x300_over_trackpoints

Lenovo’s got another killer deal going on the ThinkPad X301. You can get a nice fat 20% off the standard or Elite ThinkPad X301 models on Lenovo.com (U.S. only right now, sorry). Check out the baseline configs below along with necessary coupon code.

Find other Lenovo deals at LogicBuy!

Standard Config (Can be configured to your liking)

  • Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4GHz; Vista Basic; 13.3 WXGA+ LED
  • GMA 4500MHD graphics; 1GB DDR3 1067MHz RAM; WebCam
  • Travel Bezel; Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN; WWAN Mobile Broadband
  • 64GB SSD; Bluetooth; 3-cell

Elite Config (Can also be configured, but starts out with higher specs at better value)

  • Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4GHz; Vista Business; 13.3 WXGA+ LED
  • GMA 4500MHD graphics; 2GB DDR3 1067MHz RAM; WebCam
  • Travel Bezel; Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN; 3G Mobile Broadband
  • 64GB SSD; DVD Burner; Bluetooth; 6-cell battery

How To Get The Deal

  1. Click here to visit Lenovo.com and choose the standard or Elite model
  2. Configure ThinkPad X301 to your liking
  3. Apply following coupon code at checking (be sure not to leave spaces after the code): USPX301SSD

ThinkPad X200s with Celeron M now available at $999 – $849 on sale

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

ThinkPad X200s with Intel Celeron for saleThe rumor started back at the end of April, when we covered that the ThinkPad X200 would receive a low-cost CULV processor to make it more competitive, even without a whole new product series or chassis redesign. A couple weeks later, we posted that Lenovo did announce a new model of the ThinkPad X200s, one equipped with an Intel Celeron M processor.

Today we bring you news that Lenovo is now offering the ThinkPad X200s with Celeron M processor on the U.S. website for purchase today. The system is overall very barebones, but does get you into the splendid design of the ThinkPad X200s for a mere $999 bones.

You can see the baseline specs to the right which will get you a system for $999, but right now it’s even better than that.

Until June 10th, you can get an additional 15% off which brings the out the door price to $849. Hit the link below to go to Lenovo’s site and configure your own X200s!

Coupon code: USPTHREEDAYS

Click here to configure your Lenovo ThinkPad X200s with Celeron M!

Thanks to reader Rob for the tip!

Extra 20% Coupon ThinkPad X301, lowest yet

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Lenovo ThinkPad X300

When I think of the ThinkPad X301 (no pun intended), I think uber-thin, busting at the seams with features, and a wallet-emptying price tag. The kind folks at Lenovo are trying to reach a little less into our pockets and have put the super-sexy X301 on sale.

You start off with a $547 instant discount and an additional 20% off stacked coupon code on for good measure. This brings the starting price for a base model to $1,599.20 with free shipping. And what do you get for all this coin?

  • Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4GHz; Vista Home Basic; 13.3 WXGA+ LED
  • GMA 4500MHD graphics; 1GB DDR3 1067MHz RAM; WebCam
  • Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN; 3G Mobile Broadband Upgradeable
  • Travel Bezel; 64GB SSD; Bluetooth; 3-cell battery

Get the 20% Coupon ThinkPad X301 here

Those who need an optical drive are out of luck, you definitely want more RAM, and the 6-cell battery would boost runtime quite a bit. (Note: You have to change the 3G selection to save an additional $30 as shown above)

If you bump the price up to $1,863.20 for the “ELITE” model, you get a number of worthy upgrades that I would say are a good package value:

  • Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4GHz; Vista Business; 13.3 WXGA+ LED
  • GMA 4500MHD graphics; 2GB DDR3 1067MHz RAM; WebCam
  • Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN; AT&T 3G Mobile Broadband
  • 3-cell bay battery; 64GB SSD; Bluetooth; 6-cell main battery

Get the 20% Coupon ThinkPad X301 Elite

You can even add more RAM pretty cheaply through Lenovo, but this truly is a well rounded machine. Battery life will be excellent and you’ve added several costly upgrades like the bay batter and larger main battery for less than $300.

ThinkPad X200s now with Celeron M processor

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Lenovo ThinkPad X200s

While you won’t likely see this pop up on Lenovo.com or even in North American anytime soon, Lenovo recently (and quietly) announced a new X200s configuration using an Intel Celeron M 723 processor. This low-end CPU is single core, and built on 45nm technology. There is no support for Hyper-Threading, Virtualization, or Speedstep unfortunately. A bulk price of $107 gets you 1.2GHz, 1MB L2 cache, and an 800MHz FSB. However compare this to the X200s’ current Core 2 Duo SU9300 with a price tag of $262 and you’ll see the benefit. (Prices are Intel bulk MSRP)

Clearly the CPU itself is a bottom of the barrel unit, likely destined for emerging markets or areas where ThinkPad is losing on price; which isn’t the U.S. for those of you wondering.

Source

15% Coupon on Lenovo ThinkPad T, X, W, SL, IdeaPads, and Tablet Laptops

Friday, April 17th, 2009

lenovo_thinkpad_t400

Lenovo is running  15% off with stackable eCoupon code on popular Lenovo ThinkPad T400 and T400 including the “Elite” and “Enhanced models. This rare offer runs every so often and discounts the rarest models including 15% off the new W700ds dual-screen, 15% off X200s, X200 Tablet, X301 and more. We should mention this coupon stacks on top the current running offer for maximum savings. This offer is limited and ends on April 27 at midnight (EST). Here’s the breakdown, presented to you by LogicBUY.com:

Extra 15% ThinkPad SL Series
Extra 15% ThinkPad T Series
Extra 15% ThinkPad Tablet Series
Extra 15% ThinkPad X Series
Extra 15% ThinkPad W Series

Get the Lenovo up to 20% eCoupon via LogicBUY.com

Last Day: Lowest price ThinkPad X301

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Lenovo ThinkPad X300

The end is near folks, expiring tonight is a smoking 20% stackable coupon for the sexy Lenovo ThinkPad X301 starting at $2,546 – $547 price drop – 20% extrac Coupon = $1,599 plus Free shipping.  It’s equipped with Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4GHz; Vista Business; 13.3 WXGA+ LED, Bluetooth and 64GB Solid State Disk.

Ends tonight 4/16 at midnight (EST).

Get the code details via LogicBUY