Shopping for a new laptop - is the X1xx for me?

[Zak]

My W500 seems to have turned itself in to a desktop. I can use it that way for the moment when I need more CPU/GPU, but I also need something portable. I'm hoping to spend around $400, which just happens to be the going rate for a new X120e (or I might be able to save a bit on ebay). I have a few questions, some of which could be mostly answered by a web search, but I'm interested in the personal experiences of forum members.

• How's Linux compatibility? I rarely use Windows outside of gaming, and would probably make this machine Linux-only.
• How does the screen compare to other Thinkpads? I loved my T60p with the IPS panel. The W500, not so much.
• How's the keyboard? My W500 had the flexi-keyboard, which broke and got replaced with an older, more solid model.
• How's the durability? The W500 doesn't seem as solid as the T60p or older Thinkpads did. My hinges broke, among other things, and the plastic seems cheap.
• Posts I've seen suggest the faster CPU is a good bit faster. I care about this, but how does it affect heat and battery life?
• It looks like an SSD used to be an option, but isn't currently. Many machines on ebay have them. How good is the SSD that came in these machines? Are inexpensive aftermarket options better?
• Is the X121e much better than the X120e? What's the expected price?
• Should I be considering something else as well? What?

[ausmike]

have had X1 , for sometime now,,,,,,> not impressed with it! - for the CRAZY PRICE !!!
only thing uselfull is the 'inflinity glass' ,,,,, and ths making rest way way over priced!

having the SSD model + WiMax + Gobi card = good for travel , nice size etc ,,, however the MAJOR DRAWBACK = lack of BATTERY changeability! ; when batery runs out = means u PLUG IN !! and the X1 ( USA model) is very power hungry ! so mine sits in corner - hardly used I switched over the Sony Z2 Series ; with 1080 screen and its a Delight to use and carry around weight vs size etc is well worth the price IMHO!
Love it ! ................

cheers

[Zak]

I think there may be some confusion - I was using the Xs as placeholders to refer to the X100, X120 and X121 series, not the X1. The X1 is out of my price range, and non-removable batteries don't make me happy. The Sony isn't even under consideration: no trackpoint.

[ausmike]

oops Zak,
sorry ,my bad> didnt read well when u in rush>>> am ALSO in market for one of those ,,, my post here

[Brian10161]

I'm running the X120e with 4GB ram, 320gb stock HDD and the E350 CPU. It's a great little notebook.

- Linux compatibility may be less than perfect with certain distributions. I don't know what Kernel works the best. I do know that Linux Mint 11 runs quite well and all the hardware worked for me that I use.

- The screen is pretty basic. Color reproduction is alright, but it's a little warm for my liking. Playing with the color calibration helps. Brightness is not like some other Thinkpads. Displays are vastly different from model to model.

- I love the keyboard. It has great feedback and I rarely miss keys. The only thing I can say is push the spacebar more to the center. I find it's sometimes unresponsive.

- Durability is pretty good. It doesn't have the rubberized coating, but other than that it's a pretty tough little notebook. The hinges have a slight amount of play in them, but they are the traditional metal exposed hinges. Just painted black.

- I went with the E350 because it was only $50 more when I bought mine. The only thing I can say, is up the ram to at least 4GB, that will help vastly. The processor isn't really the bottleneck, I think that limited single channel memory and a mechanical hard drive are more the hindrances here. Heat output on the X120e is great, it runs very cool. I can run it for hours on my lap and it doesn't even feel really warm to the touch. Battery life shows this, I can get up to 8 hours on my 6 cell.

- I would get an SSD if you can swing it, but you may be more interested in getting an aftermarket one. You might pay a premium for them to install it and configure it.

- I can't comment on the X121e other than I don't like the rounded corners. I prefer the casing of the X120e, especially for hinge placement. Never liked that behind the back bezel hinge like the Macbooks. No room for ports on the rear.

- I don't really know what else to recommend. If I were buying a new subnotebook, I'd be getting an X120e for myself (if I didn't already have one).

I hope this helps

[Zak]

Thanks for the info. More memory is a must. 8GB costs about $40 from Newegg. It can cake 8GB, right?

[Brian10161]

I have heard reports of the chipset being limited to 8gb (or the bios, something like that) but I have also heard that it will accept 8gbs and work fine. I have 8gb of ram in my T400s (uses the same RAM), the next chance I get, I can pop it into the X120e and confirm for you.

I don't know when I'll have time to do that though. I'm almost 100% certain that it will work fine.

[ausmike]

@BRIAN*;
do you also happen to have yours with the - Integrated Mobile Broadband (Gobi 2000 3G with GPS) ??
if so > does it work in 3g only? or can u connect to rodgers 4G network?

thanks

[ThinkRob]

The W500 doesn't seem as solid as the T60p or older Thinkpads did. My hinges broke, among other things, and the plastic seems cheap.

The W500 and T60p use the same types of case plastics (CFRP chassis, PC/ABS paneling), so if you're the sort of person who worries about this sort of thing I might caution against the X120e. They're great netbooks, but they definitely aren't comparable to ThinkPads.

[comododragon]

I have a x100e (very low-end) bought here in Brazil and payed 500 USD. The main advantage is for sure the extreme portability and very lightweight. The processor and the ATI GPU gave me the possibility to run Portal in a very reasonable configuration.

Pros:
-Very Portable
-Lightweight
-Respectable screen res (1366x768)
-Bluetooth, WiMax

Cons:
-Hotter than an oven (AMD Athlon Neo stays normally at 60-90 degrees Celsius)
-Very noisy fan (I think this is a problem on mine only)
-No rollcage box
-Poor housing, compared to T-series

I'm using Xubuntu 11.04, undervolted CPU. Now the temperature is more stabilized, and compiz runs very smooth.

Hope I've helped anyone who have thoughts of buying one X100e.

[Dead1nside]

Coming from a T400 to a x121e (i3) I have to say I'm impressed with the x121e. Important things for me were comparable performance between the two, despite the size difference and improved battery life. I would only get a out 2 hours with a 4-cell battery from my T400, whereas with the 6-cell here I could get 4-5 quite comfortably (although strangely the power usage shown in powertop can be higher than what was reported on my T400).

One of the downsides is heat. The x121e seems to run most of the time around 60degC, whereas my T400 idled at 40degC.

I think the screen is definitely better than my T400's which granted only had the LG panel. I don't really have an eye for colour reproduction, but the screen is certainly brighter which was a bonus for me. The resolution is fine, and keeps most of the functionality of the 1280x800 I had on my T400. Some people have commented that text is difficult to read, but it's fine for me.

One thing to note is that I don't believe battery charging thresholds can be used via tp_smapi on the X121e, which may mean the battery life degrades quicker.

The keyboard is very good, solid, no flex. Indeed, I prefer this new chiclet style.

[floppydisk]

I'd like to call it "a super fast netbook with a thinkpad look". With the SSD drive and the 6 cell battery this is a mobile device I'll carry with me all the time besides my iphone.

/g