For those who missed it, Lenovo is running an awesome sale on all ThinkPad X Series models. The discounts range from $200 to $690 and you can get into some of the best ThinkPads ever for a ridiculously low price ($799 starting). For the full details on this deal, which runs through October 15 or after 20,000 coupon uses, visit the main post here.

Today I thought we would take a look at the laptop *I* would buy. Given I’m swarming in laptops for review & testing I have no need to buy one, but it’s still fun to play around. Keep in mind this isn’t a “dream” laptop. This is what I would buy with my money, which I don’t have much of, so you can look at this as a very realistic purchase.

Hit the jump for details and how to get the deal

ThinkPad X200s – Enhanced

• Core 2 Duo SL9400 1.86GHz | 2GB DDR3 | 160GB 7200rpm
• XP Downgrade/Vista Business/Win7 Pro free upgrade | 12.1-inch WXGA+ LED backlit
• Fingerprint reader | Bluetooth| Intel WiFi a/g/n 5100 | 9-cell battery
• $1839 – $385 instant savings – $200 coupon = $1254 with free shipping
• Important: WXGA+ screen adds 4+ week delay to laptop shipment

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I’m a huge fan of the X Series. They are eminently portable and generally don’t lose much in functionality to get so thin & light. The X200 series is the pinnacle of that: 0.8-inches thin and starting just under 3 lb. It does get a bit thick towards the rear at 1.4-inches, but you don’t notice it on account of the featherweight chassis.

If that’s not thin & light enough for you, the X200s can be had from 2.43 lb. If you tack on the slightly hefty 9-cell battery, you’ll also be pleased with battery life that should break the 10 hour mark. Did I mention you get all this with full power processors and standard 2.5-inch hard drives, for around a grand well equipped?

Now is your chance to pick up an X200 or X200s for a cool $849 after a 15% coupon. Unfortunately Lenovo stripped both models a bit to get the price down. As priced you get atrocities like Vista Home Basic and 1GB RAM, along with no Bluetooth, a 4-cell battery, and 160GB 5400rpm hard drive. You will definitely want to pick up Vista Home Premium for the free Windows 7 upgrade and the 6-cell battery offers a nice compromise of size and battery life.

The X200s model is also the “Enhanced” version, which comes with the Core 2 Duo ULV processor running at 1.4GHz, rather than wimpier Celeron version that can be had for about $735 with this same coupon.

How to get the deal

1. Choose your ThinkPad X200 or ThinkPad X200s configuration
2. Customize the system to meet your needs
3. Apply this coupon code in the shopping cart with no spaces before/after: USPBANNERS