Opinions on X61/X200/X300?

I'm looking for an ultralight;currently using the T400 and very happy with it. Actually mostly considering the MacBook Air, but I see that the X200's (non-tablet) can be had for a song, so I'm interested in personal experiences with these. How's the batter life, build, quality, etc. Thanks in advance!

 

Everything about the x200 (except the display) is great.

Build is great, overall quality is solid, the keyboard is superb. Performance, battery life, heat/noise, and port selection is also very good (especially considering its size).

The x300 is a bit slower, but nice if you want a DVD±RW, WXGA+ display, and/or a touchpad.

The x61 has a smaller cross section, so it can be a bit more portable. However, it weighs more, runs hotter, and has a lower resolution (1024x768) display.

 

Just like jonlumpkin said. I love my X200, it is great. Battery life with my 9 cell is awesome and the machine just feels really solid overall, no flex, very light(weight of a small text book from high school). The screen is ok on higher brightness and not so good on the lower brightness settings. I also wish the screen was batter overall. The Viewing angles are very limited.

I don't have personal expereince with the X61 but many people said that it runs hot and defenitely hotter than the X200. My X200 runs cool as ice.

 

Firesnake, does your nine-cell battery stick out of the back and add noticeable weight and heft to the machine?
Thanks for the replies.

 

I had the X200, but I recently replaced it with the Asus UL30A for a larger screen. The X200 is great, build quality is excellent, virtually silent and cool running. Had power issues though, I wasn't expecting any problems from such an expensive machine. Screen is worse than average. The 9 cell does stick out from the back. I would stick with the 6 cell, less of an eyesore.

 

I'd take a X60 over a X61 unless you need more than 3GB of memory. They run cooler and have less fan noise. The standard screen is taller/easier to read and most webpages are formatted assuming a XGA screen anyway. If you can find a s model with the ultralight screen, those panels are a bit better.

 

I had all three haha.

Had the X61s last summer, then replaced it when the x200 a few months ago, but I just purchased an x301 a few days ago!

Here are some comparisons for you..


1. Build quality is great on all machines. Very consistent across the board.
x61s - I didn't like the keyboard of the x61s too much as compared to the x200 and x301. Something about the feel was off. The screen wasn't all that to be excited about.
x200 - great form factor, indeed like a book. however, I really don't like the bezel surrounding the lcd. That might be something you can over look though. My particular x200 does not run "cold as ice". I can feel some warmth but not too much when my wrists are resting on the machine.
x301 - this computer is damn nice. Everything was so well thought out and despite missing some features it still felt like there were no compromises made. Rubberized coating on the outside of the machine and inside as well.

2. Screen -
x61s - The 4:3 screen also was limiting when I had to multitask with windows side by side.
x200 - Great size screen but not the best screen nor resolution. Viewing angles suck! Too dim even on the highest settings for me. This could be rectified with modding or by purchasing the x200s I believe.
x301 - much brighter than the x200. Great resolution and size for multitasking, and putting windows side by side.

3. Battery life
X61s - I had the 9 cell battery and it lasted around 4-5 hours with surfing, brightest setting and multiple windows and tasks going. Protrudes out the back of the computer but does not add significant weight.
X200 - I have the 9 cell battery, and and it protrudes about 1inch out the back of the computer and adds significant weight to me. Adds significant weight to the computer. I could get about 6-7 hours under the same conditions as the x61s.
x301 - I only have the 6 cell battery so right now I am at 3.5 hours under similar conditions. There is no battery protrusion, and the computer is completely rectangular.

4. Overall size and form factor
x61s - very small but like I said the 4:3 screens are annoying to me personally
x200s - a nice size; perfect ultraportable size that doesn't compromise screen size for portability. Just not a fan of the thickness of the model.
x301- bigger than the other two in terms of footprint, so can be considered a main machine. The thinness is real nice and the computer is a lot lighter than you think it would be.

If you have a T400 probably smaller is better. I wouldn't get the x301 because it is too similar in size. the x200 might be a good serious choice for a road warrior. The x61 is probably too past its prime.. even though its wonderful. But at that point, you can get some cool netbooks out there for cheaper that are just as capable and lovely.

 

I have the six cell for my T400 and it sticks out a bit; is there a size difference between the six and nine cell X batteries for sure?

 

Yes, the battery sticks out the back. I think the battery adds about .5 lbs to the machines weight. But the laptop with the 9 cell battery is still very light. Feels like carrying an elementary school textbook. I think my machine with 9 cell battery weighs something like 3.2 to 3.5 lbs. The battery can be used as a handle to help carry the notebook, but yes, I would prefer that the battery was flush. The 9 cell battery also raises the back of the machine a bit too, tilting the keyboard down a bit.

 

Upon reflection, I think what I'll do is get happy with my T400 and take another look somewhere down the pike. Also, curious to see what comes down the pike from Apple; we have a couple of Macs and for ultra light may end up going with one of theirs, although quite happy with my T400 -- although the low battery life with a six cell is disappointing. (I get a couple of hours. Is that normal?)

 

Convoluted, what kind of power issues with your x200?

 

I have an x61 from May 2008, which has a 2.3 Ghz dual core T8300 processor. Practically perfect in almost every way except...:

1. Runs a little hot. In summer 30+ degrees I prop it on something to allow the air to flow underneath, but in general it is perfectly tolerable.

2. Single speaker is weaker than my little mobile phone. No great loss.

3. Screen is too dim for outdoor use in sunshine. This, IMO, is its greatest weakness, but again, it is more or less tolerable.

There are endless good points such as:
1) Fast processor and excellent performance
2) 4-5 hours battery life on 9cell (due to Vista, processor, and 4GB mem)
3) Size and 4:3 screen factor. (Widescreen is wholly unsuited for office use, and only necessary for web design, movies, and games, which my external monitor handles (on a desktop))

I think I will stay with it and next year slip in an SSD when I get hold of Windows 7. Running Vista is a pain due to occasional crashes. I installed it to see 4GB, use the flash memory, and run x64 mode, but with another computer for multimedia I will now relegate it to XP x86 to save disk space and run VPN (I have used IPSEC on x64 Vista but it was not very stable).

 

X61 is great other than the fact that it produces too much heat, i had one as a second hand machine and i sold it off after one months and put some money towards a X61t with SXGA+ AFFS screen.

The X200s is great with the WXGA+ screen, and i am tempted to buy it, while the X301 is also great but the price is bit high.

Either a X200s or X301 or T400s right now would make me a happy man, although i am using it regularly at work, but nothing beats the pleasure of owning it.