The perfect notebook continues to elude me

This might be considered to be better suited to the "What Laptop Should I Buy" forum, but it's really targetted only at ThinkPad users, and I would really like to get their feedback on a few specific models.

I'm primarily going to use this notebook as a Windows and web application development machine using Visual Studio and running a virtual machine (on very rare occasions, two) that contains a Windows Server, SQL Server and IIS environment. I've decided that I'm going to leave any interest in gaming (almost) completely out of the equation. If the machine can do it, great, if it can't, that's fine too.

I've tried prioritizing the features from most to least necessary, but what happens is one machine may fall short on one while really excelling at another feature that is of equivalent importance. Some of the most important features for me are as follows:

• Portability. I would love all the portability I can get to allow me to break the notebook out during trade conventions, user groups, etc. while not having to worry about having enough room for it. That said, it has to serve my other needs as well.
• Ability to run a secondary hard drive. I've done some testing and determined that this does not necessarily have to be an internal solution. The secondary hard drive will be used almost exclusively for the virtual machines and data storage. In the simple testing I've done using a secondary internal drive, external USB 2.0 and eSATA drives, boot up and shutdown times are close enough to be a non-factor. I would appreciate any tips on free benchmarking utilities I could run on each to supplement these findings.
• Display resolution. I have simulated the various resolutions and screen sizes, and think I could work without regret on any of them, considering the machines they are offered on. Each resolution has its advantages at the relative screen size.
• Processing capabilities. I don't do much in the way of media production such as audio and video processing, so while the machines that I could spec with a T-series C2D processor would be stronger than those with a low voltage C2D, the latter would very likely suit my purposes just fine.

Let me just list the machines I've been looking at and summarize the factors that are affecting my decision:

T500 WXSGA+
Pros:

This is the most powerful machine I'm looking at. It will handle an internal secondary hard drive, so I wouldn't have to lug around an external drive. It also offers the highest display resolution, which I could certainly put to good use. Discreet GPU would support any 3D graphics work I might tinker with in the future. (It could happen.)​

Cons:

This option pretty much throws portability out the window. I've owned 15" notebooks in the past (currently use my wife's Dell Inspiron 6000D), and while they're not necessarily huge, they do tend to be a bit heavy, bulky and unwieldy. I really don't enjoy carrying my computer bag with a book or two and this machine through an airport. I *really* don't.​

T400 WXGA+
Pros:

On par with the T500 regarding general processing capabilities, and sharing all the PROS except for the WSXGA+ display resolution. It will also handle an internal secondary hard drive. The 1440x900 display resolution works very well on a 14" screen. This option is very nearly a more portable version of the T500, with few differences. However, one of those differences is the LED display, which I'm sure I would prefer.​

Cons:

It's more portable than the T500, but still not as small and light as I would like really to get.​

X200t Tablet PC
Pros:

I...love...this...machine. Honestly, if it were available with a WXGA+ resolution, I wouldn't be writing this post. The tablet functionality wouldn't be a feature I'd use every day, but when the frequent enough need did arise, it would be great to have it available. Browsing the web or reading various documents would be a whole new experience in table mode. Additionally, the IPS displays are fantastic (this is actually a pretty significant factor in my considering this machine). It doesn't get much more portable than this for a work-class machine.​

Cons:

WXGA display resolution. Like I said, if it weren't for that, I would be ordering one of these babies. With WXGA being the only option, it makes it difficult to choose over the X200s. Also, the secondary hard drive would have to be an external drive I'd have to carry around. Then there is the fact that I would need an ExpressCard USB 2.0 adapter to get two USB ports close enough together to connect that external drive. I suppose I could just get a short USB cable extender to get around that. Of course the UltraBase HDD adapter is an option, but having to slap that on every time I need the secondary hard drive would just all but eliminate the portability benefits of the machine.​

X200x WXGA+
Pros:

Honestly, the only reason I'm considering this machine is the fact that it is an X200t-sized machine with a WXGA+ display resolution, though it would be slightly thinner and lighter.​

Cons:

No IPS screen like the X200t. No tablet functionality. Shares all of the CONS of the X200t in addition to that.​

X301 WXGA+
Pros:

Actually, the biggest reason I looked at this model was the fact that I think WXGA+ on a 13.3" display is just about perfect from a functionality and comfortable viewing standpoint. Also, it is just such a crazy thin an light machine.​

Cons:

The 1.4GHz low voltage processor would probably be skimping just too much, and it *really* falls short from a connectivity standpoint. No ExpressCard slot. That's a big one for me. Actually, there's not much in the way of connectivity beyond the 3 USB and video-out ports. I just think you give up too much to shave a half pound off the next best ultra portable option.​

Any personal insights from anyone who uses or has used any of these machines would be greatly appreciated, as I'm really struggling with this decision.

 

I think the x200 Tablet or x200s is probaly still your best option.

On the go, 1280x800 should be adequate, and you can easily add an external monitor when you need more resolution.

The biggest concern remains the lack of a second spindle (2 HDDs). I see a few options for dealing with this, and it really depends on what you need it for. If the primary concern is random disc I/O (not space) for running VM's. I think a quality SSD will work as well, if not better, than two physical hard drives.

For storage of data files, the best solution is to separate them onto NAND flash. You can get SDHC cards up to 32GB and 34mm ExpressCards up to 64GB. Either of these options is fast enough for data storage, but less than ideal for installing an OS or running a VM.

What I have been waiting, and hoping, for is a quality ExpressCard based SSDs. Unfortunatley, all of the ExpressCard options are currently USB as opposed to PCI-Express attached and thus unuseable as an OS drive. It appears that Verbatim may be developing a proper ExpressCard SSD, but it has yet to be released ( story).

If you still want a separate physical hard drive, you should be able to find a 2.5" USB based hard drive that runs on a single USB port. You may need to look at 5400RPM drives, but it should be possible.

 

Add ATI 4800 series GPU options to T400 and X200 with full support for the latest Quad Core CPUs and that would be my ideal notebook for the time being.

 

I've also considered the ExpressCard drives, but as you found out as well, they are basically USB flash memory cards plugged into the ExpressCard slot. My primary need from the second drive is, in fact, random disc I/O. I had considered trying to run my VM's off of the same SSD as the host OS, but I've also read information stating that SSD's can have trouble dealing with concurrent I/O operations, and there would be a lot of that going on. If I could find information that disproves that, it would go a long way toward eliminating that issue for me altogether.

 

I would of made the same statement except I realize that it's my responsibility to say what the perfect machine is. I know for example that I'd probably say that at least eight hours of battery life "was perfect".

Renee

 

While I’m not a developer, I do runs VMs and can tell you if you plan to use these much they will definitely run a lot slower over USB 2.0 connection (no eSATA on the T400 and likely others). In addition, due to the use of a VM or two, I highly recommend more than 2GB RAM. Lastly, if you plan to work on the system for more than ~4 hours a day, and have never used a 12 or 13” screen, I highly recommend 14”—while not as portable, anything else just feels quite cramped IMHO.

 

Yeah, this will primarily be my "evening" work notebook. I don't see myself putting in more than 3-4 hours at a time on it. I also plan on immediately upgrading to 4GB of RAM.

 

The concurrent I/O situation really depends on the SSD. The cheap ones (e.g. OCZ core) definitely suffer the "stuttering problem" that makes them a poor choice for any activity that causes simultaneous I/O. However, the high quality drives (Samsung 64GB SLC, and Intel x-25M [80 or 160GB]) are far better for concurrent I/O.

There also seem to be a couple ExpressCard SSDs that are actually PCI-Express and not USB. However, these are currently rare. The best one seems to be a 16GB MTron SLC drive, although Verbatim seems to have a 32 and 64GB MLC drive under development ( slated for a late February release).

 

By the way, here are a couple of screenshots I've simulated to get an idea of what I'd be looking at in terms of resolution. The screenshots were taken on my wife's 15.4" WXGA display and then reduced to 79% (12.1/15.4).





From these images, it seems to me that WXGA on a 12.1" display would be comfortable enough.