Upgrading from a x40 - x300 or x61?

I apologise in advance if this has been asked before. I've have google'd this question and searched this forum and I haven't been able to find an answer - just a lot of dead ends.

I was wondering if anyone had the chance to compare the speed/upgraded from an x40 to either a x300 or x61. I have loved my x40 and I would not even consider upgrading it but it is starting to show its age (a variety of issues - to long to go into)

All I want is a laptop that I can pickup, throwinto a bag, and take with me anywhere. I would mainly be using it for word processing, presentations and probably storage for photos while im out and about. Photoshop would be nice but not absolutely necessary. If it can play World of Warcraft that would be good (or bad and completely unproductive?) too - but not necessary. The extra stuff is just candy.

The x40 did this to some extent but doesn't now... I like the idea of the x300 but I wonder if it is really worth to sacrifice compared to the x61 (processor speed mainly, HDD space.). The screen real estate seems nice though.

Surely someone has had this experience? Is the x300 much faster than an x40? Is an x300 much slower than an x61?

Thanks.

N.

 

I think in real world terms, you will definitely see an increase either way. The only question is how much? The processor on the x300 isn't that bad. I have used it on a Sony TZ and G2, it's perky. What's as important is the HDD subsystem. So even if you have a slower CPU, but with SSD, I think you will be more than pleased as opposed to a X61 with a 7200RPM drive and a Penryn CPU. Perhaps you should also take a look at U110? I think outfitted with a SSD, it would be the perfect compromise (although I don't see a config with SSD at the moment).

I am basing these comments on using my Eee 8G along with my XPS M1330 with a 2.2GHz CPU and 64GB SSD. Frankly, for everyday tasks, I was fine on the Eee and I left the XPS behind (which is no behemoth either) when I was traveling. So if weight is a concern, you should see how the X300 works for you since the X61 is a fairly heavy 'ultra-portable' (especially the tablet variant).

 

The CPU isn't probably an issue for Office as long as you have enough memory. I run CS3 on my Sempron desktop. It's fine for doing light to medium stuff. Are you set on a ThinkPad? The HP 2510p might be worth a look. It's significantly cheaper than the X300 with the SSD drive though probably not as thin. You can get it even cheaper if you're willing to use a 4200RPM drive, which is what the X40 uses. That will slow things down a bit, probably more so than the CPU. You'd have to give up the WXGA+ screen on the X300 though both use LED screens. The 2510p has a better warranty as well, three years as opposed to the one year base on the X300. There's a review here if you want to look:

Link

I had a chance to review the X61s last summer. It was a nice little machine. It's well built, light, zippy performance and offers a nice performance to price ratio. Probably from a value perspective, it may be a better choice since you can get it so much cheaper.

 

I had almost the same decision to make - which ThinkPad to replace my X41 with - and also narrowed it down to the X61/X61s and X300.

The X40/41 is a "performance dog", and has the same 1024x768 screen as the X22 I bought eight years ago. I was looking for performance first, then a better screen, all in a package at least as compact as the X41. I eventually compromised on the screen and chose the X61 for performance reasons. In a couple of years I can upgrade an X61 to SSD and extend its life. Can't do that with an X300. The X300 is also bigger than the X61. I looked at the X61s with the brighter ultralight screen, but after seeing one in real life, decided the extra brightness wasn't really a big deal.

The answer to your question is a personal thing - in the end you need to decide what is important to you and make your own decision.

The final chapter to my story is that I ordered an X61 two weeks ago, but the delivery date I was given was mid-July (2-3 months from now)! After confirming that was correct, I canceled the order and am waiting to see what new ThinkPads emerge over the coming months. X41 still chugging away...

 

Thanks.

I'm really only considering a thinkpad - in the end I want something I can rely on. The thinkpads I've owned have never let me down. I still have a 360XD that still works. Everytime I've tried a "better" option they end up falling apart in my hands after a year. I also can't live without a trackpoint. The trackpads drive me nuts. I realise this may be an irrational thing.

I figure the CPU in both should be faster than the x40 in any case - but I struggle with trying to find someone who has compared them both in terms of "speed". Is the x300 twice as fast? triple? x60 more so?

Thanks Zaz for the link as well - I'm just looking at it now.

Cheers,
N.

 

If you use the Trackpoint, there's none better than a ThinkPad. Being a $3k notebook, not many will get them. You might want to look over on ThinkPads.com. Being a more ThinkPad centric board, they'll probably have more people who have seen one. I personally have not.

I mentioned the 2510p cause I was looking at one the other day and noticed it was a lot cheaper than the X300 for a SSD drive version. HP business class notebooks generally have very good quality.

 

I don't know how much I can help, but I had an X41 previously (until a year or so ago) and have an X300 now. The X300 is a much faster machine. I don't think the "slow" CPU is a bottleneck on the X300 at all. I'm running MATLAB computations on it just fine, and it bechmarks wprime32 at around 94 secs (compared with around 38 secs for my mobile workstation with a T7400 2.18GHz core2 duo with both cpu's enabled -- so the X300 is certainly slower, but only by a factor of 2 or so). I never tried this with my X41 so I can't compare directly on CPUs.

The speed of the SSD on the X300 is just a different order of magnitude from the slow HD of the X41. As far as graphics goes, I was also able to play WoW at low settings on my X41, and the X3100 graphics on the X300 should be a significant upgrade. My understanding is it does pretty well with WoW (though not with more demanding games, of course). SInce I don't play WoW any more, I can't confirm from personal experience.

In my opinion the main limitations to worry about with the X300 are price, SSD storage capacity, and 3D graphics (depending on what you want to do), much more than CPU speed. Some people don't like the screen much, and it's vertical viewing angle is not great, so that may be an issue in using it for on-screen presentations.

I was looking at the HP 2510p before the X300 came out, but the larger, higher resolution screen and full size keyboard on the X300 are real pluses for me, and I like a built-in DvD drive so I wasn't looking at the X61.

 

Thanks. I was just wondering how much faster it felt compared to the x41. Don't care for any 3D graphics really. All my presentations are through a projector so off angle viewing isn't critical.

I was surprised to hear your thoughts on the screen. It looks so much better than the x61 on the comparison's I've seen. I presume it is better than the x41 which is all that matters anyway.

I can live with the price (barely), the SSD capacity (I'll just get an external
HDD for my photo's anyway) and the 3D graphics (Not important in the grand scheme of things).

It just irks me a little that the x61 seems to be better value. I'm concerned that I'm just being suckered by the apple-like gotta-have-it syndrome. Being newer doesn't mean better.

In saying that, the extra screen space is good. The built in DVD is nice but not crucial. The form factor for both is appealing. Sometimes when your trying to read a PDF file from a journal and trying to incorporate the information into a word or powerpoint presentation the 12.1 screen can feel restrictive. That in the end is what is swaying me to the x300.

Cheers,
N.

 

When you are doing stuff like Office or Internet, the hard drive is almost always the bottleneck as it waits for data from the drive. A SSD drive will offer a significant performance advantage over the 4200RPM drive on your X40. Whether that's worth the extra $2k in the X300 with the SSD over the X61 with a 7200RPM drive is a value judgment, which is tough for me to answer for you. A SSD has other advantages as well like less heat, better battery life, no moving parts. Once again it's really a value judgment.

 

In my opinion, the Lenovo X61, X300 and the HP 2510p all fill slightly different niches.

SSD's are an expensive luxury right now, and I wouldn't have bought one had there been an equivalent alternative notebook for me with a 7200 RPM HD. However, I must say, now that I have an SSD, I'm sort of glad I was forced to buy one. They are the real deal, and I'm convinced they'll become a notebook necessity (except maybe for large storage requirements) once the price drops.

 

I use the X300 with a Buffalo 500GB USB.

The X300 boots much more quickly then my previous T61 & is fine for everything I do.

The one thing I did was to increase the font size to large (DPI 120).

Great system.

 

It's a tough call, but I think it really boils down to the screen. The X300 has a stunning LED backlit, high resolution panel while the T61's 1024x768 resolution is nothing but dismal.

 

Ordered the x300 today with teh 6 cell battery, 3 cell bay battery and the thinkpad protection plan for 3 years.

Thanks for the input guys.

It helped.

Cheers,
N.

 

Congratulations -- I hope you like it. I'm certainly enjoying mine. One other thing: the X300 is the best built notebook I've ever seen. Despite being so thin, you can pick it up by one corner of the chassis and it's solid as a rock.