Which one should I keep?

The time has come where I need to sell one of my extra notebooks. I have a friend interested in my T500 or X200. I'm just not sure which one to give up right now.

I'm going to be attending college for computer science starting next year, and I'm also going to be independently learning C# as a side project along with my father(an experienced coder). The T500 is what I'm leaning towards keeping for several reasons, as I think a larger, higher res WSXGA+ display would be easier to code on, the dedicated GPU will allow for some light gaming, and the docking station I have allows me to use my older peripherals without having to adapt everything to USB. I have an Asus G73 for a gaming rig, but honestly I dislike the island keyboard and prefer the Thinkpads for anything requiring copious typing. The cons of the T500 are greater size and weight, and the battery I have for it is on it's way out(40% capacity).

On the other hand, the X200 is small, light, and handy, but I find the WXGA resolution kinda cramped and the integrated graphics kinda lacking for my needs. My friend is already carrying a larger work-issued notebook and has
hinted he'd prefer the X200 for personal use. I'm leaning 70/30% on keeping the T500 but would like to ask some other opinions. A new notebook is not an option, as I'm using the proceeds for repairs on my new car. I'm personally feeling that the T500 with a new battery will last me a couple more years of realistic use and I'll appreciate the higher resolution but are there other things I need to consider?

 

I think you answered your own question really.

 

Well, if you're doing anything that requires portability, I would generally recommend that you keep your X200 (since you already have a G73 with a FHD screen for coding). Ultimately, both are great machines, though--my T500 is doing amazing duty as a desktop replacement supplemented by my X120e

 

since you have two full size laptops, and that the T500 is no match for the ASUS, then it would be wise to unload the T500 when it still holds some value.

 

Yup I agree with lead_org, sell the T500 while it still retains a pretty decent value. Switchable graphics is a pretty big plus.

 

Sell T500, use Synergy to attach the X200's keyboard and/or TrackPoint to the ASUS.

 

I also have G73 and I am getting a T520 with FHD, and I am a CS student, too. I just don't think the size and weight of T5x0 series is a problem for a man, unless you are a girl. I used to carry my G73 around the campus with no problem.

When you are coding, especially with IDEs like Visual Studio or Eclipse, you want the most vertical pixels you can get, a 1366 by 768 resolution will be a terrible coding experience. Unless, if you prefer to do coding under Linux or use simple text editor for coding, then X200 may be fine.

Typing on G73 is a bad idea, I always touch the touchpad when typing and typing to the wrong places. Maybe I am too used to my T60 but its performance is not enough so I am getting a T520.

Synergy is a great tool, but that is only a solution for at home use, an external keyboard/mouse set may be a better solution in this scenario.

 

I think you should sell your X200 in this case, since portability doesn't seem to be what you need. I don't think you'd want to code on your G73, especially considering the 16:9 glossy screen and the exceptionally crappy keyboard.

 

Definitely a lot of good points being made in this thread, and I thank everyone for their input. Definitely taking everything under consideration.

I will say that I have 'built up' my G73 a bit, as it came with the 1600x900 display; it now has a matte FHD that I installed pretty much right off the bat. However the keyboard can't hold a candle to the ones on either ThinkPad; one of the main reasons why I leave it for entertainment(gaming, movies, etc) and not serious work.

Like I said I'm definitely torn between the two systems, but Oneday's input really makes sense: resolution and keyboard is king in coding, and the T500 has nearly the vertical resolution of the G73(1050 vs 1080) and a far better keyboard. On the other hand, the docking setup(I have an Ultrabase for the X200 and an Adv. Mini-dock for the T500) for whichever machine I keep will include a 1600x1200 monitor so I will have a decent panel to use at home.

 

I currently just use G73 as a desktop and connect to a 1920 by 1200 26' monitor to use at home, I also keep all my files in the G73.

When I use my "mobile" computer (currently T60 with 1400 1050), I just use remote desktop to connect to my G73 at home, for any text work like coding or writing reports, you won't feel much delay. When I am at home I don't even need to take my T60 out of my backpack. That not only saves effect to sync between the computers, but also safer, as if you lose you "mobile" computer, you don't lose any data or privacy.

You may also want to consider how you are going to use your laptop, are you going to always go home/dorm right after class, or spend a lot of time everywhere in campus for things like group studies? Different universities have different cultures on this, so investigate and then make the decision.