X1 carbon vs X230 ?

X1 carbon vs X230???


updated:

Found an article comparing the two in detail ThinkPad X230 Vs. ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Which one maxed out is faster?

Worth it waiting for the X1 to come out?

I want to use it mostly for programming, so the only reason i was looking into the x1 was because the screen resolution

But i dont like that x1 doesnt have all the features the x230 has.. like dock, extra bat, etc

Also i read the reviews on the x1 carb, and ppl claim that their touchpad is the best they have ever used,

So seems like the x1 is nice but not sure if it can compete with the x230, double HD, long bat life, true cpu instead of the LV one, supports 16gb instead of 8gb... Ummm

 

If you're not willing to put any effort into your post, why should anyone care?

 

X230 has a full-voltage processor, it'll be faster.

 

That's only if you're pushing the CPU, but typical notebook usage doesn't push the CPU much. I'd vote for the X230 too, but because I think it's a more well-rounded machine. The main things the X1 offers is it's incredibly thin, but I think that's much ado over nothing. There's a much stronger correlation between weight and portability than thinness. The X1 and X230 are close in weight. The other advantage the X1 offers is the higher resolution LCD, but getting it means you'll give up the IPS offered on the X230. Plus, as screen have become more squat, bumping up in resolution isn't as big of deal as most of the extra space comes on the sides, which has less value.

 

I would go with the X230 if it's what you're going to be using day to day.

 

I'm generally in ZaZ's boat here: there's only two things that the x1c has over the x230: screen resolution and thickness; the approximate weight of both units is about the same with the x1c supposedly at just under 3lbs, and the (6-Cell) x230 at just over 3lbs. If you need more pixels or if - for whatever reason - need your laptop to be that much thinner, then you should go for the x1c, otherwise I personally think the x230 wins in basically every other category.

I have a friend who really likes the x1c, though.

 

kinda wondering if the low screen resolution will be that bad for software development

 

I have a test unit X1 and while I agree the touchpad is excellent, I don't use the touchpad, I use the pointing stick. And here's the caveat, the touchpad is huge and very sensitive so it's extremely prone to accidental brushes with your wrists or fingers. It happens all the time for me so the only option I have is to disable the touchpad and use the pointing stick as that's what I prefer.

 

It depends on your personal preference. I think "yes, it's bad for programming" - I do not enjoy programming on my x220.

The IPS screen on my x220 isn't a big benefit for me, but the low-res is a big negative. The 1440x900 display on my old x200s was much more pleasant to use for development work.

 

How's the X1 C keyboard compared to thicker models like the X230 or T430?

 

then... what to get?

 

portability and screen "quality" is the key. I remember my x200 lasted me less 2 weeks. Same for the x301.

Until you start using the IPS screens then you won't know what you're missing. You're looking at the screen every time you use your notebook. The x220/x230 has a pretty good screen. It'd be better if the resolution was higher, but that's just not possible. Only other screen that you might wait for is the proposed 13" Macbook air retina. Those screens are just amazing. Anyhow, I hear the Asus Prime also has an IPS screen.

get the x230 or wait.

 

X230 w/a 4-cell (travel) and 9-cell (travel + long life). Also, an ultradock for desk. It can't be beat, IMO.

 

Also, the X230 is going to be far cheaper than the X1. Good screen is a plus, but personally, resolution is a bit more important to me. Furthermore, the palmrest is quite cramped.

 

Eh, my personal opinion is that the IPS screen in my x220 is not that special. For the low $50 upgrade charge I'll take it, but it's a minor thing for me.

When I decided to buy my x220, I convinced myself the "great" IPS screen I heard so much about here would be an OK tradeoff for the low resolution ... but I was wrong and I regret it.

It's all personal preference though. I'm sure many of you would prioritize IPS over resolution.

I guess the key thing is figuring out what your personal "minimum resolution" is. I thought I could live with 1366x768 but then found out I don't like it. You might be different.

If I wasn't so cheap, I'd dump my x220 and get a Sony Z with 1920x1080 on a 13.1" screen. Of course, if I wasn't so cheap I would have bought the Z instead of the x220 last year ;-)

Instead, I'm going to hold out until this fall when Win8 machines start arriving on the scene and hope we get a few more options for ultraportables with hi-res screens.

 

Is there anything in the market at the moment that has the CPU/RAM capabilitis like the x230 under 4lb besides the Z?

 

dam those Z look very nice: https://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/s...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666449855

Quad i7, 8Gb of ram, raid 0 ssd, 1920x1080.... $2k ummmm

 

the z3 cant be ordered or use 16GB like the x220/x230

still a nice machine though

 

the x230 supports 2 drives right? so it supports raid 0?

 

I dont think so. for dual drives you use an mSATA SSD and a conventional 2.5" HDD, flip side is a fast SSD does not need to be in raid 0, and should not be. if a single drive fails you lose all of your data. RAID 1 now I could accept

RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 Explained with Diagrams

 

It supports an mSATA SSD + HDD, but no RAID is supported. The only current Thinkpad that supports RAID is the W530, and only if you order it with the RAID option.

 

I would say the key travel feels ever so slightly more shallow, but that's hard to measure and not something that's extremely noticeable. For all intents and purposes, it's on par with a regular ThinkPad keyboard.

I forgot to mention I did a video comparison of the X1C and X220 that should suffice as a comparison to the X230, at least in terms of size and weight comparison:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg6h5xXa8O8

The X220 weighs 3.35lbs with a 6-cell and the X1C weighs 2.98lbs according to my scales, check at about the 3:30 mark in the video to see the weight and thickness comparison.

 

i ordered my x230 yesterday, still wondering if i should cancel and order the x1 carbon

 

There are many older laptops with 16GB RAM (Alienware M17x for example); even if BIOS doesn't recognize it, it seems to work fine in Windows.

The screen is a bit bigger on X1C, and it's more convenient to work on. But yeah, it's not IPS. It also runs quite hot: http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...-new-king-business-ultrabooks-discussion.html . I am not impressed. Maybe they'll get the design right properly in the 2nd or 3rd revision.

 

so you are on the x230>x1c boat?

 

The heat is only when you push it. No one runs benchmarks all day and no one is going to game on this notebook. Still I don't understand why there isn't a single vent on the bottom. Other Thinkpad's have a ton of slits on the bottom for cooling.

Haswell is supposed to be a massive leap forward in chipset architecture next year.. but that's a way away from now.

Tough deciding whether the X1C is better at all than the X2x0 and whether it's worth the wait till the next one.

 

I'm on the same boat as you with regards to the screen resolution. I often wish my X220T had higher resolution.

 

Anyone know if the x230 is on display anywhere? I'd love to see one but haven't found any stores that carry them.

Oh, one other question: Does the x230 have a "fully-clickable" trackpad like the X1 Carbon has?

 

Yup, I'm pretty sure they are on display somewhere. Hard to say if that'll help you since I have no idea where you are. But in the US some major universities have computer/book stores that display new thinkpads.

 

Thanks. I'll keep looking.

 

The price of the Thinkpad X230 appears substantially less, which it is IF you configure it with a traditional hard drive. The upgrade from the default 320 GB HD to 256 GB SSD drive adds $480 to the price. Depending on the discounts you have to apply it may only be $100-200 less than the X1 Carbon.

I am thinking that the extra screen size and resolution of the X1 Carbon will be helpful in editing photos in Lightroom while traveling, but I will miss the larger internal HDD I have on my X220.

 

No doubt about it. Especially in Lightroom.

I'm trying to decide if I can deal with the 12.5" screen and lower resolution of the x230. I want more than 128GBs of space but don't really wanna pay the asking price for the 256GB version of the X1C.

 

Do note that you can order it straight from Lenovo with a conventional (and spacious) HDD, then add a 128GB mSATA SSD (the Crucial M4 mSATA is a great option) for about $120. If you opt for the 500GB 5400RPM HDD, that'll give you more than twice the usable space that a 256GB SSD would provide on its own.

 

Well, after playing with my old Dell D420 for a while (with a 12.1" screen) I think I'd be better off in the long run with the larger 14" screen and 1600x900 resolution of the X1C. Too bad, though, the x230 is mighty tempting.

 

I'm deciding between the two but I'm wondering if the only real advantage of the X1C's thinness is so you can say to your friends, "Hey look how slim my laptop is". I've never seen an ultrabook so I have no clue so I was hoping someone would chime in. If you assume that the X230 and X1C weighed the same would the X230 ever appear more cumbersome while carrying it by hand or using it on your lap?

 

The display of the X1 is 1.5 inch larger. That is the main reason for the X1. Considering the heavy AC adapter the X1 weight advantage is not so great anymore.

The x230 palm rest is too short the X1 should not have this problem. This would be my second best argument towards taking the X1.

Battery life is better on the x230 as you can put in a 9 cell and you can always switch batteries.

 

Having the same weight but a 1.5 inch larger screen is a pretty significant weight advantage though, IMO.

 

Yes, quite hard to decide.
I don't consider the X230 only for display size and resolution preference, otherwise, the X230 is unbeatable comparing to the X1C.
So I am choosing from the X1C and T430s. (A bit want to cry...)

 

T430s has the same weight as the T430 if they both have the same battery life.

The 12.5 inch display was way too small for me.

 

Good discussion of X1C vs T430s, plus other contenders Sony Z2/SVZ13 and Toshiba R940 presented in http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...lease-help-t430s-x1-carbon-2.html#post8823410 .

 

I dithered over this same choice for some time and ultimately went with the x230. I'd say I'm glad I did, though I'll admit there is some buyer's remorse.

previously I had a t400s with the 14" screen. I miss the bigger screen most of the time with my x230...

BUT

...when traveling, the 12.5" screen is a godsend on an airplane. the small # of hours one spends on a plane might seem like a small issue, but those are typically (for me) high pressure situations when I need to finalize slides for a presentation. now, when someone leans back in their chair, I can keep working just fine. that alone makes the x230 worth it.

also, I can't really imagine having a non-removable battery (and don't own any Crapple products for that reason). I have the 4-cell, 6-cell, and 9-cell. on travel days I throw in the 9-cell and have all-day power without a cord (12ish hours). at home I use the 4-cell to make it super light.

the high voltage processor and 16G memory were also dealbreakers for me, as I do a lot of statistical analysis maxing out both.

lastly, I'm not crazy about the x230 keyboard compared to the "classic" thinkpad, so if the X1 has even less travel I'm glad I didn't go there.

I did make a mistake by ordering the x230 without the backlit keyboar and without the IPS display, but I'm returning this one to upgrade.

also, I dumped the stock drive and put a half-gig SSD in there. lovely