The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    x200 ultrabase

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by np4944, Mar 9, 2009.

  1. np4944

    np4944 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    30
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    do you guys find this base that useful?, and for what?, is it worth the 200 dollar price tag? and where can u get a cheap external optical drive besides ebay.
     
    np4944, Mar 9, 2009
    #1
  2. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    4,982
    Messages:
    34,001
    Likes Received:
    1,415
    Trophy Points:
    581
    I think the dock is useful if you plan to use your machine at a desk or the like with a lot of peripherals like a monitor, optical drive, printer, speakers, etc. hooked up. At least part of the time.

    You can buy this case and put in any IDE optical drive you wish. It's also USB powered.
     
    ZaZ, Mar 9, 2009
    #2
  3. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

    Reputations:
    826
    Messages:
    3,240
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    As Zaz said, it's good if you have LOTS of peripherals or you want to use 2 external monitors (without the notebook LCD). It is also the only way to get Digital video out, but in my opinion this isn't worth the pricetag unless you plan on hooking your laptop up to a large high end monitor.

    However, if all you need is an optical drive and 1 or 2 USB devices, then there are certainly cheaper ways to accomplish it.

    Newegg has lots of USB DVD+RW drives. As a general rule, the bigger ones are faster but require external power; this makes them good for use at a desk. The "slim-line" ones are based on laptop drives, tend to be USB powered [often 2 cables], and are useful if you want something portable.
     
    jonlumpkin, Mar 9, 2009
    #3
  4. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    4,982
    Messages:
    34,001
    Likes Received:
    1,415
    Trophy Points:
    581
    The case I linked is powered off one USB port. I know this because I used one with my T41 and T42 as DVDRW drives were price at the time much as the Blu-ray drives are now.
     
    ZaZ, Mar 9, 2009
    #4
  5. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

    Reputations:
    826
    Messages:
    3,240
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    I actually have that exact same case. I use it with a DVD+RW drive harvested from a broken Acer. It sits in a box most of the time, but it was definitely useful the first two weeks I had my x200 (creating recovery discs and installing software).
     
    jonlumpkin, Mar 9, 2009
    #5
  6. np4944

    np4944 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    30
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    so that case would work for any salvaged "slim" laptop optical drive correct?
     
    np4944, Mar 9, 2009
    #6
  7. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

    Reputations:
    826
    Messages:
    3,240
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    It will work with a standard PATA drive. This means if the notebook is 2+ years old, then yes. However, if the salvaged drive is from a newer computer, it's probably SATA and NOT compatible.

    Also note that some notebooks (notably the ThinkPad T series) use slimmer than average drives and thus aren't ideal for this type of adapter.

    Hoever, the drive from any low-midgrade laptop from 2006 or earlier should work fine.
     
    jonlumpkin, Mar 9, 2009
    #7
  8. np4944

    np4944 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    30
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    thank you for your help, it definitely helped me shave off a few bucks
     
    np4944, Mar 9, 2009
    #8