X201 vs. T410

I tried to do this thread in the "What Notebook Should I Buy?" forum a little while back and got next to zero replies.

I need to replace my current laptop bad(1.4Ghz processor, 1 gig of ram...you get the idea) because I am going to college and need something that can do at least 3 hours (the more the better) instead of doing 40 minutes max on a "power saver'" mode.

I've narrowed my choices down to two laptops: the x201 and the T410 (I am also open to other suggestions).
I need something that is portable with decent battery life.
Be able to watch HD tv shows and Movies.
Able to run recording software like protools and reaper
I am not a hardcore gamer, but playing super nintendo and n64 emulator games on my leisure time would be pretty awesome
I probably need a optical drive, but I can probably get away with having a docking station on my desk and use it for cd's/dvd's (blu ray?) when I get back from classes or wherever.

and food for thought, if I were to get a external gpu (say a very good gpu) what kind of game settings could I pull off with the current games?

 

get x201 la, it is so much better for your needs la.

 

Just about any. The i5 series won't bottleneck most games as most are GPU dependent. I don't know if it would work on the x201. Does it have an ExpressCard slot? How to Upgrade Your Notebook Graphics Card Using DIY ViDOCK

 

Both systems will fulfil your requirements easily. The X201 is portable but lacks the built in optical drive which you need an Ultrabase dock for. The T410 has a built in optical drive so you can always carry it around with you. It's also hot swappable so for instance if you needed more storage space in the future then you can have a 2nd Hard Drive (with adaptor) in place of the optical drive instead.

As you mentioned that you will be using recording software its worth noting the T410 has a WXGA+ high resolution screen option (1440x900) which gives you increased real estate to see more things at the same time. The X201 has a fixed resolution of WXGA (1280x800) due to the pixel density, anything higher and it would probably be too small to read comfortably due to the size.

 

I say get the X200 offered by Buy.com via eBay. Why pay 50% more for little to no performance increase.

 

I'm inclined to agree. THe moderate performance boost of an i5 is not worth the substantial premium the x201 is currently carrying over an x200. There is no other noteable difference aside from the CPU and chipset (integrated GPU). Additionally, I believe the x200 gets slightly better battery life than the x201 (the i5 isn't quite as miserly as it should be).

You can either buy the ultrabse and DVD+RW from Lenovo (check the outlet). Or just get any USB DVD+RW from Newegg. The ultrabse is most useful if you also want an external keyboard, monitor, speakers, et. al. at home.

 

i would say get the X200.

 

Thanks for the replies people!

I'll take a look into the X200.

Would I be correct to say that performance wise, the X20X and the T410 are about the same?

and the only notable strong point the T410 has over the X20X is a slightly better screen?

 

There are some pretty cheap X200's available at outlet.lenovo.com (one for ~$550) and for $100 more than the buy.com X200 there's an X201.

Edit: cheap X200 sold. Dang.

I'm seriously thinking of selling my Acer 1830T to get an X200 or X201. Only reason I got it was for the hdmi port, but ultrabase seems like a nice solution.

 

X201 has the CPU options as the T410. The X200 is slightly slower than the T410.

The T410 screen is not much better than the X201x.

 

For most things you'd never notice a difference between the X200 and X201. The Core 2 Duo CPUs run cooler too.

 

I'm going to also suggest the buy.com X200. For $630, you're getting a brand new X200 system with a three year warranty. Unless you're going to be stressing your processor to the max or have a dire need of a better integrated GPU, you're better off saving a great deal of money on this system.

The X200's form factor is exactly the same as the X201, and if you're looking to play emulators and watch HD video both systems will offer as much performance as you'll need for those tasks. All you'd need to do to this machine is upgrade the RAM, as it only comes with 1GB.

 

Actually it's $630 + sales tax.

But I, for one, support the X200. It's really great! Btw, this is the RAM I bought: (only $25, so good combo for X200)

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

it came as a Lenovo original memory. From Turkey.

 

unreal25,

Have you witnessed the x200 or x201 with the 1440x900 screen? If so, how would you compare the 1280x800 resolution?

Or better yet, what resolution is your preference and how do you like the 1280x800 on the machine you just received?

 

Hey,

Well, I used 1366x768 on m11x (11.6" screen) and even tho you can get used to it, everything is really small. You can of course always play around with increasing text size in Windows, but sometimes it doesn't work good. For example, I use 1920x1200 on m17x (17") and that's really too high as well. I struggled to get a good size, I settled at custom 116% font size now. It doesn't always work well, there are dialog boxes in Windows that will still be scaled to 100% then e.g. in Skype interface I can barely read my contact list unless I get close to the screen. Also, sometimes icons look pixelized, as you can sort of see on the desktop of m17x:

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/1813/imageutq.jpg

1280x800 is, IMO, just perfect for X200 12.1" screen. There is less room ofc, but all text is clearly visible. I used 1440x900 on a 19" widescreen monitor (actually I still use it when I hook up X200 in my office on that screen) and I am quite sure it would have been quite an overkill for a small 12" display. I was actually worried the same thing before I got mine, but I am actually glad its not higher res. My suggestion is that if you need a higher res, hook it up to an external screen and then use whatever is it's native res.

 

the 1440 x 900 is actually a very good resolution on the x20xs when you are using it in windows 7, i have sold off my X200s with WXGA hoping to buy a second hand X200s from a friend that has WXGA+ resolution.

 

That is a hell of a deal. Docking station + 4 gig ram and upgrade to win7 pro might be the better route.

My only concern is that computer is 2 years old, so it may be good to wait and see what comes out this holiday's or first of the year...

I am going to research and think about it. Thanks for the tips guys

 

Unless you're running the CPU at or near capacity, you'll never notice a difference. They're almost the same machine except for the CPU.

 

Hmm you're right, I've been getting by almost decently with the pos i have now, so anything really would be a huge step up for me. I think I'll grab the x200, upgrade the ram , grab the docking station(maybe a SSD too), and upgrade to win7

Thank you and everyone else for the help

 

Is there an aftermarket 1440x900 screen with better viewing angles that I can drop into my X201 with minimal modifications?

If so, please let me know a reputable source! Thanks!

 

There is not.

 

Thank you for clarifying

 

Ordered. just need to get the ram and ultradock now

 

Higher resolution no. But it is possible to insert a higher quality (AFFS) 1280x800 display from a Tablet PC. Search the forum for x200 Flexview.

 

Which RAM should I get? I think I am going to upgrade to 4 gigs when the X200 comes in.

And is there a cheaper place to get the ultrabase other than lenovo?

 

Buy the cheapest RAM with a lifetime warranty and matching specifications as the stock Lenovo RAM sticks (I believe those are DDR3 PC3-8500 1066MHz SODIMMs with a CAS latency of 7).