X61s ... heat ?

Does anyone know if the X61s has major heat issues ? I saw a guy had one at airport and it looks beautiful ... since all the problems with the X200 series I may just get the best spec X61s ...much cheaper and at least the screen can play video ...

 

The X61 is very thin so some heat is to be expected from the CPU and the WiFi card. Supposedly the X61s has an extra fan to help with the heat and the Intel card runs a bit cooler. When I used the X61s with the Atheros card it did get a bit warm, but it was never uncomfortable to use in my opinion.

 

My wife has an X61s, without WWAN, and it has no heat issues.

I have an X61, with WWAN (WWAN comes with an extra cooling fan), and have no heat issues.

If you are worried about heat issues, order the WWAN option and you get the extra fan.

 

ok thanks for that ... it's a beautiful little machine. I wanted the X200s but in Europe comes with X200 screen and there are too many issues with it so may stick to X61s ... what would the best/fastest specs be for it ?

 

Fastest would be getting a SSD.

 

ZaZ, I think that he means the spec of the whole machine, not just the HDD
Anyway, the fastest spec is very similar to the one I have in my spec, just replace the 3GB RAM with 4GB RAM, 4cell battery with 8cell battery, and the SXGA+ screen with the XGA screen, and you have the maxxed out X61s that you can purchase.

 

The hard drive, perhaps more so than any other part, is what makes the system seem fast because most things people do aren't very CPU intensive - how fast apps open, how fast it boots, how responsive things are when clicked on, etc. I think the marginal value of an extra GB of memory is very small if any.

 

Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree with you. I'm just saying that the OP means to ask the maxed out spec of the whole laptop.

 

What screen issues with the X200 are you referring to? I havn't heard about this but I don't keep up to date on the forums like I used to.

The X61s is great, I have one in my house. I've never used one but the X200 & X200s look good too.

I personally use an X40 which is the same size as the X61. I bought it because at the time I wanted the lightest and smallest computer I could afford. But there are quite a few times that I think the extra screen real estate 14" screen of the T400 series (T40 back in the day) would of been a wiser choice. A little heavier, little bigger, but more usable, especially if you can get a screen resolution higher than WXGA. I see they don't offer the T400 with WXGA+ anymore, hopefully they will bring it back soon.

 

I would assume the OP is referring to the relatively low quality of the x200 panel. It has a very small sweet spot and poor dithering in blacks and dark grays (noticeable in video content). It's fine for documetns, but the overall quality isn't great.

The US version of the x200s comes with a moderately higher quality LED WXGA+ panel. The viewing angles are still relatively poor, but overall satisfaction with performance and dithering seems to be better. Unfortunately, all of the x200s that are available in Europe seem to ship with the same low grade CCFL panel as the x200.

The x200T has a great wide viewing angle panel. There have recently been some concerns about the LED variant because it appears to be a Samsung PVA rather than Hydis AFFS+, but the quality is still exceptional.

 

The x61s doesn't have a good screen either as far as I know...so I am not really sure what all the "issues" are with the x200.

 

well sorry to bring this up again but in earlier threads it was very clear that the X200 screen (also used on European X200s) is not up to standard. Let's put it this way. If the X200/X200s cannot handle a simple movie on the road like my 5 year old Toshiba Portege can with sufficient quality and no dithering/blacks issues, then why pay so much money for X200 series? Yes I would prefer the webcam but in this day and age I cannot believe that a compnay like Lenovo does not simply get rid of the current screen supplier and makes it right. After all there are other suppliers of matt screens that do a better job, even Lenovo itself on other machines. It is a question of simply not caring about the customer... it's like driving a Ferrari with the engine of a Smart Car ... quality needs to be quality overall. Would your business function well if you did not deliver at least expected quality that most other competitors get right ? Or is it simply an arrogance of well we don't really care because we will sell machines anyhow. Lucky for Lenovo the competition just does not make very good business machines. I will still get a Lenovo but in Europe we don't have the luxury of "change your mind just send it back US refund policies"... so it becomes a rather expensive gamble. Maybe I should just get a netbook like the Samsung NC10 which has a matt screen that plays video without a glitch at a fraction of the price of a Lenovo ?

 

I know this thread started out discussing heat but now we're comparing the X61's screen with the X200. So what's the verdict? Would a guy get an X200 because it's screen is "better" than the X61 or is it the other way around? I don't play movies on my T61 so that's not an issue for me but what about screen vs screen?

BTW, I'm typing this on my T61 and it is dead quiet and not hot. Just sayin'...

 

I would say neither of the screens are good...so I wouldn't factor that into it if you don't play movies. If it is for office work might as well go for an x200 with full keyboard and a bit extra resolution. Unless you can get an x61 super cheap.

 

I know how a screen looks is pretty subjective but I can say I like the screen on my T61. As everyone on this forum knows it's almost impossible to get ones hands on a Lenovo before buying so can anybody compare the X61/X200 screens to a T61?

I'm thinking refurbished or redistributed on the Lenovo Outlet anywhere from mid-600s to mid-800s. I wouldn't say that's super cheap but it's in my ball park. I'd looked at netbooks but just couldn't get past how anemic they are. Small yes, lame yes. They looked pretty cool but for a few ounces and a few hundred bucks more I can get a real computer. So what if it's a year old model, right? But only if the screen doesn't suck.

 

T61's screen is better than X200's screen hands down. The X200's screen is made by AU Optronics, and the T61's screen is made by LG.

 

I'm not trying to turn this into a T61 lovefest but I actually loaded a video game (Call of Duty 2) onto my T61 because I was going to need the diversion while out of town. Once I got used to playing a video game on a notebook it was pretty cool, no downsides except for the ergonomics vis my desktop.

But, yeah, it'd be a negative if I wound up with an X61/X200, sight unseen, and hated the screen. Do you get used to it after awhile if that's all you're looking at?

 

Yep you do. The lightweight also makes you forget about the better screen in T61. Your mileage may vary though.

 

I played arounf on a Samsung NC10 netbook and it played movies very well ...no dithering and it's a matt screen and about 5 times cheaper than a X200s ... OK the screen is too small but you catch my drift... Lenovo GET IT RIGHT ! If I could I would buy X200s Europe version and X61s, compare and send one back ... so frustrating I do not have that possibility

 

What on Earth are you all talking about? The X200 screen is fine. In fact, I play movies on it all the time. I don't know what this dithering is, but I haven't noticed an usual or distracting features.

There is always the possibility of swapping out the X200 screen for another one. I've looked into this (to enhance viewing angles) and it looks very easy to do.