Samsung Instinct Review
MSI Wind Review7月16
20:56 
Specifications of the X200 being reviewed are as follows:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.40 GHz (3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB) (Montevina)
Chipset: Intel GM45/ICH9-ME
Memory: 2GB DDR2 667MHz (1x 2048MB) (can support up to 4GB of DDR3 Memory @ 800/1067MHz)
Hard Drive: 7200RPM 160GB SeaGate Momentus (ST9160823AS) SATA
Screen: 12.1" widescreen 1280x800 LCD, 200 nits of brightness
No built-in Optical Drive (need X200 UltraBase for this capability)
GPU: Intel X4500 Integrated Graphics
Network/Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi Link 5300 (802.11 a/b/g/n) 1Gb Ethernet Card, built-in Verizon WWAN and Bluetooth (56 Kbps modem optional, not installed)
Inputs: 95 Key Keyboard with Three Button Touchpoint
Buttons: Power, ThinkVantage, Volume Up and Down, Mute, and WiFi/Bluetooth On/Off Switch.
Slots:ExpressCard/54mm, SD card reader (5-in-1 media card reader optional, not installed)
Battery: Nine Cell Cylindrical (4-cell, 6-cell and 9-cell options)
Dimensions (with large 9-cell battery in):
Width: 11.61 inches
Depth: 9.2 inches
Thickness: 0.8-in - 1.4 inches
Dimensions (with small 4-cell battery in):
Width: 11.6 inches
Depth: 8.3 inches
Thickness: 0.8 - 1.4"
Weight:
4-cell battery starting at 1.34 kg / 2.95 lbs
6-cell battery starting at 1.47 kg / 3.24 lbs
9-cell battery starting at 1.63 kg / 3.58 lbs
Operating System: Windows Vista Business
Extra Options: Web-cam, fingerprint reader, 56Kbps modem, 5-in-1 card reader
Design and Looks
The most noticeable change we see between the X61 and X200 is that the display is widescreen instead of the "standard" 4:3 ratio aspect screen seen on the X61. The question is, when do we start calling widescreen standard for a notebook screen? There are few laptops left that aren't widescreen so this change comes as no surprise. We thing the switch is for the better due to the lower overall system profile, more spacious keyboard and ability to more easily view two windows side-by-side. Some people will no doubt be miffed by this change though.
Input and Output Ports
The port selection has changed a bit from the X61, placements are especially a bit different. Gone is the old style PC card slot, it's now an ExpressCard 54mm expansion slot. The FireWire port the X61 had is dropped with no appearance on the X200. One strange option you now have is to choose either an SD card reader and no built-in modem or an enhanced 5-in-1 card reader and a modem. Our review unit has just an SD card reader and the modem port is blocked off. Why having a 5-in-1 card reader dependency tied to having a built-in modem certainly isn't obvious to us, how annoying!
Keyboard and Touchpoint
The keyboard on the X-series ThinkPad has always been a standout in the field of ultraportables. Now with the extra real estate width the keys that were slightly shrunken on the X61 appear in their full glory here. Indeed, the keyboard on the X200 is exactly the same as that you'll get on the T-series, so it's entirely comfortable for typing with no adjustments necessary for smaller keys you often find on ultraportables.
Performance
The X200 is very impressive in terms of raw power in a small package. This is one of the first systems we've seen with the Intel Montevina platform on board and the news is good, we're finding better performance but no sacrifice with battery life or the heat increasing. Frankly, 2.40GHz of dual core power and a 3MB L2 cache, Intel Turbo Memory, SSD storage and 4GB of DDR3 RAM running at 1066 MHz might just be overkill for a laptop this size, but the option is there if you're like Tim the Tool Man Taylor and want more power for no other reason than the fact it's more powerful.
Onto the benchmarks, here are the scores we received running various benchmarks against the Intel P8600 2.40GHz, 2GB RAM, 7200RPM hard drive setup:
wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, this processor benchmark program is a multi-threaded application that can use both processors at once, it measures the amount of time to run a set amount of calculations. The P8600 performed admirably well.
Environment
Lenovo has been working on making their products more friendly to the environment. The ThinkPad X200 is the first PC to be certified by GreenGuard, it meets a Silver EPEAT rating and is Energy Star 4.0 compliant -- Lenovo is claiming a 25% lower power consumption than the previous generation of ThinkPads. Less power in but more power out -- not bad.
Conclusion
The ThinkPad X200 is a very worthy successor to the ThinkPad X61. The amazing battery life capabilities and cool and quiet running performance are real highlights. Having so much power in a small package while still maintaining a cool and quiet computing experience further adds to the impressiveness there. The ThinkPad X200 is also durable enough to last a very long time even with the most abusive of owners, shoving the X200 in a tightly packed bag and then physically forcing it under seat 21A on the plane won't cause this laptop harm.
The downsides are that there's no optical drive like you get with the ThinkPad X300 and no touchpad for those that prefer that style of input. The removal of FireWire and then no built-in DisplayPort, HDMI or DVI port could be a deterrent for some. The all black and professional look has stood the test of time and looks both clean and professional, we like it, but those business people demanding their IT department to support the Apple iPhone might just care about how cool their laptop looks too. And let's face it, the X200 won't cause anyone to do a double take for its looks.
Overall though the X200 is yet another step forward for the ThinkPad X-series line and another check in the column for a job well done by ThinkPad designers and engineers.
