After 2 years with my Thinkpad SL500 laptop it was finally time to replace the workhorse, which had been trusty and reliable. I decided to replace the SL500 with a laptop of the best specification (on paper) the budget allowed.
I chose to go for Samsungs new range of business notebooks - the 400 range - My weapon of choice was a 400B5B-S02UK which included an i5 processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and dedicated Nvidia graphics. To cut the story short, after numerous serious issues with the laptop it is now back in the hands of the makers and I am currently waiting on a replacement which wont be available until mid September (I presume they have found a common issue and have ceased manufacture for the time being - joy!.
Until Samsung decide to ship out a replacement - I have been graced with this Lenovo Thinkpad X100e.
The Thinkpad X100e is Lenovos version of the netbook. As all netbooks share the same core specifications (apart from a few differences here and there) you may be familiar with the base specification.
This X100e was introduced in the first quarter of 2010 and utilises a single-core AMD Athlon NEO processor.
Base Specification;
- Processor: AMD Athlon NEO MV-40 1.6GHz (stepped to 700MHz on power save mode)
- Memory (RAM): 1GB DDR2
- Storage: 250GB 5400RPM
- Display: 11.6" LCD (Matt Finish)
- Connectivity: 100/1000 Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1, Wireless B/G/N
- Ports: 3x USB2, 1x D-SUB (external monitor), PC Card, Ethernet, Headphone.
- Other: Webcam.
Aesthetics;
I have always been a huge fan of the classic IBM / Lenovo Thinkpad design.
Some may think the looks may be a little dated & would expect a Nokia 3210 to be sat next to it on the office desk - but its what I find most attractive about the laptop - it shouts "lets do some work" as opposed to the arty farty designs found on some netbooks & laptops nowadays.
The laptop incorporates the same sleek plastic all over, including the shell and keyboard. Externally, features are minimal aside the classic Thinkpad embelem found on the lid.
Lift open the lid and you are presented with another fantastic trait of the Thinkpad range - the keyboard.
The X100e features their new style keyboard with island keys which is a pleasure to use (no strained wrists after typing for periods of time)
The keyboard surrounds the "nipple" mouse which I tend to use more than the touch-pad (its a must on any laptop I choose now) those who are prone to knocking over drinks from time to time will be glad to hear the keyboard is spill resistant with drain holes on the underside of the machine.
The only odd thing is the extended battery, which protrudes from the rear of the netbook, I disliked this profusely at first, but I have learnt to live with it.
All in all, the laptop is built very solidly and is a pleasure to use.
Every Day Usage:
I'm going to start with the biggest of the two let down's with this netbook, that being the AMD Neo processor.
If you like a lot of multi-tasking I suggest you purchase a Rubik's cube along with this netbook.
For single task applications the netbook performs perfectly well, however, open a few more applications and it begins to feel the strain, albeit no more than your average 4-year old laptop.
The other gripe with the X100e is that its shipped with a measly 1GB of DDR2 RAM, ok - all other netbooks are too, but it works so much better when another gigabyte is thrown in (Cost me £14).
The unit is supplied with Windows 7 Basic 32-bit which is fine for home use but introduce it to the office and it will feel inadequate with the Basic version not providing domain level network support.
I downgraded to Windows XP, where I found the laptop to perform ever so slightly quicker along with allowing me to join to the work domain network.
With these improvements made, I could happily use this netbook all day as the 1366x768 display resolution is perfect.
Battery life on light use is around 6-hours on power save mode, heavy use on high performance is around 2-hours 30-minutes.
The netbook weighs 1.49KG which is more than expected, but its not too heavy and enhances the solid feel of the X100e.
Summary;
At the time of review, the average price for an X100e is around the £400incVAT mark which makes it more expensive than other netbooks on the market, this seems quite a negative considering there are cheaper netbooks out there with stronger processors.
However, you will not find a netbook built better, im sure this would last years thrown about in the back of my backpack, something that other fragile netbooks just wouldn't put up with.
If you are after a reliable portable netbook and the budget will allow then go for the X100e, just keep your multi-tasking to a minimum.
If someone suggests a Nokia phone as of late, peoples immediate response is something along the lines of "they crash all the time"
