Lenovo Thinkpad X60s

Lenovo Thinkpad X60s Review

Overview

Back in January, Lenovo launched the first dual core Thinkpads at CES 2006. The T60 and X60/X60s models were the latest revisions to the Thinkpad line, bringing a fair number of improvements and changes. As we saw recently in our Ultraportable Roundup, the Thinkpad X41 is a small and powerful machine. Today we're taking a look at the successor to the X-series: the X60. There are two types of X60 notebooks: X60 and X60s. The X60 is a bit larger than the X60s, weighing in at 3.15lbs (4-cell) or 3.61lbs (8-cell) and ranging from 0.8"-1.39" thick.

The X60s is thinner, lighter, has four battery types (compared to the X60's three), and has two different display types. The machine weight can be 2.89lbs, 3lbs, or 3.46lbs with the slim 4-cell, enhanced 4-cell, and 8-cell respectively. Thickness (or thin-ness rather) is 0.8-1.1". Aside from the standard 12" XGA screen, there is an optional UltraLight XGA screen up-rated in brightness from 150 nits to 180 nits. The difference in the screen is the use of an LED backlight, reducing thickness and weight (down to 2.69lbs with slim 4-cell). Unfortunately the U.S. market won't be receiving "UL" models for a while, in favor of sending the limited supply of LED backlights to Asia where the demand for ultra-light laptops is greater. Right now only the 1702-94U model is available with the UL screen, and does not have other goodies like WWAN or fingerprint reader.

Thinkpad X60s on top, 15" Thinkpad T60 on bottom

Our test model came equipped with the Core Duo Low Voltage L2400 (1.66GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB), 512MB DDR2 667 RAM, 80GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive, Lenovo a/b/g II WiFi, Verizon WWAN, and 8-cell battery. The L2400 processor is the real gem in this configuration, offering dual core performance with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of only 15W. Weighing only 3.46lbs, the Verizon WWAN card is the perfect addition to this ultraportable machine. With a price tag of $2,299, this machine is definitely not going to be on every person's shopping list. There is certainly better value to be had elsewhere, but you truly get unparalleled, uncompromised mobility, quality, and performance.

Design

Portability
As if the descriptions in the Overview section weren't enough, it should be clear this machine excels in portability. Measuring 10.5" x 8.3" x 0.8-1.1", our 8-cell equipped version weighs a mere 3.46lbs. With the LED backlight "UL" models and slim 4-cell battery, weight gets down to a mere 2.76lbs. As a more practical comparison, the X60 series is about the size of a small bound paper notebook. You don't need a separate laptop bag or huge compartment inside a backpack to carry this laptop, it will conveniently stack in a regular bag with your other contents. And it is well built enough to be banged around with the rest of your bag's contents.

Thinkpad X60s on top, 15" Thinkpad T60 on bottom (Enlarge Image)

Case and Design
The X60 series incorporates the updates to the Thinkpad design which were first introduced in the Z-series last year. The standard Thinkpad black applies here, with the IBM moniker on the inside and out. Its not quite clear whether the black stands out from the stylish, chique laptops of today, or if it just looks bland; but it is a unique design none the less. Lenovo makes the best of every centimeter of space here, with a keyboard that reaches out to the edges, very little excess trim in the palm rest area, and a tiny screen bezel.

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There are three LED's on the outside of the notebook: Battery, AC Power, and Sleep. These same LED's are replicated on the inside of the notebook, just below the LCD screen in the middle: WiFi, Bluetooth, WWAN, NumLock, Caps Lock, HDD Activity, System Power, Battery, AC Power, and Sleep. These LED's are numerous, but very informative.

The standard Volume Up/Volume Down/Mute button are included, as is the small ThinkVantage button. Other than the fingerprint reader, the interior of the X60s is very spartan.

Build quality has never been a question on Thinkpads, whether they were made by IBM or Lenovo. The Thinkpad X60 series is no different. Overall quality, fitment, and rigidity is superb on this machine. Even if you pick the machine up by one corner only, it still feels extremely solid and well build. This machine experienced some, ahem, normal wear and tear throughout my adventures and came out none the worse for wear.

Thinkpad Z60m Pictured (Enlarge Image)

Starting with the Z-series, Lenovo has used a new Roll Cage design to minimize stress on the internal components and improve overall structure rigidity. This new design was created with dual core technology in mind, allowing Lenovo to migrate from the single-core Z-series to future dual core platforms using the same chassis design.

Keyboard
Thinkpads have always been at the top of most people's lists when it comes to keyboard quality. The X60s retains the Thinkpad feel and quality to the keyboard, with the same number of keys and the full seven row design. Obviously you can't have a full-size keyboard in an ultraportable form factor, but Lenovo comes darn close. All of the alphabetic keys are full-size, with the keys on the outer edge of the keyboard being reduced in size.

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It does take a bit of getting used to, quickly tapping the backspace key isn't as natural as it is on your average laptop keyboard. However, given the overall keyboard is 97% the size of a T-series keyboard typing is surprisingly comfortable. Don't forget every Thinkpad's keyboard is also spill resistant, great in case you lose grip of that cold soda or your pet decides to relieve itself on your expensive laptop.

Lenovo Thinkpad X60s Keyboard
Number of keys	89 keys
Number of rows	7 rows
Key Pitch/Stroke	18.5mm / 2.5mm
Special/Function Keys	Fn+F2: Lock Fn+F3: Power Options Fn+F4: Sleep Fn+F5: Wireless Radios Fn+F7: Presentation Director Fn+F8: UltraNav Options Fn+F9: EasyEject Fn+F12: Hibernate Fn+Home/End: Brightness Up/Down Fn+PgUp: ThinkLight Fn+Arrow Keys: Media Playback Controls Fn+Space: Zoom

Design Continued

UltraNav
With such a small notebook there is only room for one pointing device, not the usual two larger Thinkpads have. Opting for the Thinkpad-classic UltraNav pointing stick, there is no touchpad option on the X-series. We found the combination of pointing stick and three mouse buttons to be as effective as previous generation Thinkpads, but UltraNav is not for everyone. Some people just plain prefer a touchpad and if you've never used a Thinkpad UltraNav setup before, we highly recommend you try it out before you purchase.

Connectivity Options
We've previously criticized some Thinkpads for not having a reasonable set of port options, but that just isn't so anymore.

The front of the machine holds only a very tiny wireless radio button. The button is handy in that it enables/disables all the radios, but the front is angled towards the back of the machine making the button hard to switch when the machine is on a flat surface.

The backside here is home only to the 8-cell battery.

The left side has from left to right: exhaust vent, USB 2.0 port, VGA output, network, PC Card slot, and SD card reader.

The right side features the IR port, 4-pin Firewire, two USB 2.0 ports, headphone & microphone jacks, hard drive cover, 56K modem, power connector, and Kensington lock slot from left to right.

3 USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, and an SD card reader make this a pretty fully featured ultraportable. The only complaint we have here is the location of the wireless radio switch.

Heat and Noise
The use a Low Voltage Core Duo processor, which dissipates at most 15W, certainly helps with the cooling situation. Since the X60s is only 0.8-1.1" thick, there's not much room for a robust cooling system. Despite this, CPU temperatures remain in the 40 degrees Celsius range during normal usage. If you start pegging both cores with a lot of activity, you will see temperatures break into the 60 C range quickly.

Under normal usage, when the processor is in the 40C range, you won't notice the fans. They're either off or running very softly. However when the temperatures start climbing you will hear the fans kick on, but still not be annoyingly intrusive. The bottom of the notebook doesn't get terribly hot, but you will notice some heat under the right palm rest. This is due to the WiFi card under that palm rest, but it does not get uncomfortable at any point.

Upgrading and Expansion
Users will appreciate the ease of which they can upgrade the two most commonly changed components in a notebook: the hard drive and system memory. There is a single large panel on the bottom of the notebook covering the RAM, easily removed via its two small screws. The hard drive is just as easy: there is one screw holding in a panel on the right side of the notebook. The wireless cards and CPU can only be accessed after removing the keyboard and palm rest area, making them more difficult but not out of the question.

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Features

Technical Specifications
The Thinkpad X60s uses Intel's Core Duo processor, the Low Voltage L2400. This CPU sports a 2MB shared L2 cache, runs on a 667 MHz Font Side Bus, and is built on a 65nm manufacturing process. Running at lower voltages than a standard Core Duo processor, the L2400 has a maximum power draw of only 15W, compared to a T-series Core Duo's 31W. To save space and power, Intel's 945GM chipset is used with the GMA950 integrated graphics solution. It is worth noting that GMA950 supports the Windows Vista Aero interface. All of the 945 chipsets support dual channel DDR2 667 RAM, although our Thinkpad came equipped with one 512MB module.

The hard drive included in our machine is a 2.5" 80GB Toshiba MK8032GSX, spinning at 5400RPM with 8MB cache. You can see how the IDE version of this drive fared against others in our 160GB Seagate 5400.3 drive review. In a perfectly silent room, you might hear a little clicking as the hard drive spins away, but its unlikely. Performance is excellent on this hard drive and the 80GB of storage space is extremely useful.

The X60s comes with a single speaker, placed in the middle of the machine almost directly below the fingerprint reader. Surprisingly, it gets decently loud playing back video files. Those who will want to watch movies frequently will still want to invest in a decent set of headphones, and maybe even an external sound card like the Creative Audigy 2 ZS PCMCIA.

Display
Thinkpad displays have always been sufficient, offering good brightness and clarity. Color saturation is about average, although we found the viewing angle on some of the 14" displays to be a little limiting. The X60s' 12" XGA screen is on par with other non-Flexview Thinkpad displays, although with a respectable viewing angle.

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One big question I had awaiting the arrival of the X60s is how I would like the 12" XGA (1024x768) screen. I'm a high resolution kind of guy, and nothing is better to me than a screen with lots of desktop real estate. I'm a super-power-multitasker to say the least, and being able to have plenty of room for that is paramount to me.

The 12" XGA screen is very comfortable for the average portable use: light internet browsing, e-mailing, or document writing. But if you even think about photo editing, or comparing two windows side by side, you're going to be disappointed. While the market may be comparatively small, I for one would love to see a 12" high resolution screen; say 1280x1024 or 1400x1050 maybe?

Optical Drive
The X60s itself does not have an optical drive built into it, instead relying on such options with its X6 Ultrabase. We'll detail the features of the Ultrabase shortly, but the optical drive included in our test machine is a CD-RW/DVD-ROM. This is a fairly standard device, although in a slim 9.5mm format. The optical DVDRW drive launched with the X60 series is a dual layer, dual format drive for ultimate performance and compatibility.

The supported read and write capabilities are as follows:

• Read: 24X CD-ROM/CD-R, 12X CD-RW, 8X DVD-ROM, 8X DVD+/-R, 4X DVD+/-RW
  
• Write: 24X CD-R, 4-16X CD-RW

Features Continued

Wi-Fi
The Lenovo a/b/g II card was included with our X60s, which is the same card that has been previously called the IBM a/b/g II. Supporting 802.11 a, b, and g standards, performance on this card is in-line with the wireless performance on most laptops. All Thinkpads have UltraConnect dual antennas built into the screen for better signal reception. Lenovo includes a robust software package for controlling your wireless radios:

The On Screen Display allows excellent control of all the wireless radios on this unit, including Bluetooth and WWAN. You can enable or disable individual radios or all of them at once!

You can even easily select your different network connection profiles through the OSD, which are created in Access Connections. Access Connections is a fully featured network connection management program. The features and options in this nifty program are too long to list here, but mobile users who connect to multiple networks will appreciate its robustness. You can setup very specific profiles for every network you need to log onto, including changing things like your default printer, default web browser page, change default security settings, change default TCP/IP settings, and much, much more!

Once you have your profiles and everything else setup, all it takes is a click of the Access Connections icon to bring up a list of your profiles. Select a profile to connect to and WHAM – you’re connected.

EVDO Wireless
Cellular wireless, or WWAN, is becoming increasingly common on business-class notebooks. Models from HP, Dell, Fujitsu, and others now have integrated EVDO wireless cards. The card in our machine is made by Sierra and connects to Verizon's EVDO network. A Cingular-compatible card should be an option in the near future. As with our previous EVDO experience, we found normal web surfing performance to be acceptable with a good signal. However if you are in a low coverage area, performance drops greatly and it'll feel much like dial-up.

Business users can definitely benefit from the ability to get online in a variety of locations, outside of your typical hotspot. Unfortunately Verizon's CDMA network isn't quite mature enough for the average user to really want to sign up for this service, especially with WiMAX on the verge of launching in the U.S. Regardless, this is a great feature for such the poster child of business notebooks, the Lenovo Thinkpad.

Battery
The rated capacity and voltage of the 8-cell lithium ion battery is 5200 mAh and 14.4V, respectively. The 8-cell sticks out about a half inch from the back of the machine, adding a bit to its size. Despite this, the machine is still incredibly tiny and easy to carry around. With almost 75Whr of capacity, battery life of this tiny laptop is superb. It lasted over 9 hours in our Reader test, and users should see 7-8 hours of regular usage quite easily.

As we mentioned before, there are three other battery options available. The slim 4-cell battery fits entirely flush with the laptop and weighs the least, the enhanced 4-cell sticks out a little and adds a bit of capacity over the slim version, and finally the Extended Life battery fits on the bottom of the notebook where the docking station connector is. Unfortunately the Extended Life battery will add about 1.3" to the thickness. The slim 4-cell battery only has a capacity of 2,000mAh, the enhanced 4-cell 2,600mAh, and the Extended Life battery 1,950mAh. Approximating the battery life based on our 8-cell tests, you can expect the following run-times with the other batteries:

X60s Battery Life (Approx.)	Office Productivity	Reader	DVD Playback
Slim 4-cell (29Whr)	3 hours	3.5 hours	2 hours
Enhanced 4-cell (37Whr)	4 hours	4.5 hours	3 hours
Extended Life 4-cell (28Whr)	3 hours	3.5 hours	2 hours

For the Extended Life battery, you can just add those numbers to any of the other battery results obtained here since it is designed for use as a secondary power source.

Extended Life Battery, connects to the bottom of the X60s

AC Adapter
The Thinkpad X60s' AC adapter is on the small side, given it is a 65W charger versus the standard 90W. The computer-side cable is 6 feet long and the wall-side 4 feet long, although the wall-side cable to a three-prong type. 90W Thinkpad adapters only required a two-prong outlet, but users will now need to locate a three-prong grounded outlet for use with this adapter.

Features Continued

Fingerprint Scanner
Being a business level model, Thinkpads have always led the industry in client security. The entire X4x and now X60 line incorporates a hardware based security system, which when enabled prevents hard drive data from being accessed anywhere but this specific machine. Previously, user defined passwords protected this system, but of course a string of characters is always vulnerable. The next logical step in this system is the use of biometrics.

Biometrics refers to the use of some characteristic of a person’s body as a form of authentication. The most popular use is of course a person’s fingerprint. Lenovo has implemented a “slide sensor” type fingerprint scanner, as opposed to the traditional “contact sensors” where you press your finger down for the sensor to take an impression. Lenovo ’s slide sensor is much smaller, takes a larger “image” of the fingerprint, and does not have any residual prints left behind on it.

From Lenovo ’s white paper on the fingerprint scanner, capacitive sensing is used to construct a template of the fingerprint based on variations in the electrical properties of the living layer of the skin. This is the same type of sensing technology used in the touchpad on most laptops. Capacitive sensing boasts the added security that during authentication a live finger must be used, no fakes or severed limbs will do. So for the ultra-paranoid of you out there, don’t worry about your data being compromised with this fingerprint scanner.

The setup process is simple and painless, just swipe your finger when it tells you!

It even tells you if you are too far to the right or left. It takes a couple tries to get used to the scanner, but once you do it’s a walk in the park. When everything is setup, you will notice a new icon on the Windows login screen instructing you to swipe your finger. You can also configure the Lenovo software to maintain "passports" to websites that require user name/password logins, allowing you to use your fingerprint for any number of protected resources.

X6 Ultrabase
To add more ports, an optical drive, and enhanced functionality, Lenovo offers the optional X6 Ultrabase. Measuring 9.36" x 10.6" x 0.94", the X6 Ultrabase adds 1.48lbs to the X60s. Clearly users will want to use the X6 Ultrabase as a stationary docking station only.

On the right side we have the modular optical drive and lock slot to secure the laptop to the Ultrabase.

The back of the Ultrabase is where things get really interesting. We've got the modem, network, microphone, headphones, parallel, serial, VGA-out, two USB 2.0, and power connections. Phew, that's a busy back side.

Finally on the left side we find a Kensington lock slot, two USB 2.0 ports, Eject button, and Eject latch.

When the notebook is running with the Ultrabase attached, you can use the software to eject the notebook or press the Eject button on the left side. There are two LED indicators, the top one lights up red if the Ultrabase is not ready to be disconnected. When it is ready, the bottom LED will light up green and you can use the Eject latch to properly remove the notebook. You have to pull the latch out rather far to pop the notebook out, it almost feels like you're going to break the latch off.

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It is also worth noting that the the USB ports on the laptop and Ultrabase function together, providing a total seven USB 2.0 ports on an ultraportable notebook! Our only real complaint about the X6 Ultrabase is a lack of DVI. DVI is an option on some of Lenovo's Thinkpad docking stations, but we would like to see a high-resolution-capable DVI out become more standard. People looking to use a machine like this will likely want to hook it up to a DVI-based LCD, and some will even need enough power to push something like a 1920x1200 24" LCD. Such a DVI port should be included on all the docking stations and replace the standard VGA-out on your larger, more desktop replacement machines like the 15" T/R-series and 15.4" Z61m-series.

ThinkLight
The T60 features Lenovo's unique ThinkLight, a small LED light at the top of the screen. This is activated via Fn+PgUp and serves to illuminate the keyboard under low lighting situations. While we found that if there is even a bit of ambient light in the room it doesn't do much, in very low light situations like on an airplane it does improve visibility of the keyboard nicely.

Thinkvantage Productivity Center
This nifty little application is new to the Thinkpad lineup, making it easy for even the most novice user to manage most every aspect of their machine.

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Regular maintenance tasks, system backups, security settings, system updates, and a wealth of information are all accessible from this one little application. Busy business professionals and IT support personell alike will appreciate the simplicity this program offers. Often times IT people work with a number of different makes and models, making it difficult for them to service and maintain all of them with ease. The Thinkvantage Productivity Center puts all of the information they need in a single location, making their job almost too easy!

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Lenovo includes a number of other VERY useful applications, for managing every detail of the machine.

Setup Method

The Thinkpad X60s was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates Intel's Enhanced Speedstep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50% and Wi-Fi were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.

Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.

• Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
• Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.

Bapco MobileMark 2005 is the latest version of the premier notebook battery life and performance under battery life metric based on real world applications.

• Office Productivity: The workloads in this category model a mobile professional at a fictitious automobile company. The worker creates documents using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, accesses email, and creates graphics and animation with Photoshop and Flash to include in a multimedia presentation. An Internet browser is used to view presentations. The user also invokes file compression and virus detection in the background.
• DVD Playback: The DVD playback 2005 workload is based on a 1 hours 55 minute movie that BAPCo has created from content provided by BMW®. The DVD playback test starts the movie playerapplication, sets up a full screen playback, and the loops over the content on the disk in the DVDplayer. This playback will continue until system shutdown at battery depletion.

3DMark 2001 SE PRO build 3.3.0 measures graphics performance by benchmarking the CPU, memory, and graphics through a series of 21 tests, including simulated games, theoretical tests, DX8 feature tests, and image quality tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark 2003 build 3.6.0 measures DX9 performance through a series of 3D game based sound, graphics, and CPU tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark2005 build 1.2.0 is a graphics intensive benchmark best suited for the latest generation of DirectX 9.0 graphics cards. It combines high quality 3D tests, CPU tests, and is the first benchmark to require Pixel Shader 2.0 support, making this a highly stressful 3D benchmark.

PCMark 2005 Advanced build 1.1.0 is the latest update to Futuremark's popular overall system benchmarking program. The 2005 version adds multithreading, DirectX 9, Windows Media Player 10, virus scanning, High Defintion video playback (WMVHD), and a vast number of other tests to its suite. Testing your computer's CPU, RAM, hard drive and graphics card, PCMark05 drives your computer to the max to determine its strengths and weaknesses.

Configurations

Specifications	Lenovo Thinkpad X60s	Lenovo Thinkpad X41	Toughbook W4	Latitude X1
Processor	Intel Core Duo L2400 (1.66GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, Dual Core)	Intel Pentium M 725 LV (1.60GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)	Intel Pentium M 753 ULV (1.2 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)	Intel Pentium M 753 ULV (1.2 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
Front Side Bus	667MHz	400MHz	400MHz	400MHz
Chipset	Intel 945GM	Intel 915GM	Intel 915GM	Intel 915GM
Wireless LAN	Lenovo a/b/g II Bluetooth Wireless IrDA Sierra Wireless*	Lenovo a/b/g II Bluetooth Wireless IrDA	Intel PRO/Wireless 2915 ABG 802.11a/b/g	Intel PRO/Wireless 2915 ABG 802.11a/b/g
LCD	12" XGA TFT LCD (1024x768)	12" XGA TFT LCD (1024x768)	12.1" XGA Anti-Glare LCD (1024x768)	12.1" WXGA LCD (1280x768)
Hard Drive	80GB Toshiba MK8032GSX 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA	60GB Hitachi 1.8-inch 4200RPM 2MB Cache	40GB Toshiba 2.5-inch 4200RPM 2MB Cache	60GB Toshiba 1.8-inch 4200RPM 2MB Cache
Memory	512MB DDR2 667 PC5300 SDRAM (1 x 512MB) in Single-Channel Mode CL 5	512MB DDR2 400 PC3200 SDRAM (1 x 512MB) in Single-Channel Mode CL 4	512MB DDR 400 PC3200 (1 x 512MB) micro-SODIMM in Single-Channel Mode CL 3	768MB DDR2 PC3200 SODIMM in Dual-Channel Mode CL 4
Graphics	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Graphics Interface	VGA-out	VGA-out	VGA-out	VGA-out
Optical Drive	CD-RW/DVD-ROM (Ultrabase X6)	CD-RW/DVD-ROM (Ultrabase X4)	CD-RW/DVD-ROM	CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Modem	Integrated V.90 Modem	Integrated V.90 Modem	Integrated V.90 Modem	Integrated V.90 Modem
Ethernet	10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet	10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet	10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet	10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet
Audio	AD HD Audio SoundMAX AD1981HD	AD SoundMAX AD1981B	Intel High Definition Audio (ICH-6)	Intel High Definition Audio (ICH-6)
Audio Interface	Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support	Microphone, mono speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support	Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support	Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support
Ports	3 x USB 2.0 Cardbus Plus Firewire 1394 SD Card Reader	SD Card Reader 2 x USB 2.0 PC Card	SD Card Reader 2 x USB 2.0 PC Card	SD Card Reader Compact Flash FireWire 1394 3 X USB 2.0
Weight	3.46 lbs. with 8-cell battery	3.1 lbs. with 8-cell battery	2.8 lbs. with 6-cell battery	2.5 lbs. with 3-cell battery
Size (W x D x H)	10.5" x 8.3" x 0.8-1.1"	10.5" x 8.3" x 1.06"	10.6” x 8.3” x 1.0 ”-1.8”	11.26" x 7.7" x .98"
Operating System	Windows XP Pro w/SP2	Windows XP Pro w/SP2	Windows XP Pro w/SP2	Windows XP Pro w/SP2
Battery	5,200 mAh	7.800 mAh	7,800 mAh	4,800mAh (6-cell)

Performance

Bapco SYSmark2004SE

Internet Content Creation

Having a dual core processor clearly makes a huge difference in SYSmark2004SE. None of the previous ultraportable notebooks we reviewed featured a dual core processor, mainly Low Voltage and Ultra Low Voltage single core Pentium M's.

Office Productivity

Again the Core Duo leads, although by less of a margin as the Office test is more single-threaded oriented.

Total Score

Overall we see the expected correlation, with the dual core systems outpacing the "older" Dothan core by a large margin. With a 15W TDP, respectable 1.66GHz clock speed, and dual cores, what's not to like about the L2400 processor in the X60s?

PCMark05 Advanced
Once again we have a very one sided set of results. Performance was ahead in every category with the X60s, thanks to the latest mobile platform and a top notch hard drive from Toshiba.

Here are the associated scores:

PCMark05	Thinkpad X60s	VAIO TX	Thinkpad X41	Toughbook W4	Latitude X1
CPU	3867	1864	2496	1933	1779
Memory	2676	1829	2171	1891	1818
Graphics	887	550	650	569	575
HDD	2984	2247	2509	2013	2019

and the PCMark05 Advanced Overall Score:

PCMark05 shows the clear differentation between single and dual core processors here, on systems that all use integrated graphics. No longer do you have to have a slow system to enjoy great battery life.

Multi-Tasking Performance

We added these tests for a better way to compare dual core systems. Looking at numerous testing methods and results, we found the existing SYSmark2004SE benchmarks to be an excellent choice. The tests are easily performed and repeatable, providing a consistent and simple way to test dual core systems. The three sub-tests below show a noticeable correlation in CPU and memory performance, the two most important aspects of a multi-CPU system.

HP Pavilion dv1000t : Core Duo T2300 (1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache, Dual Core), 1GB DDR2 533 RAM, 100GB Fujitsu MV2100BH 5400RPM SATA HDD, 14" WXGA, Intel GMA950

Acer TravelMate 8204 : Core Duo T2500 (2.0GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache, Dual Core), 2GB DDR2 533 RAM, 120GB Seagate 5400.2 5400RPM SATA HDD, 15.4" WSXGA+, 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1600

Bapco SYSmark2004SE

3D Content Creation

"The user renders a 3D model to a bitmap using 3ds max 5.1, while preparing web pages in Dreamweaver MX. Then the user renders a 3D animation in a vector graphics format."

These tests will show some interesting results, as we have three dual core systems with three different amounts of system RAM. The 3D Creation benchmark doesn't show much of a difference between the 512MB RAM of the X60s and the 1GB in the dv1000t. The TravelMate 8204's 2.0GHz processor is what allows it to pull ahead, although the 2GB RAM doesn't hurt.

2D Content Creation

"The user uses Premiere 6.5 to create a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into Photoshop 7.01, modifies it and saves the results. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using After Effects 5.5."

This test is more memory dependant, giving the advantage to the 2GB-equipped Acer 8204. We can see a clear difference between the Thinkpad X60s and the dv1000t, thanks to their memory differences. While we found the X60s to be pretty smooth in general usage, it should be clear the 512MB RAM inhibits its performance.

Web Publication

"The user extracts content from an archive using WinZip 8.1. Meanwhile, he uses Flash MX to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed using Windows Media Encoder 9 series in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches in Dreamweaver MX and the system is scanned by VirusScan 7.0."

Lastly, this test pretty much repeats the 3D creation spread. As you have seen in previous reviews where we compare single core against dual core processors here, the multi-tasking advantage of dual core is huge. The over 300MHz advantage that the Acer notebook has over its competitors here doesn't make the largest difference in , but RAM certainly can make a huge impact. C'mon Lenovo, who puts 512MB RAM in a $2300 notebook?

3D Performance

3DMark 2001 SE

3DMark01 is generally CPU limited, but not quite so with the integrated graphics on show here. All of the X60s' competitors here use Intel's GMA900 graphics, showing only the Thinkpad X41 pulling ahead due to its faster Pentium M 1.6GHz processor. The X60s' Core Duo processor isn't what allows it to lead the pack, but instead its more advanced GMA950 graphics.

3DMark 2003

3DMark 2003 is entirely GPU limited here, as we see little difference among the GMA900 notebooks and again the X60s' GMA950 leading.

3DMark 05

3DMark 2005 is 100% GPU limited in all but the NVIDIA Go7800GTX, which isn't featured here. Again we get the results expected: the GMA950 is faster than the GMA900, regardless of CPU.

We were unable to run 3DMark 2006 on the Thinkpad X60s due to it being limited to a 1024x768 resolution. 3DMark 2006 has increased the standard test resolution to 1280x1024, thus results at 1024x768 would not be comparable to other results.

Battery Performance

Battery performance is one area where the Thinkpad X60s truly excels, mainly thanks to its Low Voltage Core Duo processor. You will see a second score listed under the Thinkpad X60s, representing the battery life when the X6 Ultrabase was plugged in. The DVD Playback test has only one result, as the Ultrabase must be used to have an optical drive for media playback.

This score is truly amazing. The combination of Intel's excellent low power platform, the 15W Core Duo L2400, small 12" LCD, and 75Whr battery allow for over nine hours of battery life. Obviously real world performance will vary, but a score of 9:11 on the Reader test is unparalleled. The X6 Ultrabase depreciated the battery life by a bit under an hour, still resulting in over eight and a half hours of battery life.

While we were previously ecstatic with test results of over 6 hours on the other ultraportables, the Thinkpad X60s puts them all to shame. Even doing battery-draining tasks working with Office and running virus scans yields over 8 hours of battery life. Since the system is already busy running different applications, there is less time for system components to go into power saving modes and thus the X6 Ultrabase only loses 14 minutes of life.

Here we see the Thinkpad X60s fall quite a bit in battery life. If the X60s had an integrated optical drive, we would probably see less of a drop here; from 8-9 hours down to below 6 hours is quite a fall. Most likely since the X6 Ultrabase was actively being used through its optical drive, there was no chance for power savings modes to activate. You still have time to watch 2-3 hours though, very respectable regardless.

Conclusion

Pros:

• Extremely thin & light
• Excellent built quality
• Long battery life
• Dual Core
• 2.5" hard drive
• Quality keyboard
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• Firewire
• Ultrabase X6 docking station adds optical & more ports

Cons:

• Palm rest gets warm
• No touchpad
• Expensive
• No DVI on Ultrabase

Recommendation
Dual core performance, 1.1" thick, and only 3.46lbs with 8-9 hours of battery life is what we call an ultraportable powerhouse. Intel's top notch mobile platform and Thinkpad design ingenuity have come together to make what is arguably one of the best ultraportable machines out there. The use of Intel's Low Voltage 1.66GHz dual core processor eliminates the days of yore when a power thrifty notebook had to be slow as well. Lenovo also managed to squeeze in a 2.5" hard drive for the ultimate flexibility in storage options, eliminating the use of the small capacity and slow 1.8" drives. Add in an 8-cell battery that gives 8+ hours of battery life and integrated EVDO wireless, and you've got one robust mobile platform.

Enlarge Image

Now that we're done singing the X60s' praises, it isn't quite meant for everyone. First and foremost, cost will prohibit your average user from wanting to pick this model up. Our model runs $2,299 including the optional X6 Ultrabase with CD-RW/DVD-ROM. The X60s line starts at $1,799, while regular X60 models begin at a more reasonable $1,399; more on the X60 in a minute. The particularly sad part about any X60/X60s configuration is that you can only get 1GB system RAM with $2400-$2500 models. With 1GB DDR2 667 SODIMM modules starting around $80 consumer prices, we really think Lenovo should kick in some extra memory on the lower end systems. While we understand the bottom line is important in every company, even the most spend-happy shopper will scoff at getting 512MB RAM in a system that costs more than two grand.

Editor's Note: At the time of writing, Lenovo is offering a $200 mail-in rebate on two of the lower X60s models. You can get an X60s with 512MB RAM, 60GB hard drive, fingerprint reader, Intel wireless, Bluetooth, 4-cell battery, and 3 year warranty for $1,599 after rebate. For $200 more, you can get a model that adds the WWAN and an 8-cell battery.

What will also deter some people is the lack of a touchpad. While this writer enjoys pointing sticks for the most part, some people are resigned to using one pointing device and only one. Serious multi-taskers or those who delve into graphics will want a higher resolution screen as well. While I would drool over a high resolution 12" panel, most people won't and thus we probably won't see that anytime soon. Those looking for more screen real estate with a small laptop should check out the Sony VAIO TX's 13.3" WXGA screen in our Ultraportable Roundup. Our last stickler is a more minor one, but we would like to see DVI connections become more standard soon, particularly on the Ultrabase. People wanting to use this as a primary machine will want to connect this to a home monitor, and for professionals that probably means a large, high-resolution, DVI-enabled LCD.

Now some of you are asking, what about the Thinkpad X60? For those who want a small notebook that has the potential to be even more powerful, albeit with less battery life, the X60 may be up your alley. The X60 uses only regular voltage Core Duo processors, mostly the T2300E 1.66GHz (31W TDP). These models should get a fair amount less battery life than the X60s. Lenovo's numbers call for up to 8 hours on the X60s 8-cell, while the X60 8-cell is rated up to 7.8 hours.

As a matter of rough comparison, HP's T2300-equipped dv1000t got about 4 hours of battery life with a 43Whr battery. This estimates to about 10-11W average power consumption with a more power hungry display than the X60; accordingly we'd hazard to guess an X60 will still see around 7 hours of battery life with the 8-cell. While somewhat thicker and heavier, the X60 is a better bargain and can be equipped with faster Core Duo processors. Starting at $1,399, the X60 could almost be called an ultraportable bargain. The lack of an optical drive until the $1,899 model makes me hesitant to say that with certainty, but regardless it is a good option to consider.

Despite the high price tag and low standard memory, you get an unbeatable combination of performance, portability, and battery life. Serious users looking for a serious laptop should take a long, hard look at the Lenovo Thinkpad X60s. Accordingly, Laptop Logic is happy to award the Lenovo Thinkpad X60s our Editor's Choice Award.

Availability/Warranty
The Lenovo Thinkpad X60s (model 170466U) is available now for $2,299 in the United States. The default warranty coverage is for three year parts and labor, one year on the battery. Thinkpad X60s models are available starting at $1,799; X60 models are available starting at $1,399.