Thinkpad X61 or X201?

[Nadav Erez]

I'm looking for a cheap school laptop and found these two. Both will suit my needs, I just need to know to which extent.
The X61 is 50$ cheaper than the X201.
-Which one has better battery life (if they both have >6.5~7 hours, it doesn't matter).
-Does the performance gap between the i5 and the Core 2 Duo justify the 50$ price difference?
-Will 3GB of RAM (max amount on X61) be enough for school and very very light gaming?
I realise this is a pretty long question, and apologise in advance.

 

[Guest]

-Which one has better battery life (if they both have >6.5~7 hours, it doesn't matter).

As neither is new it really depends on how the batteries have been used in the past. Can't say

-Does the performance gap between the i5 and the Core 2 Duo justify the 50$ price difference?

Yes

-Will 3GB of RAM (max amount on X61) be enough for school and very very light gaming?

Again, yes

Personally I would go with the X201. In terms of specs/performance/future proofing it has a good few years of life left in it. The X61 is edging obsolete right now.

 

[Nadav Erez]

-Which one has better battery life (if they both have >6.5~7 hours, it doesn't matter).

As neither is new it really depends on how the batteries have been used in the past. Can't say

-Does the performance gap between the i5 and the Core 2 Duo justify the 50$ price difference?

Yes

-Will 3GB of RAM (max amount on X61) be enough for school and very very light gaming?

Again, yes

Personally I would go with the X201. In terms of specs/performance/future proofing it has a good few years of life left in it. The X61 is edging obsolete right now.

Thanks a lot! About the batteries; the battery in the X61 is new, and I can purchase a new battery for the X201. How will the battery life be with new batteries?

 

[Guest]

Dont know - lenovo website should have answers there. All I can st is i'm typing this on a X230, an ultraportable i5 pretty close specs wise to the x201, i get around 5 1/2 - 6 hours of 'business' (word/excel/web) use from a 2-year old battery.

 

[Nadav Erez]

Dont know - lenovo website should have answers there. All I can st is i'm typing this on a X230, an ultraportable i5 pretty close specs wise to the x201, i get around 5 1/2 - 6 hours of 'business' (word/excel/web) use from a 2-year old battery.

Thanks! One last question, though- what, do you estimate (or remember) the battery life on your X230 when it was brand-new?

 

[Guest]

about 8 - 8 1/2 hours or so. Lenovo claimed 9.9 hours but manufacturer battery lifw is always a little exagerated.