Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Ultraportable Notebook

by Michael Lin — Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 08:08 AM EDT

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Upgrade Options & Docking Station

As is the case for most ultraportable notebooks, upgrade options for the X200 are fairly limited. There is only one removable panel on the back of the notebook and it hides a pair of DDR3 SO-DIMM slots. Our sample came with a 2GB single stick which left the second slot open and ready for upgrades. The position of the SO-DIMM slots make them very easy to access and upgrading the memory couldn't be easier.

The hard drive is accessible from the right side of the notebook. A single screw secures a small plastic panel that hides the hard drive, a standard 2.5" SATA unit, which can then be slid out from the side of the notebook. A 54mm ExpressCard slot is located on the left side of the notebook for additional expandability.

The hard drive is mounted in a 2-piece rubber mounting bracket. The rubber helps dampen the hard drive to reduce noise and vibration, it also helps to protect the drive during a fall. A large metal heatspreader is attached to the bottom of the drive. A plastic tab is attached to the heatspreader which is used to pull the drive out of the drive bay.

These are the only easily accessible upgrade options. The processor, wireless adapters and mini-PCI slots are all hidden deep within the chassis and can't be accessed from an easily removable panel.

ThinkPad X200 UltraBase

The ThinkPad X200 Docking Station

The X200 UltraBase docking station is very similar to the one for the X61. It connects to the bottom of the X200 and connects via a docking station connector at the bottom of the notebook. The UltraBase offers additional expandability and features that can come in handy. It has the usual extra USB ports, VGA-out port, microphone and headphone ports, ethernet port and security lock slots. These ports are already available natively on the X200, but their presence on the docking station allows you to connect a monitor, speakers and a set of input devices directly to the docking station. This is really convenient since you won't need to disconnect and reconnect these items from the X200 every time you sit at your desk, just connect to the docking station and away you go.

The UltraBase also supports an ultra-slim, notebook style, optical drive. The optical drive bay supports all 'ultra-slim' sized optical drives from DVD burners to Blu-Ray. The UltraBase also features stereo speakers. This is a great feature since the X200 only natively offers a single mono speaker. It's also fairly light and portable. When connected to the X200, it essentually doubles its thickness.

New for the X200 version of the UltraBase is a DisplayPort digital video output port for connecting modern LCD monitors. The new UltraBase also offers a 2.5" hard drive bay for an extra SATA drive. This is a great feature that will give you additional storage at home, or at work, that you might not need while on the go. The last new feature in this version of the UltraBase is the ability to charge a second battery. There is an slot on the UltraBase that will allow any X200 battery to connect and charge. This is a handy feature to have if you bought a backup battery for your X200.

The UltraBase is an optional accessory that is a great compliment to the X200 for desktop use. It can be ordered for $219, either at the time or purchase or separately.