Quick impressions of the Lenovo W700ds portable workstation
One thing I can state for certain, the Lenovo W700ds instills a sense of wonder when it’s first unboxed and set up on a table. There is just so much to this massive notebook that I feel a lot like a kid in a candy store. It’s hard to decide where to start. I have been working with this thing for a few hours now and that sense of wonder is still surrounding me. The W700ds is unlike any mobile computer I have ever used before, and it is frankly awesome. Continue on past the jump for some quick impressions I have gained from those few hours of wonder but first here are the specs of this tank:
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Core Extreme QX9300- 2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz, 12 MB L2
- OS: Windows Vista Business 64
- Displays: 17-inch WUXGA (1900 x 1200) 400 NIT + 10.6-inch WXGA (768 x 1280) (slide-out)
- Graphics: NVidia Quadro FX 3700M (1 GB dedicated VRAM)
- Memory: 4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz (2 DIMM)
- Pointing device: trackpad (2 buttons), trackstick (3 buttons)
- HDD: Raid configured 2-250 GB (5400 rpm), 500 GB total
- Optical drive: DVD (Blu-Ray optional, not tested)
- Expansion slots: ExpressCard, Compact Flash, 7-in-1 memory card
- WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n (WiMAX optional, not tested)
- Web cam: 1.3 MP
- Ports: 5- USB 2.0, Ethernet, modem, Firewire, VGA-out, DisplayPort, Dual Link DVI
- Battery: 9-cell
- Dimensions: 16.1 x 12.2 x 1.6 inches; 8.3 lbs.
Retail price of unit as evaluated- $4,989.
It’s not a surprise from those impressive specs that this PC is the fastest Vista computer I have ever used. The quad core processor, massive memory and all the other components deliver an instantaneous response no matter what I am doing. The Vista Windows Experience Index is the highest I have ever seen on any device- 5.9!
Take these following quick impressions with a grain of salt given my short time with the Lenovo but rest assured there will be more information shared as I spend more time with it.
- It’s really, really big! This is not intended to be a real notebook, rather a mobile workstation. This makes it very versatile as you can pack it up and take it with you should you need to do so. You’re not going to throw this in a bag and take it to the local coffee shop. OK, I’m pretty sure I will do that at least once.
- It is great having a number pad on the keyboard.
- The trackpad is really tiny and hard to get used to. It is as small as most netbook trackpads which feels strange. I prefer the trackstick for mousing around the two screens.
- It is very strange that the aforementioned trackpad/ stick are not centered. This is due to the Wacom digitizer pad that occupies most of the right half of the palm rest.
- I can’t get used to that digitizer, I keep trying to use it as a trackpad and it only works with the digitizer pen.
- I also can’t get used to using the pen. Being a tablet guy I keep wanting to pen the screen, not the pad on the keyboard. It’s much harder to use than I like.
- The slide-out display is great for displaying gadgets, email window, explorer folders and the like. It is also awesome for displaying palettes for programs that have floating palettes. That keeps the main display free for detailed work.
That’s it for now, I’ll be doing a video of the Lenovo W700ds to show you how awesome it is for all kinds of things soon.
dude, since you guys first reported on this thing i have wanted it. im into netbooks right now (im actually using one right now)but this has got me back into thinking about the advantages of a 15.4″+ screen
Notebooks this large and expensive generally find two buyers – gamers or power users. While workstation products focus on display accuracy and openGL horsepower, I find gaming notebooks more attractive as they also provide better sound systems, do multimedia better and can provide the ultimate mobile PC gaming and entertainment experience, while getting your work done too.
Sager has notebooks that are just as, if not more powerful, user configurable and cost less.
$3800 buys a Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708 with the same QX9300 quad-core, three graphics cards, SSD drive and 5-speaker harman/kardon surround sound.
Check out the review at my blog:
http://lgponthemove.blogspot.com/2008/11/first-impressions-toshiba-qosmio-x305.html
Actually, this type of computer is specifically directed towards, designers, photographers and video editors, hence the Wacom panel. It’s not a gamers machine, although it’ll work. I have been in awe of this machine since it was announced, until I heard about the price and the screen. It displays 70% of the Adobe RGB colour space which is very good (compared to the average Laptop at 45%). But the Sony AW series can display 100% which is better. And it’s over 1K cheaper, has a bigger screen, card reader. I ended up getting the Sony (index score 5.8) and couldn’t be happier. The Sony also has a stupid non centered trackpad. Don’t know why. Drives me a bit nuts.
For sure the Lenovo is a simply awesome machine but it’s going to be hard to justify the cost to even the most demanding photographer/designer when you can get a machine like the Sony for so much less money. Even after buying a small external tablet and a calibrator (the Lenovo has a Huey Pro built in) it’s still waaay cheaper. The Huey Pro calibrator is a cheap unit to buy but a very expensive add on for the Lenovo as is the wacom panel. I’m also not entirely convinced about the usefullness of the slide out screen. But that’s more a personal thing.
Gordon
The slide-out screen seems to me to be the standout productivity-enhancing feature of this thing. Photoshop work, with the controls and stuff shoved onto the secondary screen leaving just the workspace on the large screen, would seem like a no-brainer. Same goes for just about everything – email and productivity apps, put the email up on the side screen, and so forth.
More than one screen is the single best productivity raiser anyone can do, IMHO, when using only one screen. That extra slideout one is an awesome feature. Sure, you can add an extra screen to any laptop, but this one you always have it with you, even when moving the machine.
The cost of this unit is ridiculous, though. I can’t imagine there is a huge bunch of heavy Photoshop users who need to move around a lot – and such users would be much better served by a killer desktop with a couple of 30-inch screens and a full-size Wacom.
I can see professional photographers could benefit from this system. They wouldn’t carry it around much but could if needed.
I can’t wait to let my brother see this thing. He’s a professional draftsman who lives in AutoCAD and he got excited when I described it to him. He can see a big benefit from the digitizer and the second screen in his work.
Hi James, You thoghts on the digitiser and the AutoCAD comment above caught my eye. I just blogged some thoughts on this, based on web impressions only, in a post about “My perfect [design] PC”;
http://rcd.typepad.com/rcd/2009/01/my-perfect-computer—part-1—it-comes-out-of-the-closet.html