Quick impressions of the Lenovo W700ds portable workstation

cimg12801One 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!

w700ds-wie

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.

 
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