HP Pavilion dm1z vs. ThinkPad x120e, why I chose the HP netbook

What other systems did I look at before settling on the HP Pavilion dm1z? My research brought up the Lenovo ThinkPad x120e. The x120e is nearly identical to the dm1z. Anyone looking for a system similar to my purchase criteria need only review these two systems as currently there are no other competitors in this space.

Reviews for the X120e are generally been excellent. They all highlight the traditionally great ThinkPad keyboard and pointer nub. The dm1z does not have a pointer nub.

So now I’ll detail why I went with the dm1z over the x120e.

The x120e looks impressive and it is I am sure. First thing is that the x120e pushes Windows 7 Professional. I decided that Windows 7 Pro offered me nothing I wanted over Windows 7 Home Premium so this was a non-factor for me. The only feature I may miss in Home Premium is that it does not offer Remote Desktop Host. Pro has Client and Host while Home has just RD Client. But I will never need to make my dm1z a host I’m almost certain and I read somewhere there’s a hack that allows you to make Home a RD Host anyway. So the x120e advantage here with the OS choice will not influence my decision.

You can see the feature differences between Widows 7 Home and Premium on Wikipedia.

I had already speced and priced out a dm1z configuration that met my criteria (the HP "Base Configuration" worked for me). Then on the Lenovo site I priced out a X120e that was identical to the dm1z Base Configuration. The cost came to $669.00. Way over my $500 limit (this limit was ‘all in’ including tax and shipping).

To hit my under $500 mark I had to do some options tweaking to x120e. I started with the $399 x120e Base Model on the Lenovo site which had these system components

• AMD Fusion Processor E-240 (1.5Ghz, 512KB L2, 1.0GHz FSB) 2.0GT/s
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
• 2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 (1 DIMM)
• 250GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
• ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n

So at $399 I had about $100 to spend on upgrades. Essentially I had to choose from a faster processor, bigger faster disk, more ram, and a 6 cell battery; critical factors for me. I think my ‘decent performance’ criteria would still be matched with the slower processor and slower/smaller hard disk so I left those as is. I need 5+ hours of battery life to hit my criteria so for $50 I upgrade the base to a 6 Cell Battery. But that’s it, all other options where $40 or $50 and with tax/ship that would take me over my $500 limit. There are coupons to get $30 (or a little more) off like I did for the HP so I could’ve bumped the RAM or got the faster HDD and still likely be under my $500 limit, albeit barely.

Now I have my configuration of the x120e and the dm1z that meet my new laptop purchase criteria and I can compare and choose:

• Processor: dm1z better (AMD 350 vs 340)
• RAM: Same (let’s assume I get the 3GB RAM and total right at $500)
• HDD: dm1z faster and bigger disk. I like the faster speed more than the size.
• OS: Same
• WiFi: Same [Not 100% true, see UPDATE #1 below]
• Bluetooth: dm1z has it, x120e in my config does not
• Screen: Same
• Battery Life: Essentially the same
• Weight: Same
• Size: Same
• Keyboard/Touchpad: x120e probably better keyboard and it has a nub pointer
• Price: dm1z cheaper by ~$50
• Intangibles: dm1z looks cooler on my coffee table

So with a $500 spend ceiling the dm1z has better specs and intangibles than the x120e and it’s cheaper. The slower processor in the x120e I had to choose to meet my criteria was a big factor. I don’t need a topped out system but the reviews say to go with the better processor. I could keep the RAM at 2GB and get the faster processor but that would lower my headroom for having open apps. I like to have many browser windows open and some apps up so more RAM won over the faster processor.
Reviews show the dm1z performance as perhaps slightly better than the x120e when they’re configured equally. The x120e keyboard and pointer nub would be nice have’s but these just are not major factors for me.

The engadget review of the x120e said it best, why spend more for the x120e when the dm1z is identical and cheaper.

So I didn’t, and I chose the dm1z with no regrets.

[UPDATE #1]
The dm1z Ralink RT5390 wireless adapter does not support 5GHz, it has a 1x1 2.4GHz card and HP currently offers no upgrade options on their online store. The x120e used to offer a 5GHz WiFi upgrade option for $20. However, it seems that the 2x2 option is no longer available although the x120e tech specs do list support for 2x2 while the dm1z tech specs do not (links to both the x120e and dm1z tech specs available from this page).

I mistakenly assumed 5GHz was supported on the dm1z. I would have still purchased the HP but you need to be aware of this dm1z limitation.

[UPDATE #2]
The Lenovo site is now selling a ThinkPad x120e with a configuration essentially identical to the HP dm1z Base Configuration (the one I chose) for $489.00; with NY tax (and free shipping) that would make it about $530. This is much better than the $669.00 price I was seeing a couple weeks back, but it's still over my $500 limit and nearly $100 more than an identical dm1z. It looks like Lenovo is more aggressively pricing the x120e to compete in the notbook category. This price change is good but I think dm1z is a better deal and perhaps even a better system.