ThinkPad users tend to be less concerned about their laptop's performance than about its usability and battery life. That's a good thing with the X230. Its 87 score on WorldBench 7 is merely okay--a reminder that even Ivy Bridge can be weighed down by excessive background software. The profusion of branding apps and software utilities on the X230 makes it the first laptop I've ever seen that had 100 running processes right out of the box. The X230 perks up considerably when you use the Windows startup configuration tools to trim the number back to 50 or 60.

Gaming is not the X230's strong suit. Frame rates from the on-chip HD 4000 graphics are better than what we saw from the HD 3000 in this class CPU, but they're still not adequate for serious modern games. Games are playable (barely) at 800 by 600 resolution, but that's the limit.

ThinkPads have always been more than the sum of their parts, and the X230 is no exception. IT departments and fans will love the laptop and the vast array of support and warranty options that come with it. There's nothing here to disturb the continuity of the X line. For everyone else, this machine deserves some tire-kicking, especially with regard to the addictive keyboard. But its profile and appearance may not meet modern expectations.