Core i7 620 in x201- this doesnt make sense??

For a $100 upgrade, the 540M and SSD would be much better than a 620M and HDD.

 

$100 for a SSD upgrade is pretty cheap and considering the CPU upgrade gives you almost no noticeable real life advantages, it's still a better proposition.

 

That's a matter of opinion. I'd personally go for an i7 now and SSD later as LeMarcus suggested. More future-proof that way. Nobody may need an i7 now, but it could come in handy down the road.

 

But the point is there is no way to order an i7 now, so sad. Hope it will show up again soon next week.

 

If you don't think SSD is worth the cost, the i7 wouldn't be either. Honestly, the idea of future proofing in computers is a weak one. In the future, the i7 will not give you any significant benefits over the i5 in any situation.

 

get i7-620m and update to ssd later this year.

 

I use MATLAB, which can be much more CPU intensive than Excel. From reviews and user experiences, the difference in calculating power is minimal between the two. There are several threads in the hardware subforum particularly. The i5-540M, i7-620M, and i7-720QM have roughly the same performance in even multithreaded programs (heck the i5-520M also is at least 90% as fast as the above three). The additional clockspeed and extra cache yield a few percent higher but actual calculations aren't scaled up linearly comparatively (slightly less), so the difference isn't that significant compared to the relatively large increase in cost.

 

Good news: X201 with core i7 appears in Lenovo Canada again.
Bad news: still not available in Lenovo US.

 

Canada's reward for winning the gold in hockey?

 

is your calculation dominated by matrix multiplies and also is your calculation in single or double precision?

 

I got the 640LM in my tablet. It's positively flying!

 

You're bringing back memories of Fortran! The version I used would overwrite constants if a matrix went out of bounds. It causes no end of grief when the value of a constant changes!

 

The W510 model basically has the same chassis as the T510 and it has a 720QM quad-core cpu. From my personal experience the W510 is pretty cool most of the time unless I stress it for more than 3 hours or so. So the T510 should have the ability to accommodate CPUs with larger TDP（45W in this case, without graphics). I hope that answers your question.

Anyhow, I believe the I7-620m should be more than enough for most peoples' needs. This is a laptop we're talking about, not a desktop replacement. If there's anything that needs to be improved, it should be the GPU (which is why I opted for a W510)

 

Same here. I want a bigger SSD (320gb at least). Hence, I'll just wait until they come down in price and slap one on. Cheers.

EDIT: Woops, just realized that I just bumped an old thread, lol.

 

..... interesting... so what you are writing this program for..

 

I would challenge that. T510 I've had a chance to see, had non copper heat sink. I would assume it's because of integrated GPU and i5. So, heatsink should be checked 1st if it will handle heat...

 

I noticed after reading down through this thread it seems VERY focused on the CPU. The problem with the X201s isn't the CPU. It's the GPU and the price.

But you are paying for the slim and light form factor. Too much in my opinion.

I'd get the Sony Z instead.

 

But you're paying more for the Z. That's fine if you want to game, but ThinkPad buyers for the most part are not gamers.

 

Yeah, would be nice to have an option of w510 with an integrated card. Or T510 with a quad CPU.....

 

Yep, the current production T510 models have a slightly different heatsink assembly than the W510, one difference being the metal used. The chassis itself is the same though.

 

Actually, a loaded Sony Vaio Z and the ThinkPad X201s are priced nearly identically (from my spot checks). They are both right around 2k and you get more for the money with the Z.

 

I bought the x201s when it came out for about 1.5k after tax. This included a 4 year warranty.

 

When your hinges break or the internal components fail with the least little bump, you'll wish you'd gotten a Thinkpad.

 

Yea, that I've heard. Don't get me wrong, I'm a ThinkPad guy all the way. I just wish some of the top x201s machines weren't so darn pricey and for the love of god, dump the Intel GPU.

 

I didn't go for the "s". Mine's a regular X201 and I'm very happy with it. Also, the new Intel HD GPU (5700MHD) is actually pretty good for integrated graphics. They say it's about double the power of the "old" 4500MHD that came with the Core2 Duos. I can do more gaming with it than I thought I'd be able to. But, of course, forget about recent high-end games like Modern Warfare 2.

As for price, I paid about $950 + tax & shipping and I have the i7-620m, 4 GB, 320GB-7200rpm. No webcam but I did get the Intel 6200 wireless card which works great with either Windows or Linux. I got $200 off with a coupon I found online.

 

Well that sounds a bit selfish, don't you think? What If I don't need extra GPU power and heat?

It's all about choice.

 

It's all about the targeted market. The Sony Vaio Z is targeted towards consumers and businesspeople who want an all-around powerful machine for multimedia, portability, and very fine looks. The Thinkpad X201s is especially targeted towards business "road warrior" users who need a lightweight computer with a very long battery life but have no intensive multimedia purposes.

Besides, for all intents and purposes outside of gaming, the X201s' Intel graphics are more than enough.

 

That a pretty good deal. I could put up with the Intel GPU at that price.

 

You might find a coupon Here, or you can search the web. If you couple a coupon with a "Limited Time Offer" you can get a pretty good deal.