Is this a good deal on the X220? And some questions.

I can wait about a month before ordering. Do you guys think a better deal will come along before then?

Also, I'm worried about a couple things, maybe someone can put my mind to rest.

1. I'm used to a 15" laptop (with the same res), will I have a super hard time adjusting? I'm worried 12.5" will be too small but I really want a nice matte display. I've used a vaio z at 1600x900 and that gave me eyestrain, but I think it was more the res at that screen size since 13.3" seems fine at 1366x768 res.

2. Lack of HDMI. I love to watch movies and streaming media to my TV. I saw something that the intel wireless cards has widi, does this work well? Can it stream 720p flawlessly? Which one should I get? How about displayport, if I get an adapter will I notice a difference between that and HDMI, does audio go through it or do I need another cable?

3. I'm used to a chiclet keyboard, how hard will it be for me to adjust, is the keyboard very small?

4. I can get by without the webcam and I tend to push large files wirelessly a good bit. Would I notice the difference with the 3 x 3 antenna? Do I still get the thinklight? If it isn't much of a difference I would prefer to just have the webcam built in.

Here is the configuration I am looking at. I don't run virtual machines or encrypt stuff, do I need the upgraded processor? I may get a vidock though for gaming in the future. I'm also thinking about dropping the bluetooth since I don't really use that. Thanks for any help!

System components
Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.5GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
720p HD Camera
320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
ThinkPad Battery 29+ (6 cell)
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

Estimated total after memorial day coupon: $974.27

I'd like to pay <900, so I was thinking about dropping bluetooth and and processor upgrade. Should I just wait for a better deal or is this good? I'm not really sure which wifi card to get either, like I said. I suppose I could drop the fingerprint reader and webcam (kinda want those though), and get the 3 x 3 and an intel wireless card that has widi (which one?).

Thanks for any help!

 

1. There is not that much difference between 13.3 and 12.5 so you should be fine. It's large enough to work on at a desk or in the lap but if you plan on, say, keeping it on the coffee table while you sit in the couch it may be a bit small. Otherwise it's a great screen all around.
2. I don't know about widi but DP>HDMI cables work fine. Just make sure to get one that actually sends audio as well.
3. The keyboard is the best I've typed on on a laptop. It only took me a day until I was faster with this than my old chicklet HP.
4. I've only tried the 2x2 antenna that I have but it's fast enough for me. I havent plugged in a cable since I got it even though I have one already plugged in to the router drawn right to were I usually work on the computer.

I can't say anything about the price because I live in Sweden and that's what a cheap crappy laptop costs here. I payed about 1030€ for mine including taxes, delivery, swedish keyboard and a DP>HDMI cable (that does not pass through audio). But that was just because I'm a student, otherwise it would have been a lot more expensive.

 

Comments added to your post.

 

Thanks for the responses, they were very helpful! I think I may indeed go ahead and drop bluetooth and the processor upgrade there to get the price down to ~910 without tax/shipping. I still haven't heard anyone say whether or not this is worth getting or if I should wait a little bit and see if I can score one a bit less. Thanks again.

 

Here's what I'd do:

Make any changes to the system that you'd like to make; in short, configure a system that you're happy with. Then go through the ordering process, but on the last screen before you confirm the order, instead click "Save as Price Quote". You then can purchase the configured system at this price for up to 30 days, after that the quote expires. But that would allow you to wait up to a month to see if better prices emerge.

 

Firstly, I also had some questions about the X220, and I received a lot of informative replies (awesome forum). Possibly you will find some nuggets in there:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...uld-i-get-x220-plus-some-other-questions.html

I was also concerned about the resolution. But now that I have my X220, I realize it's fine. I had played with the MBP and was concerned that I would miss the extra vertical 32 pixels, but I'm not. And, a higher resolution on that screen size would mean the fonts becoming even smaller, which would not be good. But the 12.5" screen and the wonderful matte IPS display rock. I was showing my friend some stuff on the X220 tonight, and we could both easily seen the screen from different angles. And the quality for viewing photos is excellent. Love it.

There for sure are displayport to hdmi cables as the other poster said. I'm not sure about the widi, but am interested in finding out as well.

I also was wondering if the legendary keyboard would live up to it's billing. It does. It rocks. I love typing on that thing. And the trackpoint is amazing also. One thing I didn't like was that I kept hitting the function key instead of the control key. But I found that you can swap them, and problem solved.

Dunno, sorry. But I'm sure that all thinkpads have the thinklight.

Good luck!

 

Looks like Lenovo is extending their current crappy memorial day sale till June 1st

 

The prices can't always be great. If Lenovo doesn't make money they go out of business, then you've got no ThinkPads to buy.