Laptop for college, X220 vs. T420

So I'm currently on the search for the perfect laptop for me to take to college. The choice to get a Thinkpad is a no brainer, me and my family have used them my whole life, (my dad has worked at IBM for 35 years).

So I'll start with what I'll use it for. Basic word processing, powerpoints, videos, occasional gaming, etc. Just typical school usage. I will not be doing any video editing or CAD, etc stuff.

My main requirements are performance and battery life. I want to be able to take my laptop around campus all day without having to plug it in once.

Both the X220 and the T420 come in to be around the same price with the specs I'll get, (i7, 8gb ram, 320gb 7200rpm hard drive, web cam, fingerprint reader, etc, basically fully loaded)

After reading countless reviews, I'm torn. The X220 would definitely be more portable and the battery life would be perfect, however I'm worried that because of the size It might not be too comfortable to type and work on for long periods of time.

The downside for me of the T420 series is the battery life and size. It obviously isn't as portable as the X220.

My main question is, what do you guys think? Do you think the X220 would be fine for typing long papers on? Or do you think getting a T420 with a 9-cell battery would be a more viable option? After doing the pros and cons of both its pretty hard to decide.

Thanks!

 

T420 is more practical for school IMO.

 

i vote t420 also..with the HD+ resolution

 

X220 is what I would choose.

We can go ahead and exclude the power of the machine, both would be more than sufficient. The only advantage I see the t420 has is the higher resolution/screen.

If you require multiple pages side by side all the time like me I think it would have to be the t420, most people just need one page fullsized so the x220 would be good enough. My friends have no issue with 1024x7XX-something, I would consider them normal people. I had a terrible time with that low of a resolution, so it really depends on the person. Coding writing using multiple open pages side by side is impossible on a 12 inch.

 

What makes you say that? The screen size, etc?

 

The question is, what would you use the laptop for in class or at the library?

If it doesn't require viewing multiple documents side by side, you would have no need for 1600x900. It'd be nice, but not needed. For taking notes in class, the x220 is more than enough.

Just get an external monitor at your dorm, and go w/ the x220.

 

I'm going into my senior year of college and I just ordered the X220. I'll have a 24" monitor at my house so the resolution won't bother me (I hope). I'm coming from a Dell E6400 with 14.1" 1280/800 resolution so it should be similar to what I currently have except that it will be much more mobile.

 

If you're going to use it in a lecture hall at all, then I'd highly suggest the X220. My X120e is far more convenient than my T500 to bring to class and use to take notes. Even though the T420 is smaller than the T500, the horizontal width is a bit of a problem when using it on the tiny lecture hall seat tables.

 

Yeah I'm coming from a Thinkpad SL400 with 1280/800 resolution so I also figured the x200 wouldn't be that big of a shock to me.

Anyone think that the T420s would be a good option? the 1600x900 screen yet it seems to be pretty light and portable. Only thing that worries me is battery, yet I could get that optical drive battery thing that they offer for it.

 

Mostly screen size/resolution.

Anecdotally almost everyone I know that has/had small laptops hated doing school work for them and ended up either getting larger ones or borrowing other peoples or not using them for school work.

 

This! I have a 23" monitor in my dorm room that I hook my X200 (not the X220 but same series) up to when I need a bigger screen. I had a T400 that seemed to get bigger and bigger as the semester went on which made the X2xx series more attractive.

I love it now and don't regret getting one

I get comments on how great the keyboard feels to type on and "how cute!" from people who sit near me. The external monitor makes more sense if you're going to take a break and watch videos with friends and want to open two documents side by side and view comfortably also.

 

+1 for the X220. I'm moving to it from a T400. Frankly, it's just a chore to carry around a notebook that big and heavy. After using a X200 (which I sold in anticipation of the X220) for a couple weeks while also having the T400, I knew there wasn't any going back. Imagine how convenient you think it might be to move around school with a notebook as small as the X220; it's 2x as good. And really if you pair it with a dock and external monitor at home, it's a win win. Lastly, don't forget about X220's IPS screen vs. the mediocre screens 14" T-series always get.

 

Prior to getting my T410 last year, I had a netbook. My productivity of doing work has increased greatly by going from a smaller screen to a larger screen. It definitely makes reading on the screen a lot easier as well as having the ability to place documents side by side. I, too, was deciding between the T410 or X201 last year. Ultimately, I decided on the T410 for its better resolution and screen. In addition, I had planned on replacing the Ultrabay DVD drive with a second hard drive and purchasing an SSD which I've recently finally done.

However, with the T420 and X220 this year, I find the decision much harder. The X220 has a way better battery life than the X201 and there's the option of the new slice battery increasing battery life up to 14 hours. If you plan on working in the library a lot, I would get the T420 for it's larger screen. Make sure to get the HD+ option and probably the 9 cell battery. However, if you plan on using a dock and/or external monitor, then the X220 might suffice. I go to a small school so walks to the library and class buildings aren't too hard and I'm not stuck in lecture halls. The only time I wished I had a smaller laptop is when I'm on an airplane. If you go to a larger school and/or commute, the X220 might be something you want to consider for work in large lecture halls where space is limited and to limit the amount of weight you're carrying.

Good luck on your search.

 

My vote would be for the X220 - for ease of moving, and for ease of use in a lecture hall (and in cattle class!) go for as small as you can with a great screen.

W/T520 is the best machine in action, but as a moving workplace is not ideal. It is not a machine you can carry around without knowing it is there. The longer the day becomes and the more trips one does the bulkier and heavier it can feel. In lecture theatres, as in cattle class, big screens can be awkward. But the FHD T/W520 provides the best possible working environment, once seated. Nothing beats a high PPI screen for word processing and images. Once setup so the fonts are correct size, it is a wonder how clear text is! You can work away all day on a piece of text without any eye strain, as if writing/reading paper text.

For a middle-ground compromize go for the T420.

All the options can run on battery all day doing standard web/word-like things, with the right battery choices and power settings. If you expect to be an indeterminate time away from mains supply, or don't want to carry an adaptor brick, an insurance would be to carry a spare battery as well.

 

As some have recommended, I would personally opt for the X220 and combine it with a larger external monitor when you are in your dorms. It's just easier this way.

My personal preference though would remain with the X201 (despite the average lower battery performance as compared to the X220) because of the screen res.

 

I think I would go x220 as well. I have an x120e and have done quite a bit of typing on it. Not bad at all. The power sounds similar (though the upgraded graphics of the 420 might sway me). The extra portability is great. With an external display you can have a break from the small screen (and with DVD drive a speakers something to watch movies on). Even on my x120e the keyboard is just about comfortable enough to type all day. Only the shape of the palm rest needs improvement and this doesn't apply to the x220.
I would suggest you use the weight savings to carry an extra power pack. With the Lenovos you can set the battery to charge to something less than full (I use 85%). This will preserve battery life vs a full charge every day. It takes about an hour to take my computer from 10% to 85%. Even if it only lasts half a day I can always get some power in at some point (if I were a student that is).

 

definately x220.
the t420 us too heavy to lug around every day.

 

I'm going to college next year, and I was deciding between x220 and t420 as well. I decided on the x220 since it's over a pound lighter. My thoughts are that even with a 1600x900 panel, you can't really use 2 documents side by side, so it doesn't make sense to be lugging around something that much bigger. 1366x768 is good enough for just one window, if I need more I'll plug it into an external monitor.

 

X220 with external display. This would be the ultimate setup. When at your home/dorm you could use the x220 screen and an external display side by side which will get you tons of room to do work and on the go, the x220 should be awesome with its amazing weight and battery life and not to forget the IPS display.

The T420 display is horrid and its too heavy and bulky to move around everyday.

 

1600x900 is enough to do side by side documents. I used to do it with my 1400x1050 screen. It is sometimes tight but it can be done much of the time. Will you need to do it if you have an external screen in your room? That I can't say.

 

I personally find 1680x1050 side by side documents a bit uncomfortable, but maybe that's just me :shrug: It can be done, but I guess the question is how productive are you really going to be away from your desk? I wouldn't bet too much on a laptop.

 

Productivity away from the room is hard to say. Some will study in their dorm just fine. I didn't have a laptop so I was home if I needed the computer but these days I think one of the great things about a laptop is working where you want, not just in one spot. That's the drawback to relying on the second screen. If most of the time you will use it, great. If you will rarely use it then you don't gain much by having it. When you study with others will you need the extra screen space? Most likely not but I don't know. To be honest, I don't know which I would be.

 

if you get a T420, you wont need an external monitor, if you get the X220 you would need one. But that setup is more ideal, because with the T420 you always have to compromise.

 

If you didn't use an external monitor with the T420 you'd have the higher res all the time, but you'd be stuck with the crappy screen quality all the time as well. With the X220 + external monitor you'd have good screen quality all the time, and lower res only some of the time (and a much larger screen and higher res the rest of the time).

 

Whats your budget on this? How are you planning on using it? Etc.

The thinkpads dock super easily, so take that into account. If you're going to be at home alot (dorm/apartment/whatever) would you consider getting a set of USB keyboards/mice/mic/etc and a monitor? If so, I would go for the X220, as then you get the best of both worlds. You get the ultraportability and battery life of the X220, but then you have your desktop keyboard/screen when you get home.

If you're on the go alot (studying in the library or whatever), or purchasing a monitor/keyboard/etc is out of the question, then maybe go for the T420. Personally, I'm going with an X220 and then buying a displayport->HDMI adapter so I can hook that thinkpad into what I have now. (17" laptop hooked up to 32" screen, along with keyboard and mouse and externals. It essentially works like a "dock" because I only have the HDMI cable, power cable, and a single USB to unplug to remove my laptop.)

 

This isn't necessarily true. Depends on what his major is. I'm a computer science major and even with my 17" laptop's 1920x1200 screen, I still need to tack on a second 1080p monitor just to work effectively.

 

would only be power cable and HDMI if mouse/kb was wireless

 

Well, that single USB cable connects to a hub that connects to everything else I have. Keyboard, Mouse, phone sync cable, external hard drive, laptop cooler, etc.

 

im not sure if you "need" to, i have many ex university mates who got along just fine on a relatively basic laptop. Of course high res+ an external monitor will help, but taking notes in class or getting some stuff done in the library or even just chilling surfing and chatting in starbucks, you can definitely live with an ultraportable during these moments, unless you do like 50% of your work outside your dorm/hall/rented room.

a game development studio (facebook games, so no fancy graphics) i did some consulting for had X200's docked with dual displays for all of their developers. I'm betting the developers had another monitor at home to dock with.

 

Well then the definition of need here is dependent on the user. I'm used to having a large amount screen area. While programming, I 100% utilize all of both screens. Could I get away with alt-tabbing? Probably. Is it faster with 2 screens? Sure!

Questions to ask yourself OP: What screen resolution/DPI are you currently working with. Compare that to the X220/T420. Are you alt-tabbing alot? If so this could be an indication that you need more screen real-estate. Take that into consideration. Are there any applications in which you find yourself scrolling back and forth alot (reading through a super long paper doesn't count.. I'm talking about like.. scrolling left and right just to view a diagram, etc)? If so, when do you plan on doing these activities that require more screen space? If its on the go, then ask yourself: Will a T420 screen suffice for that? If not, stick with the x220.

Long story short, just because the T420 has a larger screen, doesn't necessarily mean that it will suit your needs. Don't sacrifice the size and battery life of the X220 for nothing.

 

Once you go multimon, it's hard to go back.

If I was doing a lot of development and had to use a single machine, it would have a 15" screen at least.

 

I can't agree more. However screen size really isn't the problem. The actual number of pixels was what always bothered me. (I guess I'm going to be going blind early then ) I personally don't think I'd mind a 1920x1200 screen on a 12" laptop.. However I can NOT stand the like.. 36" monitors that some of my friends have that are only 1680x1050.

 

here's to hoping there will be a 1600x900 screen for the x220

 

First off, I'd suggest reading through this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/573177-x220-t420.html

My own experience is the following:

1. While at university, I had an X40 and absolutely loved the low weight and small form factor. However, I did most of my more demanding work (including longer working sessions) either at a desktop/workstation or with an external monitor. That was necessary.

2. I spent the last 2.5 years working as a consultant, travelling a lot and working in a thousand and one different places. I had a T61 (1440x900) and never found it too heavy, nor did I ever feel the need to hook it up to an external monitor (though one time I really wanted more vertical real estate, and arranged the setup in the image below).

In other words, I think you should definitely go for the X220 if you'll be able to do the bulk of reading and writing on an external screen (or another computer). If not, the T420 is your choice. Or at least it would be mine. =)

-----
When widescreen just won't cut it...

 

Come on Lenovo, make that X320 and solve everyone's dilemma.

 

Yeah, a 13" Thinkpad would be perfect.

Right now I'm pretty set on getting the x220. I'm going to school to study Finance and Entrepreneurial management, so do you think I would need an external display for any of the work i'll be doing? It's not like I'm going to be doing any coding or anything like that.

 

I'm not sure what you'd do in school studying something like that, but during my stint in management consulting, I spent quite a bit of time juggling large (sometimes huge) Excel models. Friends in investment banking say it's even worse there. It is kind of nice not having to constantly scroll back and forth when looking at large amounts of data. So if you think your schoolwork might involve big profitability or valuation models or other stuff like that, then yeah, you might want a big screen. =)

 

Why not wait and see? Get the computer now (and an external DVD burner). Once you have used it for a bit then you can decide if you want a second screen.

 

I can tolerate coding on a 1366x768 screen, though I prefer something larger. I can't handle large spreadsheets at that resolution. It's a scrolling nightmare.

 

Good points.. I am planning on getting a certification in Investment banking/real estate investment...So dealing with spreadsheets will probably be common practice.

Well great, now I'm torn. But after reading all of the negative things about the T410 on the forum, getting a T420 worries me.

 

We have had two T410s in my office. Both were well liked. Still, I think the 220 and an external 1920x1080 screen would be a good combination.

 

I'm in this boat, too, as a vetmedical student. I use a Lenovo u450P 14 inch laptop right now, and hate the quality of the build. However, I really enjoy having my big screen to have an open powerpoint on the left and my typed Word notes on the right. Using OneNote, the bigger screen is useful for those days in which I am in class for 8+ hrs and I can have a browser open on one side so that FB is available when lectures get rather boring =) I'm planning on going with either the X220 or the T420, and was leaning towards the X220 until I realized how much of my typing work is done in cafes, libraries, or in class. I cannot study at home very effectively, so owning an external monitor does little for me.

My question is how big of a difference in length is there for the palmrests between the X220 and the T420? It feels as though my current Lenovo has an adequate 3.5-4.0 inches of palmrest (not sure of the real #s). If the X220's palmrest is reasonably sized for long typing sessions, that would put it over the top above the T420 for me.

 

If you really don't think that you will be doing any real work outside of your dorm/apartment then yes, I'd agree going X220 w/ monitor is a good option. If you are going to be doing anything outside of home (library, coffee shop, etc.) then I want to say again, that the T420 is definitely far more practical for school.

 

What the hell are you talking about? Heavy and bulky to move around? I've got a 9cell T420 and carry it just fine to class every day, ride around on my bike, etc...unless you are a complete weakling I wouldn't call a sub 5 pound notebook heavy and bulky. As for the screen, thats subjective, as I guess is the weight...I find my screen more than adequate for taking notes in class.

OP, what do you need an i7 for? None of your listed applications warrant going with a more expensive processor.

 

@stackPointer2.0: Back in my day.. we had to carry 50lb laptops 200 miles to school.. on foot.. in the snow.. uphill both ways... quit yer whining.

 

I carry a T420 w/ 9-cell on my bike to class every day, definitely not bulky and heavy (unless you're a malnourished geriatric).
The screen is very easy on the eyes to stare at painfully boring notes for hours on end every day.

 

One of these I presume, although I thought the one I used weighed only about 35 lbs.

Back to the present day: Many students discover that the books weigh more than the computer, but it all adds up to more weight.

John

 

Those of you complaining about working with the X220 res for spreadsheets realize that you can adjust the scaling within Excel and accomplish the same thing, right..

 

I'm not going to get into an argument with you about my physical strength but I can assure you I have no problems carrying 5 lbs and I expect most other people would not either. My issue with the T420 is more its size. Currently I have a R61 14.1 with a 6 cell (x220 on the way), I expect its dimensions are similar to the T series. Some people like me carry around lots of other things around campus and to work, and the extra size of the T420 along with a giant battery certainly adds up. It makes little sense to claim that the T420 is perfectly convenient to carry around, it is clearly a compromise in mobility to get that higher resolution display. If all you carry around is your laptop or you don't move around as much, it may be fine, but this really depends on how the person plans to use it. For any person who requires absolute mobility the T420 is far from ideal, but perhaps the T420S could be a good compromise there.

Indeed the T420 screen is adequate, but for anything beyond doing work, it is a noticeably inferior display.

 

Good point..zooming out in excel allows you to see like 30 rows down easily even on a crappy resolution monitor.