Lenovo 4287-2WU ThinkPad X220 12.5 Notebook

I'm also thinking about getting the
Lenovo 4287-2WU ThinkPad X220 12.5" Notebook at JR.com: Lenovo 4287-2WU ThinkPad X220 12.5" Notebook PC in PC Notebook Computers

But, before I buy...does anybody know where I can find instructions (hopefully with decent pics) on how to replace the hard drive and the RAM?

And, is it possible to get it without MS Office 2010 pre-installed?

 

The X220 is a good computer if you get it in the right configuration, but don't buy the model of the X220 they're selling you in that link, because it has the bad screen.

If you get the X220, you need to make sure you're getting one that has the IPS screen upgrade, not the default screen. While the default screen has poor contrast and produces very dull-quality images, the IPS screen is one of the best quality screens available in an ultraportable. It's a $50 upgrade if you order from Lenovo's website. The IPS screen makes more of a noticeable difference than any other upgrade.

Lenovo - Laptops - ThinkPad - X Series- X220 (US)
- First scroll over to Display and select the "Premium" display (2x2 antenna version).
- Valid CPU choices: i3-2350M, i5-2430M, i5-2520M. Don't get the i5-2540M or i7-2640M, they generally aren't worth it.
- Use coupon code LOGICBUY10

 

Check out this website: Service Videos

Click on CRU Removals/Replacements and choose the part you want to swap.

 

4287-2WU does not have the IPS.

 

Great, thanks for all the info!

I figured I'd wait until after Christmas to see if that's a good time to buy since everyone always says the real low prices come out after Christmas.

 

Wow! Looks like they made it easy to access the RAM sticks and the hard drive, which are the only two things I'd want to upgrade.

I read that the hard drive slot height is 7mm instead of the standard 9.5mm that most all other laptops have, so I'll watch for that.

Does anybody know if they have a 10k drive to fit this laptop, or should I stay with the 7400rpm drive?

 

Unless you need WWAN, I would suggest getting the mSATA. It plugs into the miniPCI slot on the motherboard. It's the best of both worlds as you get a SSD as the main boot drive, which is fast, then a platter based drive in the main bay for storage where performance is not as much of an issue.

It's not a great time to be buying a hard drive right now because of the flooding in Thailand. I bought the Hitachi 500GB Z5k500 for $60 in August. If you can find one, it'll probably cost at least double that. I would suggest getting the 320GB 5400RPM drive Lenovo is offering on the X220 and adding the mSATA. You can upgrade down the road if need be.

 

Stay with 7200rpm or get a SSD.

 

So, how big can SSD drives be these days?
And, has their longevity improved?

If I order the laptop with the SSD drive, I could add an additional drive that would be mSATA? What'sd the largest mSATA available?

And, I noticed that installing an mSATA takes out the mobile broadband card. Is a mobile broadband card what is used to connect to the net when your away from Wifi or wired internet connection as in connecting to the net via something similar to a cell phone? If so, I don't really need that.

If I'm understanding this correctly...I could use the mSATA SSD drive as my "C" drive, or primary drive where Windows and all my programs are loaded...and then have a standard mechanical drive for data storage...is this correct?

I found a 500gig Hitachi 7mm drive at
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/17/hitachis-7mm-thick-hard-drives-grow-to-500gb-keep-slimline-pro/

Would this work for the mechanical drive upgrade?






.

 

I think the biggest mSATA drives right now are 120GB, but you could probably get by with a 60GB drive for the boot drive.

WWAN connects your PC to the cell phone network. You will need a plan($$$) from your cell company to get access. You're right in that you can't use WWAN and the mSATA drive at the same time.

Yes, use the mSATA(C:\) for speed and a platter drive for storage.

That is the right drive, but as I said they're expensive right now, which is why I suggest you get the one from Lenovo at the moment, then upgrade down the road when the prices are better.

 

Is it possible to use an Acronis image to restore the OS to the SSD drive?

That's what I do on my desktop anytime I need to change out my C drive, which is a standard mechanical drive as I simply pop in the new formatted drive, then use the recovery disc to access the drive image for the restore which has always worked perfectly for me.

I was reading that I'd have to do a clean install if I changed the C drive to SSD...which I'd like to avoid if possible.

If not, I may just upgrade to the 500gig Hitachi 7mm drive and partition the drive so I can have about 200 gigs for the C drive and 300 gigs for storage.

 

OK, just so I'll know...which X220 model has the IPS Screen?

 

I'm wanting to go ahead and get the ThinkPad X220 with the IPS Screen and with i5 CPU, possibly the i7 CPU if I can find it at a good price.

Since Christmas is coming up, I know there are going to be some sales on laptops, and I hoping that between Christmas and the end of the year, I can find a really good deal that beats the price that can be had buying firectly from the manufacturer.

I know about http://www.JR.com, and http://www.NewEgg.com, but does anybody know of any other online retailers I should be watching?

If anybody happens to hear about a sale for this unit, can you please post it here. I'm subscribed to this thread and will get an email upon each reply.

And, thanks for all the great info on this laptop!

 

Concerning RAM...wouldn't it be better to get 2 DIMM versus 1 DIMM...wouldn't 2 DIMM mean two channels?

I'd like to end up with 8gigs of RAM...so which is the best way to accomplish that...buy it with 8gigs or buy it with 4gigs and upgrade later?

And, does the 9 cell battery fight nice-n-tight on the underside...or does part of it stick out over the edge?
If so, I'd want to go with the 6 cell.

And (sorry 'bout all the questions...) this laptop does come with a built-in CD-ROM drive, right?



.

 

you should get the 4 gigs aftermarket if you want to save a bit of money.

 

I think your best bet is to keep an eye out for Black Friday deals on lenovo.com. They typically have decent coupons come out.

Also, I went back and forth between i5 and i7 and came to the conclusion that it didn't make sense to pay 25% more to get 10% more performance in ideal CPU-intensive situations. That's just my 2 cents.

 

Try buying one with IPS screen during the Black Friday promotions or off Lenovo's outlet: Lenovo Outlet - Home page - Discounted Laptops, Cheap Laptops, Refurbished Laptops, Discounted Desktops, Cheap Desktops, Refurbished Desktops.

 

Buy it with the cheapest amount of memory possible and upgrade yourself. You can find 8GB kits closer to $30 than $40 these days.

The 9-Cell battery sticks out a little on the bottom and a fair bit in the back. The 6-Cell battery only sticks out a little on the bottom.

The 220 does not have an optical drive.

EDIT: I decided to merge both of your 220 threads. Please try to keep it together and avoid multi-posting.

 

Here's the X220 I ordered a while ago, it has just shipped.

Core i5-2430, 12.5'' IPS, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD, 6Cell, Intel 6300 and 3 year warrenty + 3 year TPP, total is $949, with tax it's just over $1000, then with AMEX the total came out to be $887, which is not bad. It could have been better because I missed the free upgrade to 6GB RAM, bluetooth and 9cell.

 

You can either configure it on Lenovo's web site. It's the LCD denoted as 'Premium'. If you're looking at buying a pre-configured model, look in the tabook for the machine type. It will say if it's the IPS or not.

 

That's a good deal...where did you order that from?

Also...since this one has no CD-Rom drive, is there a way to make the system look at a thumb drive to boot from first before it looks at the C drive?

Reason I ask is because I'd like to be able to use Acronis to restore the system in the event of hard drive failure so I don't have to do a clean install which takes up way too much time and effort.

 

F12.

 

OK, I forgot about that...just go into boot menu when starting the laptop and choose which drive to boot from.

Thanks!

 

From Lenovo website, found a 12% coupon that worked in Barnes and Noble pricing page.

 

Can the IPS screen also be described as "HD"?

 

Yes, but basically any resolution typically used in a screen larger than 10" is classified as HD. The term is useless.

 

Forgive my thread-jacking question, but are all X220 tablet screens IPS?

 

Yes.

In fact I'm pretty sure most, if not all convertibles have IPS or at least something close.