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    Lenovo Thinkpad X220 for engineering

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Arsh231, Jun 13, 2011.

  1. Arsh231

    Arsh231 Notebook Guru

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    Would the Lenovo Thinkpad X220 suffice for electrical engineering? I am in the market for a laptop with alot of battery and that can fulfill my multimedia needs, HD anime, HD films and gaming. I know there is a section decated to this but i want to ask the people here since i am looking towards this laptop...
     
    Arsh231, Jun 13, 2011
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  2. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    one word YES see sig. I run alot of CAD/CAM apps on mine. gaming will be a bit weak as the IGP is about the same as the Nvidia 320/9600 discreet card

    but it does game good on medium to high settings depending on the game
     
    KCETech1, Jun 13, 2011
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  3. AESdecryption

    AESdecryption Notebook Evangelist

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    I'd recommend the T520 for the ability to power 4 displays at a time (otherwise I would recommend the W520), more than ~6.5 hours of battery life, same FHD 95% gamut screen as the W520 (very bright since it lit my room like the sun at night), and the extreme robust and durability that comes w/ Thinkpads. It would be nice if you had a discrete graphics card helping you w/ CAD when your work would demand it.
     
    AESdecryption, Jun 13, 2011
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  4. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    520 dont have the same battery life if thats important to the OP, and the 220 drives tri 1080 screens fine with something like a matrox triplehead to go

    the IPS screen in the 220 is still sharper and better color than the 520 95% screen
     
    KCETech1, Jun 13, 2011
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  5. serialk11r

    serialk11r Notebook Consultant

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    I'm not totally sure, but I have a crapload of friends doing EE and no one has ever mentioned the need for lots of graphics power or running lots of displays. If you ever need the power, just stick a good graphics card into a budget desktop build, or use external GPU.
     
    serialk11r, Jun 13, 2011
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  6. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    agreed. and for now nothing says battery life like the 220, its why I got mine as well.
     
    KCETech1, Jun 13, 2011
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  7. frozenlandscapes

    frozenlandscapes Notebook Guru

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    I don't think it does...

    @OP
    You should give the T420 a look, it's smaller then the T520 but bigger then the x220, it also has discreet graphics that should in CAD applications. And I'm pretty sure you can get around 15 hours of battery life once you put in the slice battery with a 9 cell.
     
    frozenlandscapes, Jun 13, 2011
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  8. kirayamato26

    kirayamato26 Notebook Deity

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    I'm going into computer engineering (and have the same requirements as you) and I got the W520 as it was on sale for 30% off when I got it. Otherwise, I would've picked up the T420. The battery lasts around 7hrs usually, and I can get all the way up to 8.5hrs out of it with just the 9 cell battery. In my opinion, it is not that bad to carry around and it is very lap friendly.
     
    kirayamato26, Jun 13, 2011
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  9. Colonel O'Neill

    Colonel O'Neill Notebook Deity

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    No, and no.

    _520 FHD screen: 141.21 DPI
    X220 IPS screen: 125.37 DPI

    X220 color: As posted here, this. Also, this.
    _520 color: As measured by NotebookCheck vs SRGB, here.
     
    Colonel O'Neill, Jun 13, 2011
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  10. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    strange, I must have got a good one, I have mine calibrated with a Spyder pro at 100% sRGB + 4%

    and my Elitebook hugher yet, I may have to peek at a 520 sometime to see if it will fit into my kit.
     
    KCETech1, Jun 13, 2011
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  11. vinuneuro

    vinuneuro Notebook Virtuoso

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    KCETech1, do you have the analysis of the screen without calibration?
     
    vinuneuro, Jun 13, 2011
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  12. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    I have one at home. once im back I will put it up for you, I could on the other hand give the numbers for my Elitebook tonight
     
    KCETech1, Jun 14, 2011
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  13. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    I used an i1display2 to profile the screen. Then I used a program called Gamutvision, and compared the resulting profile to sRGB.

    I have an NEC ea232wmi (sitting right next to the x220) which is about +/- 4% of sRGB and reviewed here:
    NEC EA232WMi Review

    I can say, with 100% certainty that the x220's gamut is SIGNIFICANTLY compromised in the red and blues.

    BTW: I HIGHLY recommend the nec ea232wmi. It's the best monitor in its price range, hands down.
     
    floz23, Jun 14, 2011
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  14. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    :D
    more curious, I may recalibrate to look but im thinking I have a freak panel or something I have no comprimise in red or blue, granted I dont have the coverage my EB or desktop screens give me but it still covers the full gamut.

    as for the Nec, nice screens but my idiot husband splurged for some Eizo units for me, a pair of ColorEdge CG245W and a CG301W im going to be rude and keep them.
     
    KCETech1, Jun 14, 2011
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  15. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    Even when plotted in 3d space, I think my findings were confirmed with this youtube video: YouTube - ‪Lenovo X220 (IPS) - Screen Gamut vs sRGB - 67,8%‬‏

    Could lenovo really be using different IPS panels of such varying quality?!?!
     
    floz23, Jun 14, 2011
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  16. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    easily, when HP released the DreamColor2 10 bit IPS panels there was alot of varying quaity for the first 6-8 mos. I went through 2 8740W's until I settled on my origional one. Dell seems to be having a fluxuation on the M6400's as well.

    remember Lenovo and Dell are both VERY new to IPS screens in laptops and may take a bit of time to get the kinks worked out and stop wild variations.
     
    KCETech1, Jun 14, 2011
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  17. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    I hate to thread-jack this thread, but does anyone know of a way to determine the make and model of the LCD, without having to take the whole thing apart?
     
    floz23, Jun 14, 2011
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  18. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    KCETech1, Jun 14, 2011
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  19. mikesta21

    mikesta21 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I only have a spyder express.. how can I test my x220's gamut and screen quality when it arrives? How can I make sure its not a dud :(

    @floz: also how is the hp zr24w vs your nec monitor? any opinion? I am looking for an IPS monitor for photoshop use w/ my new x220 :D :D
     
    mikesta21, Jun 14, 2011
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  20. erik

    erik modifier

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    the NEC PA301W is hands down the best 30" graphics display you can get with native displayport input.   it's the same display as the 3090WQXi save for the updated connections.   if you're getting paid for your "photoshop work" then you owe it to yourself to use a large display.

    every notebook display is a compromise when it comes to color quality since notebooks use 6-bit hardware, including the venerable dreamcolor panels as confirmed by photos posted on various sites showing a 6-bit panel driven by an intermediate controller card used to generate a simulated 10-bit experience.

    with that said, i always grab the X220 when i know i'll be working with color and have always found IPS to be much more forgiving than even the 95% FHD TN display in the W510/W520.   resolution is a compromise but it's a tradeoff i'm willing to make.   the X220 is powerful enough for autodesk inventor 2012, autocad 2012, photoshop CS5 extended, and anything else i've thrown at it as long as i'm reasonable with the work being performed.   a complex enough part or assembly in CAD can give the HD 3000 graphics a small wake-up call but it's certainly no worse than an entry-level discreet card like a quadro 600 or 2000.   most of my CAD apps are direct3D rather than openGL, making a variable in how things can ultimately perform.   i suspect openGL performance might not be as good (CATIA, solidworks, pro/E, etc.).
     
    erik, Jun 14, 2011
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  21. lead_org

    lead_org Purveyor of Truth

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    lead_org, Jun 14, 2011
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  22. aXit

    aXit Newbie

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    @op

    I'm doing electrical engineering, and I recently purchased an x220.

    To be honest, it's perfect for me, small and light enough to take to uni every day, without the charger (that's like 3hrs of transport and 7 hours of uni)

    I use altium designer extensively, and it runs brilliantly on it, screen area can be annoying, but all the integrated scroll features work perfectly, and it actually processes big changes better than my home PC that I do final collaboration on (24" monitor solves the screen real estate issue). Sandy bridge is good for anything with MATLAB, spice, or logic simulatons. Keyboard is great for coding. And it runs a ubuntu VM perfectly.

    Overall, very happy with the laptop. Now all I need to do is find a good multi-desktop program, that integrates with the back/forward keys that I never use in the browser.
     
    aXit, Jun 14, 2011
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  23. bogatyr

    bogatyr Notebook Evangelist

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    If you need higher resolution but want to maintain portability, I would also suggest looking at the T420s - with the ultrabay battery.
     
    bogatyr, Jun 14, 2011
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  24. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    The NEC monitor I cited is good, mainly for the fact that it was produced to cover almost all of a standard sRGB gamut. It is not an extended gamut monitor.

    If you do choose to get an extended gamut monitor, I suggest you begin to research all parts of your work-flow to make sure they're all color managed properly. The hardest thing, I've found, is color managed video editing, and playback.

    Also, here's the review on the HP unit.
    http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/hp_zr24w.htm

    That same site has the review for the NEC too. Read them both, look at the prices, and make your decision.
     
    floz23, Jun 14, 2011
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  25. Arsh231

    Arsh231 Notebook Guru

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    How fast is the core i7 Intel Core i7-2620M Processor? Wow i did not notice there are two different version to the x220 ( tablet and non tablet). I would like to make my purchase today... i have decided on a lenovo but not sure which one. i want to get the best i can with $1300 lol. Battery life has to be about 8hours size no bigger than 13 inch. Is the x220 the best option for me? I want to be able to run all electrical engineering software, Hd anime and light gaming. Screen beuty would be a plus... Please and thanks
     
    Arsh231, Jun 15, 2011
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  26. EZjijy

    EZjijy Notebook Geek

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    You will most likely not notice a difference between the i5 and the i7.
     
    EZjijy, Jun 15, 2011
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  27. vinuneuro

    vinuneuro Notebook Virtuoso

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    You will if they don't fix the throttling issue in the i7.
     
    vinuneuro, Jun 15, 2011
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  28. Arsh231

    Arsh231 Notebook Guru

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    hmmmmm is there a problem with the x220
     
    Arsh231, Jun 15, 2011
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  29. vinuneuro

    vinuneuro Notebook Virtuoso

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    Only the i7-2620.
     
    vinuneuro, Jun 15, 2011
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  30. Aluminum

    Aluminum Notebook Consultant

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    Only if you can tie the vendor internal part id to a sourced part id in some document or picture (like parts sellers)

    No such luck for the x220 screens yet, but pretty sure the ips is an LG panel.
     
    Aluminum, Jun 15, 2011
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  31. vinuneuro

    vinuneuro Notebook Virtuoso

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    Use Hwinfo32. The IPS screen is LG, model LP12W5H2-SLB1.
     
    vinuneuro, Jun 15, 2011
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  32. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    LG or not, I want to know if there are x220's with better ips screens out there. Mine is coming in at less than 70% sRGB :-/
     
    floz23, Jun 15, 2011
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  33. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    Yep, same as mine:

    Monitor Name: LP125WH2-SLB1
     
    floz23, Jun 15, 2011
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  34. Arsh231

    Arsh231 Notebook Guru

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    um i am a little worreied how fast is the i5-2520? Is it comparable to my pc intel core i5 cpu [email protected]? So how intense can i get in auto cad on this? i just want to be able to keep it for three years which fufills my diploma and then i will most likly upgrade when i transfer...
     
    Arsh231, Jun 15, 2011
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  35. DStaal

    DStaal Notebook Geek

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    According to the specs, it's comparable. Slightly slower base (clock) speed, TurboBoosts to about the same speed. And it's a generation newer, with the newer design.

    If your current i5 is fine, I'd have no worries with this one. But I wouldn't expect a huge performance boost either.
     
    DStaal, Jun 15, 2011
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