Lenovo X220 questions

Hey guys, I'm finally about to purchase my X220.

I'm having trouble deciding whether to go for the i3 2310 or i5 2410 though. The lenovo website doesn't mention anything about turbo boosting the 2410, can anyone confirm or deny this? As It wouldn't be worth it if it didn't turbo boost.

Also I'm ordering in Canada, a rep over the phone told me that the best deal he could give me was the student discount plus the visaperks discount. Has anyone gotten better than this in Canada? As I can order it right online if that is the case and not have to deal with a rep.

Also, what upgrades are worth the price? I know that the ram is not, as I'm going to buy 8gb for 80 bucks. But do you think the fingerprint reader is useful? Also I'm on a timecapsule (airport) wireless in my house, is it worth it to go for the intel 6205?

Thanks!

 

The i5-2410 does indeed have turbo boost. Only if you need to run CPU intensive tasks will turbo boost make any difference, even then it will be marginal at best. I went for the i3 because the i5 cost $90 more and I didn't think it worth $90 given my usage.

I don't know much about deals in Canada.

Personally, I don't find the fingerprint reader useful, but some do. It's more of a convenience feature if you ask me. I went with the ThinkPad card. I've used many cards over the years and they all seem about the same to me. If you benchmark them, then perhaps one will score a little better than the next. If you transfer lots of data over the network or have dodgy reception, there may be some difference, but I've not seen much data on the ThinkPad vs Intel cards, though it probably exists somewhere on the Internet.

 

You might find this thread useful:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/580066-thinkpad-x220-i5-2410-x-i3-2310-a.html

 

Thanks, just another question, do you know if the X220 will be able to play Everquest 2?

 

I've heard reports of it playing SC2 on low-medium so I assume EQ2 should be fine, tho maybe only on low also.

 

If you're a light user the i5 doesn't make too much of a difference. When the upgrade is cheap I usually suggest going for it, but you don't absolutely need to.

I would suggest getting the IPS display though (labeled "Premium HD display") if it fits in your budget. It has super-wide viewing angles and presumably better color reproduction, when compared to the regular screen.

 

Though it is a 90 dollar upgrade now, I think it is well worth it as you can't upgrade x series processors (they are BGA soldered onto the motherboard). i5's do have an advantage over i3 in single threaded applications.

Adunno how one can buy an x220 and not get the IPS option.

 

Hmm, too many choices now lol. I know I'm going to get the IPS display even though I will be using it with my 24" Samsung at home mostly.

What would you guys recommend? Getting the most upgrades as I can or getting a dock and such? I have a feeling that it is going to be to upgrade but may as well ask. Do you know if it's possible to add in the bluetooth card later on? I don't use any bluetooth devices now even though my phone is bluetooth I use a cable to sync it as it is much faster IMO. I also use a wired gaming mouse, and I have a USB hub at home. I may as well stay with the thinkpad card for now as well I guess, because I can upgrade it later. So it looks like I should go for the best processor, IPS, and webcam that fits in my budget. I'm planning on buying 8gb of Ram from NCIX so that should not be an issue.

Also does anyone know if there is anyway to haggle the reps down past the education discount and Visa discount in Canada?

 

I would get at least the minimum Intel wireless card available. IMO, driver support is better; you can always go direct to Intel for driver updates.

ZaZ, I would agree that earlier ThinkPad a/b/g or a/b/g/n solutions weren't bad, but they were Atheros-based. The current ThinkPad wifi is Realtek; I've had signal strength and driver support issues with the Realtek wireless chipsets I've worked with.

 

On the US site the price difference is $45 between i3 and i5. I think it would be worth it.

 

I got the Realtek card as I'm cheap. We'll see how it goes. I can always upgrade the card down the road if need be. I've seen a few realtek cards. They seemed fine to me, but your usage may effect the outcome. I mean I mostly only use mine at home and work, where I've never had a problem with any card.

 

Broadcom and Realtek drivers aren't as bad as they used to be, and Atheros drivers have actually been flakier recently, in my experiences. It's that kind of unpredictability that makes me stick with Intel.

I can't fathom getting an X220 without going IPS, and I'd get bluetooth even if you don't have an immediate use. Since you're looking Intel 6205, you can get the webcam, and there's really no reason not to since video chat is getting more common.

The fingerprint reader is pure convenience, assuming Lenovo isn't using a model with live finger detection yet. I haven't seen any mention that they are, so I doubt it. It's incredibly easy to beat your average reader these days, so typed passwords utilizing full disk encryption and TPM is the route to go if you want security. If you just want a password manager that can utilize a finger swipe in place of the master password, then it's something to consider.

 

The difference between the i3 and i5 is $100 here in Canada, and IPS display is $135 with my student discount. I think what I'm going to do is go for the stuff that is not easily user upgradeable, and then as I get more money upgrade the other stuff. Given the large price difference do you still think it is worth it for the i5? If I was to go for the i5 2520 it would be approx $150 difference.

 

I think that's a good way to look at it.

 

Now I just have to make sure I want the X220 over the Alienware m11x...