Lenovo x220, i5 vs i7, USB 3.0, mSata and eGPU questions

Hi everyone,
I'm looking to buy a x220 laptop from Lenovo, but I'm struggling to make some decision concerning the configuration.
First of all I'm hesitating between the i5 2520m and the i7 2620m. I know that performance wise they're isn't a huge difference between the 2 processors, but I also know that the i7 version comes with a USB 3.0 port (that the i5 version does not have). Also, I will try to play on that laptop and I know that the laptop comes with the HD 3000 chipset. I know that this is an integrated solution that rely on the CPU to process graphic so I wanted to know if they're was a huge difference between the i5 and i7 version of HD 3000 performane wise.

Also, I heard of some people upgading the RAM on their x220 for an 8GB 1866mhz RAM which gave them a HUGE peformance boost for gaming. I wanted to know if this was possible to upgade to that kind of RAM on the i5 and i7 version.

Also, I might be interested in using an mSata drive on that laptop. I wanted to know if they're was no compatiblity issue between using USB 3.0 and having an mSata drive. I think I heard some report about some problem using mSata with the i7 version.

Finally, I heard about some people using an eGPU setup to upgrade the gaming performance of their x220. Is it possible to have an eGPU setup AND an mSata at the same time? Or do they both use the expresscard slot hence making them not compatible?

Thank you very much! I know my question are probably a little too specific. Also if you didn't understand one of my question dont hesitate to make me reformulate.

Thanks again

 

I wanted to know if they're was a huge difference between the i5 and i7 version of HD 3000 performane wise.

No, there is no difference between the graphics, there is a small difference in clock speed only with the i5-2410m and under.

Also, I heard of some people upgading the RAM on their x220 for an 8GB 1866mhz RAM which gave them a HUGE peformance boost for gaming. I wanted to know if this was possible to upgade to that kind of RAM on the i5 and i7 version.

It is possible, although I am dubious of the "huge" performance increase

 

- mSATA uses a mSATA slot (looks like a wifi mPCIe slot).
- a X220 eGPU instalation uses the expresscard slot

You can certainly run them both concurrently.

Please refer to http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...ards/418851-egpu-experiences.html#post5324240 for some Lenovo X220/X220T eGPU example installations.

 

Thank you very much for the informations. I just ordered a X220 with the i7 Config. I also just ordered an Intel 310 80gb mSata online. Now all I need is some memory upgrade (I ordered the laptop with 2GB).

Do you think the Kingston HyperX 8gb (1866mhz) upgrade worth the 90$ more it cost than a normal G.Skill 8GB kit?

Thanks

 

I really don't know... Theoretically it shouldn't help since the fastest ram the X220 can run is 1333mhz. If you do decide to get the hyperX, please run tests and let us know how it goes

 

People say that due to the fact that the ondie GPU uses the memory as well then their is a big performance boost, but you would be much better off with a eGPU but then you cant game unless you have you eGPU with you and a monitor. But the ondie GPU is not a gaming GPU, the memory will help, but it will still not be very good, will try to find the post where they benchmarked with different memory

Bad and good experience with the HyperX
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/585940-x220-bad-graphics-performance-hyperx.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...ston-1866mhz-amazing-results.html#post7537429

So maybe its a coin toss

 

A 12v/120w GTX550Ti Optimus eGPU setup gives portability and gaming via the internal LCD. lightnica has just implemented that.

 

I haven't run tests with and without, but the x220 runs the hyperx at just under 1800mhz. It was the same price as the lenovo 8gb upgrade from 2gb so it seemed a case of 'why not'. The GPU benchmarks are being discussed and compared in another thread at the moment.

Hope this helps.

S

 

Sandy bridge supports memory scaling to speeds much faster than 1333MHz. Performance doesn't increase linearly though. Check out this article for more info: AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling: Choosing the Best DDR3

 

....or maybe that thread of bad experience was due to something totally different. As resolved in the thread.

S

 

Thank you all for the answers. I will be travelling a lot this year (actually I will be 10 month in Hong Kong for a student exchange), so I don't really see myself keeping a eGPU around for the moment. I will however explore this possibility when I come back. For the moment, do you think HyperX at 1600mhz instead of 1866mhz would be a good compromise? (at 100$ instead of 150$), or do you think that I should stick to the 1866mhz kit for this price?

 

There have been some reports with CPU hitting 90-95C when gaming (was it only the i7?). Should this be the case in your case, I'd reconsider your usage. On the other side, if the integrated GPU (which is there on a CPU) isn't used, maybe the temperatures won't be that high.

 

I chose the 1600Mhz HyperX after reading the article quoted by someone else in this thread. While it will run at 1866Mhz, the performance gain is marginal if there is any at all.

 

Yea when playing games my cpu hit nearly 100C before, but I'm pretty sure without the graphics being used it's a lot better. An eGPU would load the PCI-e controller more but that doesn't use nearly as much power as the onboard GPU.