New secondary laptop: x120e vs x220?

I already have a solid 3d/CAD laptop (Dell m4400) I'm looking for something small and cheap but solid multi tasking and has a COOL TEMPERATURE PALM REST. I will be carrying this with me everyday. I've narrowed it down to the x120e and x220.

New x120e: 380$ with the dual core processor

New x220: 900$ with core i5, IPS screen

Referb x220: Assuming I can actually find it IN STOCK, 495 w/ TN screen. The lenovo outlet is very weird. Literally a second after clicking on the link, I find that the product was purchased or out of stock....

I'd say the only reason for getting the new x220 would be the IPS screen however I don't think it's worth almost double the referb with the TN panel.

This system will mainly be used for word, powerpoint, excel, matlab, a little labview, and lots of web searching/pdf's.

Will the x120e be able to handle my demands? Should I go big and get the new x220 with IPS?

Any suggestions would be great!

 

I just got started on my new x120 (for purposes similar to yours) and I have to say its a very neat little thing. Not sure if the CPU is good for all too complex excel or matlab though.

No temperature problems even while going through tons of installations, updates, reboots.

 

How is windows 7 aero performance? Do tabs in firefox or chrome open smoothly and does the x120e feel as responsive as on your w510 for relatively basic tasks?

 

..checking....
Opening windows and tabs, maximizing, minimize and everything feels smooth. Possibly the GPU is better than the one on the X220 anyway.

Not running windows on any other machine, so I don't know how it compares.

 

I've been contemplating upgrading from my x120e to a x220 IPS, but even refurbished the price difference is difficult to swallow. I particularly don't like the fact my 9.5mm SSD wouldn't fit in the x220.

My biggest beef with the x120e is the crap contrast ratio, gamut and brightness offered by the screen. It's pretty trashy all around, but it is matte so that's one bonus point.

The build quality is good, but it's just a bunch of easily-scuffed plastic instead of the traditional rubberized thinkpad coating on the outside.

Even with an SSD, this thing feels pokey to me for doing anything more than office document work and web browsing.

I think matlab is more CPU than GPU based, so the x220 would be many times better in that regard.

 

That is how I felt about my x100e as it always seemed to perform just below my expectations even with the SSD in it. With a few coupons the x220 can be had for around $700. (i5, IPS, etc.)

 

Keep in mind that the X220 has no trackpad buttons while the X120e does. I have a X220, and I enjoy it except for the trackpad. I played around with the trackpad on the X120e at Micro Center the other day and really enjoyed that much better than the X220.

If only they put the X220's guts in the X120e chassis, then I'd be happy.

 

wouldn't it be easier just to have a updated trackpad on the X220? I think the X220 is one of the best built X series machine ever.

 

THIS. I wholeheartedly agree. The X220 is a fantastic ultraportable that doesn't compromise on power and has excellent battery life. It's the damn trackpad that brings it down, in my book.

(And yes, I have complained many times on this topic and I must sound like a broken record by now, but it's worth letting Lenovo know, on the hope they read forums like this.)

 

Yes the X1 and X220 has the worst trackpad ever..... not sure why integrated buttons were used as it impacts usability.

 

I agree with Lenovo that getting rid of the touchpad buttons were a good idea, but why integrate them into the touchpad? I can count the people I know that click with buttons instead of tap to click with one hand probably, and people who want buttons can just use the trackpoint ones.

Not sure about the X1's clickpad, but for the X220, the X201 touchpad was tiny, and the shift to 16:9 would have made it ridiculously small, so the options would be make it ridiculously small and unusable for moving the mouse around for the sake of buttons, axe it completely, or make it a clickpad.

 

the X220 has a palmrest length of 67.99 mm, while the X201 has a palmrest length of 70.59 mm, pretty much the same. It could of hosted the X201 touchpad design if it really wanted to.

 

If only it were possible to graft on the X201 touchpad onto the X220 chassis...

 

Well originally I purchased an x120e but caved, canceled my x120e order, and got the x220 for 850...I figured that the light weight, good screen, and lack of heat problems will ensure I'll use it for awhile. I can also use an egpu later on for any 3d stuff.

I use the track point exclusively on my dell precision m4400 so I don't mind that the trackpad has no physical buttons (because I don't use it ). If the laptop didn't have a trackpoint and I had to use a touch pad, I'd get pretty pissed off with the lack of physical buttons.

My estimated shipdate is 10/17/11 Soooo long

 

I'm a trackpad guy. That ship date looks about right, might be sooner. It took around 2 weeks to get my X220, since it came from China. Yours is probably coming from there as well.

 

I would disable the touchpad in the BIOS then. I'm the same way and I kept lightly touching the touchpad and it kept clicking and moving stuff on my laptop. So I disabled it and now it's perfect

 

I am currently having the same problem as you. I was thinking of a secondary laptop to start replacing my old hp dv6. 1.6" thick and around 6lb, with horrible battery life was enough to survive me for my first two years of college.

I am in the process of configuring a x120e. Then I changed my mind about getting an x120e and just shooting for a x220 instead.

 

WOW, I just received the x220 and WOW...This is by far the best laptop I've ever placed my hands on...I've used mechanical keyboards and I find the x220 kbd phenomenal. The display:The colors are as great as my dell u2311h IPS but can't beat the colors of my RGBLED m4400. The refresh rate seems to be a bit slower but it's not a big deal. Performance: Installing Pro/Engineer and Solidworks as I speak. Temps are also great: 29degC steady state under normal usage with an ambient of 22degC.

Depending on the performance of the x220 in 3d/cad, I might just sell my m4400

All can say is go for the x220. I'm sure the x120e is also great but I'm truly impressed by the x220. With a good loadout (IPS screen, 720p webcam, core i5, 9cell) my system came to $830 after taxes through the Barnes and noble lenovo store. There's no question that it's more expensive than the x120e (damn near double the price) but if you're looking at it as a long term replacement, I don't think you can go wrong with the x220.

 

The only problems I've found so far are the following:

1. Slightly loose battery: On the right side where latch 1 is, the battery wiggles a few mm however it looks small enough to solve using a paper shim.

2. Touch pad gap. The touch pad floats a little bit before actually actuating the switch. I'm not sure if I can fit anything between the touch pad and the touch pad actuation switch.

Anyone else experience these issues?

 

my X220 has the tightest battery fit ever and the touchpad for me feels like the X1 touchpad, it doesn't have much float.

 

Both, actually. The battery issue doesn't bug me though. The trackpad, OTOH, bugs the hell out of me. This behavior is on the list of issues I have with the trackpad.

I'm getting a Razor Orochi mouse (from the latest Woot-Off) in the mail soon, and I'm going to use that constantly with my X220. That should alleviate any qualms I have with the machine.

 

If you haven't purchased it yet, you might reconsider the Razor. It's a very, very cheap feeling mouse. I can't stress how terrible it felt to me compared to a Logitech MX Anywhere mouse. I ended up giving it to work and buying a MS Presenter 8000 Notebook bluetooth mouse.

I really wish laptops had an internal USB port for those Logitech nano receivers. The MX Anywhere is by far the best mouse for a laptop.

 

MS Presenter 8000 mouse rocks, i have two of them.

 

I use a Logitech G9x (got in on the 30$ "dented" box deal from Logitech). It's super comfortable with a nice rubberized coating.

I actually prefer using the track point for general tasks because I don't have to move my hands from the palm rest.


So I suppose it isn't worth my time calling lenovo about fixing the touch pad floating issue? At the very edge of the touch pad (closest to the user), the pad deflects a little less than 1mm before actuation. Is this what everyone else is experiencing?

 

I am glad you decided to go with the x220. I am trying to decide if an x120e is right for me. I am only in the market for a cheap laptop, since I am not the one paying for it. Hopefully, the holidays will bring the price of the X220 down. Until then, I will have to settle for a x120e.

 

It's by far the best Bluetooth mouse I've used. Unfortunately Bluetooth just isn't that great for mice, the lag is bearable for office use but any game shows how big of a flaw it is. Also it sometimes interferes with my Bluetooth headset.

I really was hoping for some Bluetooth 3.0 mice to come out - assuming that fixes the issues.

 

The Orochi was more of an impulse buy during that Woot-Off, but it does have a wired option, which is important for me & my MBP. My ThinkPads work just fine with my wireless MS mouse, but my MBP lags with it.