Poll: What's your problem with X220?

It seems like there's been a range of problems (exclude Windows7, Thinkpad softwares/bloatwares) with the X220. May be we should have a poll ?

 

the 16:9 screen and 768 vertical screen resolution would be my biggest gripe.

 

Ditto. The display is beautiful, I just wish Lenovo stuck to the 16:10 ratio (1440x900 was perfect).

 

I don't have one, but I'll speak on what prevented me from buying one. As mentioned above, the lower screen resolution is one. Also, the move to 7mm hard drives. Come on, the X220 is still by no means a thin machine. Leaving the extra 2.5mm would have provided so much more compatibility and performance potential.

I really did consider buying it despite those shortcomings, but a quick check with a few retailers regarding the (un)availability of 7mm height drives turned me off completely. If my drive broke down and I needed to replace it, just where could I find one quickly? Not very confidence-inspiring.

 

anyone notice that their express slot cover doesn't shut all the way? the spring seems like it doesn't have enough compression to close the slot cover all the way.

 

General dislikes:

• 10:9 aspect ratio
• 1366x768 resolution
• 7mm height HDD/SDD

Observations/concerns/annoyances (not necessarily "problems") based on 3 X220 notebooks:

• IPS display "backlight leak" (right bottom corner and/or left bottom corner)
• Keyboard flex at various spots
• Trackpad erratic
• Fan noise (fan activated and remaining on for no obvious reason)
• Heat (X201 comparatively cooler and quieter under similar workloads)
• Lid not closing very well (uneven gaps at front or on either side)

(BTW, my guys know how to "fix" most of these problems, which may or may not appear on your own X220.)

 

Sounds weird, but actually the keyboard is less excellent than I was expecting. Less consistent feedback than you saw in the older thinkpads and current macbooks, a but of flex up the top. Otherwise, it's great so far in my early experience.

Petrov.

 

The volume control buttons / mute button / mic button are all not that consistent. Often times, I thought I pressed it but it actually wasn't pressed.

I wish the fan was more quiet. But I'm not complaining since it's in a small form factor with much less heat than x61s. Same noise level though.

 

It's only compatible with 7mm drives? I was thinking of getting one and upgrading it to an Intel 320 160GB, does that mean I will not be able to? Is it incompatible with 2.5" drives?

 

1) 5 spots of backlight bleed all over the bottom of the screen,

2) Loud fan--TPfancontrol helps a lot, but will get on-site warranty to swap IPS and fan for me.

 

I wonder if it's possible to write review of X220 on lenovo's website and let them know there's different problems?

 

best way to express your concerns is on the official lenovo forum

Lenovo Community - Lenovo Community

 

the intel 320 drives are all 7''. they have an added plastic spacer that makes it a 2.5'' drive. just remove the spacer and install some shorter screws (eg., m2x3 screws).

 

I've been able to resist buying one because:

The 7mm hard-drive was a most regrettable and baffling choice --diminishing the drive choices from a plethora to a few.

If it only had some GPU, for all that i7 CPU.

 

i think we need to look back at the thinkpad's target audience, which is corporate/large businesses/government, etc.

do those people care if it's a 7mm drive or a 9mm? no, they do not.

lenovo knows that by going with the 7mm drive, they will not be hurt from the enthusiasts not buying their laptop just because it uses a 7mm drive.

even if lenovo decided lockdown the sata channel to sata 2 speeds, i doubt that will have any effect on their bottom line because we are not their target audience.

just my 2 cents.

 

I actually like the fact that it's a 7mm height. I want it to be as portable as possible. That extra space is probably used for better air flow if not used by any parts.

My intel SSD x25-m g1 was a 7mm (oem), so it didn't come with a spacer. Nobody sold the spacer, so I was always unhappy about the loose fit in my x61t, but now I am excited to see there are more laptops going this direction. In fact I'm going to move my ssd to x220t when I receive it.

BrendaEM, you should have tried the 1.8" hdd latops. Those are the ones that really suck. 1.8" ssd's are another story.

 

I really don't think I have very many issues with mine. Yes, I've got some backlight bleed at the bottom of the screen, and the burn-in irks me a bit, but to be perfectly honest these seem like small issues in the long run provided they don't lead to further problems.

 

Are you sure you replied to the right reply?

 

Appealing to power-users more than likely would not put the average business-minded Lenovo enthusiast at a disadvantage. If it doesn't hurt Lenovo to appeal to power-users then they should hear them out and perhaps heed to some of their input.

 

My problem is that my x220 doesn't even work....

DOA

http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...y-blinking-display-even-bios.html#post7491279

 

There does seem a lot of variation with the fan noise. I'm using TPFanControl as I have with previous Thinkpads, but only to save battery life. The fan on mine is very quiet - no more noisy than the HD.
As to the 7mm, that isn't a serious issue. Both the Intel and Crucial drives can be reduced to 7mm. Or if you don't want to negate the warranty you can use the Crucial C300 1.8 inch drive with an adaptor.

 

You're lucky you even got blinking. The screen on mine was DOA on arrival. So much for quality control! I am very unimpressed.

 

Do many other people on here get flex at the top of their x220 keyboard - along where the volume buttons/delete key is?

On mine, you can see that the actual x220 chasis has some flex at the very top of the chasis - if you press on the thin piece of chasis on the back edge (ie underneath and behind the lcd screen), it has some 'give'.

I think it's that chasis flex that naturally translates to keyboard flex at the very top of the keyboard...?

Anyone? Bueller?

Petrov.

 

Easily fixed.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...ad-x220-i-t-owners-thread-59.html#post7488780

http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...ad-x220-i-t-owners-thread-63.html#post7491412

 

Mine should arrive Thursday!
(My last name is spelled a tiny bit different - but close)

 

Thanks Sally. I just took your suggestion and used some scotch tape, folded up, then taped in a few little squares in the top right corner (under delete and pgup/pgdn buttons) and bottom right corner (underneath arrow keys). and it worked really well - those corner keys feel almost silky smooth now!

Here's hoping a few tabs of household sticky tape dont prove a fire risk...

Petrov.

 

Glad it worked for you, Petrov.

No way that tape could be a risk.

 

Can you please elaborate on the heat issue? Is it hot that you would feel it on your palms, or is it just that very hot air is blown out the vent? Also, i5/i7 or 5400/7200rpms?

 

This has become one of the "new ThinkPad" rituals.

After paying around US$1500 (or higher outside North America)!!! So pathetic.

Yes (warm) and yes (hot, but not very hot). i5. 7200rpm.

 

If I'm just surfing the internet, my X220 is cool to the touch on the entire bottom. My fan runs, but the air it blows isn't really that warm either.

 

i5 2540 with Crucial m4. Using TPFancontrol, I set fan = 0 to 55 degrees, and fan = 1 to 65 degrees. During normal web browsing and watching videos, there is no noise at all and the temperatures fluctuate between 48 - 58 degrees.