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    Questions about the x220 with i7

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by frozenlandscapes, Jul 8, 2011.

  1. frozenlandscapes

    frozenlandscapes Notebook Guru

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    My main question is if the Intel HD Graphics can handle applications like Photoshop on an external monitor, playing around with Blender (3d modeling program, not going to be doing anything serious on it though), and watching HD movies, and if it's going to be better on the i7 then it is on the i5.

    My other question is if the i7 effects battery life, and if the performance gain is noticeable when using things like photoshop compared to the i5.

    My last question is why they don't sell the slice battery as an accessory? Is there a bug with the hardware or something?
     
    frozenlandscapes, Jul 8, 2011
    #1
  2. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    photoshop, YES
    blender, YES ( for light to medium work )
    hd movies .. very easily ... ive done 2 simultaniously

    i7 eats bat life a tad faster ( lose 10-20 mins ) but very minimal performance gain IMO, the i7 does throttle on occasion but Lenovo should hopefully have a BOIS fix soon

    as for bat slice ... they used to sell as an accessory, I think they ran out or got low actually. when I ordered mine it was an option ... if you call into a rep you may be able to get the slice and a nice discount on the whole package.

    Except for OpenGL the new IGP is about the same as an old gforce 9600m
     
    KCETech1, Jul 8, 2011
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  3. frozenlandscapes

    frozenlandscapes Notebook Guru

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    Thanks for clearing that up :)
    Think I'll finally pull the trigger on the x220 next weekend~
     
    frozenlandscapes, Jul 8, 2011
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  4. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    Actually, the i7 might get better battery life. These chips run at lower voltages than the i5's. They are selected for that characteristic precisely.
     
    floz23, Jul 9, 2011
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  5. SuperRoach

    SuperRoach Notebook Guru

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    Doubling up - definate yes for all of your questions.
     
    SuperRoach, Jul 10, 2011
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  6. alexo

    alexo Notebook Enthusiast

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    Interesting. Are there any measurements?
     
    alexo, Jul 12, 2011
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  7. Sally4

    Sally4 Notebook Geek

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    Yes again to all. Photoshop runs really well on my i7.

    I doubt very much that anyone can measure a difference in battery life between the i5 and i7. Under normal operation it should be no different. On the few occasions where the i7's slight performance advantage is used it will naturally take a little more power, but you are hardly likely to notice it. The battery life is much more affected by the power plan you have in use and particularly the screen brightness.
     
    Sally4, Jul 12, 2011
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  8. floz23

    floz23 Notebook Evangelist

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    It was discussed somewhere in the massive x220 owner's thread. The i7's were consistently coming in lower in idle voltage than the i5's. We're talking like a .05v voltage difference, here.

    This is how Intel separates many of the grades of their cpu's. The ones that can clock higher, at lower voltages, and, therefore, generate less heat, get "binned" to higher clock speeds.
     
    floz23, Jul 12, 2011
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  9. Raylon

    Raylon Notebook Enthusiast

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    Would the i3 be able to run photoshop well or would the i5 or i7 upgrade be warranted. I wouldn't use it a lot, mostly lightroom work when on the road. I have a desktop for most of the work.
     
    Raylon, Jul 12, 2011
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  10. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    the i3 would be fine for light work
     
    KCETech1, Jul 12, 2011
    #10