Should I get an x220 or t420?

I love the size and battery life of the x220 but I do play games every once in a while so I was thinking of getting the t420 with dedicated graphics...is the x220 powerful enough to game occasionally? Trying to find one laptop I can "do everything" with.

 

X220 would get my vote. If need more than the IGP can deliver then could add a DIY ViDock to increase gaming performance. I know quite a few folks are waiting to see results of that combo. If it all pans out then the doubling of expresscard slot's bandwidth (Series-6 pci-e 2.0, 5GT/s) could deliver results that would make a proper gaming notebook cringe AND NVidia Optimus would allow use of the internal LCD to deliver it.

 

Really depends on what games you're talking about. Some mild RTS and FPS games? The X220 may be sufficient, especially if you do not need the highest graphics settings. The latest demanding RTS and FPS games? The X220 may not be sufficient, and actually, the T420 probably won't be either.

 

I'm debating on the X220 or a T420S. Ive never had a laptop as small as a 12.5 other than a net book and it was way to small. I'm worried about the size of a 12.5 but I have a main desktop at home so I don't need a gaming rig. I'm really only going to use it for class or when I have to stay on campus as I life off campus so a 12.5 is easier to lug around but I hear a lot of people say that the 14" screen is the sweet spot. I went to best buy and some other places and some 14s are really big and bulky. To bad lenovo has no store or site where we can see these things first hand.

 

im so getting x220. the only game im playing atm is sc2 (on more or less competitive level) and intel 3000 gpu should handle this game EASILY in low details (60fps+)
Review Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics solution - Notebookcheck.net Reviews SB gpu review

for serious gaming i have a good desktop obviously

 

I say get a T420 if you need its hardware power, otherwise get yourself a cute little x220, although I hate those little things.

 

I would get the x220 with the ips screen. The integrate graphic card on the x220 is more than enough for occasional gaming. If you are not playing game in its max setting, you should be fine with the current generation of integrate graphic.

x220 playing game YouTube - Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Gaming Video

 

Would the x220 be able to handle Dragon Age 2. Because isn't the Sandy Bridge IGB more powerfull than the HD3470 graphics card in the T400?

 

I don't see why it wouldn't handle Dragon Age II. The problem is at what quality you want to play the game at.

 

As stated, the x220 will play some modern titles at lower resolution, lower quality. IGP has come a long way, in 1 review they were able to play Left4Dead2 with very playable frame rates. My friend's new MBP 13 with SB graphics is able to play Team Fortress 2 on medium @ 1280x800 with average 40-50 fps. And he is able to play SC2 on it too.

Do realize the T420 will have Quadro graphics, not really suited for gaming unless you try to mod the GeForce drive inf.

 

the youtube video posted by k2001 shows that the x220 is really weak for gaming. All the games played were in like low details with not so much action ..

when Lenovo release notebook like the Acer 3820TG then I'm gonna be all over it

P.S. if the ViDock works then the x220 will be a decent choice. However, since the Quadro NVS chips overclock like crazy then I would suggest the T420

 

In any case, the integrated graphics seem to kill my little 8400m gs
I'm probably going to go with the X220 + DIY ViDock. I don't move around to game, and would use an external monitor and keyboard. Seems like a nice solution to not bringing a desktop to college. the X220 seems to have everything I need in a nice portable package.

 

I figure I'd post here since I'm debating between these two machines.

The problem that I'm having is on screen resolution. Would a 1366x768 resolution to be adequate for that screen size? Doesn't seem like the 14" provides that much more resolution. But after reading posts, it seems like the X220 wins since it has the IPS. That's really all that's holding me back on picking a machine.

 

Hd resolution is more than adequate for 12.5 inch screen.

 

Regarding screen resolution it depends on what you do with your laptop.
Personally I prefer 1440x900 on my 14" or as the new models will have 1600x900 I would prefer that.
On 12" 1366x768 will be fine, unless you need lots of vertical space.

 

Depends on what games you want to play and at what level of detail and FPS you require. The x series is not a gaming series, nor is the t series. But if you must game the t420 is probably your best bet unless you only game at home and the vidock works for you.

 

Response from the NBR's reviewer about gaming on x220.