ThinkPad X220 (i/T) Owners Thread

There are user reviews throughout this forum - mostly disgruntled ones - but there is also a pretty straightforward and balanced published review in this highly respected publication: Review Lenovo ThinkPad X220 (IPS) Subnotebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews.

I don't know how good the present sale is, but if you haven't been tracking these since the X220 came out, there has never been more than a week without a sale that gets you a fully loaded i5 model for low $800s and others at proportional discounts. Unless you are in a big hurry, I would not let a current sale on Lenovos force you to make a potentially premature decision. I have the impression that the price of the Sony SA is considerably higher than the X220 for comparable configurations, and they are significantly different machines with very different attributes. I would not let a fairly standard "discount" on the X220 force you into a decision.

You can always buy the Lenovo and, if it exhibits any of the problems that have been so well documented for the X220, you can send it back within 21 days and get a refund, no "restocking" fee deducted.

 

Completely agree. Whatever you feel about the Thinkpad aesthetics (and I like them), it exudes quality. Really glad I chose it over a vostro 3350 and for not much more money.

Everything works like a charm, too.

 

Some questions regarding the configuration:

1: 4GB 1Dimm RAM: Isn't it always better to order 1DIMM instead of 2 DIMM for future upgradibility since both cost the same price. Are there any drawbacks in running the laptop with 1DIMM until you decide to upgrade in the future?

2: 2x2 vs 3x3 antena: Since the price is the same, insn't it always better to get the 3x3 antena? In what situation would 2x2 be better than 3X3?

3: What is the Gemplus 54mm ExpressCard Smart Card Reader used for?

4: Should you always get the XPmode included or does it take up to much space. Are there any other drawbacks besides space on including it?

5: Does Lenevo offer encrypted HDs?

6: Is the ThinkPad Series 3 Ultrabase worth getting?

7: And finally, do you get a futher discount if you order your laptop by speaking to a representative?

 

Is the $800 a Canadian or US price?.

Right now in Canada, a fully loaded i5 cost $1142 before tax (this includes 15% Canada Day discount)

* Processor: Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.2GHz
* Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)
* Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English
* Windows XP Mode: Windows 7 XP Mode - English
* Display type: 12.5" Premium HD(1366x768)LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
* System graphics: Intel HD Graphics
* Total memory: 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
* Keyboard: Keyboard - US English
* Fingerprint reader: UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader
* Camera: 720p HD Camera
* Hard drive: 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
* System expansion slots: Gemplus 54mm ExpressCard Smart Card Reader from Lenovo
* Battery: 6 Cell Battery
* Power cord: 65W AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin)
* Bluetooth: Broadcom Bluetooth 3.0 with antenna
* Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN
* Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
* Language pack: Publication - US English


Is this a good price or has it been lower?
Is it a good idea to wait until August when student discounts appear?

 

Yes. No.

2x2 leaves room for the camera, 3x3 does not.

Express Cards.
Amazon.com: expresscard: Electronics

To get XPMode you have to get the more expensive Windows 7 version. For my needs, Windows Home Premium was sufficient. As far as I know XPMode is just installs some software (a VM) and the XP OS. That'll take up some space.

Don't know.

 

Any information you receive will be a guess. Perhaps an educated guess based on past experience, but a guess nonetheless.

 

Although there may be an advantage in using only one stick of 4GB which frees up a DIMM slot, be aware that using 2 x 2GB has other benefits, such as the use of dual channel memory. (quoted from ppdd)

What is the benefit of dual channel memory?

 

Practically? Not much.

 

Anyone have a way to get the lenovo image? Have bought a x220 with DOS instead of with windows as I already have a copy of windows 7. Just wondering if I can get a copy of the lenovo factory image and use my windows key.

Is there any way to tweak a fresh install to run aswell as the lenovo factory image?

 

1) yes, 1 stick is better then 2 price being the same....however if the 4gb isnt a free upgrade over the standard 2gb...then I would get it with 2gb and buy you another 4gb stick for around $35 to pop in for 6gb total.

2) 3x3 = cant get the camera. You also need a wireless card that will use all 3 to make getting 3x3 worth while as well, otherwise it will go unused.

3) If you have to ask, you dont need it. Basicly it's for smartcard ID's like military CAC cards, some banks have smart cards for online banking (seems like mostly foreign), etc. You'd know if you had one of these type smartcards.

4) Depends what sort of old software you want to run I guess, but I dont think there is anything that really needs it anyways.

5) I dont think there is an option for them shipped that way, but easy enough to do yourself with bitlocker included in the upper versions of windows, or other 3rd party utilities.

6) Depends on how you use it and what you will have connected. Personally I think the normal series 3 docks are a better setup, and cheaper as well.

7) I have heard this many times before. Only one way to find out!

 

My $800 quote was for a US sale in $US. I bought one almost identical to yours for that price two weeks ago. There were several "stackable" discounts applied, including the Barnes and Noble EPP deal, which is probably not available in Canada. I am not a good source of the best way to buy in Canada, but there likely are plenty of your countrymen who have cracked the code. If I were you, I would start a new thread about it, because many brands have entirely different price structures for the two countries.

 

I just did a fresh install on a new SSD I added into my x220.

I have reinstalled all the necessary factory drivers from Lenovo, however I have a problem when I try to resume from sleep: The notebook will not turn on. The power button only does a slow green glow, but that is it. Pressing any button, including the power button, does nothing to resume the PC from sleep.

Does anyone have advice to fixing this?

 

That's odd. First thing I did after some toying around making sure everything worked was wipe the drive clean and install a normal copy of 7 ultimate. No sleep/hibernate/resume issues at all.

I think an SSD is going to be in my X220's future as well at some point. I am thinking about putting in an 80gb mSATA, and along with that, stuffing in a 1TB hdd when 9.5mm ones start hitting the street in force.

 

I thought the X220's HDD bay can only hold a 7mm drive - not true?

 

sort of

Only 7mm drives are meant to be used with this machine, but the bay will hold a 9.5mm just fine. It's a bit more involved then just simply sliding it in on the caddy as intended. Installed the 9.5mm drives are supposed to fit totally normal. It's just the height of the slot on the side of the notebook that is the limiting factor. Looks like you can remove the keyboard and install from the top vs through the slide however, as well as grind the tabs down that limit the height of the slot too if you desire. I'd rather not physicly alter mine if I dont need to though. There are a few threads on this going.

 

Well I took the plunge and ordered one...

I've been watching the prices a lot lately and they haven't seem to go as low as they did initially. The VIP deal, B&N, No O/S, were pretty good deals.

I had a quote saved on one of the No O/S deals so I decided to pull the trigger.
Core i3
IPS 3x3
2gb (will up to 4gb)
250gb (already have ssd)
6 Cell Battery
Intel 6300
WWAN

$734 plus tax...

A pretty decent price considering the WWAN added over $100 by itself, but I need on the go data so just popping my SIM card in there is a really great feature.

I struggled on the 6/9 cell. I'm hoping the i3 is a little better on battery life than the i5 so I went i3/6 cell versus i5/9 cell.

Ordered 6/29 and estimated ship was 7/17 but just got ship notice today 7/5.

 

ehh yea. i wouldnt try to stuff a 9.5mm drive in there

 

so i think its not worth selling the 250 GB 5400RPM HDD that came with the x220t only because i probably wont get anything for it. if i cant get more than 20 bucks, its not worth shipping it anywhere. thoughts?

so with that said, my total price for my completed X220T is $1640. not bad for a supertablet

 

if only they could get the screen edge sensitivity problem fixed hehehe

 

So after several months of deal hunting and trying to decide what I wanted for my last year at college I ordered an X220 from a quote I saved on June 16th. I figured the price wouldn't get much lower than the setup I had saved so I pulled the trigger. Pretty excited =) Here are the specs:

win7 home
i5-2410m
IPS screen
2gb RAM (upping to 6 or 8)
320gb 7200rpm HDD
webcam
bluetooth
6-cell battery
intel 6205

$736 + tax with a free bump to express shipping.

Now I just need to figure out the RAM, should I grab a 4gb stick to make it 6 ($30), bump it just to 4 or go for 8 ($50)? Forgive the noob question but does 1x2gb & 1x4gb for a total of 6 gigs work well or should they be the same memory in each slot? What type of ram do you guys recommend? Thanks!

edit 2 more questions:
1. can anyone recommend a decent displayport to hdmi adapter that they know outputs sound properly?
2. what is a good msata drive and how difficult is the installation?
thanks =)

 

Have a question: when ordering new notebook at lenovo.com this base price there include AC adapter (charger), or should I extra order it in "power accessory" section?

 

It's included.

 

Just got my X220 today (I ordered on 06/17) and so far it seems great. Build quality seems solid, it's lighter than my netbook (and a lot more powerful), and it came with very minimal shovelware.

I upgraded the RAM to 6GB with this part: Patriot Signature PSD34G13332S. I'll probably order another 4GB stick since it's so cheap.

0A69627 SBB INTEL CORE I5-2520M PROC
45M3090 VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64
0A59804 SBB GEN WIN7 PRF64 ENGLISH
0A69642 SBB 12.5PRMHDLDBCLTDPYMBBBRDAN
45M4569 VBB 2GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM
45M4839 SBB KEYBOARDUS ENGLISH
0A69644 SBB NO FINGERPRINT READER
0A69658 SBB NO CAMERA
0A69654 SBB 320GB HRDDSK DRV,7200RPM
0A68287 SBB NO MSSDRIVE
0A69646 SBB TP BATTERY 29+(6CELL)
41W1787 SBB CPK NORTH AMERICA
45M3439 SBB INTELCENTRINOWIRELESSN1000
44C7950 SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR
0A69659 SBB LANGUAGE PACK US ENGLISH

(Yeah, i really did order only 2GB, much to the surprise of the Lenovo salesperson... with 4GB sticks selling for $35, why pay more?)

 

The trackpad on this laptop is HORRIBLE. Resting your thumb on the edge causes many problems. I've tried fiddling with virtually every setting between the Lenovo UltraNav driver and the Synaptics one, and I still have nothing but problems. To those who say I should just use the trackpoint, that's still no excuse for how lame this trackpad is. With the Synaptics driver, the cursor's incredibly jumpy and unresponsive. With the UltraNav driver, it's unpredictable. Right-clicking ends up with a left-click 50% of the time. Moreover, using the Google Code Two-Finger Scroll means I can't rest my finger near the bottom of the touchpad while pointing otherwise it scrolls. Does anyone have a solid fix?

 

I just installed the msata Intel 310 80GB and it was pretty straight forward. I watched the Lenovo Service Training Videos closely and it became a lot easier than just following directions with still pictures. Pretty painless as I am not very good at taking computers apart.

It might sound dumb, but maybe go with a wireless mouse. I bought a Logitech Anywhere mouse because my previous computer had one of the stupidest trackpads known to man and I have become accustomed to using it, well anywhere.

 

Seems very good!
How fast is this thing?

Owners of ThinkPad X220 please post a truecrypt benchmark screenshot.
Also a disk benchmark will be great. I want to see how fast the 7200rpm disk is.

Thanks

 

I don't personally know how to run these tests, but I have seen other people post their numbers, but there are so many msata threads, it's hard to remember where

 

Shut it off and get a small cordless mouse; I have yet to find a tracpad on any laptop I liked.

Aside for it being faster for me to navigate with, I think that it is better for your wrists as well because you can place your operating hand in a more comfortable position while using it. As someone dealing with carpal tunnel issues, that is a blessing.

FWIW

Have a Magical Day.

 

Has anyone figured out why I can actually pull 7+ hours out of this machine on battery sometimes, and other times, I have a hard time getting 6?

I can't for the life of me figure it out.

Also, on a un-related topic, does the search function actually work on this forum? I can hardly ever seem to find the thread I want with it.

 

New bios coming this month:

 

I'm afraid not. See the sticky at the top of this forum for options.

As to your battery, it probably depends on usage. I wouldn't imagine your doing exactly the same thing? If you're say watching a lot of YouTube or the like, that might explain the discrepancy.

 

Do you have any idea what the RAM issue is? I was literally just about to buy a second stick of RAM when I saw this...

 

No idea. I have 8GB of ram and an Intel G2 ssd, and this may be causing a slow boot problem. My Acer 3810T with an SU9400 and Intel G2 boots faster.

 

Hello guys,

I am planning to buy this particular Lenovo X220 model since the first time I heard about its epic battery life (~20hours++), as this does fit perfectly to my needs about buying my next laptop.
I personally will not be using this laptop for gaming or anything like that.... and my question is:
"Could you guys give me some advice/reccomendation about the configuration I should build for this particular X220 model in order for me to reach to the longest battery life ever?"
I knew that first thing first, I would need to get the 9-cell + the slice.
But other than that, I'm not quite sure what else to get???
What I mean is, if I configured the CPU to i7, or i5, or i3, which one would be the one that saves the energy the most such could make my lappy will last longer for its battery life in one charge.
Does SSD hard drive could also make the lappy last longer battery life compare to same exact lappy configured using regular 2.5" 7200rpm SATA drive?
What about LED screen? does it take more power than regular screen?
Perhaps if anyone can suggest me the best configuration start from CPU, Hard Disk, screen, etc. etc... for what to get in order to serve my goal for getting X220 with the longest battery life up to 20+++ hours, I would really my appreciated... thank you so much....

 

The Bulgarian chap who used to do the servicing on my Suzuki GS500, once said "Motorcycle is like woman. Every day different."

Maybe the X220 has different moods, depending on the day and time of month?

 

Ok, you got me.

Sometimes the machine idles at 7 watts, other times at closer to 8.5. Just wish I could figure out why.

 

No, no. Really. Same programs open, same usage patterns. Sometimes my machine just idles lower.

 

I haven't been on this thread in a while so bear with me.

I have TPFC in order to stop the high-pitch whiny fan, but I realized that the fan was never running (it said 0 RPM) and the bottom got very hot (temp read at 60C). The settings were set to SMART. For now, I put it to Manual and set the level to 2 so that the fan runs (about 3000 RPM) and the bottom stays cooler (temp is now 46C) without getting the high pitched sound. What settings are you guys using?

Also, has there been a BIOS update recently (since beginning of June)?

TIA!

 

Thinking about purchasing the x220 and have a question about the wireless options:

Is there much to choose between Intel Advanced 6205 2x2 and Intel Ultimate 6300 3x3?

I know it's an extra antenna, but does it translate into noticeably better performance? My router does have 3 antennae.

I'm also aware that the camera is lost if the 3x3 option is selected. Is the Thinklight still there?

Cheers,

S

 

More like the Think stadium floodlight, imo

 

Get the 2x2 and webcam. I've been using this laptop for video conferencing for the last few weeks, and I've never had a single complaint about the image or audio quality. And I don't ever use a headset.

I've never had such a hassle free experience with web conferencing.

 

Get bios 1.17

In lenovo power manager, set your performance to "Balanced", and set the fan control to "Reduce noise dynamically."

The laptop is basically silent at this point.

 

Thanks for the info. I should have added that I've never really needed video conferencing so it's not a biggie for me, but the wireless is important of course, but the 3x3 is extra and it gets rid of something that I might use I suppose.

S

 

I had never used an internal camera but must say I love the Skype calls.

 

Could anyone perhaps help me with this please...

 

You can buy a X220 with a DOS license here. You can get it with either the Pentium 957 or i5-2537, both of which are 17w CPUs as compared to the regular i3, i5 or i7 CPUs, which are 35w CPUs. That might save you a bit of power.

I never really noticed any difference between SSDs and hard drives, but I wasn't really paying attention either. You might want to ask in the SSD forum. They might have some answers for you there.

All the LCDs on the X220 are LED. IPS screens offered on the X220 usually use more power than the standard LCDs. If battery life is your goal you may wish to go with the standard screen, but you'll have to give the ISP yumminess.

 

Thank you so much for your suggestion Zaz...
However I clicked on your link you mentioned and I couldn't find the i5-2537 you mentioned??? Do you mean i5-2520 or i5-2540 instead? Are they also using 17w as i5-2537???
Now I have 2 new questions:
1. If I chose to use the i5 17w CPU, will that be slower compare to other i5 CPU with the same pretty much clock I.e 2.5ghz???
2. I'm seeing this option below:
Integrated Mobile Broadband (Sierra Wireless MC8355 – Gobi 3000 (TM))

Could someone explain what is mobile broadband means? Will this means I can put my GSM sim card into this lappy and uses it's data service uses the sim card?

Thanks in advance guys...


Thank you

 

Awesome, never thought I could throw a Celeron into this computer, hilarious!

 

I just received a X220 and I want to know how can I do a clean install of windows 7 with the one installed? Can I have the serial number??

Thanks.

PS: what a nice machine!!

 

Some companies care most about unit cost. If a Celeron meets their needs they'll buy it if it costs less. That's why it's an option.

I don't know what to tell you about the 2537M. It was there a few days ago. The 17w CPUs have a lower GHz, but unless you're pushing the CPU frequently you probably wouldn't notice.

WWAN allows one to connect to the internet via the cell phone network. I don't know much about WWAN as I never had it.