ThinkPad X220 (i/T) Owners Thread

ty brian5, +repped. It's a brand new drive so I guess I can delete the volume within the windows setup? What is the hotkey to pull up cmd? I forgot, F10 or something? After GPT conversion, I can just use the windows setup to format etc.

 

Yes, you can delete volume in the windows setup. I had actually deleted volume/s before setting up Windows but that was because I was trying all different ways to be able to restore from a backup afterwards (none were successful as they had all been created while it was still MBR).
Yes, Shift-F10 to get cmd. Yes, Windows install and formats are just done the normal way.

 

What did everyone here do with their HDDs after a manual SSD upgrade? I've been looking at cases/enclosures with USB 3.0 to use it as an external drive, but there are so many that I wouldn't know how to decide for one or the other.

Have you found a good case that is compatible with the 7mm height? (Ideally one that is available in Europe as well. )

I know this question is a bit off topic. I'm just posting here because I think I saw something along these lines mentioned in here.

 

external drive or paper weight.

 

I've placed mine in this external casing from Lian Li. It's a a bit more expensive then a 'regular' external casing, but I really like the matte black version next to my X220t It's available in Europe, bought it in the Netherlands myself.

 

Is this a new option for X220? I thought the Crucial M4 need modification to plug into X220? Can anyone confirm this?

Crucial CT128M4SSD1 128GB M4 Slim SSD 7mm SATA 6Gb/s: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

 

It really makes a fantastic paper weight. Kidding aside, mine went into my ultrabase, using an adapter.

 

That's what I would totally do if I could justify getting the ultrabase with my wife. Instead, I make do with one of those 3M notebook risers.

 

I tend to get the cheapest enclosure that doesn't need any screws so I can swap HDDs easily. I did try a USB 3 enclosure but it got put to one site because the USB 3 cable is more bulky than USB 2.

Good find. This seems to be a new 7mm thick version of the M4. Too new to have got onto the Crucial webbsite but it gets a mention here.

John

 

I think I'm probably going to start looking to sell mine while hard drives are still overpriced

 

That was my first thought. But then again I'd have to get external storage at some point and one that makes use of USB 3.0. So I might just as well buy a casing for the hard drive I already have.

When I had decided to keep the drive I wanted to go for a cheap enclosure. I just got a bit wary because of the unusual 7mm height. I wouldn't want the drive with mechanical spinning parts wobble around because there'd be too much space above and below it. But so far nobody here mentioned this as an issue, so I take it it might not actually be a problem.

Thanks for that link. Looks like a good solution.

 

Do you have a casing in mind? If so, could you please link to it? Thanks.

EDIT: Missed the link above.

 

Yay now an owner of the x220. Great little machine, love it so far.

KB feels excellent
Accepted my Intel 320 160GB fine
Bright IPS panel
Thin & light, although imbalanced weight with that 9cell

Cons? The HD webcam blows. I mean it's an integrated webcam, but the advertised 720p is pretty crap. Coming from Apple's HD "facetime" cam which is actually pretty damn good, this is pretty poor. lol

The keycaps will get shiny due to ABS plastic lol, but this is whatever, not like real KB where I can get PBT keycaps.

I'll have to update after I use this more.

*edit*
WEI score after installation of 1600Mhz Kingston HyperX 8Gb (2x4GB)
i5-2520m, Intel 320 Series 160GB SSD

7.1
7.5
6.4
6.4
7.6

 

^Well you could replace the keyboard from time to time if it bothers you I suppose!

S

 

^ you know I thought about that, only b/c I bought mine used and the wear is kind of noticeable. So the trackpoint would also be replaced with the kb right? I think I saw a member here mention he had a couple extra maybe I could buy one off him.

 

You can buy the TrackPoint caps themselves from Lenovo or from ebay (there are 3 different styles). No reason to replace the TrackPoint itself.

 

Here is my Computrace update in case anyone is curious;

I got the software from Amazon, it installed smoothly (it looks like it installs a service and a tray app) and immediately recognized the security hardware in the X220. The install also requires one to setup an account on Computrace so you can see where your laptop is and report theft, etc. The solution is pretty decent.

When I now go into the bios, immediately a screen pops up saying something about how this computer is protected by Computrace, and it is impossible to disable the service from the bios (the enable/disable option is greyed out).

The only dumb part is that the "LoJack" service (Computrace for home users) doesn't appear to actually use the Intel AT technology. I'm not quite sure what additional features Intel AT offers in conjunction with Computrace (they are both in the bios, so it must be something).

 

Just wanted to update my post after a few weeks of ownership.

Put 8 gigs of RAM in and 160gb Intel SSD.. Done with upgrades.

My WEI scores:
7.0
7.4
6.3
6.3
7.7

Screen and trackpad are the weakest points of this laptop, IMHO. Overall, I bought this laptop for grad school and it does the job just fine.

 

IIRC the genuine Lenovo spares pack has one each of the three different types, and it's around £10-15.

S

 

Owning a W520 as my first thinkpad I am very happy with it and now I am interested in getting a x220 (with IPS screen of course) for when I travel. Anybody know any reputable online retailers (other than Lenovo itself) that sell the x220 with the Premium/IPS display as a preconfigured unit? Thanks.

 

what cpu does 7.0 score? is it the ULV i5? 2520M does 7.1 score...

so the overly expensive 1600MHz rams will raise just gpu performance from 6.3 to 6.4? I know this is the last thing you can upgrade but the performance gain / price is terribly low...

btw x220+8gb(1333mhz) ram+crucial m4 256gb+msi 560ti hawk=
7.1
7.5
7.8
7.8
7.9

 

I wouldn't say overly expensive, especially compared to the 1866 ram =) I ran my own benchmarks with RE5, 3dmark vantage E etc and saw some gains; paying $30 more for this ram I'm fine with that considering I've paid much more for 10-15% gains in my desktop haha; I'm happy with it, got it on NewEgg with a $12 off + some gift cards =D

 

What are you guys doing to get your graphics score so high? Mine are only at 5.6 and 6.3

 

Dual channel ram? Since it is integrated GPU it uses system ram, so faster ram speeds help the GPU in performance.

 

I have i5 2430M

 

I will soon receive my new X220 (core i5-2520M, 1x4GB, IPS, 320/5400 HDD, webcam, 6-cell; Win7Pro 64b) and seek advice on how best to set up and optimize it, and do initial testing/diagnostics to make sure all is OK. Also, I intend to upgrade soon to SSD--probably Samsung 830 128GB. Should that impact how I set up my X220--and, if so, how?

 

I would suggest picking up a mSATA drive, then keeping your standard drive in the bay. That's if you don't need WWAN.

 

Any good case recommendations for the X220t? The battery makes the laptop shaped a bit awkwardly. I tried a Timbuk2 messenger 2.0 bag, but the slot isn't quite tall enough (it's a very tight fit).

 

I use the ThinkPad Ultraportable Case.

 

Whats the normal price on these things? Given most CES laptops are likely to be half a year away, I'm probably going to purchase now, and they've got very good deals going in NZ - $1300 NZ with the SIPS screen. Very tempted...

 

I'm using a nice one from here:

iPad case Kindle cover MacBook sleeve iPhone slip case

More of a sleeve than a case though.

S

 

Are all X220 tablets multitouch even if the description doesn't specify?

 

No.

 

In case anyone cares; I successfully installed the webcam and bluetooth modules in my x220t. I purchased both of them from eBay and they work great. The bluetooth module is a very easy install, the webcam is kinda difficult.

 

Hi everyone

I purchased an X220 last night and was wondering how long it takes lenovo, in average, to process an order and ship a laptop to Canada. I'm just very hasty, you see

I was fortunate enough to buy during the web special. The i7 version right now is the same price as the i5 version, which includes usb3, 6GB instead of 4, the webcam, the fingerprint reader and bluetooth.

It's my first Thinkpad and I Can't wait !

 

I have troubles with turning on my x220 after sleeping it in windows 7 => it can't be turned on unless the battery is taken out and put in again. Does anyone solution to this situation, please?

 

My W520 (ordered new) took about two weeks to get to my doorstep from when I ordered. Outlet system wise everything I have ordered from there usually 5-7 days till it hit my doorstep.

 

Cool. 7 days isn't too bad but two weeks would hurt

thanks

 

Back in the day people used to wait six months or longer for certain configurations. Two weeks doesn't seem that bad.

 

I just ordered X220 Web special i7+ IPS+8Mb Ram+docking station for 1345$ + tax. Great price indeed. Expected ship date 02/10/12. Price is cheaper than amazon, newegg, b&H etc... only downside is Lenovo charges tax...

 

Where did you get your expected ship date ?

EDIT: nevermind, I just found mine; feb 6

oh well, I just hope my Dell won't die on me before that

 

This does not have a CD drive. Any ideas how i can install MS project, Adobe etc...? Thanks

 

1. Use an external optical disk drive
2. Install from iso's instead of physical disks

 

Agree. My CTO was here in 10 days and I thought that was just incredible.

S

 

Hi Brian,
got the runcore ssd (RCP-V-I501B-MC) and i have the crappy benchmark results as you had when u had those alignment issues... but i have it from a clean win7 install
Any suggestions?

I did a clean install again without the other drive (100mb partition created automatically) and no change.
Read 110mb/s, Write 80mb/s
Can u tell please me how ur drive is partitioned and witch wich setting to do so?
any other help is welcome
regards

 

Intel AMT on X220-how to disable and verify? I went into TP setup and disabled Intel AMT. Nevertheless, the Intel Management and Security Status app still shows Intel AMT as enable? What to do?

 

My X220 turned up today, took just over a week. Very impressed - got the I5 and SIPS screen for 1080 NZ. Kicking myself for not going with the SSD though - does anyone have any msata recommendations for one of these?

Was hoping Samsung would release their new one to the public soon =/

 

The Samsung 830 works/fit great and is super fast. Highly recommended.

 

Not msata though?

 

Most popular mSATA drive would be the Intel 310 on these systems, however if you want larger storage capacity within decent value then the MyDigitalLife mSATA SSD's could be worth a look.