ThinkPad X220 Info/Ordering/Shipping Thread

Any info supporting the claim that the 320 Intel SSD will fit the X220?

 

Yes. See Intel® Solid-State Drive 320 Series – Overview

Specifically the 320 is available in 7mm and 9.5mm sizes.

 

Interesting, considering some retailers are posting the tablet versions for order already...?

 

Thanks! +1 Rep

 

Also, remember the Intel 310 mSATA drives will also be able to be added. So you can have an 80gb mSATA, and you can use the 7mm bay for a mechanical hard drive.

 

Oh. This and me discovering the pressure sensitivity issues in previous X series Lenovo tablets are making me look for an alternative.

The main reason I am interested in the X220t is to use the Wacom digitizer pen in Photoshop, but apparently Lenovo's drivers for the X200 and X201 do not support pressure sensitivity in Photoshop (and many other applications). Users have to fiddle a lot with unofficial drivers to get the functionality to work and even then it's reportedly not too reliable. I worry if the X220t will suffer the same fate, or worse since the new screen has a different resolution and aspect ratio, so finding working Wacom drivers might be impossible.

I guess I'll wait until more info is available on the X220t release date, and more importantly reviews that test/confirm whether the pen's pressure sensitivity works in Adobe applications or not.

 

I was wondering what the mSATA option listed in the product information guide was. So you can have both the mSATA SSD and a HDD? If so, where does on install the mSATA SSD?

I'm sure this has been covered and I did try to do a search but no luck.

Thanks.

 

The ideapad slate have pressure sensitivity it should also be available on the X220T.

 

Newegg.com - Intel 310 Series (Soda Creek) SSDMAEMC080G2C1 mSATA 80GB mSATA (mini PCIe form factor) MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - SSD

mSATA is a newer standard, uses a mini-pci form factor, but uses sata signaling. As far as we understand, the x220 will have this mSATA slot, along with a half-height miniPCIe.

 

Saw that on Newegg before I posted. Should have read the reviews of how/where to install the drive.

Appreciate the info.

 

Pressure sensitivity is an official feature of the X220T, as it was in previous Lenovo tablets, but it only works in certain applications that use the Winlab-interface or something (e.g. Windows Journal) but does not work in applications that rely on Wacom's drivers for the pressure sensitivity (e.g. Photoshop). And I've read terrible stories of people battling with Lenovo customer support for a year without luck.

So until someone confirms that the pressure sensitivity on the X220T works in Photoshop out of the box, I'm going to err on the side of caution and assume it doesn't.

 

FedEx tried to deliver my X220 at my home on Monday, but no one was there to sign for it. FedEx came again on Tuesday (yesterday), and my daughter signed for the package. I got home last night, but did not open the box till this morning.

Posting this from my *NEW* X220 ThinkPad from Cost Central (originally ordered on 3/9/11).

I got the 4290-33U with IPS. I can definitely tell that this model has IPS as the display can be viewed from extreme angles. Very clear and bright IMO.

 

Thanks for this info. Do you think the dual specification means that there are separate models, one with a 7mm height and the other with a 9.5 mm height? Or is it more likely that there is a single model that is 7mm and with the spacer makes it 9.5 mm? The reason I'm asking is because it's almost impossible to tell the height from retailer sites.

Many thanks.

 

WHERE DEM PICS AT? (jealous)

 

Where are you located? How'd you get to order it already??

Yeah, that's my concern too. Might just call up Newegg and ask them.

And for everyone in this thread: do you guys think the X220 is too small to work on spreadsheets in the long term? I'll be going to grad school in the fall and most of my work will be in Word and Excel. Would the T420 be a better choice for me?

 

Yo, we need new pics and maybe even a nice video for the screen angles!

 

(Apologies if already shared)
A recently posted video on the LenovoVision youtube account mentions April 19th for the tablet version - YouTube - Lenovo Unboxed: ThinkPad X220t tablet

 

I live in the US. Ordered it from Cost Central March 9th, 2011.

I'll try to get some pics later today sometime. Still kind of busy getting stuff installed and updates applied.

 

So last call:

Other than Intel X25-M and 310 we have no options as far as SSDs for now?

 

I'm curious, what other options do you really need? Something that writes at over 300mb a sec??? Unless you're editing video, or running an enterprise database, what more do you need?

 

How about the color quality, is it accurate and vibrant w/o any washing out?

 

Tbh I'd rather have a Sandforce drive. Read/write isn't as important for a boot drive as random read/write speeds. And the Vertex 2 delivers 50k IOP/s compared to Intel's 10k.

 

There is a diminishing returns thing with everything including random read/write. I can't notice the difference between drives at the level they were already at with the Intel X25-M, Samsung 470, SF-1200, etc. But what is a very significant differentiator is reliability, and Sandforce drives aren't anywhere close to the level of ones such as Intel and Samsung. Then there's OCZ's abhorrent business practices and poor customer service.

 

Depending on how brave you are, you could probably take a Vertex 2/3 out of it's case and put it in. However, this would void your warranty, but I bet it would work and fit just fine.

edit: For that matter, you could probably do this with any 2.5" SSD.

 

Intel 320 are fine of course. 510 are not though, which I am pissed about.

 

Cheaper options. Intel is very expensive compared to everyone else

 

I agree. I have a very old, first gen Samsung SSD in my Vaio TZ, it's SLC. Never once have I had any issues with it, and I keep the whole thing FULL, with heavy use all the time (it's only ~48gb!). It's lasted me 3 years so far.

Because I deal with a bunch of RAID arrays at my worksite, I have have very strong attachments to my storage brands. For instance, I'll only buy Western Digital hard drives. As for SSD, I think Intel, micron and crucial brands would be my choices.

 

Oh man, you should try the newer drives. I had the older Samsung's in the X301 and X200T, and they're quite a bit slower in day-day usage than what's been released in the last couple years.

If you want reliable drives it's typically a good idea to see what OEM's use. In the case of Lenovo, it's Intel and Samsung.

 

Micron and Crucial drives, also 7mm heights:

http://www.micron.com/partscatalog....cts/parametric/solid_state_storage/client_ssd

I should note, Intel makes the NAND for both Micron and Crucial (which are the same company, I believe.)

 

Oh, really? Not that much, as I remember. Intel 510 vs Vertex 3 is only ~10$ of difference for a 120GB drive... Crucial C300 is indeed cheaper.


M.

 

And, to top it off, the Crucial drive is basically an Intel one, since intel produces the NAND for crucial.

See the post right before yours, I have the link to see all the package heights.

 

Ah, thanks So a C400 120GB is a very interesting option, considerably faster than Intel 320s'. And looks cheaper too, but I can't find them available online yet.

 

err only the 510 series are the same since they use the same controller.

and yes crucial and micron are the same company

 

The M4/c400 will be available on the 26th.

 

What is the price you found for the C400?

 

240$ for 120GB (128GB?) after short googling.

 

Lol still pretty expensive. Maybe not for the size (not up to snuff with SSDs really), the thing is I got a Corsair 64GB SSD from Newegg for $85 shipped just this week before finding out about the X220 7mm limit, and even 64GB is too much for me. So I'm a bit sore about the change to 7mm after getting such a great price. Now my only option is to return the SSD and pay 2-3x as much.

Or remove the casing as someone suggested, but I don't think I'll go that far. I'm worried.

By the way, someone linked to a Micron list. The list shows 7mm C300 but according to reviews, they are 9.5mm =/ Hmm

 

Maybe thay have removable spacers just like Intel ones do?

 

get an intel lower end model, I think some Adata models could use the bracket, since they are the same SSD. Kingston has some models too.

you know the best thing? you will be able to avoid the issues with the sandforce controller.

no they dont.

 

I'm no professional photographer, but here are a handful of pics.











Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

^^ Very nice. I am kind of mad because for some reason I thought the 19th was Sunday.

A few questions:

• Is the touchpad ok?
• Fans quiet?
• Stays cool?
• And really a 4.7 for WEI? Wow, I know WEI means nothing but wow.

So beautiful. I will be keeping this for years!

 

I disabled the touchpad early on. Seems ok, but I don't like touchpads in general. I disabled the touchpad on my T42 as soon as I got it.

Quiet as a church mouse!

Cool as a cucumber!

Yep, 4.7 WEI!

I can hear the fan if I put my ear next to the exhaust port. Didn't hear it until I did that. My hearing isn't 100% either though.

It seems quite cool overall. Quite a bit cooler than my T42. Haven't done anything intensive yet, and under these conditions the bottom is barely warm. Palmrest is cool.

 

That's a wonderful news! May I ask one more question? How is the new magnetic lid closing mechanism? I was used to the latches before. Is it firm without wobbling of sorts?

 

What material is the molding inside? Hard plastic or the same magnesium alloy as on the outside (I mean the area outside the keyboard, i.e where the stickers are placed, etc)

 

The lid seems to sort of softly snap shut once lowered to a certain point. There is no magnet AFAICT. There is a small cutout on the right side of the front of the palmrest for you to catch the edge of the display to open it.

As far as materials are concerned, I cannot state with any degree of certainty where the magnesium ends and the plastic begins.

 

But where your palms rest, is it hard plastic our the same material as on the lid?

 

There are magnets in the corners. Gom, what's your feeling about the latch system now that you've used it?

 

@Gom,

Great pics! Enjoy the little beast! Can't wait to get one...

BTW, does the screen surface has minor reflection or is it perfectly matte?

 

Well I passed a paper clip around and did indeed find a magnetic pull at the top two corners of the display lid. There is also a magnetic pull at the bottom right corner of the touchpad.

The closing mechanism seems secure enough, however it's not as easy to open as my T42 with the mechanical latch. It's a little awkward holding the base down while lifting the display.

 

The screen is definitely matte. It did reflect my camera flash though. Under normal lighting I do not see any reflections.