Thinkpad x20x (s/t/i) Owners Thread

You can get one for $75 on the Lenovo outlet when they are in stock

 

They are in stock now, also is 9 cell battery for $45.

 

Wow, you pay $993. I pay $1260(inc. tax) just few days ago with i5 540m, 500 gb hdd, bluetooth and intel Advanced-N + WiMAX. I ordered it on 5/1/10 and lenovo shipped out on 5/7/10 morning.

Oh! about upgrading your X201. I can only think about a Good SSD with decent storage space. I mean a SSD with at least 120gb or 160gb space. But they cost more than $300 or may be $500 now. Also you can upgrade your Ram to 8 GB. But again, they cost more than $300 now. By the time you get a 256GB SSD for $100 and 8GB Ram for $100, they start selling the X204 or X240 with intel Baghdad i 12 CPU.
So...save the money. You wont get anything better than your X201 for $993 dollars.
Hope it helps!
Cheers

 

Haha, that is why I selected it without hesitation at first sight. I have been focusing on Latitude E6410, which has a special program for my college. But the great performance and ultraportability of X201 and of course the price of this deal caught me all of a sudden. So I have to give up the Dell. Actually this deal just showed up on Apr 30 afternoon.

Anyway, thanks a lot.

 

Does the dock include a DVD drive or do you have to add one?

 

Nope - you have to purchase that separately.

 

ugh. Guess I'll buy a USB external

 

Just picked up an AC adapter and Ultrabase off the outlet for my X201 for $99.

I figure either I keep the machine as my primary system in light of HP and Lenovo's general failures for the high end i7 systems I wanted, or if I do pick up an HP 8740W as I had planned, I only spent a hundred bucks, so no regrets.


Now, to decide whether I should keep my 4GB PC3-8500 in it, or sell the 8GB (4x2) PC3-10660 + the 4GB PC3-8500 and get 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-8500

 

That's what I did, even though I am getting the ultra base from the outlet. I figure I will eventually add a second hard drive to the docking station so won't have room for it there anyway. I'd rather have the external drive for portability anyway.

 

Just received my X201 with 128Gb SSD.
The unit is an OEM (completely grey/"stealth" case) Kingston unit: SNV425S2128GB.
It is the VNow series from Kingston.

Did not run any benchmark on it, yet.

How could I get the restore media (DVD or anything else) for the OS?

 

Hi there,
I ve just ordered x201 tablet (in Lenovo UK) and I realized that WWAN modem has vodafone simlock. I did not check it jet if it works with other networks but just in case - any idea how to remove the simlock?
Best,

 

has anyone figured out where to buy the 94 WH 9-cell battery for the x201(s)?

 

So I assume it supports TRIM?

 

how will I get 3 Yr onsite Warranty+3Yr Thinkpad Protection with only $60? I'm jealous.

 

It was just a promotion showed up at IBM Shareholder Purchase Program(anyone can apply for an free account there) of Lenovo website on April 30th, and I was lucky to find it.
Now you can still find a promotion there, but instead of warranty I've got now is 3Yr Basic Warranty + 3Yr ThinkPad Protection plus 5% off of your entire purchase.
If you are not in a hurry, you can wait for a while with patience to see what will happen.
Good luck!

 

How could I see it?

 

Good thing about Thinkpads bought in Asia is that they come with the 3 year warranty

 

Hi guys. I just recieved the X201 that i bought for my father.
Serious problems, will exchange for another one.

First of all, The built quality and finish are SUPER. I grow up will japan made electronics and i can tell you this X201 has the same high quality finish and much much better built construction than japan made laptop. Sony is like a toy recently (don't know about the sony Z series)

Problems? The unbearable clicking noise. This is not the famous CPU whinning noise. This noise comes from the Right hand side of the laptop on top of the Harddrive??? modem???(i had a 500gb HDD but its not spinning noise, its poping) like making popcorn in microwave 40 ft away. And its here when plug-in or battery.
Second is the CPU whinning noise, is annoying since its audioable even when plug in. I will play with the power manager and see how it goes.

Lastly, lenovo please put a better screen on your laptop. This is the voice from a loyal Lenovo fanboy!

 

so do ones from jr.com I got my x201s for $1,379 with 3 year warranty

 

I am really sorry to hear about that, hope you will get what you want finally.

I am still waiting for mine coming, just curious, hopefully......

 

Wish you luck! other than the noise, the X201 are super. Best ultraportable definitely.
My X100e just ship out today, will get it next week and i will compare it with the X201 to make decision.
Off course X201 are much better in everyway but if AMD processor dont have the cpu whinning noise, i might just wait for the new amd neo processor and get my dad a X100e.
Again thankyou and good luck.

 

Because the Kingston V Now Series supports the command.

I got my X201 today. So far so good. Only a few things to uninstall right at the start. Good thing, as I didn't want to spend time performing clean install.

 

Does anyone know when they will ship the X201 with the I7 again?

I ordered the following X201 on the 14th March!

I7-620M 2.66
4GB RAM
Trackpad, Webcam, Fingerprint
Bluetooth
5.1 Media Reader
320 GB 7200rpm
Win 7 Pro (I will also install Open SuSe)
WLAN 6200
3year warranty

The estimated shipping date was 9th April back then before the shipping date diapered.

I called Lenovo already 5 times, they never could give me a shipping date. In the last two calls they promised to send me an e-mail about the ordering status within two business days, but that never happen. I got really frustrated and last time when I called they offered me a compensation of 100$.

That is really frustrating? I need a laptop in 4 weeks, as I will go to two conferences and I also have to teach? On the other hand I really want to have this laptop as I got a very good deal (academic pricing, -15% and again 100$ off). The final price of the laptop is now 1201$.

Does anyone with an I7 already have a shipping date?

Does the I7 also make that terrible wining noise (which my fiance's T400 2.8 makes) and I read about the I5?

Thanks

 

Factory recovery used to have this option which programs to be installed during a full recovery. When I received my X201 I did a full recovery but sees that this option which program is to be installed are not there anymore. Any ideas?

 

@utopian3: Clicking noise? Mine does not clicks at all. Might want to return it to Lenovo for warranty exchange? I bought my wife a Vaio 2 years ago and it is one of the biggest regrets in my life it has great screens but poor performances

 

This clicking noise comes out whenever the Harddrive indicator light (under the screen) is on. That is especially loud and serious when i install application on it. Its like the static noise. I install the newest BIOS and everything but no help.
Second is the CPU whinning noise, this X201 is by far the most noisy thinkpad i had and it keep whining even thought i plug-in the power cable.
I am not complaining,i am expect some cpu whinning noise but never imagine that much. i still love thinkpad and the X201 and thats why i chose to exchange other than refunds.
Good luck for everyone who is still waiting for their new machine. I believe mine is just a bad example. My W510 are very quiet.

 

oh u meant that clicking .. i wonder if there is any other better word than clicking

 

I have not really noticed any whining noise from the CPU but have started to notice the noise from the fan. It's not bad and can not be heard if you are outside or during the day but if you are laying in bed at night to where the room is pretty much dead silent then you can definitely hear that pucker spinning. I'm not sure if it will get quieter after I install my SSD but will report back then once I get it (expect it to arrive next week).

 

No idea. This is my first Thinkpad in over 10 years.

 

i wish there is a SSD for 512 GB for sale at 100 USD 3rd gen

 

Eh pal, I think you're missing atleast a "0" to your 100 USD.

 

I think of it too, it will take at least 3 yrs for a 512gb SSD drop to $100 US. By then, i will become a billionare too.

 

how so? Mind sharing the tips in 3 years how to become a billionare?

 

A 120 gb SSD is plenty. I seriously doubt you need all of that "adult file content" (since it won't let me say the p word) constantly. Just buy external.
Granted, 120gb SSDs aren't 100 USD either.

 

Come on, even "adult file content" went HD few years ago. A 120gb SSD is really not enough.
I need a lot more space to include more Bluray movie to impress my girlfriend(future one).

 

well I repent a few years back so no more keeping adult file content but my work files is as much as 40GB already and keep growing. Since I always keep my emails for the last 5 years including it's attachments. Approval drawings to customers in DWG and PDF format. Catalogues etc are all massive storage eater. Not to mention the series House MD and Chuck on the latest season


u still don't mention how to become a billionare in 3 years very curious

 

OK! its only a joke. But if that day really come true. I will ask Lenovo to custom made a Thinkpad for me. Here is what i want:
13" Form factor
OLED 1920 X 1200 screen
Three thinklights
B & O stereo system
color sensor, fingerprint reader
no trackpoint
big touchpad
Intel i7 quad xtreme
nvida qudro 3900 2GB VRAM
16 GB Memory
Custom cooling system
2 TB SSD
Bluray
............
And i will buy leather case that fits just right at the same time also bulletproof.
And if that really happened, i will buy you a thinkpad too, a normal one.
Ok! its really of topic now.

 

@utopian3: $10k for this one

 

@utopian3: You would rather have three Thinklights than a backlit keyboard? I have a Logitech Illuminated Keyboard, which looks just like a Thinkpad keyboard but has beautiful key illumination. I would also mandate a trackpoint .

Here's mine, realistically...

- X301 body
- WSXGA+ (1680x1050) 13" LED-backed LCD with superior viewing angles
- Intel X18-M 160GB SSD standard
- 8GB RAM
- i7 ULV 1.46GHz

 

Your configuration is much more realistic.
About Thinklight Vs. Backlit keyboard. The reason i prefer thinklight is, it illuminate not just the key but the space itself. You can use the light to read some document...so on.
But i admit the thinklight technology(just an LED) is very old. It needs some update. At least lenovo should provide two steps light intensity level. Fn=PgUp for normal light and press again for stronger light.
Thinkpad is the hardest laptop to design, no matter what you change or not change. A lot of people disagree with it.

 

(Off topic, Old House > New House)

The point is there are two kinds of information on most computers, archives and others. Archives are the files we use semi-regularly like movies, documents, audio files, etc. A massive read/write speed bump on these files doesn't translate to mean all that much.

With files that are associated with OS level information or Applications, you tend to use it quite a lot, so being able to use it quicker makes more of a difference.

The best idea would be to have a 500gb+ drive with 30-60gb of solid state space for "caching" (for the files that are accessed repeatedly) and 400+ gb for archival storage. Sadly no one makes those that I know of. The best alternative right now is a 60+ GB solid state drive with either a 500+ gb HDD internal or external if you don't have a second SATA port.

Even that will run you 300-400 USD, though. (200 for the SSD, 100-200 for the HDD and external enclosure.)

However, I wrote all of this because I really do think SSD's are that good. If you have a really old HDD in your machine, a new SSD will make it feel almost like a brand new machine (granted, it will cost quite a bit too). A new HDD will give a small bump, but if money is that big of an issue... then you probably aren't in the market for a new machine.

 

@utopian3: don't get too negative, you never know tommorow where you turn. Just dont forget to buy me these thinkpad and oh it must be in x301 form Good luck!

 

@descendency: I dont think x201 has a second SATA port?

 

I just found out that my soon gonna return X201 has the NMB keyboard. No wonder it feels so great. When i upgrade from T60p(chicony) to W510(Alps), i thought the W510's keyboard is good. Now after typing on this NMB x201 for three day, i can truely understand the legend are true!
Now, the problem is. How can i return the machine and keep the keyboard.

 

Hello, I've been thinking of getting a ThinkPad X201i, and so I have a couple of questions. I currently have a passively cooled Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook P7120 with a 1.2GHz Pentium M and 1GB of RAM and a 60GB 4200RPM HDD; now I'm pretty sure it'd be a worthwhile upgrade performance-vice, but how are the noise levels on the ThinkPad? How noisy is its fan and how common is the 'whine,' I've read about? How dreadful exactly is the screen? Is it merely that the viewing angles are bad or does it also suffer from backlight bleeding? And is it now possible to swap the Ctrl and Fn-keys in the default BIOS?

 

@Nulani: I went from Fujitsu LifeBook S6210 to T60p then W510 then X201. IMO, thinkpad in general is superior to Fujitsu in almost every way except cosmetic finish. About noise level, Thinkpad is pretty much the quietest and coolest laptop on earth, especially under stress. About the screen, X201 has an average screen. But once you calibrate the screen, it is ok.
the screen quality and viewing angle are the same on x201 and my fujitsu. the fujitsu screen looks sharper but its grossy. My reason to dump the fujitsu is that it runs so loud and so hot while i rendering my 3ds max scene. Its so hot i thought it is going to explode. About cpu whining noise. All of my laptop have whinning noise more or less, you need luck on this. And thinkpad definitely has much better tech support.
TRUST ME! get a thinkpad.

 

why do you want to return the x201? I know it's not my problem but just out of curiousity if I may know.

 

Hello,

since our unit comes without optical drive, I did (as I usually do) install a virtual DVD software.
I started with Daemon Tools Lite, and it was unable to create the virtual unit.
I was puzzled (I think I installed something like 200 times on a lot of different PCs without any issue).

I have a license of Alcohol 120%, so I downloaded the last rev and installed it.
Same problem.
Now the support team from Alcohol soft is looking at it, but I absolutely need to have something working to install software on my PC (some setup does not allow to start from a network share drive).

Since I think many of you use something similar on the X201, what software do you use? (and did it work?)

My system is a factory installed Windows 7/x64, just installed all the updates for the OS and antivirus (Norton 360, I also tried to remove it, did not solve the issue).

please help

GB

 

My x201 has some more than usual CPU whining noise and clicking noise. Two noise together are a bit annoy! So, want to exchange.(i.e. return-->reorder)

 

Ok,
after trying some more alternative software, I use now Virtual Clone Drive (free) that works.

BTW: yes, this keyboard IS great!!

I don't know what it is, but it has "something" more, it is even better than a full size standard keyboard...(I still remember my Clicky clicky IBM workstation keyboard with microswitches that was also very good, but this one is better...)