Which one should i buy?

Hello everyone,

I am a big fan of Thinkpad laptops but I have serious doubts which laptop I should buy.
Currently I have a T60. In general, I’m very happy with this machine but it has become too slow.
My only remarks on the T60 were:
- underneath it was often very hot
- the fan made quite some noise
- the laptop was a bit heavy for being really mobile


I have these options. If someone has other suggestions, please share.

T410: in my opinion this is the natural successor to the T60. The T420 is too expensive for me but the T410 is still up to date, isn’t it?

T410s: this could be an interesting alternative to the T410 because it is somewhat lighter, but is it still as strong as the T60?

X301: 13.3" could be ideal for my needs but this machine is quite outdated, isn’t it?

X220: can someone who owns this laptop say if you can still use a 12.5" as your main workhorse?

X201: also a possibilty if the X220 turns out to be too expensive?

Thanks!

 

These are my laptops:

T60 -> X200 -> X201 -> W510 -> W520 -> T420s -> X220.

My personal preference is the 12.5" line. I'm not quite as happy with the X220 resolution as the previous generations but it is completely usable for a main computer. The IPS display is fantastic and a must if you go with the X220.

 

Can I ask what you use the x220 for? I would love the portability and there is a decent coupon for it on slickdeals, but I do some light programming and am worried the usability would be tough. You posted in my other thread so you know I'm looking at the t420 but I'm still not sure if I code enough to rule the x220 completely out

 

I can tell you previously owning/using: T410s, T410, X220, X201 all the fans are noisy w/ tpfancontrol at max manual setting vs _60/61 series ThinkPads. With the introduction of the Calpella platform, Lenovo must have used a different fan as the Core i series CPU's generate alot more heat than previous Penryn CPU's.

Honestly your best bet is the X220i (if you can live with the i3) and make sure you get that IPS upgrade. X201 are still ~550-600 on Ebay which is into X220i territory. T410 are pretty cheap these days, just watch if the unit is in warranty or not. T410s (just traded away) had pretty poor battery life, but if slim is for you, it is a nice light/thin business laptop (mind you it utilizes 1.8" mSATA drives). X301 is a capable laptop for office work, emails. You get an optical drive too. But all Arrandale and above laptops run hotter than Core 2 based laptops (for obvious reasons).

 

My personal X220-------------------------
Main function: Run 3 VMWare Workstation VMs with Server 2008 R2 while I program. One is my domain controller (core standard), one is my SQL server (core standard) and one is my Team Foundation Server (full standard). Then on the host I run Visual Studio Ultimate and I code.

EDIT: I have a BizSpark account (free MSDN subscription) with Microsoft and do coding in my spare time.

My work X220-----------------------------
Main function: Run 1 VMWare Workstation VM with Backtrack 5. Most time spent in the linux console working on network equipment. Good deal of time also spent in Outlook and working in our helpdesk via Firefox.

 

I've had a bit of a different experience: My T60/T61s were always loud and hot while the newer ones have been quieter (relative to old ones) and much cooler.

 

I have an x220 that I use as my main computer. The 12.5" screen size is not too small, but the resolution (1366x768) is too low for me...it's just not as productive for me as 1440x900 or better. I have the IPS screen, but unlike every single other person here I don't really notice the alleged high quality.

The x220 runs cool and quiet in my experience. I can leave it sitting closed on my bed and it doesn't get hot...my old x200s would get very hot if I did that.

 

I use the X220 as my workhorse now... the 12.5 inch LCD isn't bad compromise to the X301. My two X301 just sets idling now, as the TN LCD on these are no where as great as the IPS LCD on my X220.

T410s is light, but they are not as tough as the T60. It is a good machine if you only use it in office.

X200 is a better choice then the X201, as the CPU runs cooler then the first generation i core cpu.

and the X301 with its ULV CPU would probably be the biggest bottleneck of that machine.

X220 with the i5 or i7 are definitely the better choice, if you have limited budget get the X220i with i3, it would represent a better investment in the future.

 

I've owned the T410, T410s, X201 and X220 at some point of time and I'm now using the T410s as my primary computer. Here are my impressions

T410: really nice computer, really tough construction. but a tad too heavy.

T410s: has as much juice as the T410, but much lighter and slightly less tough (the screen) than the T410. Also, poor battery life (5-6 hours at most, even with ultrabay).

X301: possibly the best among all laptops listed here, but if you think the T60 is too slow, the X301 wouldn't be a good choice.

X220: It's too small to be a main computer. You wouldn't want to be staring at a 12.5 inch screen all day, and typing with a small keyboard + palmrest. It's good if you need to bring it out often, but a dock + monitor is a must if you want to use it as your only computer.

X201: Similar to X220, but with a 16:10 screen and slightly poorer TN screem

I chose the T410s primarily because I'm away from the dock for most of the day (lectures) and the T410s hit the point between portability and a comfortable form factor.

 

Thanks for the answers. Your replies are very helpful.


I am a bit sceptical about buying the X220(i) as my main computer.
Maybe someone can convince me of the contrary, but I fear that the 12.5" will be too small. Or the X220 users are all combining this laptop with an external screen?

Maybe i should mention the tasks i use my laptop for:
- browsing (30 tabs or more)
- word documents
- streaming video


Battery life isn't that important for me, but the laptop will be a lot in my backpack when I am commuting so it has to be robust.

At the moment my preference goes out to the T410s, but maybe its solidity could be a concern?


Thanks!

 

my X220 is at work site at the moment... otherwise i will post a side by side comparison against my T400s, X1, X301, X200, T400 for you.

 

The T410s may have heat issues, especially if you go with a discrete graphics card. Swapping the thermal paste may help.

You could consider cleaning out the fan on your T60 and reapplying thermal paste. Possibly some copper shims?

 

That would be great!

What's the disadvantage of this?



I just discovered an interesting T410s on ebay with this specs:
Intel Core i5 520M 2.4 GHz , 4GB DDR3-RAM, 160 GB SSD, 1440x900 touchscreen.
Is the touchscreen something I should avoid or doesn't it matter (I don't plan to use it)?

Thanks!

 

The major pitfall for 1.8" mSATA drives is finding an adapter in an emergency (no retail store I've seen carries 1.8" mSATA adapters/enclosures). Also 1.8" is really falling out of favor for slim drives as the rise of slim 7mm 2.5" drives with the T420s/X220 have shown us. 1.8" SSD's are also more expensive/harder to find than 2.5" for obvious reasons.

Usually touchscreens have worse quality screens, at least for tablets that offered it. My T410s (2904-GGU) didn't have a particularly good screen, nor was a bad screen. The LED screen was REALLY bright above ~10-12. Viewing angles/color reproduction were okay, guess it really depends on the type.

 

I had a T61P and purchased a W520 and the 520 seems to have the same battery life as the t61p. They both have everything and the 520 has 8GB of memory.
Renee

 

If you need to browse 30 tabs I really don't think the X220 is a good choice - all the scrolling and panning would definitely make you nuts, especially when you came from a much larger laptop.

Some here have raised concerns with excessive heat production from the T410s. I have used my T410s on a dock (which blocks part of the vents), lid closed, discrete graphics on, and ran some moderately demanding games (PES 2011) on it without a problem. The laptop was a bit hot but still acceptable.

On the contrary, the T410 for some reason would show image distortions in the middle to the game and the X220 once even became so hot that it shut down automatically. That said, when I opened the lid to allow better cooling and turned on the air con, all three laptops were able to function properly for 3 hours of gaming.

I have never tried out the multi-touch screen but if you don't need it, I would suggest you not to get one, quite simply because it would be cheaper. Also, the image quality seems to be worse, as some other already pointed out.

The T410s is really an amazing laptop and the only significant downside I can think of is the relatively poor battery life. However, if you do not need all day computing I think it's perfectly fine.

 

Oh, also, to be clear the T410s uses a 1.8 inch SSD, and NOT a 1.8 inch mSATA (which is much smaller). I don't think there's a reason to buy a mSATA SSD + a 1.8 inch adapter. Getting a 1.8 inch SSD is cheaper and would give you more storage. That said, 1.8 inch SSDs are generally much more expensive than 2.5 inch ones, which are found in larger machines.

 

Where can I find if a X220 has an IPS screen by the way?
For example if the X220 4291 NYG37GE has one.

 

You should be able to look up models in the tabook.
http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tabook.pdf

 

Right now I am doubting to buy a T410s with these specs:

I am wondering if the hard disk will slow down the machine a lot?

Is there by the way a battery slice available for the T410s?


Thanks!

 

Ha that looks exactly like my T410s specs (2904-GGU). The HDD in my opinion was the major bottleneck. Even cleaning up the stock image, it still took like 2 minutes for a fully usable desktop. I would look at like a 80 GB X18-M which can be had for ~110 dollars on Ebay brand new.

 

Is it possible to use 2 hard disks with the T410 or T410s (one of them in ultrabay)?
And is it possible to use a SSD in the ultrabay?

Thanks a lot!

 

yes the ultrabay hdd is supported with the T410 and T410s, you can use platter or ssd hdd.