Why should I get this X220? Plus some other questions..

Here is the configuration I'm at:

Processor: Intel Core i5-2410M Processor (2.30GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) Edit
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Edit
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English Edit
Display type: 12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna Edit
Total memory: 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM) Edit
Keyboard: Keyboard - US English Edit
Fingerprint reader: UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader Edit
Camera: 720p HD Camera Edit
Hard drive: 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm Edit
Battery: 6 Cell Battery Edit
Power cord: 65W AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin) Edit
Bluetooth: Broadcom Bluetooth 3.0 with antenna Edit
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n Edit
Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable Edit

That is coming out to $1,359 CDN on the lenovo.ca website.

I started out this odyssey not thinking that I would be spending more than $1000. Then I started salavating over the X220 and this is where I'm at.

I want a portable/light/small laptop for mobility. Also, I have a linux server at home, but I want to use the X220 as a desktop (with a good external monitor) for photo editing (I use Bibble Pro, but I will probably get CS5 or Lightroom or something, so it has to be powerful enough to handle a bit of RAW file editing).

I love the X220's reviews, size, weight, high quality non-reflective matte IPS screen, durability etc.

But I'm having a bit of a problem with the price. On top of the $1359, I'll probably have to get an external optical drive (how else do you watch dvd's or get your old version of Photoshop7 installed), so that adds to the price even more.

So, is $1359 for the above X220 worth it? So far, I have been looking into a Sony SB laptop for $1000 (screen quality lacking), a Samsung QX411 for $800 (no backlit keyboard, 1366x768 resolution on a 14 inch screen, no bluetooth) and a MBP 13" for $1250 (OSX would be a big switch for me).

If you feel like trying to sway me one way or another, please go for it!

Also, here is a core dump of some other questions that are running though my cranium:

1) Any good reason to upgrade the processor from the I5-2410M?
2) I am not too clear on 2x2 versus 3x3 antenna on the monitor. 2x2 OK?
3) Is the integrated Intel HD 3000 going to be sufficient for my needs (I don't do much in the way of gaming. Just browsing and photo editing).
4) Is 4GB of memory sufficient for my needs? I'm not too concerned, as I know that I can upgrade later if required.
5) I am not really sure if I need the 720p camera. I have never used the webcam on my existing laptop, and don't know if I ever will. So maybe I can save myself $30 by removing that option.
6) Not sure if 5400 RPM hard disk will be fine, or if I should upgrade to the 7200 (I'd love the SSD of course, but that will have to wait!)
6) I have no clue if I need the 54mm Express Card (even after learning about it!).
7) Hopefully the Thinkpad 1x1b/g/n is sufficient (I don't really know what the benefits of the other options are).
8) Not sure if I should get the Norton Antivirus 2011 with 15 month subscription. I haven't had to worry much about viruses when browsing from my Linux box, but I suppose I need to be a lot more security conscious if I start browsing a lot from a Win7 laptop.

Thanks for any help!

Wayne

 

upgrade to the intel 6205, reports from users say its much more reliable than the thinkpad b/g/n.

you dont need 3x3 unless you have one of those wireless routers with 3 antennas, and unless you transfer large files over your wireless network often, then it might be a good upgrade

i always pick the camera option because its a pain to add it after purchase, and $30 bucks isnt much.

forget about norton antivirus, i rather have a virus than install that bloated piece of junk. download Avira (or buy the premium version) its the best antivirus i've used and it hardly takes up any resources.

you probably dont need the 54mm express card, and it is definitely worth upgrading to the 7200rpm drive, depending on how much it costs, if it costs a lot, you might as well choose the cheapest option and buy your own drive to swap in. you can use the drive that came with the thinkpad as an external backup drive if you buy a USB enclosure for it.

the intel graphics will be enough for your needs, but personally i'd bump up the processor to the i5 2520.

finally, you dont have to buy a CD drive from lenovo, you can just buy an ordinary desktop DVDRW drive, and stick it in a USB enclosure or buy a USB adaptor cable for it, it will be cheaper. Although you'll have an extra power cable coming out of it. Also a slimline one from amazon is likely to be cheaper.

 

1. No.
2. 2x2 good enough. 3x3 not available if camera selected.
3. Yes.
4. Easily and inexpensively upgradable.
5. Your call.
6. Between now and the SSD upgrade, 7200rpm HDD is better.
6bis. You don't need it.
7. Absolutely not that Realtek. Go for the Intel 2x2 (see point 2.)
8. No. Microsoft Security Essentials.

Slim, portable USB CD/DVD reader/writer can be had for about $40. Check Newegg or the like.

Your overall investment, after all is said and done, may go over $1500 easily.

 

Wow, thanks for that quick and informative reply!

The other thing that I forgot to mention is my general concern regarding the 1366x768 resolution. I realize that it's a fairly small screen, so this resolution may be a good match for it. But I find myself wondering if I will be wishing for more resolution (and perhaps a larger screen). Then again, I do plan on using it quite a bit with an external HD monitor, so possibly this concern is moot.

Thanks again!

 

1) Well, it depends on how often you use CPU intensive programs. The difference between the i5-2410M and the-one-step-up i5-2520m is lower clock speed (200 MHz difference, 300 Mhz difference in Turbo Mode). The i5-2410 also lacks Intel Virtualization Technology, Intel Trusted Execution Technology, and AES New Instructions whatever those mean. I would personally opt for the i5-2520M if the price difference was tolerable.

2) The 3x3 antenna will arguably give you a better reception of the signal (i.e. range). However, if you opt for the webcam, you can't get the 3x3 antenna.

3) If you don't game, HD 3000 should be enough. It has the power of a mid-range dedicated graphics card. However, there is a benefit to having the integrated GPU (HD 3000) - less heat generation and one additional piece of hardware that will not load.

4) 4Gb should be more than enough. Especially, if you don't work with RAM intensive programs and don't have dozens of programs running at the same time (I do ). You can always add more RAM, which is inexpensive (~$40 for a 4gb stick)

5) See #2 above. Also it's not a $30 dollar upgrade if you use a coupon code. More like $25.

6a) I would definitely get a 7,200 RPM drive, which will make your machine more responsive. If the upgrade price is too high, you can do an aftermarket upgrade, which is easy to do. A new 7,200 RPM drive (Hitachis and WD Scorpio Blacks are good) are not expensive ~ $50 depending on the size.

6b) Cannot comment on this. Never used express cards.

7) I personally had bad experience with Thinkpad/Realtek WiFi cards.

8) Why waste money on AntiVirus. Microsoft Security Essential is a great free alternative, which is very light on resources. I haven't seen any report that indicates that MSE is worse than any of the paid alternatives.

In any case, I would not get RAM and HDD upgrades from Lenovo as these two components are very easy and inexpensive to upgrade on your own.

 

Depends on what you do. For extended periods of use (like at a table at home or whatnot) an external monitor is almost a must. (Actually, I guess thats just based on what you're used to. If you've used a large monitor or multi-monitor set up before, then you're going to want that external).

 

these are always fun.


Also, here is a core dump of some other questions that are running though my cranium:

1) Any good reason to upgrade the processor from the I5-2410M?

upgrade to 2420 if you plan on running virtual machines or running bitlocker encryption.

2) I am not too clear on 2x2 versus 3x3 antenna on the monitor. 2x2 OK?

getting the 720p camera will not let you get the 3x3 antenna. 3x3 combined with an intel 6300 3x3 card gives you the best wireless performance. so basically it's camera vs wireless performance. what's more important to you? current 2x2 antenna isn't bad at all and honestly you probably won't see any real world differences.

3) Is the integrated Intel HD 3000 going to be sufficient for my needs (I don't do much in the way of gaming. Just browsing and photo editing).

HD 3000 plenty powerful for your needs.

4) Is 4GB of memory sufficient for my needs? I'm not too concerned, as I know that I can upgrade later if required.

since youre a photoshop user, i'd suggest 8gb (4gb x 2). ram is super cheap right now.

5) I am not really sure if I need the 720p camera. I have never used the webcam on my existing laptop, and don't know if I ever will. So maybe I can save myself $30 by removing that option.

if you do need one in the future, you probably won't want to upgrade it yourself. it will require pulling bezel apart, etc.

6) Not sure if 5400 RPM hard disk will be fine, or if I should upgrade to the 7200 (I'd love the SSD of course, but that will have to wait!)

a 80gb intel ssd is pretty reasonable, about $180 usd. the best $180 upgrade you'll ever see.

6) I have no clue if I need the 54mm Express Card (even after learning about it!).

do you use any external 54mm cards? if not, don't bother.

7) Hopefully the Thinkpad 1x1b/g/n is sufficient (I don't really know what the benefits of the other options are).

thinkpad cards are made by realtek. most people say they're less reliable than intel cards. personally i'd get the intel 6205.

8) Not sure if I should get the Norton Antivirus 2011 with 15 month subscription. I haven't had to worry much about viruses when browsing from my Linux box, but I suppose I need to be a lot more security conscious if I start browsing a lot from a Win7 laptop.

people still use norton suites? microsoft security essentials is free and lightweight.

Thanks for any help!

 

This is for if you use things like VMWare or what not. If you do virtualization on your machine, you'll know.

Not necessarily true. 3x3 increases bandwidth, and also normalizes your signal. IE, moving around your signal won't bounce up and down so much (because of dead zones, etc), but won't necessarily extend the range of your router (especially if it isn't a 3x3 router as well).

Regarding the expresscard:
The express card port is always there. The option is for the SMARTCARD READER. IE, Do you want them to ship you a Gemport Smartcard Reader to stick INTO the expresscard port that can read Smartcards. Chances are you won't need the smart card reader. (It's for large companies and is a mechanism of controlling login/security for sensitive systems).

 

Thanks Kaso! I'm getting a lot of good input - awesome. As far as $1500 is concerned, I guess I'd better just get used to it, because I'm sure that you are also implying that it is worth it

Regarding Integrated Wifi, my options are:

ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n
Intel WiFi Link 1000 [add $10.00]
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN [add $40.00]

Which option relates to what you are suggesting?

Thanks

 

Re: " 80gb intel ssd is pretty reasonable, about $180 usd."

You can get an OEM Intel 320 80GB from Newegg or Buy.Com for about $150 shipped (there are coupons for customers with new accounts (NEWGEEK10 for Newegg and google "Buy.com 5 off 100"

 

Re: "Not necessarily true. 3x3 increases bandwidth, and also normalizes your signal. IE, moving around your signal won't bounce up and down so much".

Considering the placement of the extra antenna, it can improve the range as well. But as you pointed out, the primary benefit is increased throughput.

 

The 6205 Advanced N is the 2x2 adapter.
If you choose to purchase an SSD after the fact, please check it against this list:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/572243-list-drives-compatible-x220.html

The drive bays in here are 2.5" (which is standard) but will only accomodate 6.5mm drives (which is not standard.. modern drives are 9.5mm).

 

Having that third antenna doesn't increase your range. To increase range, you need more gain on your antenna. Which translates to larger antenna. The third antenna merely provides a "different point of view" so to speak. So if you are at a location where 2 of your antennas are getting bad reception, the third one might get better reception, which is what normalizes your reception.

Under perfect conditions, the range of a single antenna configuration should be the same as a 3x3 antenna configuration.

Under real life conditions (where theres interference and whatnot), each antenna is affected to different degrees so your signal is less affected whatever interference is in the air.

 

Re: "if you are at a location where 2 of your antennas are getting bad reception, the third one might get better reception, which is what normalizes your reception".

This is exactly what I meant. Sorry for the misunderstanding .

In any case, I am so jealous that only X220 owners will be able to enjoy an IPS screen. Sigh!

 

Try FNDEPP or calling a rep, it'll lower the price by a bit. There was a major sale in Canada last weekend when I ordered my W520 (30% off on orders over $1500).

 

Calling or chatting with a rep helps a lot. Just tell him that you just missed the promo or you are undecided between the X220 and an HP, VAIO, DEll, or whatnot, and the only reason for your hesitation is the price. Helped me to knock off about 20% (I was actually undecided between T420 and another brand). Don't forget that there are Student Discount and SPP programs that give you ~5% off.

 

Third option: Intel 6205.

 

go for the intel 6205, and dont forget to call lenovo up, as the previous poster said, you can easily get up to 20% off, especially if you upgrade components (like better processor etc)

the reason i suggested the better processor was because you mentioned you intended to dock the notebook and use it as a desktop.

 

Man, all of you guys rock! Thanks for all of the great tips and info. I will digest, re-configure, and probably come back with more questions!

Great tips also about contacting them to potentially get a bit of a discount. Right on.

Cheers,

Wayne

 

Regarding the HDD, I think the best bang-for-the-buck would be getting the base 250 HDD and buying the Intel mSATA 40GB SSD for $100.

The OS, programs and daily use data go on the mSATA, and the HDD is used for storage. It'll do much more for you than $70 on a faster HDD.

I'm debating between that and just getting a 160 SSD myself.

 

becme, the 160GB SSD will be faster than the 40GB mSata. Of course, with the SSD, you will not have as much storage.

I eventually got a 80Gb SSD as I have an external drive to store my infrequently used files. However, the speed of the mSata (although slower than the SSD) was not the primary reason for returning the mSata drive. It was the replacement HDD (Scorpio Black), which was much louder than the stock 5400 RPM drive.

 

Honestly, for most people will barely notice the difference between using a full 2.5" SSD for the main drive, and having an mSATA as the main drive. It really isn't the transfer rate that slows your system down (the mSATA has lower transfer rates than the 160GB SSD), its the slow seek time of disk based drives.

Traditional HDD Seek time: Avg of 20 ms
SSD seek time: 0.1ms

When you stack that up to the thousands of seeks issued by your system, thats where the speedboost of a SSD comes in, not the transfer rate (that really will only make a difference for like, game loading, large file editing, etc).

 

1) If you want to do full disk encryption or run virtual machines, absolutely get the 2520M. It's also slightly faster. For $50 it might be worth it.
2) 2x2 if you want the camera, 3x3 if you don't.
3) Intel HD 3000 is perfect for anything except gaming, and it even runs most games fine on lower settings.
4) 4GB is fine unless you have a specific reason to need more. If you want 8GB later it's much cheaper to buy it yourself than it is to pay Lenovo's inflated prices.
5) I don't use my webcam frequently either but it's nice to have and difficult to add later. You could always get a USB webcam though (they make clip on models for laptops).
6) Buy an SSD. Really. It's the single biggest performance upgrade you can buy for a laptop today. If you can't spend the money on an SSD now I would get the 7200.
6) All X220 models have an ExpressCard/54, so you don't need to spend money on an option (someone else pointed out that the option might be for the smart card reader, which you don't need).
7) Honestly the Realtek wireless is not as bad as many people say, but the Intel 6205 wireless is still considerably better and it's only like $30 more. Dual-band alone is worth the price if you live in an apartment building or other location with lots of interference (you need a dual-band router to take advantage of it though). Also absolutely get the Intel wireless if you have Linux.
8) Throw Microsoft Security Essentials (free) on your machine, keep Windows, Flash, and your browser up-to-date (Chrome updates itself and Flash automatically, which I like), and forget about it.

The X220 is a pretty good box for Linux too, by the way. Intel hardware (graphics, wireless, Ethernet) tends to have very good Linux support, as does most of the rest of the hardware in the X220.

 

Close to being sold. It might be nice to get Ubuntu running in a VM. And others have recommended it. Sold.

Probably camera, therefore 2x2.

Sounds about right.

4BG sounds about right (for now). Although I'll see if I can afford more now (more RAM never hurts I suppose).

Might as well snag it now in case I feel the urge to become a big skyper.

I've heard SSD a lot lately lol! I would be sold, except when working at home (90% of the time), I'll be using my linux server as a file server. So when editing photos etc, they would be on the linux server. So I'm not sure how much of an advantage the SSD would be in that configuration.

Grok.

Ok, I think I'm sold on the 6205.

I've also heard a lot of Microsoft Security Essentials (FREE) lately.... SOLD lol! And thank you for the extra info also

Good to know. On my home CentOS machine, I have Windows XP running in VMware to support some of my more windows-centric photo-editing programs, but there are performance issues. I was kind of assuming that I should just get a Windows7 OS in a laptop to better accommodate, but maybe getting linux plus VMware/Windows on the X220 would actually perform better. Hmmm. Thanks for the thought!

Thanks!

Wayne

 

Good advice here. PDF reader too! It includes its own PDF plugin, so you're more or less exempt from Adobe Reader's vulnerabilities as well. Also MSE is what I give all of my customers, supplemented with updated Sun Java, Flash, Adobe Reader X, Silverlight, and Google Chrome with Adblock and WOT plugins. I have very few issues with customers getting infected post-setup.

 

Nothing wrong with firefox and allowing flash to update itself ?

 

avira seems to detect some threats that MSE dosent, i get this from USB sticks that have been passed around and have malware/viruses/trojans on them. unfortunately some of my classmates are not very computer savvy and click on all kinds of nonsense on the web

otherwise, your config looks good! hopefully you get a good discount on it

 

Funny you mention Avira...

I am using Avira AntiVir Premium on my X220. From when I installed it, I kept getting a flag of the trojan TR/Crypt.XPACK.Gen in C:\SWTOOLS\BIZTREE\MODULECUST\Business-in-a-Box_Setup.exe. I finally let Avira quarantine it. Don't suspect I'll use it anyway. I was also getting a flag from Q:\..\Autorun.ini.

 

1) No, unless you plan on encrypting your hard drive or run virtual machines.
2)2x2 if you want the webcam. Otherwise go for the 3x3.
3) Should be fine, it's a lot better than previous generation of Intel IGP.
4) Get 2GB (1 DIMM), then buy another 2GB or 4GB stick from newegg.com or amazon.com. It's cheaper. (Not sure if they ship to where you live though.
5) It's always good to have. More and more people are using video chat nowadays, so I would take it!
6) I think you can order a cheaper 7200 rpm drive from newegg or amazon for less than the price of the upgrade. I would go with the 5400rpm and just buy another drive later. If you plan to upgrade to SSD, just skip the 7200rpm and save your money for the SSD.
6) Don't need it.
7) At least get the intel centrino wireless-n 1000 (it's the same price). If you can afford the money get one of the better intel chips.
8) No, microsoft security essentials is probably the best free anti-virus/spyware for windows right now.

 

it usually flags autorun.ini's on usb sticks, as there was an exploit that involved it a while ago. i havent had many false positives with it

 

Avira makes the mistake of heuristically flagging some threats based solely on their packer. In this case, the first threat you saw listed was only identified based on the fact that it is packed using an executable packer that is known to often be associated with malware. I can almost guarantee you that it is, in fact, safe. Also, unless your Autorun file on the Q drive has been compromised (by any number of Autorun viruses), this is also a false positive.

I tried Avira for some time and found it to be good. However, I think that I like MSE better in most cases.

I have a pretty strong background in malware removal and prevention, and my personal choices are either ESET (paid) or MSE (free) for all of my customers. Paired with a 64-bit Windows 7 installation, SpywareBlaster inoculation, Google Chrome w/ Adblock and WOT, and updated plugins, infections are very uncommon indeed.

Edit: More info on this "threat": http://www.avira.com/en/support-threats-description/tid/3488/tlang/en

 

Malwarebytes is excellent, especially if you get a virus/ trojan.

Why do you prefer Chrome over Firefox?

 

Thanks again everyone! Your responses are helping me out greatly, and I am sure will help others out as well. I'm very glad that I found this forum!

Hopefully I will have some time tonight to digest everything.

Cheers,
Wayne

 

A lot of people seem to be recommending the 7200 HDD if he won't be getting a SSD for a while. Isn't it like a 70$ upgrade? Even if you buy it separately, I'm sure itll cost you at least 50$.

 

The difference between the 2410 and the 2520 i5 may be larger than most here assume. Aside from the encryption and virtualization instructions, the 2520 has a base clock 200 Mhz greater than the 2410 and 300Mhz greater (3.2 vs 2.9) in turbo mode. Also the 2520s GPU is 100 Mhz faster than the 2410 which will lead to improved 3d performance. This is easily worth 40-50 extra if you ask me.

 

David,

What's up? Yes; Malwarebytes I use for cleanup on most infected PCs after performing manual removal (usually via personally-authored tools and things like OTL for advanced log analysis, etc). For actual real-time protection, MB is good, but I have found that on some PCs it can conflict with other real-time scanning (anything with a filesystem filter driver involved). Plus, it does slow the system when combined with other protection (and it pretty much has to be combined for full effectiveness, unlike most other real-time solutions), so I usually don't opt for the real-time stuff for clients.

The main reason I like Chrome now is that it bundles a couple of the vulnerable plugins (Flash, PDF, and even its own audio player) in the browser and automatically manages the updates without user intervention provided the browser is opened/closed on a regular basis. This provides for (usually) more effective and regular update cycles than the typical user's situation with each individual plugin program (where the update notifications are often ignored or do not occur regularly enough). There have even been cases with certain zero-day vulnerabilities where Chrome's creators have patched the vulnerability before the update was made publicly available via the official Flash builds.

 

It would be if you couldn't put the extra cash towards an SSD or extra RAM. If you can, well... IMO both of those are far, far better uses of the money than a very marginal clock speed bump.

 

Depends on your use, if you regularly use virtualization and the security instructions, the 2410 would be a big downgrade. The 100 mhz GPU memory clock bump could be worth it if you plan to use 3d more, again depends on your use. Unless you don't care about any of that, 2410m is just fine of course.
Indeed RAM and SSD will make a bigger difference.

 

Based on all of the EXCELLENT advice given in this thread, I have settled on the configuration shown further down.

I want to get a good solution that will satisfy me for a while but not completely blow the budget right now. From my initial configuration, I upgraded to the 2520M processor, the 320G 7200 RPM drive, the Intel 6205 wifi, and I removed Norton. If I need to get more RAM down the road, easily done. And when I can no longer resist to get an SSD drive, well, at least the prices will be lower by then!

I was so satisfied with this configuration that I called Dell to start the wheeling and dealing. But sadly their sales office was closed. So tomorrow it will be.

Oh, and tonight I also found a good deal on a Dell U2311H 23" IPS monitor ($100 off) which I look forward to using as my external monitor. Yahooo!
DELL Dell - UltraSharp U2311H 23-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Display : Monitors: Flat Screen LCD Computer Displays | Dell Canada

Thanks again everyone. I'll let you know how my negotiating goes...

ThinkPad X220 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty Edit
Processor: Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (2.50GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.2GHz Edit
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Edit
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English Edit
Display type: 12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna Edit
Total memory: 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM) Edit
Keyboard: Keyboard - US English Edit
Fingerprint reader: UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader Edit
Camera: 720p HD Camera Edit
Hard drive: 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm Edit
Battery: 6 Cell Battery Edit
Power cord: 65W AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin) Edit
Bluetooth: Broadcom Bluetooth 3.0 with antenna Edit
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN Edit
Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable Edit
Language pack: Publication - US English Edit

Cheers,
Wayne

 

That looks like quite a nice setup. Just keep in mind though, for less than the price of that upgrade from 2GB to 4GB on the lenovo site, you could get a brand new 8GB DDR3 kit from a place like newegg.

You could also get the 7200RPM hard drive for far cheaper from newegg or amazon or some other 3rd party (just make sure you get a drive with 7mm height if you do).

 

while normally i would agree, i'd wait and see what discount the lenovo rep offers. when i bought my precision, i got all the upgrades from dell as after the rep discounted it, it was near enough the price i'd have to pay if i upgraded myself that i decided it wasnt worth the hassle

 

OK. I'll have to look at doing that. Thanks.

Thanks again. If I were to do that, how tough would it for a guy like me (who has never installed Windows, but who is not a complete idiot) to get the system back to the state it would be straight from Lenovo?

 

when you get the system, you burn the recovery disks, the after installing the new hard drive, you just run the recovery disks. its as easy as that

 

You can do it the way afhstingray suggested above. There is also a thread somewhere on this forum which gives instructions on how to legally download and burn windows. You can then use the CD key which is printed at the bottom of your system with the install. Of course this would get you a clean windows install and not the default factory install, but I don't really see that as a problem considering lenovo apparently includes a lot of junk software with the x220.
I personally prefer a clean windows install.


Also you hardly need much of any technical skills to install RAM or a new HD. Lenovo even has install videos on the site to guide you. The installing of the operating system is also very straight forward.

 

i actually find the lenovo software very useful, and not a resource hog at all. i'd try the lenovo software before passing judgement about it being junk.

the only "junk" that i can see is the trial copy of office 2010.

 

Interesting stuff Othersteve, and I know what you mean about Malwarebytes.

One final thing: How do you rate System Mechanic for system maintenance (I tend to disable its security features)? I've been using it for a few years and it seems to generally keep the hard drive in good shape but I also cannot completely trust it to not harm my system either, if you know what I mean-) It has quirks as well, such as not recognising Microsoft Security Essentials- at least it didn't last time I tried it with Windows 7.

 

I'm not referring to the Thinkvantage software, I have that myself.

I'm talking about this:
"
If there's anything you should be wary of with the X220, it's the number of "value-added" applications and unnecessary background processes. The Windows 7 Professional operating system has just about every software feature you need for a laptop, yet on our machine a quick glance at the Windows Task Manager revealed nearly 90 processes running and almost 30 percent memory usage--without one user application running. One or two of the background apps are worthwhile, such as the Bluetooth manager or the tool that shuts down the hard drive in case of a fall, but additional battery meters and Wi-Fi handlers are generally useless. A trial version of Norton Internet Security and Microsoft Office 2010 Starter are bundled.
"

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Laptop Computer Review | PCWorld

Not sure how accurate that review is, but it seems to be something specific to the x220. In general I prefer a clean install as I can pick and choose which of the lenovo tools and software I want.

 

Well, since you asked...

Honestly, nearly all of it is either snake oil, built into the host OS, or otherwise available free elsewhere. In particular, my opinion on some of its more highly-touted features:

• Memory Mechanic/Defragmenter - Complete snake oil and absolutely worthless. This harkens back to the days of the old RAM boosters such as GoldRAM and all that stuff back during the Windows 95 days. It was rarely even useful then, and ever since memory prices have plummeted and OS memory management has improved drastically, these generally do more harm than good.
• Registry Tuner - At best, unnecessary. At worst, dangerous. Windows experts such as Mark Russinovich have long warned about the risk of so-called registry "cleaning" programs. The only one I'd ever really even consider using these days is the hyper-conservative CCleaner--but even that is very rarely needed. Instead, a registry compaction using a utility such as NTREGOPT (free) is a better idea.
• Junk File Cleaner - CCleaner.
• Privacy Cleaner - CCleaner.
• Disk Defragmenter - Already built into Windows 7 and scheduled to take place regularly. If you need more robust defragmentation functionality, MyDefrag is about the best around, and it's free. However, I never fool with this stuff on Vista/7 workstations; only XP where defrag was not a built-in scheduled task.
• Program Accelerator - MyDefrag has this functionality built into its scripts already as well. "Optimize Monthly" performs the same service.
• Internet Connection Repair - Rarely if ever needed in Windows 7 due to its built-in troubleshooting. But if it is, Microsoft Fixit actually performs the same service for free.
• EnergyBooster/Startup Optimizer/CRUDD Remover - If anything, try StartupLite from Malwarebytes'. Funnily enough, the screenshot on iolo's website for the EnergyBooster feature shows the Background Intelligent Transfer Service as being flagged as a recommended service to turn off. It's a terrible idea to do that!

Truly, I would never recommend it. I see iolo as one of those companies riding the success of their brand based on shiny-looking beefed-up versions of built-in (or otherwise freeware) utilities and others which provide no benefit whatsoever to the end user (but certainly sound good on paper)! Ditch it for sure.

 

Yup, they got me hooked on a special offer a few years back. My suspicions were aroused when I had problems that seemed to be the fault of SM and then found their email support somewhat lacking, to say the least.

Much obliged for all the advice, othersteve!

 

Without discounts, the above was coming out to $1364.00 CDN.

Last night I tried the "visa perks" website/coupon, and configured the above. After putting in the coupon code it got the price down to $1166.22. But I couldn't figure out how to get through to the checkout, so I gave up. Anyway, that represented a 14.5% discount, which is pretty good. I'd like to get down to below $1100 if at all possible.

I spoke with a Dell dude today, and surprise surprise, he also gave me the same discount. He wouldn't go any lower by the sounds of it. So $1166.22.

I'm going to chew on it a bit. But overall considering how good it seems the X220 is, I should probably be happy with that price.

One niggle that stopped me was wondering if I should look into the X220T tablet. It would come out to $1379 after the discount. But, that would be a whole new area of investigation for me to determine if I "need" a tablet instead of a good 'ol laptop.

Cheers,
Wayne