X220 Config & Price?

Just had a Thinkpad stolen from my in-laws' house for the second time in 3 years (don't ask)...praise God for online backup! Trying to make the best of it and upgrade from an x200 to the x220.

How does $968 (pre-tax) for configuration below strike you?


Intel Core i5-2450M Processor (3M Cache, 2.50 GHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
Intel® HD Graphics 3000
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
Fingerprint Reader
320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
ThinkPad Battery 29++ (9 cell)
No Bluetooth
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
4286 : 1 Year Depot Warranty

Based on old posts my price doesn't seem great as some were closer to $750, though I didn't see their specs. I'm ordering from regular lenovo site w/ 15% off coupon.

Any tips, tricks for getting price down lower?

Anything above that's a waste of money? I definitely want IP screen & camera.

Anything I really should add? I'll use it primarily for work (real estate) and grad school (nothing technical).

Finally, if estimated ship date is 3/29 what is a realistic receipt date?

Thanks!

 

www.lenovo.com

 

What's the question here?

 

Sorry, it posted before I finished, and I reposted before noticing.

 

No problem, I've merged your threads.

As you correctly noted, that's a reasonable price, although it's not exceptional.

Personally, I would skip out on the fingerprint reader since it's really not necessary when it's just as easy (and probably more secure) to type a password.

I don't think that's the base i5 CPU, is it? If not, stick with the base i5: the upgraded i5 CPU options are mere clock speed bumps, and make unnoticeably little difference in performance. It's certainly not worth the money.

In fact, for your usage, I would say an i3 CPU would be more performance than you'll need. Even the slowest i3 CPU will already be much faster than your X200.

Once you're set on a configuration, you can try calling a rep and see if you can get any personal discounts (be nice but persistent; indicate that a slightly lower price would immediately get you to order).

Both my X120e and T500 were quoted for about 1 month until shipment. I ended up receiving both exactly 2 weeks after clicking the order button. It does vary, but 2-3 weeks is usually a safe estimate. A 03/29 ship date shouldn't be a problem; it might even ship before then.

Good luck!

 

2450 is the cheapest i5 currently. It's $50 more than the i3. You're right that I don't need the extra speed now, but I figured $50 was a cheap investment in extra longevity. I gather the CPU is one of the only things you can't easily upgrade yourself later, right?

You're right about the fingerprint reader too. I had it on a T60 prior to the x200 but didn't really miss it.

Thanks for the tip on calling a rep. I'll try that and leverage the fact that I've been a thinkpad user since '98.

 

Think of it this way, if you bought a T60 years ago, do you think it was worth it to spend $50 to bump up to the T5600 over the T5500? For most uses you can't tell a difference between them. I say get the i3 unless you need top performance, which few do.

 

Sweet, we've knocked $70 off the original price.

 

This price, as many have said, is not great. You can do much better.

• Check that you own a MasterCard (debit card is ok).
• Go to MasterCard marketplace website. Register an account.
• Search for Lenovo. You should see "OFFER: Employee Pricing + Additional 10% Off Lenovo Laptops".
• Click through the "SHOP NOW" button.
• Once on Lenovo site, click "SPECIAL OFFERS" at the top.
• Click on the "ThinkPad Travel-Ready Bundles" deal.
• Click "CUSTOMIZE & BUY" under X220.
• Select the "Premium HD" display option. [+ $42.50]
• Select the "ThinkPad Battery 29++ (9 cell)" option. [+ $25.50]
• Select "Base Warranty 4286" under Warranty Upgrades. [- $52.54]
• Deselect "Computrace LoJack for Laptops Premium 1 Year license" under Utilities. [- $44.71]
• Add to cart, enter coupon code "THINK3DAY"

You end up with this configuration for $903.35

• Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (3M Cache, 2.50 GHz)
• Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
• 12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
• 4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
• 720p HD Camera
• Intel 160 GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA
• ThinkPad Battery 29++ (9 cell)
• Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)

Now THAT is what I would call a good deal.

 

Fantastic, my biz card is actually a MC. I'll try that in the morning.

Thanks so much for taking the time to type all of that out!

 

I just ordered one with the 15% discount. Pretax is OK, but CA taxes killed it. I got it nevertheless.

P.S. I have a SSD waiting at home.

$859.86, after tax $941.10

Intel Core i5-2520M Processor (3M Cache, 2.50 GHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 3x3 Antenna
Intel® HD Graphics 3000
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
No Fingerprint Reader
320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
ThinkPad Battery 29++ (9 cell)
No Bluetooth
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
4286 : 1 Year Depot Warranty

 

Do note the X220 uses a 7mm drive bay. Most drives won't fit without modification, which has consequences.

 

Thats about the best price you're going to get right now. I was able to get your config but with the lower i5 instead, 1year accidental warranty, 6205 wireless, and 720p webcam for 916$ shipped. Pretty sure in the past there have been better deals, but as of this moment I don't think it will get any better. Plus I ordered now because I need the laptop by mid next month for school, and the ivy bridge refreshes aren't gonna be any time soon.

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Lenovo Outlet. The outlet has three kinds of laptops--scratch and dent, refurbished and new.

If you're particular, you may not care for the scratch and dents, but you can save some serious cash, and maybe you don't trust the refurbished--but refurbished usually means that the laptop shipped, was opened, and returned. Sometimes, the box was opened and the laptop was never even turned on

Finally, the outlet sells NEW laptops--these are laptops that were ordered, but the order was cancelled--they never even left the warehouse.

Just saw a brand new x220 with an 120gb ssd drive for $863.59...pretty hard to beat that deal

 

No IPS screen (requirement by original poster).

 

Correct. And I did check Lenovo Outlet yesterday but couldn't find a new x220 with IPS screen + the other specs I want. Also the ratio of savings to potential hassles with delayed, canceled, or incorrect order wasn't adding up for me given I need a quick replacement.

ckx: I have the system + price you listed in my cart. Thanks again! You can disregard PM I sent...now I see my question was not relevant.

Is there any downside to checking out through Amazon? Any benefit of creating a Lenovo account for checkout?

 

Especially since Lenovo Outlet does not currently provide any savings at all.

I had done it both ways, and I don't think it really matters. No matter which way you go, you get a Lenovo order number and a Lenovo order tracking page.

 

I missed the IPS screen requirement, but I don't think that you ought to worry about potential hassles or delays--in fact, you probably get it quicker since it is already assembled.

As far as potential savings, it all depends on the moment you're looking.,,

 

Uh-oh. Well, will this guy work out?

http://i.imgur.com/MS2Ih.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/d0vGx.jpg

Samsung
Lenovo PN: 42T1897
Lenovo FRU: 42T1898

also a little adapter.

 

That looks like a 1.8" SSD, which I think should work...

 

That will sit loose in the bay unless he gets a Lenovo 1.8-2.5" adapter. Just get one of these, warning that it's meant for a 9.5mm bay. The X220 does take 9.5mm drives, with slight modification, but if you're going the ssd route just get a regular 2.5" ssd and remove the spacer.

New Genuine Lenovo ThinkPad 1.8" to 2.5" SATA HDD converter 42W7888 42W8019 | eBay

 

Hmm, I might wanna call them to see if I can change order.

 

It's usually cheaper to get the ssd yourself. And you'll have a spare hdd that comes with the machine.

 

Can I just add a mSATA for boot and use the current HDD? Otherwise, I'll be looking into buying a SSD in the coming months.

 

Yes. That's the setup I have. It's quite slick.

 

I know it's discussed, but can you suggest some places/vendors/models for mSATA?

I don't need a lot of space, just enough for boot and base OS maybe. I'll be using FreeBSD anyway. So 16GB or 32GB is totally fine. The cheaper the better. I want to order soon.

 

Intel has the lowest failure rates, but all SSD vendors are pretty low. If you only 32GB then perhaps this is worth a look.