X220, please give suggestions !!!

Hello. I'm looking to buy the X220. My questions:

1) Core i5 2410m enough?

2) What is good/cheap RAM for this ? (need 8GB so 2 sticks 4GB each)

2) Which SSD ? I will NOT settle for SATA II if this laptop can handle SATA III.

From the research I have done, it only takes 7mm. 9mm is possible but need to open it up all the way ? which voids warranty ?

Crucial M4 C400 is the best choice right now ?
Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 128GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps - DirectCanada
That one can be modded to 7mm ?

Thanks !!!

 

1) Depends on your usage? Normal usage, office tasks? Yes. Compiling/rendering? Depends.

2) Any 8 GB DDR3 SODIMM kit. Honestly the performance from 1066 to 1333 isn't noticeable in normal usage, only synthetic benchmarks/rendering compiling. No point in buying 1600 as the IMC won't support those speeds.

3) Unless you can live with only 1 HDD, I would recommend the Intel 310 series mSATA as your boot and you can get 7mm normal drive. Unless you are doing TONS of I/O, normal usage you will not see the difference between SATA 2 and 3.

 

Sandy Bridge does support up to 1866MHz DDR3, but the JEDEC specs for those speeds weren't approved until after the SB whitepaper was released.

I would also recommend the Intel 310 mSATA SSD. I only have the slower 40GB, but it's still blazing fast and very reliable (being an Intel drive). I use my stock 250GB for larger programs/data/pictures/video.

 

The thing is, I cannot stand normal harddrives. The constant noises / unresponsiveness ect.....

The mSATA seems lame. It's really pricy for only 80GB and it's slow too....

I'd rather have a single 128 / 120GB. Probably more power drain with 2 drives aswell.

Any suggestions for SATA 3 drive ??

As for the CPU, I'll be using it for networking (secure CRT, ect), office tasks, some router visualization (GNS3), some Starcraft 2

 

Why? They're all gimped in low power mode anyway.

 

Not sure you'll notice the difference in sata. I chose based on (relative) reliability with an Intel 320. You'll lose a lot more time from a bricked drive than all the time you think you might save from the sata3.

S

 

I chose Intel 320 Series for reliability. Unfortunately it's been a bad pick as they now suffer from the 8MB bug.

 

With a clean install + rapidboot driver, what kind of boot time can I expect with:
-Intel 320
-Intel 310 mSata

The defective E420 I'm returning was able to do 16-17s with Vertex 2 60GB.

 

I mean the Core i3/i5/dual core i7 are capped at 1333 MHz RAM, whereas only quad core i7's support 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM.

Also how noisy a drive is bad luck. I've never noticed any of my drives are loud, or perhaps I am not bothered by it.

There's nothing wrong with mSATA, but the "slower" write speeds but again in normal usage situations you are NOT going to notice. Only if you do TONS of I/O will you notice it. Also with mSATA you can use a traditional HDD or another 7mm SSD in the x220.

 

I find this interesting; could you please site the reference material where you learned this?

Thanks



Have a Magical Day!

 

Intel's Ark site.

Also the 310 series is based off G2 just in different form factor, mSATA in mini PCI-E. I believe flash NAND chips are the same.

Ya once Intel irons out the 8 MB error with the 320 series, should be good to go.

 

How does this setup look ?

Intel Core i5-2410M Processor (2.30GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
Intel HD Graphics
2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 (1 DIMM)
250GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
6 Cell Battery
Intel WiFi Link 1000
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty

Upgrades I picked
-------------------------------------------
IPS Display
720P camera
1Yr Onsite Warranty Next Business Day

TOTAL: $750 + Tax

SSD / Memory upgrades (separate)
-------------------------------------------
G.SKILL 8GB 2x4 Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Laptop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSQ

Crucial M4 Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 128GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps - DirectCanada

OR C300 128GB

1) Should I get the Crucial M4 or a C300 for $175 (open box but he claims its not used, local pickup)

2) Is the next day on-site warranty worth it ?

 

I'd bump up to the 320GB 5400RPM, then get the mSATA unless you need WWAN.

I didn't get the webcam as I have a face for radio. Something only has value if you intend to use it. If not, it's not worth $25.

 

That seems pointless. I can get a 7mm 320gb for the price of the upgrade.

The 310 80gb are sold out everywhere plus I want to use a full-speed SSD.

 

Then do that and sell the old drive to offset the cost.

I doubt you'll be able to discern a difference between the SSDs in real world performance.

 

Don't I need to keep the old harddrive / memory in case I have to return ???

Only the 40GB 310's are in stock around here. There has got to be a huge difference between that (35mb write speed lol) vs SATA 3 2.5" SSD.

Turn's out the C300 someone was selling (for $160) is a 1.8" 3.3V
Not gonna bother with adapters...I'll just get the M4

 

Sorry, really not trying to be a pest about this; just really curious.

As stated previously by RICHAN90, based on what I read recently the 1333 cap was due to the fact that the JEDEC specs for speeds above that had not been approved.

Going to the Intel Ark site, and looking at both mobile and desktop processors neither of them showed an ability of RAM speeds in excess of 1333.

For example, this is of one of the desktop 4 core SB processors I looked at.

In reading reviews from various sites from users of the new Kingston HyperX RAM for notebooks they have noted a visible increase in performance of their systems, in particular with the IGP.

I wonder therefore: am I reading the wrong pages, has the data listed on the ARK site not yet been updated to reflect the now approved speeds, or what have you read that confirms what you have learned?

Thanks for your patience with my nit-picking.




Have a Magical Day!

 

Hard drives aren't that expensive anyway, I would keep them.

What really counts is the 4k speeds, the 35 mb/sec write is sequential write. Again a 40 GB mSATA and a 256 GB SATA 3 SSD for normal use you will not be able to tell the difference.