X230(t) Owner's Thread

It honestly doesn't take long to get used to it. Just think of it this way: if you'd gone with a Mac, you'd still have the FN key on the outside.

 

Thanks to all your help, I have finally ordered a X230 (regular) off lenovo. Should be here in a week or two.

One thing I wanna ask is, I got a good CPU config but I kept the HDD and only 4GB ram because I thought Id would be cheaper to buy 3rd party upgrades.
So, what are good compatible ram and SSD to get?
I found this ram Amazon.com: Crucial Technology 16GB (2 X 8GB) 204-Pin SODIMM, DDR3 1600 PC3-12800 Memory Module Kit CT2KIT102464BF160B: Computers & Accessories

It seems pretty cheap but is this a good ram? Is there anything cheaper or better?
Also, I'm not familiar with SSDs what is a good brand to get that is cheap too? I need at least 256GB.


Thanks guys, I'm really excited for this laptop. It cost me a little more than I would've liked but at least its ALOT cheaper than a Sony Vaio Pro and alot more powerful.
The resell value might not be so good but I expect this to last me many years.

 

Crucial is fine.
Anything with lifetime warranty will do : crucial, kingston,etc
For ssd I prefer samsung ones or intel.

 

For the RAM I'd recommend 16 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L ( 1.35V). Crucial is a decent brand. Remember that RAM is overpriced now. Last year 16 GB of quality DDR3 1.35 V RAM was going for around $50 on sale.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148730

For the SSD get a Samsung 840 PRO.

 

Yea , the X230t is a horrible tablet. I can't blame you for almost never using as a tablet.

 

How is the 1.35V different from the one I posted?

 

The Cruical Ballistix one is slightly faster because of the lower CAS latency.

Since both of them seem to be 1.35 V modules , the power consumption should be about the same (I'm assuming that almost the same current will be used as well).

 

If I went with a Mac , I'd be able to get back most of the money I spent if I decided to sell it.

 

Wait , you had an Elitebook with the DreamColor screen and sold it?!

The X230t uses the worst IPS screen I've ever seen. It even has image retention (Lenovo never bothered to fix that).

 

There's no denying the DC LCD is gorgeous, but it's heavy and doesn't offer touch like the X230t. I've had my X220i for two plus years and have never seen any ghosting.

 

My X230t doesn't have touch. It only has a stylus input unlike the other tablets with Gorilla glass.

Are you sure you have the IPS display on your X220?

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/lenovo-ibm/41482-x220t-ips-screen-burn.html

 

I would think Zaz would know whether he has IPS or not on his X220i. Ghosting does occur to some extend on the IPS LCD used in the X2x0/t/i machines, this image retention problem also occurs on the rMBP (just google it).

 

Apple replaced some of the screens with ghosting. The PLS panels used in the MacBook Pro Retina are better than the AH-IPS panels.

Lenovo doesn't use PLS panels in the X230t.

 

Yeah...I just didn't use the power it provided, it was big, heavy, hot, and didn't have the best battery life. There's no questions its display put my X230t's to shame though. I don't use the touch option that it as a tablet provides...but i have seen the image retention issue happen, especially with Chrome's toolbars.

 

Did i say X230t uses PLS screen?

Also, rMBP uses both LG AH-IPS and Samsung PLS screen. Ghosting is an issue with the AH-IPS, it will occur to some extent in all LG AH-IPS panels.

 

Apple actually replaced some of the AH-IPS panels with PLS (under warranty). Why don't you look that up?
PLS panels don't have a big ghosting issue like AH-IPS panels do

I can't ask Lenovo to replace the AH-IPS with a PLS panel since they don't have any. That's the point I was making.

If I bought a Retina MacBook Pro and it had ghosting issues , I could ask Apple to replace the AH-IPS panel with a PLS panel.

 

I have never (well, almost never) had any issues with ghosting. The only time I thought it was happening was when I was already really low on sleep, so today I can't quite judge if it was really ghosting. It could have also been a software bug, because I've never had the issue before, and when I restarted, it was gone. The only issue I have is some white spots showing up on the screen, but I've seen that on just about any laptop screen that's been used for more than a year (yes, including macbooks). If you bought a Lenovo, you could get it replaced as well, maybe not with a different panel, but since not all panels have the issue, that should fix it. Sure you have to get through their customer service, but the folks at the Genius (or not so Genius) bar aren't any better, with both it depends on who you get.
And honestly, the x230t isn't a bad tablet. Sure it isn't as thin as an iPad or Galaxy tab, but then, it can do a lot more than both of them combined.

 

All of the Fujitsu tablets I've had were easier to write on than my X230t which is why the X230t is not my main tablet.

 

Hey guys, its me again.
Very anxious for my laptop to arrive Its been like a week but It feels like forever!!

I do want to get everything prepared before it arrives though.
Someone recommended to get a Samsung Pro SSD and Crucial Rams. As per Attached image
But these two are going to set me back another $600!!!

Is there a cheaper option for the same performance? What do you guys do with the default ram/hdd it comes with? do you just keep it?

EDIT: I just found out about Hybrid Drives, Seagate offers 500gb one for less than $100. That might be a good alternative. Does anyone have experience with Hybrid drives?

 

There are cheaper options. You have picked the top of the line components so you will pay more for them. If you're OK with slightly less than top, then I will suggest some. Personally, that is too much for a SSD. RAM is also very expensive. You can get cheaper options and not sacrifice much if at all.

If you want a large SSD, here are some choices:

Much better deal and similar performance:
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW 2.5" 500GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Slightly less storage but another good drive.
Corsair Force Series GS CSSD-F360GBGS-BK 2.5" 360GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com

For RAM:

Buy two of these:
Team Model TSD38192M1600C11-E Laptop Memory - Newegg.com

If you want to spend more:
CORSAIR Vengeance Model CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10 Laptop Memory - Newegg.com

You can easily save $120-$140 or so if you go with lesser expensive choices.

I wouldn't go with a hybrid drive. I would rather first buy a regular HD and then later buy a SSD.

Here is an article about that Seagate Hybrid drive. It looks to be faster than a HD but not quite as fast as an SSD. Thus, a hybrid . You can save money this way but you have to determine if you can settle for average boot times with a Hybrid or almost instantaneous boot times with a SSD. Hybrid SSDs get faster over time because of caching so at first they may not appear to be that fast.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonev...hing-the-numbers-should-you-buy-a-hybrid-ssd/

 

I've never tried it myself, but if you're worried about the price-to-gigabyte ration, there's always this which I posted a while ago:
Newegg.ca - Crucial M500 960GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT960M500SSD1
This is only one place I found it at, it could be that it's cheaper at other places.

 

Thanks! I got the EVO but I still stuck with the Crucial Ram. I still saved more than a $100 compared to going with the Samsung Pro.

Now the wait for the laptop begins. Its been 13 days since I ordered.
What is a normal waiting time for a Lenovo Laptop ordered from the official website?
I checked the status, it still says CTO. Estimated ship date is 16th. Will it help if I call them to make them ship it faster?
Tired of waitinggg!

 

It will take about a week or so after it ships. I doubt calling them will do much.

 

Last message's from October, ouch... But anyways : I'm looking for a Thinkpad X, i prefer the x230 over the x240 and can get a good one for a good price now. I read some reviews, mostly on notebookcheck as usual, and i was shocked to see the temperature... According to their test the x230's is heating like crazy compared to x220/x240... Check it please: Lenovo ThinkPad X230 2306-2AU Laptop Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews and tell me what you think about it...

 

You are kidding, right? Prefer X230 over X240? Unless it's the price. If you care at all about battery life and heat, you can't beat Haswell.
Also, for the temperatures comparing x230 vs x220, I'm pretty sure x220 is much hotter than x230. Don't trust everything the reviewers say. All the reviews for WD routers praise how good they are, when in fact all of them are total crap.
Wife has x220, I had a x230T so I can't really compare the two. Anyways, I would get a core-i3 x240 instead of x230/x220 core-i7 if the budget was an issue.

I sold my x230t and bought a Haswell rMBP13. Loving the build quality, screen resolution, low temperature, and real long battery life.

 

Well the x240 surely got better battery and temperatures BUT i would pay double to get the most basic x240 compared to that x230 with i7.. And the reason i prefer the x230 is of course price but also the ports..!!

 

I reviewed the X230 in 2012. I didn't seem to run any hotter or be more noisy than my X220i. I suppose like any machine, if you push it, you'll get more heat and noise.

 

I always thoroughly enjoy Notebookcheck's reviews, but I think you have to take into account 1) the relevance of the test, and 2) variance among samples. They're only testing 1 of each model, and the earliest firmware versions (in most cases). My own experience is quite a bit different. I had 2 different X220's and I'm currently using an X230. My X230 runs significantly cooler (by 2-3C doing the same benchmark testing), the CPU consistently is 3-5C cooler doing the same stuff, and the fan is quieter (than my first X220, the second one was equally quiet).

My own X230 runs plenty cool, several orders of magnitude cooler than older TP's I've used or a MBA. The tests under which they measure temps aren't real world conditions for most users. Also, note that during notebookcheck's review, they never experienced any throttling during the testing, so any potential heat issues aren't going to affect performance. If it really became a comfort issue, you could always install TPFC and set some more aggressive levels for the fans, but for me the stock cooling on the fan works great.

 

Oh, I see. If it's that much difference, then no can do. I know they usually have great sales on first couple weeks of product release. I paid $1050 for X230T (i5 with everything) with 2 year warranty back then when it was first released. I remember X220 with i7 was around $800, and so was the X230 when it was first released. It was Barnes & Noble EPP discount or something like that. My X230T was cool and quiet most the time but I didn't like how bulky that thing was. Compared to the X230 it is bulkier, but does a better job on removing heat. The battery life of the X230T was not that great, at 4-5 hours (of course, better than the X220T though). So are you getting a X230 for about $500?

Having been using a rMBP13 for over two months now, I really hate looking at my 1080p 27" samsung monitor (1 meter distance). I don't think I'll be able to forgive Thinkpad's low resolution screen any more even though it is IPS panel. Quality is not what it used to be either. My X230T was cherry picked, and I had to return 2 bad ones (warped bottom, warped lid cover), and it still had some design problems (screen rubbing the keyboard's two upper corners).

Anyways, good luck on the laptop hunt!

 

As said, the one i can get (soon unavalaible..!!) has got an i7... Which means more heat i guess..?

 

The i7's offered in X series and tablet are always dual core. It shouldn't be that much hotter over an i5.

 

Is it possible to swap a palmrest without a fingerprint reader with one that does?

 

Yes, as long as the palmrest includes the fingerprint reader you can swap it in. You can find them for cheap on Ebay, and it's very easy to swap. Obviously you'll have to download the application/drivers from Lenovo.

 

i have both the i5 and i7 X230t, the performance and heat difference between them two is minimal. The only reason that i got the i7 X230 and X230t was because it was free upgrade, otherwise i would have got the i5 instead.

 

I have the X230T with the i7. In typical situations, heat is rarely a problem - it feels warm, but the fan never needs to go very high - at least not to the point where it makes more noise than my hard drive. Even right now, it's on my bed, I can hear the hard drive way over my fan, and the temperature is hovering between 55 and 60 (I can't wait until I can afford an SSD to go in this thing). On the other hand, doing something intensive when in a high performance power plan can really heat it up - I was doing some video editing recently, and that really got it to work, it went up to about 93 when I was exporting the final video - the minute it was finished, the temperature came right down to about 75 within about a second - heating up takes a good deal longer (thank goodness). Playing intensive games takes it even further, I recently installed left4dead 2, and grabbed a look at my desktop to see my processor temperature at 100 . The processor is supposed to be able to take up to 105, but that just sounds way too hot for me. I am planning on investing in a cooling pad for when I'm gaming. In the meantime, my white trash solution consists of a couple of building blocks to prop the computer up about an inch, and an old USB fan I found, twisted over to blow air under my computer, keeping it at about 90... Of course, putting it in a lower power plan which doesn't use turbo boost would also be a solution for some.

 

I'm curious what OS owners are running. 8.1, 8 or 7. I have a x230t running 8.1 and I'm not sure the drivers are as dialed in as the Windows 7 drivers as I'm getting an odd error where it sometimes does not turn on after I resume from hibernate/sleep.

 

I just ordered an X230 and the touchpad is by far the worst thing Lenovo's ever produced. It's unbearably choppy. After doing some Googling I've discovered this is a widespread issue that Lenovo never fixed. This computer is going back...

 

Just pretend it's not there.

 

I don't blame you. If you don't want to mess with it, then it's incredibly annoying. "Pretending it's not there" isn't an option (or at least a good one). The track pad and track point are both useful. It's silly to limit yourself.

That said, know that this is a manufacturing tolerance thing, not a design thing. On two machines, mine was fine, on a third it was horrible. I "fixed" the bad one with some cardboard shims, then I replaced it a year later when I replaced the palm rest (which was all worn out and shiny...found a new one on Ebay for $10.00).

Here's the problem: there's a piece of stamped steel that holds the touchpad in place. The thickness of this piece was different! I actually kept my old touch pad and swapped that metal piece, to see if that was the problem, and sure enough it fixed it. The touch pad is now nice and firm. Of course, I totally understand not wanting to mess with this on a brand new machine, but just so you know it can be resolved pretty easiliy.

 

I don't understand... how is this fixable? The problem is that the touchpad is choppy, "coarse", and jumpy. Everyone says it's a driver issue. My X201's touchpad was excellent...

I mean look at this crap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnDut5wqViA

 

I thought you were referring to the touch pad having excessive play. Sometimes this communication thing on the internets is tricky... I'm referring to the phenomena where the touch pad starts to move down as soon as you put a finger on it and is constantly loose. It's really annoying, and quite a few people have had this issue.

As far the issue you're experiencing in that video, I really don't know what do say--it could be a driver issue, but it could be a problem with the hardware as well. None of mine behaved that way and I had 3 different machines with that touchpad (X220 and X230 used the exact same pad). Mine is very fast and very accurate.

 

Yeah I noticed it had excessive "play" too, but I figured that that was just a part of the touchpad's click-mechanism. But the jumpy motion of the touchpad is beyond irritating, and I doubt it's a hardware issue. I'm really surprised that other people have ones that are not so jumpy ...

 

I currently have an X230t. I'd say that one is defective or the sensitivity is just messed up. My touchpad does not behave like that.

If you have warranty consider getting it fixed.

 

IMHO the QC for the X230/(t) is below the ThinkPad standard but you get what you pay for. The warranty is great though so it's not as bad as buying some random laptop from BestBuy.

 

I'm on the stock system (Windows 7 with all the drivers etc. as they came), and I do have an issue that pops up pretty rarely (4-5 times during the 1 1/2 years I've been using this), where it semi-resumes from sleep but gets stuck. The power button above the keyboard is blinking the way it does when it's sleeping, but the wireless light is on - it shouldn't be, if it's sleeping. I haven't found a way to get around it yet, for me it has always involved a force shut down.

 

I just sprung for an X230t for a pretty good deal.

This is a very, very long thread, and I haven't gotten a chance to comb through it. Is there anything I should know about this device? In particular:

a) Are people having issues when upgrading to Windows 8? I've heard about battery life concerns, have these been resolved?

b) Does the screen wobble bother people? Anything to be done about it?

c) DID I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE??

 

Test out the tablet feature and make sure the pen doesn't have crazy edge drift.
X230t edge drift

Windows 8 may take some extra time to set up since the X230t wasn't made for Windows 8 and you may need to do some workarounds to get things working the way you expect.

When you said you got a pretty good deal , does that mean you paid about $600 or less for an X230t with NBD warranty?

 

Thanks Zero000.

I paid 675, but I think right now the warranty is depot, so I'll want to upgrade to on-site myself. Those are some high standards! I didn't see anything anywhere near $600 when shopping around.

 

The x230t lost about 50% of its value so far , so depending on the specs , that price could be good.

The ones that are really good prices go fast.

 

Huh wonder how I missed that one. (I wanted the multi-touch screen anyways)

One thing I like about thinkpads (especially since I'm moving from a mac) is how upgrade-able they are: I may not be buying the highest spec'd version, but I plan upgrading to SSD and adding RAM, and this seems to be pretty easy.