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    x120e Owner's Thread

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Master Kuni, Mar 12, 2011.

  1. Stang70Fastback

    Stang70Fastback Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yeah. Matlab and LabVIEW seem to be the only programs I use where I notice a slowdown, and even then only really in actually first opening the programs. I hooked this thing up to a 1080p TV the other day and was running things at 1920x1280 res with no issues. I even played an HD video fullscreen without issue, as well as an admittedly not EXTREMELY graphics intensive game, LFS, at that resolution with 2x AA without dropping below 30 fps. If you aren't needing a supercomputer, this thing really is fine.
     
    Stang70Fastback, May 10, 2011
    #601
  2. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    please can someone recommend optimum settings for TP FAN control or a similar application which sorts the fan noise problem thanks so much.
     
    jw8725, May 11, 2011
    #602
  3. Hyper-X

    Hyper-X Newbie

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    For those needs, I find it more than fast enough. My unit has 8GB of total RAM from Crucial, otherwise everything else is stock.

    If I need to compress/decompress huge RAR files or encode video I switch to my i7 to cut down the time but I'd say that for 98% of my needs, the X120e is plenty fast.
     
    Hyper-X, May 13, 2011
    #603
  4. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    I'm finding mine sluggish but I'm using just 2 gig of RAM and the stock HD. I plan to upgrade to 8 gig of G.Skill RAM and the new OCZ Agility 3 in the coming days. Really cant wait. I shall do a fresh install of windows ultimate on it.
     
    jw8725, May 13, 2011
    #604
  5. johan851

    johan851 Notebook Guru

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    Just grabbed a refurb x120e from the outlet. I owe it to a Python script I wrote that polls the outlet every 3 minutes for x120e updates. There was one x120e refurbished for $183, and I think I snagged it.

    E350
    2gb RAM
    250GB 5400RPM hard drive
    Bluetooth
    6-cell battery
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

    Total (including shipping and taxes): $200.39

    Supposed to ship on 5/18. I'm pretty stoked. :)
     
    johan851, May 13, 2011
    #605
  6. Faideelah

    Faideelah Notebook Consultant

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    Wow. That is CHEAP! Even a E-240 goes for like 300 + tax
     
    Faideelah, May 13, 2011
    #606
  7. Regnad Kcin

    Regnad Kcin Notebook Evangelist

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    That's an awesome price! The crazy thing is they have a number of x100e's that cost more than a new x120e!
     
    Regnad Kcin, May 13, 2011
    #607
  8. johan851

    johan851 Notebook Guru

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    Yeah, the outlet tends to alternate between being way too expensive and way too cheap. I remember seeing X201's up there for $450 some days, and $900 others.
     
    johan851, May 13, 2011
    #608
  9. not.sure

    not.sure Notebook Evangelist

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    python FTW!
     
    not.sure, May 13, 2011
    #609
  10. k2001

    k2001 Notebook Deity

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    I should go back to my habit of checking the outlet more than once a day. I can't believe that they're this cheap.
     
    k2001, May 14, 2011
    #610
  11. johan851

    johan851 Notebook Guru

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    Honestly, it's tough to catch the crazy good deals unless you're lucky or you check every 5 minutes. I was, at worst, at the outlet three minutes after deals were posted (three x120es) and one minute later they were all gone. That's why I automated it.
     
    johan851, May 14, 2011
    #611
  12. Cheeseman

    Cheeseman Eats alot of Cheese

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    Anyone have any good color profiles to share? I've tried a couple that were posted earlier, but they weren't all that great.
     
    Cheeseman, May 15, 2011
    #612
  13. k2001

    k2001 Notebook Deity

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    I use the x120e color profile, also I jack the color temp to 6200K and increase the color saturation to 115. The screen is ok for my use now, but I still prefer an external monitor.
     
    k2001, May 15, 2011
    #613
  14. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    Where in the settings can I do this? Mine has gone off colour.
     
    jw8725, May 15, 2011
    #614
  15. tommy_oliver

    tommy_oliver Newbie

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    Yo. I've been debating between the x120e and the Acer 1830t for almost a week now. I like the build quality and graphics performance on the thinkpad but am concerned about cpu performance and the damn extended battery. I plan on usin the machine for general productivity, some light Adobe CS3, some low poly 3D modeling, and playing Counter-Strike Source. Will Zacate be fine for this stuff, or should I go with the Acer and it's i5 ULV, which is almost 3x faster according to Passmark?
     
    tommy_oliver, May 15, 2011
    #615
  16. johan851

    johan851 Notebook Guru

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    If you're doing any kind of modeling/Adobe work, you're really going to benefit from the faster CPU. I would go with the i5 hands down.
     
    johan851, May 15, 2011
    #616
  17. Cheeseman

    Cheeseman Eats alot of Cheese

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    I have Adobe CS4 installed and a couple of 3D modeling applications such as AutoCAD (3D), 3ds Max, Revit, and Google SketchUP. As for games I have both Left 4 Dead 2 and Day of Defeat: Source installed all of them which run fine at near high settings. So far the X120e manages to run what I need, but since this is my secondary/backup machine I haven't fully stress tested it to notice any sluggish performance.
     
    Cheeseman, May 15, 2011
    #617
  18. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    Come on an Acer? erm I'd then just spend the extra and get a better branded laptop then Acer?
     
    jw8725, May 15, 2011
    #618
  19. johan851

    johan851 Notebook Guru

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    Yeah, this also. An i5 is going to be nice, but an Acer is not.

    You could probably score a refurbished/new T410 or x201 from the outlet - those might fit your needs better.
     
    johan851, May 15, 2011
    #619
  20. hellsy

    hellsy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Interesting thing.. My fan stopped working.. I noticed this when it was about 80 Celsius, and shut it down immediately. I opened up the bottom, and blew some air through the fan.. Something felt weird, it took alot more air then it really needed.. It started turning afterwards, now it works well.. I will be monitoring it closely.
     
    hellsy, May 15, 2011
    #620
  21. k2001

    k2001 Notebook Deity

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    I use Catalyst Control Center to modified the colors and temperature.
     
    k2001, May 16, 2011
    #621
  22. tommy_oliver

    tommy_oliver Newbie

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    Yea. I decided to just splurge and get an X220...a bit more than I wanted to spend but it'll serve me better in the long run. Picked it up from J&R for a good price and without the crazy shipping time.
     
    tommy_oliver, May 16, 2011
    #622
  23. kdoggy

    kdoggy Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm running Adobe CS5 on my X120e and I've not found anything I couldn't do on it yet, speaking in general. It seems to do everything I need.

    I'm thinking about picking up a used Edge though.
     
    kdoggy, May 16, 2011
    #623
  24. johan851

    johan851 Notebook Guru

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    I'm sure you'll be really happy with it. If I was spending a lot of time on a laptop I would get the X220 as well.
     
    johan851, May 16, 2011
    #624
  25. k2001

    k2001 Notebook Deity

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    There is the IPS option if you buy CTO. Of course you could find some IPS panel screen with the ready to order one, but they have some addon that I don not need i.e. Window 7 Pro, HDD/RAM upgrade, and i7 processors.
     
    k2001, May 16, 2011
    #625
  26. afhstingray

    afhstingray Notebook Prophet

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    i found once i added a warranty, webcam, bluetooth (i tether my phone for WWAN) and all that kind of stuff the X120e came up to about 600 bucks. i saw an X201 that was pretty much brand new, fully loaded, was about 20 bucks more than the X120e i'd configured. i went for the X201....

    however with the X220 i reckon there is going to be more of a price gap. even if you forgo better wireless card, etc etc its still about $200 difference. so an outlet/ebay X201 makes more sense as a competitor.

    but if its your main computer, by all means...splurge, tommy_oliver is right, it will be worth it than pinching pennies and having to compromise a lot
     
    afhstingray, May 16, 2011
    #626
  27. Benchmade 42

    Benchmade 42 Titanium

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    Is there a working coupon for the x120e currently at this point in time?
     
    Benchmade 42, May 16, 2011
    #627
  28. tommy_oliver

    tommy_oliver Newbie

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    If you sign up for Lenovos newsletter on their site they'll send you a 10% off coupon to your email address
     
    tommy_oliver, May 16, 2011
    #628
  29. Stang70Fastback

    Stang70Fastback Notebook Enthusiast

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    Oh wow, this little tweak made a world of a difference! Thanks!
     
    Stang70Fastback, May 17, 2011
    #629
  30. soulsaver_8229

    soulsaver_8229 Notebook Consultant

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    Was going to make a thread, but since there are a few users of the x120e.


    Mine is just slow at doing anything really. Not like wait 10 mins.....but switching tabs on mozilla takes about 1-3 seconds. Even playing a youtube video from a forum, clicking the next page while the video is still playing.....it will keep playing while the next page is loading still....

    I have it on max everything plugged in.....

    4gb mem, e350 ect ect......

    Any help would be great, and no I didnt read this whole thread but I will now.
     
    soulsaver_8229, May 17, 2011
    #630
  31. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    Can someone help please? I've done a clean fresh install of Windows 7 Ultimate on an Agility III SSD.

    I can't get the bluetooth to work when I'm installing the driver from the Lenovo website. Also can someone let me know what it is I need to download so that I can see the graphical flashes when I press the FN and F keys together. The FN key works but I'm not getting notifications on screen.
     
    jw8725, May 17, 2011
    #631
  32. clicq

    clicq Notebook Consultant

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    You need the following, installed in this order.
    1. Power Management driver (it's different than power manager): Lenovo Support - ThinkPad Power Management driver for Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit), Vista (32-bit, 64-bit), XP (32-bit, 64-bit) - ThinkPad
    2. Hotkeys Feature Integration: Lenovo Support - Hotkey Features Integration for Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit), Vista (32-bit, 64-bit), XP (32-bit, 64-bit) and 2000 - ThinkPad

    After you install those two, make sure bluetooth is enabled when you hit Fn-F5. You could also try the drivers from broadcom: http://www.broadcom.com/support/bluetooth/update.php
     
    clicq, May 17, 2011
    #632
  33. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    Clicq,

    I just want to thank you for the posting. Everything works now 100% Even my Bluetooth is up and running. I'm very very happy with the machine right now. Thanks again mate! :)
     
    jw8725, May 18, 2011
    #633
  34. soulsaver_8229

    soulsaver_8229 Notebook Consultant

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    Ok, I still don't see a true fix for the laggy web browsing......too.....many.....pages haha


    Anyone?
     
    soulsaver_8229, May 18, 2011
    #634
  35. Colonel O'Neill

    Colonel O'Neill Notebook Deity

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    Browsing is a snap on my less-equipped X100e on either IE9, Pale Moon 4.0.6, or FF Nightly 6.0a1...
     
    Colonel O'Neill, May 18, 2011
    #635
  36. soulsaver_8229

    soulsaver_8229 Notebook Consultant

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    I am using FF right now.....tabs, typing, everything is laggy about it.....using anything else is ok.....
     
    soulsaver_8229, May 19, 2011
    #636
  37. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    Have you tried a different browser? Both IE9 and Opera 11.11 work perfectly on my X120e.
     
    MidnightSun, May 19, 2011
    #637
  38. soulsaver_8229

    soulsaver_8229 Notebook Consultant

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    Just tried IE9, still same issue.....
     
    soulsaver_8229, May 19, 2011
    #638
  39. junglerumble

    junglerumble Notebook Consultant

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    thinking of downloading portal 2. would it run?
     
    junglerumble, May 19, 2011
    #639
  40. Cheeseman

    Cheeseman Eats alot of Cheese

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    Runs Left 4 Dead 2 and Day of Defeat: Source just fine, so I would assume it should be able to run Portal 2 as well.
     
    Cheeseman, May 19, 2011
    #640
  41. Benchmade 42

    Benchmade 42 Titanium

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    Please tell us you have 4gb of ram not 2gb.
     
    Benchmade 42, May 19, 2011
    #641
  42. Colonel O'Neill

    Colonel O'Neill Notebook Deity

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    I have 2GB in my X100e and web browsing is fine.
     
    Colonel O'Neill, May 19, 2011
    #642
  43. soulsaver_8229

    soulsaver_8229 Notebook Consultant

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    There are people who surf fine with 1gb of memory......the memory isnt the issue here.

    I have the 4gb stick.
     
    soulsaver_8229, May 19, 2011
    #643
  44. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    jw8725, May 19, 2011
    #644
  45. afhstingray

    afhstingray Notebook Prophet

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    any ram is fine. the only time you'll ever see a difference is when running benchmarks, and even so its not a big deal. go with the cheapest ram with a lifetime warranty
     
    afhstingray, May 19, 2011
    #645
  46. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    I wish I could but I'm itching to have the fastest available mate. :D I suspect the eBay seller may have written the wrong serial code as his serial corresponds to 8 gig sticks thus making those 2 X 8 gig RAM.
     
    jw8725, May 19, 2011
    #646
  47. afhstingray

    afhstingray Notebook Prophet

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    fair enough, if memory serves me right, the g.skill sticks are quite reasonably priced and the "performance" brand would appeal
     
    afhstingray, May 19, 2011
    #647
  48. jw8725

    jw8725 Notebook Geek

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    I've sent them an email asking for clarification
     
    jw8725, May 19, 2011
    #648
  49. soybean84

    soybean84 Notebook Enthusiast

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    So I was finally able to undervolt my x120e thanks to the people at silent pc review. Here is the link to the thread.

    SPCR • View topic - hp dm1z undervolting and (limited) fan control

    I was able to run the e350 stable at .825v for 800mhz (p0) and 1.150 1600mhz (p2). This along with tpfancontrol meant that the fan rarely ever kicked in at all. I also have an ssd, so the laptop basically does not produce any noise (barely noticeable noise if fan is running) at all. Good luck to everyone who's interested.
     
    soybean84, May 20, 2011
    #649
  50. Cheeseman

    Cheeseman Eats alot of Cheese

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    I have these in mine and they run great:
    Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Laptop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSQ
     
    Cheeseman, May 20, 2011
    #650
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