x220 screen real estate and productivity?

I honestly do not mind the screen of x220, in fact i love it! The only caveat i have is that the text is small (although im starting to get used to it). What I'm wondering is, does having a bigger monitor increase productivity? I don't work but I am planning to go to school where i would have take a lot of scripting classes and i do rely on my laptop for studying because my handwriting is utterly atrocious. Is it to my benefit that i get a bigger monitor? After all i do see reasonably price external monitors in amazon and newegg (19-22') for ~$100...P.s im not not rich, i just have money to blow because i planned on MBP at first. Glad i didn't go through that route. Oh and i gots me a free mini dock series 3 don't ask me how. God is good...he really is

 

Screen resolution can be viewed in various aspects:

Pros
+More space to have when writing notes
+More space to draw (graphical area)

Cons
-Some ppl might consider it not so portable
-Increased size of the laptop

 

I have a dock with an external monitor both at home and at work.
I use the laptop monitor only during meetings, presentations and business travels.
I can definitely say that this setup has been increasing productivity of my work and personal life all together.
This was possible because I use external monitors 90% of time.
However, if you use your laptop monitor 90% of the time, the real estate of the screen might be more important.

 

Having an external monitor will most definitely increase productivity. Having two external monitors is probably the most ideal. Consider getting 2x 22" LCDs (22" seems to be the sweet spot in terms of pricing).

 

Same. Works out great. While the x220's res is on the low side, it is enough to get by on the go....and plugged into a dock at home is nice as besides using a bigger higher res screen, the whole setup is the same as a more comfortable full desktop setup.

 

I agree docked to a monitor is the way to go. One powerful, portable machine, for work and personal, and a large display (in my case very large) when you're at the desk.

S

 

It depends on what you're doing, e.g. for programming, web browsing, writing docs it is really OK. For watching movies or doing some photoshop, video, CAD work, it's too small ...

Personally I opted to not have external monitor(s). My main reason is that it's not just having monitor, you also have to have external keyboard and mouse (which I have anyway though). That means:

- having only one free USB port (keyboard + mouse), though it's better with docking station
- get used to two keyboards and changing between them
- get used to two different screens (sole NB screen and monitor)
- too much clutter on my desk

 

The X220 screen real estate is not much different to the X200 or X201 with their WXGA. Only the SXGA+ on the X60t/X61t or the WXGA+ X200s/X201s are better in terms of the screen real estate.

I find that the X61t with the SXGA+ excellent for typing up long documents.

 

I rock an external 22" at home with my x220, wouldn't have it any other way. Even when I had a 15 inch laptop screen I still used an external. Just gotten used to it. I wouldn't say it increases productivity, anyone with an external monitor can screw around all day. I would say it makes things easier though.

You really don't need two monitors honestly. Unless your occupation really calls for it, with a 22" monitor you'll be just fine coming from the x220. Get a small full sized keyboard. Unless you are really slow, transitioning between two keyboards/two monitors is no problem. However if your workspace is tiny, I'd suggest just skipping the whole thing and stay with the x220.

 

For this reason, I got the keyboard that just looks like x-series keyboard (55Y9003) and it is fabulous.

 

Yes, this ocurred to me but it's not really cheap and also not available in some countries (like mine for example) ...

 

That keyboard looks great.

I'd love one just like my X but I need a number pad on there as I use it quite a bit, and I can't find a Lenovo one like it. Unless it has the full height clicky keys, which is not really my thing (current USB keyboard is an Apple keyboard).

Any ideas?

S

 

A large $100.00 monitor will probably be harder to work on than your small screen. You need to spend a few more bucks if you're going to bother.

Watch for Resolutions, Contrast, Glossy vs Matt and Reviews. And don't believe everything you read.

Personally, if I'm gonna bother with a monitor, it has to be 24" 1900x1200. And no bigger because then you start panning your head around to much. I wouldn't mind more resolution though. I have two Dell Ultra Sharp 1900x1200 24". Not bad. Not the best. Not too cheap either ($400-$500). One at work and one at home. You can check into refurbs on Amazon and/or Ebay. I picked up one mint Dell Ultra Sharp for like $180.00 for work. I'd rather a display with a few scratches than lower contrast or resolution.

http://accessories.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-8277

I just noticed the Ultra sharps have IPS. No wonder I like them .

 

^Just moved from a Dell 24" at 1920x1200 to 27" 2560x1440. I avoided the 30" as I was concerned about head panning. The 27" is fine in this respect and doesn't feel physically much bigger than the 24" - it's a bit wider but not really taller. You'll love it. The extra working space in apps is amazing, and you can also have two documents side by side at decent resolution, which I thought the 24" didn't quite manage.

S