ThinkPad X220 (i/T) Owners Thread

[jwolf7722]

Not to derail the thread, but what config and how much?

I ordered an X220T new with 3/yr depot warranty last night. Bluetooth, i5, webcam, fingerprint, etc. 4 gigs (1 stick) and 320 HDD (will be replaced soon).

Came to $1,157.18. I searched for days and this was the cheapest with a solid 3-yr Lenovo warranty. Free shipping and no tax also help a lot.

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 42962WU 12.5" LED Tablet PC - Core i5 i5-2520M 2.5GHz - Black

I paid 830 plus tax for a new outlet system. Shipping is free. My specs are in my signature for comparison. I already have a SSD so going with the student deal with the free SSD upgrade didnt make sense. Hopefully I can upgrade warranty at some point (unsure what Lenovo's policy is on that right now).

[edmontana]

Hi, I hope this is the right forum / thread to ask this question; else direction --hopefully to the right source-- will be appreciated ;-)

Can someone tell me for sure if the X220 (not the "T")
a. will take 16 GB of RAM?
b. will accept an M400 SSD as primary or secondary drive
c. will it accept any drive other than a single primary?

[ZaZ]

In theory the X220 should be able to use 16GB of memory because the chipset does, but I've not done it myself. I recall seeing a T420 using 16GB.

There's a drives for the X220 thread if you want to check it out. I believe the M400 is a 9.5mm drive. You can modify the drive or the X220 to accept it because the X220 uses a 7mm bay.

Yes, the X220 can use a mSATA drive, which would be my choice. Then you can use the mSATA drive as a boot drive for speed and a 7mm platter drive in the main bay for storage where speed isn't an issue.

[edmontana]

In theory the X220 should be able to use 16GB of memory because the chipset does, but I've not done it myself. I recall seeing a T420 using 16GB.

There's a drives for the X220 thread if you want to check it out. I believe the M400 is a 9.5mm drive. You can modify the drive or the X220 to accept it because the X220 uses a 7mm bay.

Yes, the X220 can use a mSATA drive, which would be my choice. Then you can use the mSATA drive as a boot drive for speed and a 7mm platter drive in the main bay for storage where speed isn't an issue.

Thanks for the quick reply.
I am trying to replace a Dell M6500 OR a W520 that I travel with for my labs, the first one with 32 and the second with 16 GB -- I figure if I can move the M400 drive to the X220 and soup it up to 16 GB I have a chance.
I don't care about OS speed, only about VMs speed.

So for my experiment I would have the most often needed VMs and leave the rest home and --hopefully-- access them remotely (if not in plane, if not in secure site, if .... you get the idea)

[tktk]

Quick question:

I need a quiet laptop (at least when I am doing low intensity tasks.) I know the X220 i7 has some fan issues, but please answer a few specific questions:

If I get an i5 with 320GB HDD and add an 80 GB mSATA SSD:

1. Will the HDD "tick" when I am not using it (say web browsing and running programs off of the SSD.) Can I disable the HDD for periods of time using the device manager in order to make it silent (and save battery?)

2. I believe that the fan at low setting is quiet. If I am simply browsing the web will the fan rev up every time a site has flash content? Would a setting like "max battery" make it less likely for the fan to spin up during low intensity tasks?

[grisjuan]

If I am simply browsing the web will the fan rev up every time a site has flash content?

My x220 has the i5-2520 and the fan does rev up when I hit flash content on the web. It's not too loud though, the fan doesn't seem to reach max rpm on common flash content like video.

[ZaZ]

I think the hard drive can be hit or miss. The original 320GB Z5k500 I got with my X220 was whisper quite. Its replacement the 500GB of the drive is a little more noisy. It's got a bit of a dull hum to it, but no ticks.

[Commander Wolf]

My x220 has the i5-2520 and the fan does rev up when I hit flash content on the web. It's not too loud though, the fan doesn't seem to reach max rpm on common flash content like video.

I'm using TPFanControl with fan 0 @ 50, fan 1 @ 55, fan 2 @ 60, etc. Light work pretty much never triggers the fan, and even flash or silverlight playback hardly ever breaks 60. Fan 1 is practically inaudible in anything but the quietest room, but fan 2 is already noticeable for me.

I originally had 320GB Z7Ks in both of my 220s and they were both pretty noisy. But I think every conventional HDD is noisy, so not only does this depend on the drive, but on the listener as well (obviously).

[tktk]

Thanks for the feedback regarding the HDD's and fan noise. I don't want my wife to boot me out of the room every time I want to surf the web, but on my current old T40 the HDD ticking drives her nuts when she is trying to read sitting next to me. But maybe that is to much information

Anyhow, the current Microsoft store offer is very tempting, but no IPS kills the deal. So I'm still considering a X220 w/IPS and HDD+ mSATA.

I would still like to know if I can simply turn off the HDD completely using the device manager for the times I want to keep it as quiet as possible.

[noshortcuts]

Thanks for the feedback regarding the HDD's and fan noise. I don't want my wife to boot me out of the room every time I want to surf the web, but on my current old T40 the HDD ticking drives her nuts when she is trying to read sitting next to me. But maybe that is to much information

Anyhow, the current Microsoft store offer is very tempting, but no IPS kills the deal. So I'm still considering a X220 w/IPS and HDD+ mSATA.

I would still like to know if I can simply turn off the HDD completely using the device manager for the times I want to keep it as quiet as possible.

I can't answer but then mine is quiet as quiet can be. No HD noise and to hear the fan I have to put my ear to it. That's with mSATA doing most of the work. Still, your wife may have better hearing than me.