Tell me about the x220

[mtgal]

I've been advised to get an x220 with an SSD and running on Win10 Pro. I am currenty in the market, but so far the ones I have seen with desireable specs are not cheap, and the sellers don't take returns.

So before I pull the trigger on an x220, what are the pros and cons of this machine? What issues do people have with them? What do they like or dislike? What should I be wary of, look out for, and/or expect when I buy a used one?

My current daily driver is an x200 which I bought new in 2008. It runs on WinVista Business, and I need a more recent OS so that I can do research on the web without issues and so that I can get some software that won't run on Vista, 7, or 8.

I was told the x220 has the same form factor and keyboard, but a much faster processor, which should be fully compatible with Win10.

Tell me about the x220!

[TPFanatic]

For web browsing I'm sure any X220 will do fine. Using an SSD is solid advice, modern OS needs the throughput to get out of its own way. You can upgrade it to a max 16GB RAM (2 x 8GB sticks) and it will handle the web. All X220 have 1366x768 screens but some of them are IPS which is superior.

[axur-delmeria]

I've been rocking an X220 since 2015, and here are my thoughts:

• Since you're coming from an X200, the size and heft are similar, but the screen is 16:9 (1366x768) rather than 16:10 (1280x800). If you're comfortable with the X200's screen, the X220's won't be an issue (with regards to eyestrain).
• The performance upgrade from a Core 2 Duo is quite noticeable (used to have an X61 with Core 2 Duo T9300). Video playback is better due to hardware decode acceleration, though limited to H.264 1920x1080. Then again, it's much better than the X200's.
• The X220 may run hot. If that's the case, turn off Turbo Boost.
• You can get a cheap unit (with HDD) and upgrade it to SSD yourself. Do check the prices and component availability/reliability. It seems the WD Blue SA510 is problematic, same with the Samsung 870 EVO. Stick to known good models (Samsung 860 EVO, Crucial MX500). Also check RAM prices to see if it's cheaper to upgrade the RAM yourself.

[dr_st]

It's compatible with Win10, but the GPU is not fully compliant. For one extra generation (X230) you will get faster GPU and one with native driver support for Win10. You lose the 7-row keyboard, but you can restore that, with an EC patch.

I have an X220 dual-booting Win7/8.1 and a T430s running Win10, and I find it optimal this way.

[TPFanatic]

Mmm yes. With 10 you gain support for Wifi 6 and WPA3 (after whitelist removal and install a WiFi 6 card). This is what tempts me most to the modern Windows, or Linux.

[mtgal]

I am seeing some older threads on the x220 that say it runs hot with Win10. I don't want to compromise on the keyboard. As it is, I prefer the x200 screen ratio to the x220, but I can live with that. But I do not want the newer ThinkPad keyboard.

I am considering biting the bullet and doing a clean install of Win7 on my x200, use that for word processing, and then dual partition with Linux Mint for web browsing. Could be a PITA to go back and forth between Win7 and Mint while working on a project, but Win7 would let me run an outdated version of Scrivener, a book-writing program, that I would like to try.

My other option would be to use the x200 only for being mobile, and get a different machine altogether to use as a desktop, such that I use an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor for most of my work.

I have tried several brand new, modern laptops, including ThinkPads, and they changed the graphics chip to something that gouges my eyes out in 15 minutes, even using an external monitor. Whatever they did, it is not an improvement, and I can't possibly use a machine that does this to my eyes. I have tried changing all the default settings for graphics it is possible to change, and nothing fixes it. Lenovo and Intel claim to have no idea what I am talking about, but their online forums say otherwise.

Not on topic for this sub-forum, but if anyone here does know what I am talking about and can tell me which graphics chips I must avoid (I have tried a few), I would be very grateful. I am not someone who takes a lot of joy in figuring out tech stuff. I just want to be able to get my writing done without all this friction and distraction.

[TPFanatic]

Your x200 may be incandescent back lit, while all newer machines use LED. Graphics wise the Thinkpads like to drop the refresh rate for power savings, which I can see and it bothers me. There was a period where all Thinkpads used an irritating PWM for dimming that caused eye strain, but I'm not sure the specifics.

[axur-delmeria]

Since you mentioned Scrivener, I did a quick web search and found this:

https://keyboardplaying.org/blog/2020/1 ... r-3-linux/

[mtgal]

Since you mentioned Scrivener, I did a quick web search and found this:

https://keyboardplaying.org/blog/2020/1 ... r-3-linux/

Wow. That is pretty amazing. Thank you so much. If my husband (he just retired from his IT job) is willing to try running this on his spare laptop, just for giggles, I will ask him to do it. If it is successful, then I'll interrupt my work flow to try it on my laptop. I can tell, though, from the comments on that site, it is more than I personally want to get into while trying to keep my focus on my book.

We did already try using Wine to run MS Word and that was less than successful.

Right now I am looking at SSDs that will run in my x200.

I want to get the Samsung 860 Evo 500 gb SSD to run in the HDD slot, then move my 1 TB HDD to the ultraslim bay where the DVD player is right now.

Will any 2.5" SSD work in my x200? Or do I have to get one with certain specs?

[TPFanatic]

860 Evo is a good choice, it will work fine in the X200.

[mtgal]

860 Evo is a good choice, it will work fine in the X200.

Thanks! About to pull the trigger on that. Since I'm going to use my old 1 TB HDD as a secondary drive in the ultrabase, I am not going to do any cloning to the new SSD. I want to run Win 10 on it. Should I put Win 7 on it first and then do an upgrade? Or should I just go straight to Win 10?

[axur-delmeria]

Go straight to Win 10.