Thinkpads Forum

Been waiting for Ivy Bridge, but just read an article on PC World that mentions looking at Sandy Bridge computers.
Prices should be good and there isn't "that much" difference between Sandy and Ivy Bridge processors for the basic computer user, ie ME.
How do I know which models are Sandy Bridge??
Is the X220 a Sandy Bridge notebook.
Looking for something very portable, light, lots of ram, fast, ThinkPad quality, w an SSD I guess it is called HD.
Thoughts and recommendations.
Thx.
Frank

Yes, X220 is Sandy Bridge.

The only reason I see to go Ivy Bridge is the updated graphics card but if you're not into games, the machines are pretty much identical. I'm not familiar with wither X220 or X230 but I've read the X230 will have an option for an LTE modem. Probably not so important now but a year or two down the road might be important since it's going to mean mobile broadband for cheap.

Other Sandy Bridge machines...

http://www.thinkpads.com/2011/01/21/lea ... -february/
http://www.informationweek.com/news/har ... /229219023

The new systems are scheduled to be available in March [2011]. Pricing for the T420s, T420, T520, L420, L520, and W520 starts at $1,329, $779, $909, $719, $719, and $1329, respectively.

If you're not using WWAN, you might want to consider the mSATA SSD. It's a small SSD that plugs into a miniPCI slot located under the palm rest. The benefit of this configuration is it allows you to keep the hard drive in the main bay for storage where speed is not as critical.