Thinkpads Forum

Hi all,

I was wondering if some of you guys could chime in on the below deal I received on a new x220 from lenovo.com and whether I should take it or hold off for the x230. My concern is after the x230 comes out, the price on the x220 will drop significantly and I ultimately would have been better off just buying the x230. That being said I'm not totally in love with the new keyboard but I can't really bash it since I haven't had any extensive experience with it. My old T61 got crushed so I need something to replace it soon....

These are the specs:

Intel Core i7-2640M Processor (2.80GHz, 4M Cache with Turbo Boost up to 3.50GHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, IPS, 2x2 Antenna
Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor graphics with dynamic frequency
8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader
720p HD Camera
320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
9 Cell Li-Ion Battery
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 3.0 wireless
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN

Total Price including tax 6%: $930

Honestly, I'd probably think really hard about buying it with the Core i-5 2520M or the Core i-5 2540M and save even more off the $930 price if that's an option for you. Going to the 2520M will drop you from a 2.8ghz to a 2.5ghz - that sounds like a lot, but in synthetic benchmarks like Passmark, the 2640M (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu ... 40+2.80GHz) is only 12.9% faster than the 2520M (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu ... 40+2.50GHz). In real world performance it may feel like even less than 12.9%...

I'd submit that it's pretty darn hard to tell the difference between a machine that is 12.9% faster than another - particularly considering for most tasks they will be running at the same, lower speed step level and will increase performance as demand is placed on the machine.

That said, unless you plan to flip the machine in a year, I'd just get the X220 and not wait for the X230. With the money you may save with a slightly slower processor you can buy an SSD and you will notice a difference from that. Good luck.

The x220 are fantastic little machines. I personally own an i5 and have had no issues with it performance wise. I upgraded the memory to 8 gig and have been loving it ever since. I would get the x220 as the modding community is very involved in this specific model. I plan on building an external graphics card to connect to my x220. Should be perfect for the few games that I like to play. good luck to you. (ps i have an x220 for sale in the forums, for around $700)

Thank you for the responses.

Unfortunately, the deal that I have only applies to the i7 model w/ 8 gigs so I'm kind of limited in my choices but I think I will stick with the 220. The good news is that my smashed T61 had an SSD that I was able to salvage

Nice. Hope you like the new rig, it'll be a nice one.

$930 is an amazing deal for this config. Normally it would run up a lot more on Lenovo's site (up to double the price).

I'd take it if only because the new X230 is not my cup of tea.

I'm about to order one just like you spec'd out.

I'm still deciding on the new style keyboard. Ivy bridge should prolong battery life too. BUT, $930 is not a bad deal.