X220 review raised issues - have you experienced these?

[zern]

Came across this X220 23 June review: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Len ... 639.0.html

It raised the following issues which are a tad concerning. Have you experienced one of more of the following?

* Region above the ExpressCard slot bends slightly under medium pressure.

* ThinkVantage bar a bit wobbly.

* bottom display border is flexible and prone to an ugly (pic on the site) bulge in the material if left to heat up under direct sun.

* below-average USB 2.0 performance with maximum read rate of 22.8 - 32 MB/s (on 2 diff models with latest BIOS). ----- Deal breaker?

* the yellow USB port with the sleep-and-charge function delivers a lower current. In our test, a few external USB 2.5 inch storage devices refused to run on that port.
----- Will this be annoying in real life?

* VGA output quality is poor. The picture quality is blurry. ----- serious concern as I will be relying on external monitors more given the low on-board screen resolution.

* the left one-third area of the keyboard can be bent inwards.

* The cursor keys are rickety.

* good performance is not always possible. For example, running the laptop without its battery (running with the 65 W power adapter), causes a fall in CPU clock frequency down to 800 MHz... This issue was resolved when we used the stronger 90 W power adapter.
----- I already have several 90W adaptors. So not a real issue.

* Throttling is another serious problem which affects the performance. ... after we add the second 4 GB RAM module (total 8Gb). In the HW32, we noticed quite early that the processor speed constantly changed between 3,2 to 2.8 GHz and 2.5 GHz down to 800 MHz. ... After 10 more minutes, the HW32 benchmark revealed that the CPU clock frequency remained stuck at 800 MHz, and even the temperature drop of 53 °C did not change the situation. Shortly disconnecting the power adapter helps the CPU recover its original speed. ---- This is the most disturbing issue. Is there any point in an i7 processor then? I want to some light-medium level 3D and video work - Strata 3D, SketchUp, Premier Elements - and Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

These are (hopefully) restricted to some early test models only!

I am looking for some reassurance before ordering.

Thanks!!!

[ssd_thinkpad]

I am interested in the 65 Watt -> 800 MHZ issue, too.

By the way, notebookcheck provides the best notebook reviews I have seen. They measure what they see. Look at this:

Maximum: 265 cd/m²
Average: 255.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 261 cd/m²
Black: 0.31 cd/m²
Contrast: 842:1

This is oustanding - both for lenovos display and for notebookcheck to provide us with these detailled reviews.

[GomJabbar]

Came across this X220 23 June review: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Len ... 639.0.html

I am looking for some reassurance before ordering.

Thanks!!!

Verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 may not be perfect, but it is a well-designed laptop with the typical ThinkPad "flair". The notebook offers good mobility and the latest hardware - a combination hard to resist. So we can safely say that the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is an attractive deal.

I have not noticed any of these issues in the day to day use of my X220. Was't looking with a fine-tooth comb for problems either. YMMV

[dr_st]

* Region above the ExpressCard slot bends slightly under medium pressure.
* ThinkVantage bar a bit wobbly.

Not worth addressing. Some flex here and there is present on all models, and in some cases can vary between units.

* bottom display border is flexible and prone to an ugly (pic on the site) bulge in the material if left to heat up under direct sun.

That is quite annoying by the look of it, just have to wonder whether it affects some units or all of them, and what level of heat/sun exposure is required to get to that.

* below-average USB 2.0 performance with maximum read rate of 22.8 - 32 MB/s (on 2 diff models with latest BIOS). ----- Deal breaker?

It wasn't clear to me from the review what they consider average. Seemed to me that 32MB/s is actually considered quite good (see this pic from another review). In which case the 22.8MB/s can be considered a driver issue or something).

* the yellow USB port with the sleep-and-charge function delivers a lower current. In our test, a few external USB 2.5 inch storage devices refused to run on that port.----- Will this be annoying in real life?

Hard to say, but definitely something to be aware of.

* VGA output quality is poor. The picture quality is blurry. ----- serious concern as I will be relying on external monitors more given the low on-board screen resolution.

A bit unfortunate, but may vary greatly based on monitor and cable.

* the left one-third area of the keyboard can be bent inwards.
* The cursor keys are rickety.

I've had somewhat uneven keyboard on many Thinkpad models. What helps is to stick a little piece of soft rubber magnet to the back of the keyboard in the spots which are hollow/rickety.

* good performance is not always possible. For example, running the laptop without its battery (running with the 65 W power adapter), causes a fall in CPU clock frequency down to 800 MHz... This issue was resolved when we used the stronger 90 W power adapter.

This is common to all Lenovo Thinkpads, and is by design. Running the laptop without a battery is not really a normal usage case, and if one insists, using a 90W power supply is not a great inconvenience.

* Throttling is another serious problem which affects the performance. ... after we add the second 4 GB RAM module (total 8Gb). In the HW32, we noticed quite early that the processor speed constantly changed between 3,2 to 2.8 GHz and 2.5 GHz down to 800 MHz. ... After 10 more minutes, the HW32 benchmark revealed that the CPU clock frequency remained stuck at 800 MHz, and even the temperature drop of 53 °C did not change the situation. Shortly disconnecting the power adapter helps the CPU recover its original speed. ---- This is the most disturbing issue.

Indeed it is disturbing, and seems to me like a BIOS issue.

[rleo25]

1. No flex in the region above express card (palm rest and nearby keys)
2. Yes Thinkvantage blue bar is a little loose (This is a very ridiculous issue)
3. Never used my X220 under direct sun light, and if I will do so it would be for a short time lapse ( Unless I worked in the Sahara, in which case I pressume sand would damage worst my not perfect lappy than sun)
4. Compared with other Thinkpad models and some Toshiba and HP the USB speed is similar or even better in some cases. (Tested moving heavy files with crono )
5. Not tested this
6. At home I use display port to HDMI adapter with excellent image on my 42" LG monitor. Will test on a video beam via VGA port out.
7. No flex at all. (Maybe notebookcheck had a preproduction unit?)
8. Not at all.
9. Never use my X220 without battery
10. Operating on 8GB RAM as steady as with 4GB no dramatic speed drops, however I will keep an eye on this issue.

As to the comments on poor design and the believe that we business people are not interested in good looks as explanation for a poor Thinkpad appearence nothing more senseless. The design excellence of Thinkpad is to have achieved since starters a concept of pure and clean form based on a black box (Bento japanese lunch box), getting this goal in an industrial and highly technological object is not an easy task and we Thinkpad users love the result and praise IBM an Lenovo for recognizing the beauty of its modern design as one of the core DNA factors of the product.

[ssd_thinkpad]

This is common to all Lenovo Thinkpads, and is by design. Running the laptop without a battery is not really a normal usage case, and if one insists, using a 90W power supply is not a great inconvenience.

There is only a 65W power adapter supplied with the x220. I did not read any notice on it on lenovos pages. I really can't believe this is possible. There should also be a notice - "buy a 90W for normal performance" - when you buy a docking station.

I have a T60, as much as I can see I don't have this problem with the 65W adapter.

[bill bolton]

I want to some light-medium level 3D and video work - Strata 3D, SketchUp, Premier Elements - and Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

The "throttling" issues only occur under scenarios which produce high CPU and high GPU load simultaneously when using a 65W power adapter (not apparent at all with a 90W adapter). It can reproduced by running benchmarking-like utilities that deliberately run everything flat out, but seems much harder to hit in more normal usage.

There are a lot of claims, one way and the other, flying around about what is normal usage. My own experience with running my X220 (i7, RAM, 160GB SSD) in a variety of business tasks, which are generally somewhat more taxing than those you describe, is that I haven't seen any throttling issues when using the standard 65W power adapter.

Lenovo is working through this issue, so right now there is no resolution, however, they are taking it seriously and it seems quite likely that there will be BIOS update to address it.

As far as the other issues go, I have not discovered them in using my X220.

Cheers,

Bill B.

[craigmontHunter]

The 65 watt adapter provides enough power under any circumstance when using the system with a battery installed. I have never overdrawn the power on my T61, but it too will throttle if I run it without the battery. As has been mentioned, this is by design, and should not be an issue - if you want to save the battery, set the thresholds and forget about it (and get the smallest battery you can). In terms of the deformation, if you leave a piece of plastic in the sun (lets say the back seat of the car), it is feasable for it to get soft enough to deform - I would call that an ID10T error, and not a design flaw - even in the sahara, I can't see it getting hot enough to melt.

[rleo25]

What bothers me about the refered notebookcheck's article is that the writter starts asserting he or she will try to demonstrate that the X220 is not a perfect laptop and deploys an arsenal of critics to demonstrate what we all know, nothing is perfect! Of course there are flaws and always there will be, but what kind of flaws? a high percentage of minor ones, mostly related with the state of the art and a subjective point of view or personal taste. To be honest I would like to see a comparisson among similar small and light notebooks and see objective conclusions, mine is that the X220 is the best in its cathegory ... by far! This is the machine I dreamed to have some 6 years ago!

[ssd_thinkpad]

The x220 is very good if it would be just 0.2 kg lighter - as light as the x200s.

[Colonel O'Neill]

The VGA can sometimes just be a miscalibrated phase/clock, especially if the monitor forgets to do it automatically when switching between devices.

Also, I find a lot of review sites to be quite pro-Apple, and tend to define "good" as anything that Apple does.

[brus0li]

Does anyone have problems with fan?

[ZaZ]

With the BIOS update, not any more.

[brus0li]

Great. Is it just reduced or completely remedied? This really worries me. Tell me I am exaggerating. No, seriously, do you think I shouldn't worry about this (very common) problem?

[zern]

Thanks for all the comments everyone.
To summarise:

* Region above the ExpressCard slot bends slightly under medium pressure.
* ThinkVantage bar a bit wobbly.
----- These are not actually problematic; non-issue.

* bottom display border is flexible and prone to an ugly (pic on the site) bulge in the material if left to heat up under direct sun.
----- Don't leave this in direct sunlight for long! This also a non-issue.

* below-average USB 2.0 performance with maximum read rate of 22.8 - 32 MB/s (on 2 diff models with latest BIOS).
----- Seems average when compared to the chart. Perhaps a case of biased writing made it seem more of an issue???

* the yellow USB port with the sleep-and-charge function delivers a lower current. In our test, a few external USB 2.5 inch storage devices refused to run on that port.
----- Possibly an issue. But there are 2 other USB ports of course.

* VGA output quality is poor. The picture quality is blurry.
----- Possibly an issue with some monitors and cables. Het a Display Port to DVI adaptor as a backup.

* the left one-third area of the keyboard can be bent inwards.
* The cursor keys are rickety.
----- Non issue.

* good performance is not always possible. For example, running the laptop without its battery (running with the 65 W power adapter), causes a fall in CPU clock frequency down to 800 MHz... This issue was resolved when we used the stronger 90 W power adapter.
----- Always run with the battery attached (which I do), or use a 90W adaptor. Easy. Non issue.

* Throttling is another serious problem which affects the performance. ... after we add the second 4 GB RAM module (total 8Gb). In the HW32, we noticed quite early that the processor speed constantly changed between 3,2 to 2.8 GHz and 2.5 GHz down to 800 MHz. ... After 10 more minutes, the HW32 benchmark revealed that the CPU clock frequency remained stuck at 800 MHz, and even the temperature drop of 53 °C did not change the situation. Shortly disconnecting the power adapter helps the CPU recover its original speed. ---- Move to a 90W adaptor if there is an issue. Does not sound like it's an issue for those who posted here.


I know the sample size of people with the i7 X220 running flawlessly is small here. But it is nonetheless reassuring. And no, I wasn't looking to nit-pick and agonise over the inevitable and always present tiny imperfections. Thanks for all your input.

[zern]

[quote="ssd_thinkpad"][quote="dr_st"]
I have a T60, as much as I can see I don't have this problem with the 65W adapter.
[/quote]

I have occasionally run my T60p with the 65W power brick from my X60t successfully. Always with the battery installed.
No down throttling. The brick runs a tad hotter that's all.

[zern]

[quote="rleo25"]What bothers me about the refered notebookcheck's article is that the writter starts asserting he or she will try to demonstrate that the X220 is not a perfect laptop and deploys an arsenal of critics to demonstrate what we all know, nothing is perfect![/quote]

I guess if the writer said "this is pretty much the perfect laptop for its intended market" he/she may be seen to be not doing their job or being critical enough!

Still, some of the issues were a potential concern like the VGA and down throttling.

Things like small amounts of flexing etc I can live with.

[zern]

[quote="Colonel O'Neill"]Also, I find a lot of review sites to be quite pro-Apple, and tend to define "good" as anything that Apple does.[/quote]

I totally agree!!! Engadget is one of these sites. See link in my original post.
Read through some of the comments around this issue on that link. The X220 got 8/10 instead of the 9/10 many felt it deserved, simply because it did not have an Apple logo on it.

And of course, plenty of Apple fan boys ignorantly decrying the "ugliness" of the X220. Because of course "design" is ONLY about the shallow surface look - fashion, prettiness, and bling. Gag.

[bill bolton]

After 10 more minutes, the HW32 benchmark revealed that the CPU clock frequency remained stuck at 800 MHz, and even the temperature drop of 53 °C did not change the situation.

This specific issue (aka Perma-throtlling) has already been addressed by the latest BIOS update (1.19)

Cheers,

Bill B.

[ZaZ]

Great. Is it just reduced or completely remedied? This really worries me. Tell me I am exaggerating. No, seriously, do you think I shouldn't worry about this (very common) problem?

If it's that important to you that it be perfect, then buy it at Costco. You'll get an extra year of warranty, but more importantly, a 90 day no questions asked return policy. If you don't like it, you can take it back. There's got to be a Costco close to Palo Alto?

[brus0li]

I'm not looking for a perfect laptop. I can accept compromises, but not a horrible defect. Thanks for mentioning Costco, I'll definitly check it out!

[dr_st]

I have occasionally run my T60p with the 65W power brick from my X60t successfully. Always with the battery installed.
No down throttling. The brick runs a tad hotter that's all.

Clarification: the throttling will happen if and only if a 65W adapter is used with no battery installed.

[bill bolton]

Clarification: the throttling will happen if and only if a 65W adapter is used with no battery installed.

Its accepted by Lenovo that it definitely can occurr on a 65W adapter with a battery installed, but only under conditions of high, simultaneous CPU and GPU loading, and that is the specific scenario that their engineering staff are working on resolving in the throttling area.

Cheers,

Bill B.

[Stevo]

I use my x220 in an ultrabase dock as a desktop replacement. As a 90W adapter solves the throttling (pending BIOS) I bought one new online for £25 and use this as the PSU for the dock, so that I can simply undock and don't have to remove the PSU too. The lighter and smaller 65W supplied is kept separate and taken with me if I go out for a bit and might need to recharge.

It's a work around which is quite convenient and saves having to worry about this issue.

FWIW I've had no issues with my x220.

S

[penartur]

I use my x220 in an ultrabase dock as a desktop replacement. As a 90W adapter solves the throttling (pending BIOS) I bought one new online for £25 and use this as the PSU for the dock, so that I can simply undock and don't have to remove the PSU too. The lighter and smaller 65W supplied is kept separate and taken with me if I go out for a bit and might need to recharge.

It's a work around which is quite convenient and saves having to worry about this issue.

FWIW I've had no issues with my x220.

S

BTW, i purchased my 90W PSU on ebay from china for about $15-$20 incl. shipping. It serves me well for two years already.

[Army Chief]

I know the sample size of people with the i7 X220 running flawlessly is small here. But it is nonetheless reassuring.

Well, you can add at least one more. Some of these observations are valid, but hardly problematic; others are just plain overreaching. I've noticed absolutely nothing that would prevent me from buying the same machine again.

AC

[zern]

Is it worth spending the extra $80 (appx) on the Core i7-2620M compared to the Core i5-2540M when the diff is only 100Mhz and an additional 1Mb of cache?

Will I even notice it in real life?

For that matter why not stick to the lowest end Core i5-2520M?

I am coming from a Core 2 Duo T7600 so the performance will be massive in any case.

Any thoughts?

[bill bolton]

Is it worth spending the extra $80 (appx) on the Core i7-2620M compared to the Core i5-2540M when the diff is only 100Mhz and an additional 1Mb of cache?

Configuring for an i7 also gets you a USB 3.0 port.

Cheers,

Bill

[rleo25]

And for US $ 15.00 you can get an express card with 2 USB 3.0 ports... (Yet Can't confirm if X220 express card port supports USB at 3.0 speed) I have ordered one of this gadgets to try it.

[ThinkRob]

Is it worth spending the extra $80 (appx) on the Core i7-2620M compared to the Core i5-2540M when the diff is only 100Mhz and an additional 1Mb of cache?

Will I even notice it in real life?

For that matter why not stick to the lowest end Core i5-2520M?

I am coming from a Core 2 Duo T7600 so the performance will be massive in any case.

Any thoughts?

My advice: save even more money and get the i3. In my experience if you have to ask "will I notice the performance of $CPU over $OTHER", the answer is generally no.

Yes, there probably are some tasks that you'd notice a difference for. Encoding video, or a heavy single-threaded workload of some sort. But for most of what most people do (music, movies, browsing, office work, etc.) the difference isn't enough to justify sacrificing the upgrades that you could get with the money that you'd save -- especially when that money could go towards something like an SSD which you absolutely *will* notice.