Performance / upgrade questions

[jvarszegi]

My x100e is on order, and I have a few questions.

1. I generally prefer the Windows classic look (circa Windows 95/98), but am not averse to giving new whizbang features a try either. But would performance degrade using Aero Glass etc.? Or is that all handled by the graphics card?

2. Would it be a worthy performance upgrade to replace my stock 160GB 5400 RPM drive with either a 7200 RPM or SSD drive, and if so, which would offer the best bang-for-buck? I have read that cheap SSD drives can actually be pretty bad performance-wise.

3. If I were to replace the drive, how would that work? Download an ISO of the same Windows version and install it, then just activate it? Or could I use the built-in backup and restore features?

4. I have 2GB of RAM in the machine that's coming. For doing mainly office productivity tasks, would there be a real increase in going to 3GB or more? (I am guessing "no", unless I have bought the worst pig of an OS ever. )

5. I don't want to spend more money on an external CD/DVD drive, but would like to install a pre-bought copy of Windows Office 2007 Educational. Is there some way to install this over the network?

6. Any tips on squeezing the most battery life possible out of the x100e?

7. Can I really use my T60 and T61 power adapters with the x100e?

Thanks for any help.

[domi]

2. Would it be a worthy performance upgrade to replace my stock 160GB 5400 RPM drive with either a 7200 RPM or SSD drive, and if so, which would offer the best bang-for-buck? I have read that cheap SSD drives can actually be pretty bad performance-wise.

Depends of course on the kind of stuff you'll be using your X100e for, but for most purposes, the difference between 5400 and 7200 rpm is marginal IMO. Since you appear to be interested in battery life, an SSD would make sense.

3. If I were to replace the drive, how would that work? Download an ISO of the same Windows version and install it, then just activate it? Or could I use the built-in backup and restore features?

The Factory Recovery Disks (which you can create with the Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools) should let you do this.

4. I have 2GB of RAM in the machine that's coming. For doing mainly office productivity tasks, would there be a real increase in going to 3GB or more? (I am guessing "no", unless I have bought the worst pig of an OS ever. )

You would need a 64-bit version of your OS in order to use 4 GB. I don't think 3-4 GB vs. 2 GB would make much of a difference for the typical use of an X100e.

5. I don't want to spend more money on an external CD/DVD drive, but would like to install a pre-bought copy of Windows Office 2007 Educational. Is there some way to install this over the network?

Can't you copy it to a USB memory stick?

7. Can I really use my T60 and T61 power adapters with the x100e?

The power adapter that came with my X60s works just fine with my X100e. I think the T60/61 have a more powerful adapter (90W vs. 65W), but it's no problem if it's the new 20V model.

[Jason404]

1. I generally prefer the Windows classic look (circa Windows 95/98), but am not averse to giving new whizbang features a try either. But would performance degrade using Aero Glass etc.? Or is that all handled by the graphics card?

I still use classic on servers and admin accounts, but Aero is nice for everyday use. The Taskbar thumbnails are especially useful when you have many browser tabs open in the new MacOSX Dock-style Taskbar. Aero is a 3D interface which is rendered by the graphics card. Performance should increase when using Aero, as the graphics card is offloading the CPU.

5. I don't want to spend more money on an external CD/DVD drive, but would like to install a pre-bought copy of Windows Office 2007 Educational. Is there some way to install this over the network?

You can share the CD/DVD drive on your desktop PC and then mount it as a mapped network drive on the netbook. Alternatively, you could rip the disc to .iso format and mount it on the netbook using a virtual optical drive (I like Daemon Tools Lite, but do not install the crap that comes with it). Or you could mount the .iso on the virtual optical drive while the .iso resides on the desktop PC, to combine these two methods.

6. Any tips on squeezing the most battery life possible out of the x100e?

The ThinkVantage Power Manager software has a feature where it can extend battery life by never charging it over 80% or so, and it has the ability to quickly change to different custom power modes. It interfaces with the standard Windows Power Options, but allows more control.

[jvarszegi]

Thanks a lot for the input. I guess I will be requesting a 40-64 GB SSD for my birthday.

Does anyone have any way of estimating how much the power savings would mean to battery life? I found an Intel-branded 40 GB SATA II 2.5" SSD that claims power consumption of 75-150 mW under use. I randomly picked a 2.5" 5400 RPM drive and estimated a power savings of around 2W, which I am guessing would bump the battery life potentially into the 5-hour range.

I really don't want to spend extra money on the laptop, but if performance and battery life would both increase significantly I guess I might spend in the $60-100 range. That would just barely keep it significantly cheaper than an X200 and I'd be happy.

I've seen reports that an updated BIOS instantly gives an hour more battery life. I am left curious whether this is "stackable" with disabling the battery-life-extension feature which limits it to 80% of battery per charge/discharge cycle, or whether the new BIOS might conversely shorten the battery life in an attempt to make the X100e more marketable.

[jvarszegi]

I am now seeing the Intel-branded SSDs dip to $110 shipped, for the 40 GB version. I don't want to buy some of the other brands, especially the higher-performing drives (200 MB/s 170 MB/s seems to be a normal read/write speed for those), because they seem to have up to 2W power draw, whereas the Intel ones only use up to 150 mW. I don't really want to spend more than the cost of the Intel 40 GB.

One thing that is currently bothering me, though, is the bloat of Windows Vista / Windows 7, due to the WinsXs folder. Apparently this can grow pretty large, pushing the install size for the OS quickly up to 20 GB or more.

Microsoft's response to this problem, ignoring it, is clueless from a PR standpoint and appears to be royally angering some people. It's clueless because it is guaranteed to be noticed by more and more people going forward, i.e. those who want to use an SSD as a Win7 boot drive and those who want to use one in a netbook or other small notebook. The cheaper the laptop/netbook, the more it could use a performance boost, and the more people are likely to turn to the cheap SSDs.

Has anyone used a 40 GB or smaller drive on a laptop running Windows Vista or Windows 7? If so, how much space do you have available after, say, a year? Do you reformat every so often?

[Jason404]

I think 40GB is fine for Windows 7, as long as you do not keep a lot of media files on the drive, like video files or lots of music, especially as this type of small laptop/netbook is not suitable for large applications like Adobe CS stuff.

Keep most of your files on your desktop PC or server, and access them through network shares. You can also keep files on cloud storage, like Amazon S3, Google Docs and Windows Live SkyDrive.

Gladinet is a very cool program which can access these cloud storage providers just as thought they were mounted network drives, through explorer or the command line.

Another thing you can do is when you replace the HDD in the X100e with the SSD, put the HDD in a USB external drive enclosure, which you can connect to the notebook. They are very cheap on eBay. Metal ones are more durable.

2.5" drive enclosures do not require a PSU when used with ThinkPads, in my experience. You will have to use two USB ports with some notebooks, as they do not supply enough current on a single port.

[jvarszegi]

Thank you for the extra input. I have figured out that for my use pattern the Windows 7 installation will probably not take up even close to 15 gigs, let alone the 20+ I was worried about, which is plenty left over for me on a 40 GB drive.

Check out this benchmark using the similar 80 GB version on a Lenovo S10 netbook:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/lenovo-ideapa ... sd-upgrade

Assuming and hoping for around 4 hours of battery time under normal use with the 1.10 BIOS and the stock drive, an extra 10% of battery time would get it to nearly 4.5 hours. But that will probably not be the actual gain; the S10 has a smaller screen and more efficient processor, meaning the drive is a bigger portion of the total power drain on that netbook. Every little bit helps, but this upgrade will mostly help with performance and to a lesser degree with heat, and only a minor degree most likely with battery time. The only possible exception I can see is if the increased performance enables undervolting, but I don't plan to do that.

I will post the results of tests before and after the upgrade.

[raven3]

Today my thinkpad x100e comes in via UPS. I am upgrading from 1GB of ram to 4GB, and upgrading to Intel 40Gb SSD. I already did an unboxing of the intel ssd:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1 ... ZfHcHnKbKY


Today I will upload some more videos: x100e unboxing, and "RAM and SSD upgrade" video. I will also post a video on how the x100e performs with the intel 40GB x25-v... with the main focus on boot up time. I will not compare boot up to the stock 5400RPM HDD, as i'm taking that right out once it gets here. Not even going to give the HDD a chance to boot. I will keep that as a backup or if I need to send in the x100e for repairs or when it is time to sell and upgrade, etc...

Look forward to the upcoming videos...

cheers..

[jvarszegi]

raven3, that will be great! Can you include in your video a bit on application launch (productivity programs etc.), responsiveness using tasks like a word processor / spreadsheet, etc.?

Regarding boot time, are you planning on using sleep mode or what during daily use?

Regarding battery life, are you planning on disabling the battery lifetime stretch feature? (I don't remember off the top of my head, but the thing that caps a charge at 80% to lengthen MTBF of the battery). Can you do a battery test? I'm just dying to know what you get with the SSD, and my x100e won't ship until 3/9.

[raven3]

jvarszegi:

I'll try and get the videos done tonight. battery test will take a little bit though, try to have it done tomorrow. I will post my battery times on each setting. Responsiveness is super fast, applications load instantly, and sleep/awake is super quick. I'm still deciding whether or not to use the battery stretch feature. I bought this as an overall workhorse. I've now dedicated my custom desktop I built about 6 months ago for image, video and gaming stuff. My x100e will be used for everything else, especially college stuff.

First and foremost, I LOVE THIS LAPTOP. I installed the SSD and 4GB ram and win7 pro x86, lenovo thinkvantage software (battery, wireless), office 07 enterprise, ccleaner, google chrome, flash, adobe reader, Symantec endpoint, skype, and all windows 7 and office updates. I have 26GB of space left on intel x25-v (main boot drive).

I didn't bother with the default HDD, but my x100e boots (from power button on) in 19.3 seconds (used iphone timer). I'm so, so happy the bios is fast... my main desktop computer takes forever for bios to do its thing, so if your planning on installing an SSD into the x100e, be prepared for super fast boots... VERY NICE!!!

Installed 4GB of GSKILL, bought from newegg.... but windows shows 4GB, but only uses 2.76GB.. boo! if anyone has any way of fixing this, please let me know. I understand that if I install windows 7 x64, that will solve this issue. HOWEVER, Microsoft clearly states that 4GB can be used under win7 pro x86 (32 bit).. bios shows 4096MB of RAM, so it's not the bios.... if i can't fix the issue, in goes x64 version (more stupid work, hate installing stuff).

anyways, as i'm writing this, I have 6 tabs running under Google chrome with Pandora steaming music in 1 tab, Microsoft word and powerpoint all running! This machine is pretty zippy... exceeded my expectations. No slowdowns at all. Now if I can just get windows to utilize all 4GB of ram....

I also have Bluetooth streaming that Pandora music to my home stereo.

system is SUPER QUIET, love the keyboard and love the way that it isn't clicky, webcam is good, skype works great

OVERALL, I AM IMPRESSED... now the cons

system gets a tad bit warm underneath (by the CPU)

I HATE LENOVO AND ITS SHIPPING SYSTEM. I mean seriously, I ordered this laptop on the 6th of Feb and just received it today. It would of been much later if I haven't called them and DEMANDED a priority on my order. I also called a few days later and DEMANDED compensation.... they upgraded my shipping to 2 day (was ground) and a $25.00 refund... BASTARDS.

anyway, it shouldn't take a month to build this thing. I ordered the basic model with bluetooth (as all upgrades I did myself).

$438 shipped (minus the $25.00 so really, $413). Now add $75 for 4GB RAM and $130 for Intel SSD from Newegg. Total: $618... o yeah, another user mentioned sfbags.com in this forum and I bought the sleeve case from that site, AWESOME, it really does suit this laptop. will set you back $50, but definitely worth it.

[raven3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn1KpMop_UE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6pjXsLWd9A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMrNeFafJIg


more videos on the way... more specifically, application performance and boot times! Enjoy!

[jvarszegi]

Awesome! Nice-looking bag (sorry, I'm a youtube dunce and didn't see the price before). I bought the Thinkpad sleeve direct from Lenovo on sale for $13, but have no idea what it even looks like. I am wondering if the sleeve I bought will provide enough protection inside my business bag.

I am convinced already about the x100e performance being enough for me (thank you) and that I want an SSD for it (thanks again). I am wondering whether I should spend more money on RAM to supplement my 2 GB single stick, but I guess that can wait... I want an SSD more.

[raven3]

@ jvarszegi:

it should provide enough protection. you could add another 2Gb stick for about $40 from newegg.. anyways, i'm almost done with the "app performance" and "boot time" videos, so look forward for them. you should probably order the ssd ahead of time, that way once it comes in, you can update the drive's firmware on another computer. I did it without a CD ROM drive on the x100e and took awhile. if you update the ssd's firmware from the x100e, you have to make a boot drive (usb), rather than just burning the image on a CD and be done with it.

I now have battery results:

High performance (screen 100% brightness, cpu max performance, wifi & bluetooth on, internet browsing and pandora music streaming - 3 hours, 19 minutes.

Low perofrmance (screen 25%, cpu max perofrmance, wifi & bluetooth off, microsoft office tasks only (was doing research paper) -
4 hours, 37 minutes.

not the best battery life, but decent enough..

[jvarszegi]

I now have battery results:

High performance (screen 100% brightness, cpu max performance, wifi & bluetooth on, internet browsing and pandora music streaming - 3 hours, 19 minutes.

Low perofrmance (screen 25%, cpu max perofrmance, wifi & bluetooth off, microsoft office tasks only (was doing research paper) -
4 hours, 37 minutes.

not the best battery life, but decent enough..

Mmhmm, that's good enough for me. I am hoping for my kinds of stuff that I can turn down the CPU, or at least put it in an adaptable/power-source-optimized mode to stretch a little bit further while turning up the screen a bit more. I would guess from those numbers and what I've read elsewhere that the SSD has given you a bit of a boost, though less than an hour.

One killer for me will be wireless (I have to do research on Westlaw, which can load 20-to-30-megabyte pages). Oh, well-- I knew going in that battery life wouldn't be the greatest, and it is still better than laptops I had years ago, and practically as good as my old T60 and the wife's T61 with a 9-cell battery

[raven3]

@ jvarszegi:

the battery is pretty decent. When you clock down the CPU, any CPU related task is horrible, however office runs just fine at a lower clock. Internet suffers a little bit with things like scrolling and flash. I've opted to leave everything on high performance mode, even when on battery. The battery meter seems to underestimate battery life. for example, your meter may say "2 hours left" but you can easily get an extra 20 minutes from what the meter says. kinda weird.

What is also weird is that youtube, hulu, etc.. runs perfect within the browser, but once you switch to fullscreen, lag bucks its ugly head. On the flip side, video stored locally, say a DIVX movie or quicktime file, runs great in HD. No hiccups or problems at all. It may have to deal with flash... Adobe has stated time and time again that the next release of flash will solve a lot of HD problems. Hopefully this is true.

[jvarszegi]

I'm not interesting in watching movies, much. It's good to know that lower clocks will at least allow office stuff.

I ordered my X25-V just now for $114 shipped (from buy.com on eBay, with Bing cash back; I missed the similar Newegg deal). I can't wait.

I am planning to call tomorrow and ask for a discount, since my x100e shipping date is now reflected as March 9. WTF? I ordered like 3 weeks ago.

[raven3]

img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/440 ... 3820_b.jpg[/img]

[jvarszegi]

Nice. My x100e has been shipped, but neither it nor the drive has arrived yet.

So I guess I will figure out how to update the firmware on the drive, then use the Thinkpad software to backup to an external USB drive, then do the physical swap, then restore from the external drive?

[tdesaix]

@ jvarszegi:
What is also weird is that youtube, hulu, etc.. runs perfect within the browser, but once you switch to fullscreen, lag bucks its ugly head. On the flip side, video stored locally, say a DIVX movie or quicktime file, runs great in HD. No hiccups or problems at all. It may have to deal with flash... Adobe has stated time and time again that the next release of flash will solve a lot of HD problems. Hopefully this is true.

To speed up flash playback (youtube, hulu) install the flash 10.1 beta/RC to get flash H.264 HW acceleration running. This will allow the UVD engine in the Radeon chipset to accelerate the playback. Without HW acceleration, flash video decode is running 100% on CPU which is difficult on a 1.6GHz single core.