Dilemma between X201 and X220

[Tinmar]

Hello, i'm a French student and i should now buy a laptop for my studies, and i've got a low budget for this.

I wanted a solid laptop, so i turned me to the Thinkpads, and i saw two different models on eBay :
A X201 : http://www.ebay.fr/itm/111465643651?ssP ... 1423.l2649
And a X220 : http://www.ebay.fr/itm/361146762660?ssP ... 1423.l2649

And now i have a big dilemma, because i want to save some money to buy after a SSD for the laptop, so did the X220 worth the 80€ price gap in comparaison to the X201 ?
I want to use my laptop only as a work computer (LibreOffice and things like that) and to navigate on the internet. I want also to keep it at least 2 years and i can install Linux on these laptop if needed.

Thank you for your answers

(sorry for my bad english)

[brchan]

Both models are more than fast enough for your needs and will easily be usable for 3+ years, but here are some considerations:

X220
-good performance boost over x201, which makes it more 'future proof'
-supports SATA III
-decent display if it has IPS display, but is still limited to 1366x768 resolution
-touchpad is textured and peels off over time, leaving ugly marks (not a problem if you use trackpoint only)
-Antenna housing strip on lid may seperate overtime

X201
-max screen resolution is 1440x900
-Screen contrast, viewing angles, and colors are OK at best and I will leave it at that...
-arguably better build quality and durability
-More indicator lights if you need them

Personally, I would go with an X201 and put an SSD into it since it seems to have fewer problems. Additionally, I did not notice any real world difference between SATA III and SATA II when using my SATA III 840 PRO SSD in my W530 and T61 (middleton bios). The difference will be felt more when doing I/O intensive tasks. The extra resolution is nice, too.

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

(sorry for my bad english)

Your English is fine.

Having owned both systems on more than one occasion, I'd go with X220.

- It runs cooler than X201 on average and has a better battery life overall
- Supports mSATA SSDs in WWAN slot (presuming you don't need WWAN) leaving the "main" HDD bay open for a storage drive
- Faster than X201 although it won't be necessarily obvious in all applications
- Supports 16GB RAM as opposed to 8GB on X201
- While the resolution is measly 1366x768, the standard X201 is 1280x800 and only (quite rare and expensive) "s" models were available with 1440x900.

I do agree that the overall feel of X201 is more solid and that the build quality seems to be a step above compared to what is found on X220.

My $0.02 only...

[mpcook]

In my experience, the X201 is a good machine. It has a lid latch which the X220 does not, although I find the build quality to be similar. However, the X220 does run cooler, is faster, and i7 models have USB 3.0 which is another advantage.

[Tinmar]

Thank you very much, i will probably go with a X220 but i wait more feedbacks to take the final decision

only (quite rare and expensive) "s" models were available with 1440x900.

I've finded an X201s for 230€ but it was too late, this laptop was already sell

[ajkula66]

I've finded an X201s for 230€ but it was too late, this laptop was already sell

Do bear in mind that not all X201s systems sported 1440x900 LCDs. Verify before buying.

Good luck.

[Tinmar]

I've finded an X201s for 230€ but it was too late, this laptop was already sell

Do bear in mind that not all X201s systems sported 1440x900 LCDs. Verify before buying.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice

[axur-delmeria]

The X220 has an mSATA slot, which lets you have both an SSD and hard drive at the same time.

An mSATA SSD looks like this: http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/65760.jpg
Size comparison with a laptop hard drive: http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/65758.jpg

It plugs to the WWAN slot under the palmrest.

[Tinmar]

The X220 has an mSATA slot, which lets you have both an SSD and hard drive at the same time.

An mSATA SSD looks like this: http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/65760.jpg
Size comparison with a laptop hard drive: http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/65758.jpg

It plugs to the WWAN slot under the palmrest.

Thank you, but i think it is not a necessary feature for me (I will probably use a 256Go SSD only)