X220 i5 2410 / 2540 how to choose ?

[Kalvinfung]

For x220, if same configuration, is it worth buying i5 2540 instead of i5 2410 , if the price difference is US$80? Thx

[asiafish]

If you frequently use virtual machines then it may be worth it, if you just run applications in your native OS then you won't likely notice a difference.

[Kalvinfung]

Ic many thx

I will use the $ to buy more RAM then

[asiafish]

Ic many thx

I will use the $ to buy more RAM then

RAM is cheap. I'd recommend getting your X220 with the minimum possible from Lenovo and get your 8 GB kit from a 3rd party. Where you will really see a performance improvement is an SSD or mSATA drive and the IPS display.

[dr_st]

I would still invest in the extra CPU, but that's just me.

[wolfman]

I would still invest in the extra CPU, but that's just me.

I agree. You can always add the RAM and SSD whenever you want. I'd get the fastest reasonably priced CPU with the unit.

[asiafish]

I actually have the 2540 in my X220, and it sure is fast. I don't do much VM work, but I do game.

[Atreides]

I like to buy a laptop with the highest specs in areas not easily user accessible, and the lowest in areas that are.

If I were buying a X220 I'd go for:

-IPS display
-the best CPU I can afford

Anything else will be cheaper for you to replace on your own later. 8gb laptop RAM kits are dirt cheap these days, and SSD's are only going to get cheaper.

[Puppy]

If you frequently use virtual machines then it may be worth it

What is the difference regarding VMs ? This is interesting information for me since I use VMs 95% of the time. The only available configurations are 2520M or 2620M over here. Is it still noticeable difference to 2540 ? Thanks.

[erik]

What is the difference regarding VMs ? This is interesting information for me since I use VMs 95% of the time. The only available configurations are 2520M or 2620M over here. Is it still noticeable difference to 2540 ? Thanks.

in both hyper-V and virtualbox under 2008 R2, i couldn't tell a single bit of difference between the i5-2520M and my current i5-2537M.   that's a drop from 2.5GHz to 1.4GHz.   unless you're doing computational tasks over VM then CPU won't matter.   VMs are typically more storage-bound than CPU-bound.   an SSD is all but mandatory.

computational tasks would matter regardless of VM though so the ultimate answer depends on what you're doing.   a 2520M @ 2.5GHz versus a 2540M @ 2.6GHz will be indiscernible.   the i7-2620M adds 1MB L3 cache, helping slightly in calculation-intensive tasks.   unless you're running something like MATLAB virtually, you probably won't notice it.   if that were the case then you'd probably run it locally to reduce overhead.

in short, the best value by far is in the i5-2520M.

[asiafish]

What is the difference regarding VMs ? This is interesting information for me since I use VMs 95% of the time. The only available configurations are 2520M or 2620M over here. Is it still noticeable difference to 2540 ? Thanks.

I believe it is something in the higher-end CPUs that enhances VM performance. ANY modern CPU will run VMs, but they are supposed to be a lot faster on the high-end i5 and the i7.

Great deals can be had at the Lenovo Outlet. I bought my X220 with IPS display, 2540 processor and 128GB SSD for $840, which essentially is the price of the X220i with standard display, HDD and Core i3 2310. It is a new machine, so its like getting faster shipment and a lot of free upgrades. Outlet tends to have very little selection most of the time, but when seeded there is a huge variety. Check early in the morning.

[Puppy]

VMs are typically more storage-bound than CPU-bound.   an SSD is all but mandatory.

That's true. Any (bad) experiences with SSD and its lifetime/reliability if used with VMs for a long time ?

[erik]

That's true. Any (bad) experiences with SSD and its lifetime/reliability if used with VMs for a long time ?

nothing negative to report over the last four years of SSDs in thinkpads and thinkstations.   buy an intel X25M or 320-series and don't look back.

[asiafish]

3 years of SSD MacBook Airs and a few Intel X25s in MacBook Pros and now an Intel 320 SATA and 310 mSATA in X220, no issues whatsoever.

[Tyler K]

If you frequently use virtual machines then it may be worth it

What is the difference regarding VMs ? This is interesting information for me since I use VMs 95% of the time. The only available configurations are 2520M or 2620M over here. Is it still noticeable difference to 2540 ? Thanks.

The original poster's config choices differ from your own -- in the OP's case, the 2510 lacks support for Intel VT-d

See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_In ... 32_nm.29_3