scorpionz wrote:
GMATLA wrote:
I'm considering the t420s over the x1 for the fact that it will be a personal and student computer. What makes you say that the X series is "far better"?
They seem relatively the same, although the 420s seems to have more computing power along with it being a little larger, less battery life, old style design... I plan on docking the computer at home with a full monitor and keyboard, so the smaller form factor of the x1 is tantalizing. I just don't want to be left with something too small, or not powerful enough to run the at-home setup. Any other insight you'd care to share? Thanks!
To me the comparison was largely based on performance, battery life, portability and entertainment features in that order.
1. Performance - Speed is the key for me as I absolutely abhor slow machines. The X series gives you the option of a fast SSD in place of the traditional HDD. Only one model in T series has an SSD but it is quite expensive. An extra gig or 2 of RAM won't add to your performance as much as an SSD will add over an HDD..Besides, I don't envision doing any kind of heavy duty video editing work at b-school which would warrant a processor better than the ones already on the X series. (btw, the X series is perfectly capable of video-editing, just not as fast as a machine with a dedicated GPU and the latest processor)
2. Battery life - The X series (specifically 220) is a no brainer here. It can go at least 8-10 hours in real world usage. If you add the optional battery sheet, you can easily get around 22 hours. Basically, I wouldn't have to lug the power adapter with me all day long..
3. Portability - The 12.5" screen was ideal for me. I also like the 13.3 on X1 but that's as far as I'll go. The T series has a larger footprint at 14"
4. Entertainment features - I personally like the X220 display more than the T series. Colors on T-series are washed out and the viewing angles are not great. The only area where T beats X is in terms of optical drive. I already have a portable optical drive and can use that whenever I want so that was not a deal breaker for me...
Since you are planning to dock it anyway at home, the X series is totally the way to go in my opinion!!
As someone who bought a DOS based laptop and did it that way (T420 btw)
I would go for the T420s. You get the better portability, but still a 14in to use for personal computing.
1. As far as an SSD goes...pop open your laptop and put one in? If you want to windows boot from SSD, it might not be as easy as that...but I assume since you're asking these questions you should be able to figure out how to install Windows ok. And then put in another 2-4 gigs of ram because the slot is right next to the ssd slot.
2. X220s will run you about 8 hours on regular battery. T420s will get you about 4
3. a T420 is a bit heavy. A T420s is sexy
4. Same TN screen for both. If you want an IPS screen, go for a X1. I have an optical drive, but I rarely use it. Would take it out if I wanted to shell out for an empty bay.
5. Since you mentioned personal computing, the X220 motherboard is known for throttling the CPU at around 800 MHZ (just google it). Furthermore, X220 has fan issues (google that as well). Those are the 2 main reasons I did not get an X220, as I do some casual gaming/HD movie watching on the side, and with a onboard CPU graphics processor, I did not want to deal with these issues.