Lenovo x121e netbook

owains · 27 Nov 2011 at 17:36

owains said:
I'm not too sure about the different wireless standards, but I see the most expensive option is the a/b/g/n adaptor. With this are you just paying for the ability to connect to a networks?

Just did a bit more research and now understand that it's the 2x2 bandwidth that you're paying for.

The only thing that's stopping me buying now is the trackpad issue. I don't want to have to rely on a mouse, and I know I won't get on with that nipple thing! It's a real shame because, otherwise, it seems ideal!

NeonAngel · 27 Nov 2011 at 18:45

kaivalagi said:
£33 for 8GB posted with Crucial...and I don't think you void any warranty installing memory...no stickers to remove etc just 3 screws which already have signs of wear (just)

I ordered it with 2GB and the intel Wifi. I was wondering since it already has 2GB. Maybe I should order 1 stick of 4GB of RAM from crucial. Leaving it to 6 overall surely that would not be too different from 8GB and then its half price. I am thinking about Xmas coming up. But if its really worth it I will order 8GB.

mysterymachine · 27 Nov 2011 at 20:29

Just ordered my X121E.. wish I read this before I ordered as I paid for the 6GB faster RAM upgrade.

Intel version with the 3G radio and the Red cover + zippy case, Concerned about the paint coming off on the top of the laptop now from what others have said.

My intentions much like others was to upgrade to an SSD myself - Was looking more to a OCZ than Crucial although I trust both.. what's this about it taking a special size disk? slightly slimmer or something? Could also any unoquivocally confirm if it's SATA3 or SATA2? I have the intel i3 variant.

Got a good deal with my mates 20% off Employee Discount Codes

owains · 27 Nov 2011 at 20:42

mysterymachine said:
Just ordered my X121E.. wish I read this before I ordered as I paid for the 6GB faster RAM upgrade.

Intel version with the 3G radio and the Red cover + zippy case, Concerned about the paint coming off on the top of the laptop now from what others have said.

If you have only just ordered couldn't you just cancel and re-order a black one without the extra RAM?

mysterymachine said:
My intentions much like others was to upgrade to an SSD myself - Was looking more to a OCZ than Crucial although I trust both.. what's this about it taking a special size disk? slightly slimmer or something? Could also any unoquivocally confirm if it's SATA3 or SATA2? I have the intel i3 variant.

My understanding is that the machine will recognise a SATA3 disk but it will only run at SATA2 speeds

mysterymachine said:
Got a good deal with my mates 20% off Employee Discount Codes

Fancy sending me an email?! Check my trust.

kaivalagi · 27 Nov 2011 at 20:42

owains said:
The only thing that's stopping me buying now is the trackpad issue. I don't want to have to rely on a mouse, and I know I won't get on with that nipple thing! It's a real shame because, otherwise, it seems ideal!

In my mind the only real issue is how small it is, it takes some getting used to but is accurate enough....I have yet to give the nipple and good fondle, I may start giving it a go soon

NeonAngel said:
I ordered it with 2GB and the intel Wifi. I was wondering since it already has 2GB. Maybe I should order 1 stick of 4GB of RAM from crucial. Leaving it to 6 overall surely that would not be too different from 8GB and then its half price. I am thinking about Xmas coming up. But if its really worth it I will order 8GB.

£33 for 8GB, plus you have matching memory modules...the 2GB has been packed away for another laptop or as a backup in case I need it later...I would have ordered with 0GB if I could

owains · 27 Nov 2011 at 20:48

kaivalagi said:
In my mind the only real issue is how small it is, it takes some getting used to but is accurate enough....I have yet to give the nipple and good fondle, I may start giving it a go soon

I was mostly concerned about the accidental tapping that a lot of people seem to be experiencing as the whole pad seems to be one large button. You haven't found this a problem?

kaivalagi said:
£33 for 8GB, plus you have matching memory modules...the 2GB has been packed away for another laptop or as a backup in case I need it later...I would have ordered with 0GB if I could

I was planning to order an additional 2GB as, for my kind of usage, I'm sure 4GB will be plenty. I was considering a 4GB stick but was thought having different sized modules might cause problems. I'm now thinking having two different brands might be more problematic... any thoughts?

mysterymachine · 27 Nov 2011 at 20:53

It shipped a few days ago, Either way I'm rather happy with what I've got - Worse case scenario is that I'll claim warranty if the paint flakes.

Sure, I'll drop you a message.

I'll just buy a SATA2 SSD then, I saw someones print screen showing a 500mb/s read though? that's higher than 300Mbps SATA2? -Maybe they have a different chipset I dunno..

mysterymachine · 27 Nov 2011 at 20:58

owains said:
If you have only just ordered couldn't you just cancel and re-order a black one without the extra RAM?

My understanding is that the machine will recognise a SATA3 disk but it will only run at SATA2 speeds

Fancy sending me an email?! Check my trust.

I'd drop you an email but I'll be damned If I can find where to on this forum.

owains · 27 Nov 2011 at 21:08

mysterymachine said:
It shipped a few days ago, Either way I'm rather happy with what I've got - Worse case scenario is that I'll claim warranty if the paint flakes.

Well I hope it doesn't come to that. I was quite tempted by the red myself but decided it wasn't worth it for that very reason.

mysterymachine said:
I'll just buy a SATA2 SSD then, I saw someones print screen showing a 500mb/s read though? that's higher than 300Mbps SATA2? -Maybe they have a different chipset I dunno..

Hmmm... obviously I don't have one of these myself yet so I can't say for sure, I'm just going on what I've read. Perhaps wait until an owner can actually confirm before ordering. Or maybe send Lenovo an email?

mysterymachine said:
I'd drop you an email but I'll be damned If I can find where to on this forum.

Click the trust button next to the quote button in the post. It shows the personal information and reviews etc that other forum users have given.

I'll make it easy... *removed*

Thanks a lot!

mysterymachine · 27 Nov 2011 at 21:16

owains said:
Well I hope it doesn't come to that. I was quite tempted by the red myself but decided it wasn't worth it for that very reason.

Hmmm... obviously I don't have one of these myself yet so I can't say for sure, I'm just going on what I've read. Perhaps wait until an owner can actually confirm before ordering. Or maybe send Lenovo an email?

Click the trust button next to the quote button in the post. It shows the personal information and reviews etc that other forum users have given.

I'll make it easy... [email protected]

Thanks a lot!

Done, Dropped you an email now.. I'll let peeps know what I think of it when it turns up too, I also ordered 3G and the higher A/B/G/N adaptor so hoping it's gonna be pretty good

Currently downsizing from a behemoth 18.4" Toshiba laptop which just wasn't portable.. I mean it was HUGE, more of an actual desk than a laptop.

IanAG · 27 Nov 2011 at 21:26

Personally I don't see the red finish causing issues. I had the same doubts and arranged an RMA but eventually gave in to temptation and opened it up

I decided that there was just a single complaint online with regards to the finish, posted by the same guy. Looking at the video the level of force he was using (white fingernail) to 'flake' the paint was far more than I was ever likely to use!

It does show fingerprints a fair amount but I quite like the finish. Seems fairly soft but hardy enough to withstand regular use/abuse.

I have mine upgraded to 8GB and have an Intel 320 SSD so it runs very nicely now. Trying to decide whether to bother with a 3G upgrade.

owains · 27 Nov 2011 at 21:27

mysterymachine said:
Done, Dropped you an email now.. I'll let peeps know what I think of it when it turns up too, I also ordered 3G and the higher A/B/G/N adaptor so hoping it's gonna be pretty good

Thanks again... much appreciated!

mysterymachine said:
Currently downsizing from a behemoth 18.4" Toshiba laptop which just wasn't portable.. I mean it was HUGE, more of an actual desk than a laptop.

Wow didn't realise they made them that big. The small size of the X121e is what appeals the most to me.

mysterymachine · 27 Nov 2011 at 21:31

owains said:
Thanks again... much appreciated!

Wow didn't realise they made them that big. The small size of the X121e is what appeals the most to me.

No problem.. it was a Toshiba P500-14L with the first gen i5 in it, Bought it because at the time my idea of good was "OH MY GOD FIND THE BIGGEST LAPTOP POSSIBLE" which obviously backfired.

Gorgeous laptop with a GT 330M graphics card but it was immense, 3-4KG and it was over 50CM long.

For me, This laptop is replacing an iPad (It just doesn't do what I want it to do and I have no interest in touch screen games) and a massive laptop so the 3G was essential for me.

owains · 27 Nov 2011 at 21:47

mysterymachine said:
Gorgeous laptop with a GT 330M graphics card but it was immense, 3-4KG and it was over 50CM long.

Blimey... the 1.5kg quoted for for this machine made me think twice!

mysterymachine said:
For me, This laptop is replacing an iPad (It just doesn't do what I want it to do and I have no interest in touch screen games) and a massive laptop so the 3G was essential for me.

Yeah I'm not interested in the whole iPad thing. I did consider the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, but I'm not quite ready to make the jump from Windows. I'm not going to be using 3G at the moment, but it's nice to know it's possible in the future.

cas · 27 Nov 2011 at 22:55

mysterymachine said:
My intentions much like others was to upgrade to an SSD myself - Was looking more to a OCZ than Crucial although I trust both.. what's this about it taking a special size disk? slightly slimmer or something? Could also any unoquivocally confirm if it's SATA3 or SATA2? I have the intel i3 variant.

I've ordered the new 7mm Samsung 830 SSD. In theory this should fit without having to remove spacers.
I'll report back when I get it.

kaivalagi · 28 Nov 2011 at 01:07

owains said:
I was mostly concerned about the accidental tapping that a lot of people seem to be experiencing as the whole pad seems to be one large button. You haven't found this a problem?

Now and then it does pick up on a false click, I just put that down to being hesitant with gestures and getting used to it...I need to give the laptop chance, it is small, the keyboard layout is different (Fn where Ctrl should be), trackpad is small, I have a nipple to play with. So far I am liking the whole package, for the money it's a cracking deal IMO.

owains said:
I was planning to order an additional 2GB as, for my kind of usage, I'm sure 4GB will be plenty. I was considering a 4GB stick but was thought having different sized modules might cause problems. I'm now thinking having two different brands might be more problematic... any thoughts?

I guess it would be okay assuming the memory is rated the same speed and latency etc but it is dual channel so matching brand modules just makes sense, and as I wanted 8GB buying the lot and tossing the 2GB was cheaper than upgrading to 4GB and buying another 4...

cas said:
I've ordered the new 7mm Samsung 830 SSD. In theory this should fit without having to remove spacers.
I'll report back when I get it.

Please do post back, anything that doesn't void warranty is good! I would also be very interested in your view of the speed improvements when you switch to SSD...is it a vast improvement for such a low end CPU based laptop? At the mo I am still not ready to part with so much money for so little capacity...the prices need to fall first IMO

jayinteractive · 28 Nov 2011 at 08:39

This laptop/netbook is really getting a lot of attention here on OC however I just can't see the justification for an 11.6' laptop... you can only really go either way

1. netbook, in which case a lovely little 9/10' for throwing around
2. laptop 13.3-15.6' for work/writing/gaming/etc

The lenovo seems like a half-way house... surely the reason for its price.

As a primary laptop seems to be the main reason for purchase in which case for an extra £50 there are 13.3' on the market to do your bidding...

at78 · 28 Nov 2011 at 09:05

With the X121e, I'm finding the fan noise rather annoying. Based on the BIOS profile in tpfancontrol, the fan turns on at 45 degrees and off at 40 degrees. The problem with this is that it virtually never returns to 40 degrees after even a light amount of use, stabilising at around 43 degrees or so when idle.

The fan in my opinion is also rather noisy, even at level 1. Does anyone know if there's a BIOS update that alters fan behaviour? At the moment, I'm running tpfancontrol with higher temperature thresholds before the fan kicks in, but that's not that ideal. I'd much rather there actually be a slower fan speed that's on all the time.

NeonAngel · 28 Nov 2011 at 10:07

It arrived today. A quick question do I need to let it charge up for a certain amount of time before using it?

mysterymachine · 28 Nov 2011 at 10:26

NeonAngel said:
It arrived today. A quick question do I need to let it charge up for a certain amount of time before using it?

Its always been my opinion you shoild ALWAYS charge a battery to full then run it to complete flat even when your sitting next to the power cable, just pop the cable out and run it down till Windows moans about low power (5% warning) but others do.t agree with this.

Just my opiniom, but my old laptop which i took that opinion with still had its whole 1hr 30 battery life a year and a half later when i sold it.

On another note, whats special about the size of the drive in the x121then? Is it thinner smaller etc? - ive seen pics on here demonstrating SATA3 speeds.. but i wont putchase an SSD for a few months anyway so ill confirm this when mine turns up.