Would also like an SSD recommendation.
Also, can anyone confirm if you can use the VGA and HDMI out at the same time? If so can you also use the built in display too?
Ok, I have the X121e now for a week, so I feel I can made a reasonable judgement.
I joined the forums just for this, I based my decision on what people here said, so I think its only fair to give my input.
I got the i3 one, but also tried out the AMD one before at a friends.
Before I start, I should just say that I have split my past 10 yrs computers between Apple & IBM/Lenovo. I now have a 2009 iMac and after passing on my 2009 macbook to my wife, I was looking for an ultraportable for the road. I briefly thought about a MB Air, but the people that use Apple these days have made this a politically dangerous decision lol. Like BMWs so to speak. Hence I decided on Thinkpad.
Pondered on the X220 for a bit, then read about the fan problems and thought again. Then I saw the X121e. I figured that for £360 it was a good deal, so I went for it.
Here it goes:
Case/Build/Design:
Not really a proper Thinkpad, still not flimsy. Just don’t expect Milspec, you can’t just abuse it expecting it will weather it. Nothing squeaks, but I do feel uneasy picking it up from one end.
Design wise, I’d rather it had the shape of the X120, but at least the cover is matt. Still looks mean, sorta like Darth Vader’s netbook. The rounded corners spoil it a bit though.
Ergonomics:
The trackpad is absolutely crap when you get it out of the box. Played with settings an inordinate amount of time to get it to acceptable levels. The stock nipple works nice, but I prefer the cat’s tongue, so I went for one. A shame lenovo does not include the 3 types available with every laptop. Cost me £3 on ebay.
Had to dead-zone trackpad at the top part to avoid random taps. I am now using it with nipple and touch gestures for the pad.
I also have a macbook, coming from that Godly trackpad there was no way I could use the X121e’s shoddy one.
Still, I so much love the nipple that I really have no problem. Keyboard is fine, certainly not perfect, but still pretty good. I’d say on par with a macbook’s keyboard (have different feeling though).
Display:
Awful. The worst part is that Lenovo does not give the option to upgrade to an IPS panel. This one has good horizontal viewing angles, but the vertical ones are lousy. 10 degrees above/below and you’re lost.
Performance:
For starters, drop the stock memory. Don’t upgrade through lenovo, just go to Crucial and order 2x4GB. The i3 has dual channel memory.
I used it for a couple of days with its stock 2GB, it was fast.
But, with 8GB in the bay, the thing F L I E S.
Make no mistake, this is no netbook. The i3 is apparently almost as powerful as my 2009s iMac’s 3.06 Core 2 Duo (I think Wolfdale – must check). It is freaking unbelievable how fast everything works. Compared to a 6GB memory AMD one, this one absolutely wipes the floor with it.
I’m sure Windows will slowly drag everything down, but I must say, the thing is very damn fast.
Memory seems to drag the graphics up, cause this thing can certainly game. It can drive 2 monitors, it can open as many windows you want, I can CAD, I can photoshop, I can run ARMA, its just perfect.
All this comes at the price of slightly increased noise. Basically, the difference is at low CPU loads. Where my macbook is absolutely silent, the X121e’s fan spins at probably 2000rpm, hence being quite audible.
However, I can live with the noise and to be honest, it is cheap & fast enough to forgive this. I experimented with energy settings a bit, and if you drop down CPU performance when on battery, the fan does not kick in. Haven’t tried TPFan yet, but trust me, the noise is not really that annoying. I suppose it may annoy me in the future!
I alway thought my standards are quite high, both my MB and iMac are very silent machines. At the end of the day, I made a conscious decision going for a “road warrior” lappy and some compromises come with this. Compared to an X220, for less than half the money, I got a machine which is nearly as capable. What can I say, I love the thingy. Then again, the X220 is (imo) overpriced compared to many other things out there…
Having spent approximately £400 on this including memory upgrades, I honestly am a very happy camper. I’d really like to see two things in this model from Lenovo:
a) A screen upgrade. The X220 has it, this should also have it, seriously.
b) A Fan fix so that it doesn’t kick in when the CPU is coasting.
Not perfect, but a damn good value/cost ratio.