Lenovo X220 options

[ros_b]

So I've decided my next laptop will be the Lenovo X220. (Yes, I know the X230 is out, but I don't like the look of the new keyboard.)

I'm somewhat bewildered by the various options. There's the i3, the i5 and the i7, with prices ranging from about R7000 to R17000.

I don't do any gaming or run any processor-heavy apps. I tend to have lots of browser windows open plus a few word docs and Excel spreadsheets. So would the bottom-of-the-range X220i (Intel Core i3-2310M (2.10GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz) with 2GB DDR3) be sufficient for me?

 

[biometrics]

The new keyboard is apparently not bad. I also though I'll get the X220 because of the keyboard (I have a X300) but have since changed my mind and will get the X230.

I want the i7 though.

 

[ros_b]

The new keyboard is apparently not bad.

I've read a lot of comments and seen pictures, and I do not like the new layout. I'm very attached to the back and forward buttons next to the arrows for browsing. I use these constantly and know I would miss them terribly.

I also *want* the i7, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra bucks for my needs.

 

[CataclysmZA]

I'd go for the Core i3 and upgrade the RAM to 8GB, as well as swap out the hard drive for a SSD, between 128GB and 256GB in size.

 

[ros_b]

I'd go for the Core i3 and upgrade the RAM to 8GB, as well as swap out the hard drive for a SSD, between 128GB and 256GB in size.

Thanks. What is an SSD?

 

[CataclysmZA]

View attachment 19971

The SSD is on the left, regular 2.5" hard drive on the right. SSD's replace the mechanical innards of regular hard drives with flash chips for storage. On average, a SSD is five times faster than the best mechanical hard drives when it comes to file transfers and has a seek time of less than 0.1ms. They come in varying sizes from 8 to 512GB and boot into the Windows desktop within ten seconds on average.