[GLLUG] Seemingly Simple Question

[Alan Pope]

Hi Leo,

On 2 November 2015 at 22:57,  <lists at boywithwings.co.uk> wrote:
> I'm thinking either a T410 or X220. The main goal would be a tough laptop
> that I could use for DJing and Music Production. Unfortunately this means I
> would have to run Windows on it (URGH UNCLEAN) to run some of the music
> software I rely. I would probably dual boot with Ubuntu Studio.
>

I have an i7 Thinkpad X220 which currently dual boots Windows / Ubuntu
with two SSDs (one traditional SATA, one mSATA). Works okay for a 4
year old laptop.

> My question is mainly, which one do people recommend for my use case? I do a
> lot of lugging equipment around the UK (and Europe), so that would push me
> towards the X220.
>

I don't know the T410, but my thoughts on the X220:-

i7 variant cannot dump the heat generated by the CPU. My i7 frequently
overheats, and always has, co-workers have i5 which never do.
Screen resolution is annoyingly low these days, but if that's not a
factor in your decision, then okay.
Modern Intel video drivers seem to have gone down the drain.
Sandybridge based devices (which, okay, are 4+years old) are painful
when any kind of 3d stuff is being done, and on recent kernels are
quite crashy.
Speakers are awful / low volume.
Build quality isn't that great. I've had to replace the palm rest (at
my own expense - thanks Lenovo!) because it cracks (co-workers have
seen same on theirs).

> I've seen the more expensive X220 occasionally for sale with a i7 but the
> T410 with only an i5. My Macbook has a dual core i5 with 8GB of RAM and 1TB
> hybrid drive and has a similar form factor to the cheaper T410. Would there
> be a big performance gap between the i7 X220 and the i5 T410? I will go for
> an SSD in either and a good trackpad is a must.
>

The trackpad on the X220 is tiny. I actual disable it because I'm a
nipple (trackpoint) kinda guy. The trackpad is quite 'clacky' on the
x220.

Cheers,
Al.