A few questions for X121e owners

Hi, I cant seem to fin much information on here about this laptop and I was wondering if anyone on here owned one? also, I was wondering if anyone could help with a few questions?

-I was wondering if anyone could comment on any issues with the fans and heat problems, I am getting very mixed review on issues with noise and heat generation.

-I was also wondering if anyone has been able to play Heart of Iron 3 on it? I know this is a very specific question but its one I would like to know the answer too.

-And finally, does anyone have any issues with the laptop? Are people happy with the laptop, or very disappointed?

Thanks for any help!

A-E

 

The lack of users of the X121e is likely because Lenovo is not selling it in the US. Instead, we have the X120e, which uses the same E-350 APU. For feedback on the X120e, you can read my review (link in my signature) and see the X120e Owner's Thread.

 

Right, thank you. I didnt realise that. Except that they are different, the x121e has an i3 and they have changed some of the chassis - but thanks anyway

 

It seems the chassis of the X121e is much worse than the X120e chassis in heat management. Even with a cooler running CPU, the X121e is hotter and louder than the X120e it seems.

 

Isnt that because of it having an i3 rather than the lower tdp AMD?

 

The chassis of the Thinkpad X121e is fairly different to the Thinkpad X120e, especially the hinge and battery compartment, which suggests it is manufactured by a different ODM.

 

Ok, I have had my x121e(i3 version) for a couple of weeks now so Ill answer what questions I can.

I have a x100e and Previously had a T61p and and Mx11 r1. The x121e has the best chassis (build quality/ergonomics/keyboard) and runs quieter and cooler than any of the laptops mentioned above.

Super happy with mine, while the fan does come on quite often I do not consider it loud.

I can play Civ5, Napoleon Total War and Blood bowl fine - haven't got Hearts of Iron 3.

 

Thats fantastic, I will probably go and get one next week now. Thanks for your help!

 

I'm interested in this model as it seems a very decent replacement for my Samsung NC10. I will probably use it for standard tasks, some audio capture/editing, encoding etc plus some HTPC use. Therefore would I be better off getting the i3 over the AMD?

The question of fan noise seems to stem from some negative points made in the notebookcheck review. I believe it can be controled though so I'm guessing it won't be too much of an issue. Would like to hear more real world reviews.

I would be looking at swappping the HDD for an SSD which I presume requires a mod to fit?

One final thing, does it ship with a Win7/Recovery Discs or do you have to make some/use hidden partition?

Any advice would be helpful.

 

Another prospective buyer of the x121e here. Would like to know if it's easy to install a RAM module which I can purchase it myself. Is it worth investing in a 4gb ram to be added to the 2gb RAM module. Which manufacturer do you recommend -Kingston or Crucial or Corsair ??

Also I have noticed that Intel have released a 1.4GHz Intel® Core™ i3-2357M Processor on October the 5th. Any chances Lenovo would put these processors instead of the 1.3GHz ones currently being utilised. Is it worth waiting for the 1.4GHz processor ??

 

I have an Edge E120, which appears to be the same as the i3 X121e. Assuming that it is the same, there is a single cover on the bottom that allows easy access to the HD, RAM, WLAN, and WWAN. Changing any of these is as easy as they come on this model. I personally like Crucial, but any of those brands should be fine. For the most part, RAM is RAM.

I would not wait for Lenovo to change the CPU, as you would probably not be able to notice the increase, and they typically don't jump on the newest CPUs just for small incremental increases anyway... If you want to wait, wait for the Ivy bridge CPUs in the next major cycle. They probably won't change any CPU options until those come out anyway.

BTW, I really love this little machine. I was concerned about the performance of the ULV i3, but it out-performs my C2D T400 and T61 with discrete graphics by a pretty decent margin. No complaints from me about performance on this little guy whatsoever.

 

Thanks a lot schiesz, I am planning to order one tomorrow !! I need this now so I cannot wait for the ivy bridge processors !! Apart from that do you recommend the 6 cell battery or the 3 cell battery. How many hours do you manage on your edge E120 generally??

 

I have the 6 cell battery, and I haven't tested it with a stopwatch or anything so all I really have to go on is the Thinkvantage Power Manager power gauge. It usually shows between 5.5-6.5 hours with wireless on and screen at 7-9/15. If I have full brightness and am playing a 3d game, it will drop to just under 3 hours or so. Right now, I have wireless on, full brightness, just browsing. Power Manager says I am using 11 watts, battery is at 96%, and I have 5:25 remaining. It says CPU is throttled at 61%, GPU is at 100%. That's in the basic settings for Lenovo Power Manager. I've never really tried to get it to the "Over 9 hours" claim by turning everything off, but I bet it can come close if you can turn the screen all the way down and shut down everything else... Not that anyone can actually work like that.

**EDIT** I just tried to see how long I could get it to show. I got it up to 7:50 with 90% left. It was showing between 6 and 7 watts usage. That was as low as I could go just using the settings in the Lenovo Power Manager. **

If the battery is the same for the X121e as it is on mine, the 3 cell will just be lighter, not smaller. The 6 cell doesn't stick out, at least not more than 1/8" on the bottom, and as far as I know the 3 cell could do that as well.

 

Awesome schiesz, so the 6 cell battery gets a tick in the options box tomorrow. I am more likely to use AC power as often as I can. But it is good to know I have decent battery life especially when you have to wait in an airport lounge

 

Is anyone running tpfnControl on their x121e ?? What settings have you used.

Also is anyone running ubuntu 10.10 on their machine ??