How much warranty? Which accessories? X220

I have a quote for about $900 plus tax on an X220.

Please help me figure out the rest of my order...

1) Warranty: I can add 3yrs of onsite and Thinkpad protection for another ~$210.

I'm planning to use this computer for several years, and I'm going to be traveling a lot with it. Is the extra warranty overkill?

2) Acessories: I'm thinking I should get the battery slice, a dock, and an optical drive (I need to rip CDs and DVDs), plus an extra power adapter.

a) Am I correct in thinking I would be better off getting these accessories from a source other than the Lenovo website?
b) Should I go ahead and get the Mini Dock Plus, and get the eSata port, plus more display options or stick with the Ultrabase?
c) Are there other accessories I should be thinking about?

 

For the warranty it really depends on the total cost of the laptop without accessories or the warranty. If the laptop is $800, I don't think a quarter of the value is worth it for a 3yr warranty. If the laptop is $1000 or more, I think you're approaching value then.

 

That's kind of a personal value question, which is kind of hard for me to answer for you since we just met. I would say that notebooks that travel a lot tend to take a beating. If you need to work, then perhaps it's worth it.

I would only get the accessories if you think you'll use them. You can always buy something down the road and yes, buying from someone other than Lenovo is usually cheaper. The optical drive seems like a no-brainer. I get about six hours on my X220i. If you don't need more, then perhaps it's not worth it.

 

"1) Warranty: I can add 3yrs of onsite and Thinkpad protection for another ~$210."

The object is to keep your computer running as long as you need it so do it.

"worth it for a 3yr warranty. If the laptop is $1000 or more, I think you're approaching value then"

So what? The object is to have the machine accessible and running, not to make a profit.

Renee

 

Because before a certain price point, it is quite often a better value to use that money to buy a new laptop if something goes wrong. 1/4 of the laptop cost to buy an extra warranty, to me, is not a good deal.

 

I have never regretted a 3 year warranty. I have sometimes regretted a 1 year warranty. It seems like I've always sent my machine it for something or other, and really glad to have had the warranty.

If you look at the warranty costs, usually the longer term is the better value. I know when I priced my X220 it was a pretty good deal for the 4 year warranty with Thinkpad Protection. I had priced one around $1,500 though, and if I am traveling with my Thinkpad, it's pretty critical that I have it, so the warranty cost more than justifies it for me. Also, if I pass the laptop down to someone, that someone is never as careful with it as I am, or if I sell the laptop, the resale value will be better with warranty.

 

About the dock and extra power brick.....


I picked up the series 3 mini dock.... the middle 433710U model. I think it is a better way to go then the ultra base if the dock is going to stay on the desk and never leave. Anyhow, that particular model comes with an additional 90w brick, so that knocks out 2 birds with 1 stone. Also, if you are considering one of the actual docks and not the ultrabase, you can often get them much cheaper elsewhere on the net then you can from Lenovo. I picked mine up for $110 shipped, new in the box, from ebay of all places.

 

As long as you don't need the ultrabay. The mini dock options don't have an ultrabay unfortunately and since the X220 doesn't have one onboard, the ultrabase is the only way to get one.

 

Yup. that is the ONLY downside that I could see. Well that and the ultrabase is more portable if you want to trave with it, but that is why they call it the ultrabase and not just another step in the normal dock line.

 

You can always extend/update your warranty right? I would say if you don't think you should buy the 3yr warranty now, you might want to extend it when the current warranty expires. I guess in most cases, if no problem shows up in the first year, it's less likely to show up in the second.

 

Actually, according to probability theory and the concept of MTBF, the more time that passes, the larger the probability that a component will fail! ie) if you have 10 components with a 50% rate of failure within 1000 hours, then obviously the P of failure will increase as T decreases.

That's why warranty's are priced with the later years costing more additional dollars than the earlier years on most large dollar mech/elec items. After 3 years, they have a much higher risk of having to replace a part for you, rather than after 1 year.

But the question of warranty just comes down to personal marginal utility. Is the extra increase X dollars you pay for the next level of warranty for X years is worth it to you, then get it. if it's not, put your money elsewhere. Most people pay just for piece of mind. In 2 years I've replaced a palmrest, that's it. Had I purchased a 200 something dollar 3 year TPP warranty, I wouldn't be happy now. However if I had a logic board or a screen break on me, I would probably junk the laptop because it's not worth repair. The increase in your marginal utility will be dictated by the need for immediate uptime on your laptop, how comfortable you are paying for parts and performing repairs yourself, the environment the laptop will be spending it's time in, etc etc. You can always extend it later, but they generally charge higher for an extension than when bought originally.

 

I purchased this T410 last year and bought it with the standard one year warranty. I extended it to a total of 3 years earlier this year before my warranty was up. I have used the warranty once to replace a broken hard drive last fall but I also recently got a SSD and took out the ultrabay optical for another external. Lenovo's warranty system is pretty good. I got that hard drive next business day.

I travel a decent amount for a student (mostly during breaks and summer) and I would strongly suggest at least a 3 or 4 year standard warranty. TPP and Onsite are nice but I think that if I were to purchase a warranty again I would pick Depot and heavily consider TPP (just to be on the safe side).

 

I guess I'll check whether I can do Depot and ThinkPad Protection. The options on the website are a) Depot, b) Onsite c) Onsite and TPP, d)Priority Onsite and TPP.

The point about the warranty being for peace of mind is well taken. The computer is going to be traveling by air at least twice a month, my work requires my computer, and I have a four-year-old at home. I'm quite comfortable replacing things myself (I've taken apart and reassembled desktop PCs, and replaced the RAM in my Inspiron, cleaned the fan, etc.), but I'm less certain that I will be able to afford to replace them myself. Also, it's harder to get components when you're sitting in Pakistan or the UAE, which are the two places I spend most of my time.

So, having read everyone's answers, that's the thought process that leads me to think a warranty is a good idea.

I wouldn't be investing in the dock or the battery slice if I didn't think I'd need them. The dock is very much for just plonking it on the desk, and not having to worry about reconnecting the external monitor, backup drive, etc. I think I'd rather get a separate external optical drive. The ultrabay ones are more expensive, and I don't really need one while I'm on the go. It seems like the eSata port would be a better investment.

Thanks for everyone's input.