Lenovo x220
About a month ago I decided to upgrade my Lenovo x201s to x220. Here's why:
- Faster CPU. New Core i7-2620M is substantially faster than the old i7-640LM.
- Faster video. 1080p with subtitles was too much for my x201s
- Possibility to upgrade to the IPS screen for $50 instead of the ugly "industry standard" TN+Film
- USB 3.0 support
I've been heavily using the new x220 laptop since the day it came in, so I decided to provide some feedback.
The i7-640LM CPU on the old x201s was fast enough for me. New i7-2620M is even faster. I can definitely feel that it is faster, however, I rarely perform CPU-intensive tasks.
1080p video with subtitles now works without any issue. I've also found out that I can even play HL2 on x220. Definitely a big improvement here.
Is the IPS worth the additional $50? Well, let me give you one example. A couple of years ago my wife had a TN display for her home PC. She uses her PC mostly for office-related tasks. When I offered to upgrade her display to the IPS, she refused firmly - why spend additional cash when current display is just perfect? Well I've just let her try my old IPS display and after a short while she won't give it back to me. Furthermore, she now barely tolerates TN displays at all.
USB 3.0, also known as USB Superspeed is a great improvement over USB 2.0. However, you will only notice the improvement when using new devices that are designed to support this new standard. I use hard drive docking stations a lot, therefore USB 3.0 is a must for me. Generally, I see 3x-4x speed increase when moving data across external media.
However, I've also found some cons:
Super-whiny fan: It seems that Lenovo x220 took the whiny fan from the HP 2540p (they managed to make it even worse than that!). I was very disappointed, until I found this awesome utility: TPFanCountrol. After playing with settings, I was able to completely resolve the issue. Here's a link to my TPFanControl.ini file: download.
Weight: New x220 is about 0.4 lb (180 g) heavier than my old x201s. Not a big deal, however, I can definitely feel the additional weight when carrying the laptop around.
Docking: New x220 requires a new docking station. The one I already have for my old x201s will not work. However, the new docking station lacks a USB 3.0 port, therefore it is of no use to me personally.
Good things about HP 2540p
I've recently got this comment to one of my posts:
From: Nelson
I stumbled upon your blog while researching the HP2540P Elite Book. This was after my mind was 90% made up I would request this laptop from my boss. Your blog was very helpful and you even provided pictures of the Hp2540 battery when i requested them. I went ahead and ordered the laptop even with all of the useful information you posted.
After three days of hard use I have to say this is the best Laptop I have had in my career. This is my 5th business laptop and by far is better constructed than the Fujitsu lifebook I recently had for almost 4.5 years. I thought the Fujitsu was well built but this HP is much more solid.
As far as the keyboard, its feels more solid and the fan noise is a bit louder than the fujitsu when the laptop is being for copying over large files (4 GB+.) During normal use the fan cannot be heard unless you put the laptop right to the ear. Finally, with the 6 cell battery this is the lightest laptop I have ever used.
I would highly recommend this laptop to business people that need a light, but sturdy laptop.
I’m just providing a different perspective.
I can certainly name a few things that I like about HP 2540p:
- It really is rock solid. Probably the most solid laptop you can buy for under $2000.
- It has a more powerful headphone audio output than Lenovo X201s
- HP 2540p docking station also produces much better sound output than Lenovo X200/X201 docking station (sound quality on Lenovo docking station is simply awful)
- The ability to use a built-in DVD burner or a secondary HDD (in select models)
- e-sata port via docking station - I am missing it sometimes on my Lenovo X201s
- Better looking exterior
- Firewire port
Of course, HP 2540p is a great laptop. Especially when you migrate from something like cheaper Acer, Fujitsu or Toshiba models (which are mostly junk with some rare exceptions). As always, it depends on what you need from your laptop. 
Pictures of HP 2540p batteries: 6-cell and 9-cell
Two batteries side by side (clickable):
6-cell battery in laptop:
9-cell battery in laptop:
After several months of use
Most reviews compare new laptops. However, your laptop won't be new for long
Let's see how these laptops compare after a while.
Dirt on outside of the lid: HP 2540p is clearly a winner here. Fingerprints, small scratches and grease are almost invisible and easily removable if needed with either a napkin or some cloth. Lenovo X201s is much worse in this regard: all fingerprints, small scratches, and water drops are clearly visible at certain angles.
Dirt on the inside of the laptop: here Lenovo X201s is way much better. Dirt and fingerprints are almost invisible. On HP 2540p fingerprints are visible on everything except the palm rest (it is made of the same material as the lid). The keyboard is now not only bad to touch and type, it also got some very ugly looking grease and wear (visible on this picture). And it was only used for about three months, while being mostly on the docking station... I can only imagine how it would look after a year of heavy use. LCD frame is also worse than Lenovo's, fingerprints seem to stick to it much better.
Recently had to work on my HP 2540p again for a couple hours. Had the following feelings:
- Ah, that awful keyboard again, almost want to puke
- It is really heavy!
- Noise is awful
- That battery sticking out from the back looks ugly
- Cannot scroll with trackpoint, very inconvenient
- 1.8-inch hard drive is sloooooooooow
- Sensor panel looks like a Christmas tree
- Damn Eject CD button on the left! I often press it accidentally
- Good thing: wow, I can adjust screen brightness with one hand (on Lenovo you need two hands to do that)
On the other side, last week I had to remove ThinkVantage Toolbox off my Lenovo X201s. The tool itself is not too bad, however I got sick of daily messages "There are no problems with your laptop". Surprisingly, most other bundled software on Lenovo X201s is actually pretty good. On HP 2540p I had to remove almost everything because it was mostly bloatware.
Sorry HP
Side by side pictures: Lenovo X201s and HP 2540p
Sorry, did't have much time to edit out the backdrop
All images are clickable to full size.
Why you may want to buy HP 2540p
Throughout my previous posts, I've tried to be discreet about the weaknesses of HP 2540p. I just could not be bashing HP after so many years of being a happy user.
Now I feel it is the time to pull the plug.
I always loved HP laptops and used only their latest and most expensive ones. I was mostly happy. However, with the purchase of an HP 2540p I immediately felt that that something (or even almost everything) is very wrong, and that feeling did not go away even after two months of use. I went ahead and placed an order for Lenovo X201s with the idea that I can just compare two laptops and decide which one I want to use. See details in my first post.
Now I am a happy user of Lenovo X201s, and, even though it has its small cons, I believe it would be a much better purchase for most people out there.
So why would you want to buy a HP 2540p instead of Lenovo X201(s)? Consider HP 2540p if you:
- Need extra durability of the lid (X201 appears to be more vulnerable in this part)
- Need a secondary 2.5-inch hard drive and cannot tolerate external (USB) solutions
- Need an embedded webcam (can be a problem to buy an X201 laptop with one)
- Need a firewire port (available only through an extension card on X201)
- Care about the superior appearance of your laptop
- Need DisplayPort in your laptop (X201 provides it only through a docking station *)
- Need CD/DVD drive in your laptop ** (X201 provides it only with a docking station *)
But:
- Can live with extra noise and weight
- Do not mind mediocre keyboard
- Do not mind an awkward appearance of the laptop with either 6 or 9 cell battery
* X201 docking station is actually very light and easy to carry. It snaps onto the bottom of your laptop and just makes it thicker. HP docking station is inconvenient to carry. X201s with a docking station weights about the same as HP 2540p without one.
** CD/DVD drive is only available on Core i7 LMxxx based models. You will also need to upgrade your 1.8-inch primary hard drive to an SSD, otherwise your laptop will be really slow. See this page for more details.
I am happy if I was able to save you the pain and the hard earned cash. Sorry HP.
Adding secondary hard drive to HP 2540p
I have recently installed a secondary 2.5-inch hard drive into a HP 2540p laptop. I prefer to have my system and important data on the primary 1.8-inch SSD, while using secondary drive for big files and backups. Installing a secondary drive into this laptop turned out to be quite an unusual experience, so I figured it is worth sharing.
One thing to note. This is only possible on HP 2540p laptops with Intel Core i7 L-series CPU (these laptops have a DVD drive). If your 2540p laptop does not have CD/DVD drive, then this will not work. Basically, the second drive gets installed instead of your CD/DVD drive. As a bonus, you will get 4th USB port.
First of all, I needed to find out the exact part number for the new hard drive caddy (HP calls it "Hard drive carrier kit"). I had to dig through all parts associated with HP 2540p laptop, and I found two close matches (598786-001 and 598787-001). I wasn't sure which one is the right one so went ahead and ordered both.
Long story short, you only need this part number: 598787-001. I ordered mine from HP Parts store website for $73.15. It took HP about a month to ship it to me.
Once I got the package and opened it, i was a bit shocked by the contents:
(click image to download full size picture)
No manual, no tools, nothing but many small parts. You are supposed to buy the tools and figure out how to assemble it on your own. Don't know what they've been smoking
Anyway, you will need Philips #1
This is what it looks like after assembly (feel free to ask questions if you have trouble assembling it):
(click image to download full size picture)
Then I've inserted a 2.5-inch hard drive:
(click image to download full size picture)
Everything is ready now. Remove DVD drive off the laptop and insert this caddy instead. You now have two completely independent hard drives running in your 12-inch laptop! You can even boot from the secondary drive.
PS. It is important to note that only standard 9.5mm hard drives will fit into this caddy! Do not even try 12.5mm drive - it will not fit.
Status update
I have updated weight info with numbers for 9-cell battery for each laptop.
Still testing Lenovo X201s runtime on 9 cell battery. So far it closely follows HP results, having about 8 hours with Wi-fi on and 10 hours with Wi-fi off.
Lenovo X201 battery confusion
It seems that there is some confusion with 9-cell batteries for Lenovo X201/X201s. Apparently, there are different 9-cell batteries available (made by Sanyo and Panasonic) with different rated capacity.
When my battery arrived, I haven't noticed anything suspicious, however, recently I came across this topic: [link]. So I removed my battery to have a closer look.
This is the battery (click to download hi-res image)
Notice this:
The label contradicts itself. On the left side (marked 1), I clearly see 10.8V 8.7Ah 94Wh. 10.8 * 8.7 equals 93.96 (94Wh), so everything seems to be correct. However, let's have a look at the other marking (2). Here we see 10.8V 8.1Ah (which is 87.48Wh).
I do not understand why they have two contradicting ratings printed side by side. I cannot read Japanese (it looks like Japanese), so maybe the second marking is not rated capacity but something else?
PS. My battery is made by Panasonic (according to Windows and Lenovo website). I bought it here: [link
What does all this mean? I can only assume that Lenovo is currently selling "upgraded" (next-generation) batteries, but the folks forgot to update their website
I am still working on the battery test
It turned down to be a challenge for me to test battery runtime on these laptops.
This is how I test it: I leave laptops running overnight to deplete the battery. In the morning, the plan was to just plug the power supply, power on the laptop, load Windows and see shutdown time in Event log. Now, my problem is that most of the time when I approach my laptops in the morning, they still work... on battery!
It wasn't a problem for HP 2540p, since I rarely use it, but I need my Lenovo X201s all the time, including early mornings, so I have to interrupt its test. I was able to finish two complete runs, but about 6 more are needed.
I guess I can post results for HP for now.
HP 2540p with 62Wh 6 cell battery
Wi-fi OFF; Bluetooth OFF: 6:00 (exactly 6 hours)
Wi-fi ON; Bluetooth OFF: 5:20
HP 2540p with 93Wh 9 cell battery
Wi-fi OFF; Bluetooth OFF: 10:00 (exactly 10 hours)
Wi-fi ON; Bluetooth OFF: 8:10
All tests are done on max brightness, idling. I run the same test several times and then average the runtime.
Anyway, I am continuing my tests, trying to rearrange stuff so that my Lenovo can deplete the battery too.
PS. If you know a better way to test realistic battery runtime - please leave a comment.
Lenovo X201s 94Wh battery arrived
Hi everyone!
Maximum capacity battery for my Lenovo X201s has finally arrived. Its part number is 43R9255, and it is a 10.8V 8.7Ah "47++" battery.
Now that I have all batteries for both HP 2540p and Lenovo X201s, I will do some runtime testing.
Fitting a HP 2530p keyboard onto 2540p
As I mentioned in my previous post, I personally do not like the new HP 2540p keyboard at all. I like the keyboard from HP 2530p (previous model), so I went ahead and ordered a 2530p keyboard and tried to put it onto my HP 2540p laptop.
Short version - it didn't work. But, if you have enough time and tools, it probably will.
I am posting my experience anyway hoping it might save you some bucks.
This is what I did.
1. I removed the battery (one screw is only accessible when battery is removed).
2. I unscrewed all screws marked with the keyboard sign (that would be almost all screws on the bottom). Important note: do not remove screws, they are not supposed to be completely removed. This is a nice feature of all HP laptops; all user-removable screws are not completely removable (unless forced), thus you cannot misplace one.
3. I removed the hard drive/memory cover and wireless adapter cover and there were more screws to remove.
4. Now there's a tricky part. I took some pictures to make it more clear what to do. First, I put the lid in vertical position:
Then, I pulled the edge of the bezel up until it came off:
5. Now I could easily remove the keyboard:
Note that you will have to detach two cables under keyboard before you can take it off. The connector on left opens by pulling the black tab up; small connector on right opens by pulling the white (bottom) part towards touchpad. On this picture both of them are open:
HP 2540p keyboard:
HP 2530p keyboard:
Here's why you cannot fit 2530p keyboard onto 2540p laptop:
1) Wide cable on 2530p keyboard is shorter - it will not reach the connector on the motherboard. I am not sure if the pinout is same on both keyboards, but I would assume it is. Therefore, you would need to somehow extend the cable, which could be a challenge.
2) Standoff positions do not match. However, you can probably cut them off and then just use some padding underneath the keyboard.
3) Cosmetic issue: Arrow key block on 2530p is a little bit smaller, which would result in a minor cosmetic issue.
If you find an easy solution to the issue 1 - please leave a comment.
Keyboard
Before I ordered my HP 2540p, I've read many times that its new keyboard is nothing but awesome. However, when I got my laptop, I was very disappointed.
HP 2540p keyboard:
I personally liked keyboards on all my previous HP laptops, but I certainly have no idea how can anyone like the one in HP 2540p. It looks and feels very cheap and flimsy, spacing between keys is not even, and function keys are very small and uncomfortable to use.
Furthermore, each key seems to have its own trigger point, which is extremely annoying. After a while I've got used to it, but believe me, first couple of weeks I really struggled... Well, maybe it is just me. But I would still strongly advise trying out the new HP 2540p keyboard before you go ahead and buy the laptop (if you are thinking of replacing the stock 2540p keyboard with an older and more convenient 2530p model, please look here).
On the other side, ESC key is in the right spot (contrary to the Lenovo X201) and trackpoint is much more accurate than on my previous HP 8530p.
Here's Lenovo X201s keyboard:
This is the first time I used Lenovo, and I must tell you that its keyboard is more comfortable than any laptop keyboard I tried before. Trackpoint is great (I always preferred touchpad until recently), scrolling with trackpoint is very convenient (you cannot scroll with trackpoint on HP laptops).
There are couple issues with this keyboard though:
1) ESC key is above F1. This gives more room for function keys, so they are bigger than on HP 2540p. However, I always hit F1 instead of ESC, and this is annoying. I am starting to get used to it, but keep in mind that you would probably need couple of weeks to adapt.
2) Fn instead of Left CTRL key. I never really understood why they are doing this for so long... Fortunately, you can swap Left CTRL and Fn key in BIOS, so this should not be an issue.
Keyboard light is available on both laptops, and is equally good.
Fan noise
I like to work in a quiet environment. I hate whining noise from fans, especially from ones that change RPM frequently.
Unfortunately, neither HP nor Lenovo include sound pressure information in their datasheets, and I do not have a sound pressure level meter. But one thing is very clear between HP 2540p and Lenovo X201s: HP is much louder.
A review on a reputable website states that HP 2540p has a very low level of noise. They even say that you can only hear a whisper under full load (benchmarking). That is not true at all, they're probably just working in a very noisy environment. HP 2540p is quiet only in one state - when you do not touch the keyboard. As soon as you start typing in a notepad, it starts its fan. It is not loud, but its tone is somewhat uncomfortable. If you add more load (simply opening a website with some interactive elements qualifies as more load), the fan will get louder and louder. It is not screaming loud or anything like that, but it is very annoying.
Despite exactly same platform and CPU, Lenovo X201s manages to make almost no noise at all! Even under full load it is much quieter than HP 2540p. When I am typing, Lenovo X201s only makes a whisper, and here I really mean whisper (I work in a very quiet room with no other sources of noise but my laptop).
One thing to note: if you are looking to buy Lenovo X201 (without the "s"), be prepared to increased noise levels. I didn't have a chance to hear it myself, but I've seen negative owners' comments on the Notebookreview forum.
Weight issue
From the moment I've got my HP 2540p, something bothered me about it. I thought it felt a bit... heavy. Before HP 2540p, I've had a 15-inch HP 8530p, and it sure was quite heavy (about 6 pounds + power supply). I could barely tolerate its weight, and I expected that 2540p will be nothing but a relief. It was lighter indeed, but I still was confused, because it wasn't quite as light as I hoped. But I knew it must be light, that's what specs say!
That feeling was puzzling me for a while, until my Lenovo X201s arrived, which finally was very light. But hold on, aren't they supposed to be about the same weight? I grabbed a digital scale and did some experiments...
| HP 2540p WH282 | Lenovo X201s 514328U | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (from specs) | 3.64 lb 1.65 kg |
3.18 lb 1.45 kg |
| Weight, laptop without battery (actual) | 3.30 lb 1.50 kg |
2.25 lb 1.02 kg |
| Weight with 6-cell battery (actual) | 4.10 lb 1.85 kg |
2.95 lb 1.35 kg |
| Weight with 9-cell battery (actual) | 4.40 lb 2.00 kg |
3.30 lb 1.50 kg |
| Weight with 6-cell battery and power supply (actual) | 4.95 lb 2.25 kg |
3.65 lb 1.65 kg |
| Weight with 9-cell battery and power supply (actual) | 5.30 lb 2.40 kg |
3.95 lb 1.80 kg |
Oops... Welcome to reality. When you have to carry an actual laptop with battery and power supply, the difference is 1.3 pounds (0.6 kg)!
One thing about 6-cell batteries. Of course, there are smaller and lighter batteries available for these laptops, but I do not see a point in using them. Even though the manufacturer claims "up to 4 hours" run time on such battery, you will never have anything even close to that number (I will post my tests later).
Updated on September 30, 2010: added weight info for 9-cell batteries