Lenovo x120e - Worth Upgrading?

[SilverRaven]

Hi. I have been gifted a lightly-used Lenovo x120e, 64 bit, with the E240 processor. It was super slow, the screen behaved oddly and it would crash often. It now has 6gb of RAM and I cleaned it up (disk defrag, removal of bloatware, reinstall of drivers etc). The extra 4gb of RAM and other work made it reliable and a little faster but it is no speed demon (WEI of 2.5 because of processor). Total cost so far ... about $50 CDN (and that $50 worth of RAM can be reinstalled in another machine later). I am using the x120e as my portable backup machine (I'm a writer, my main computer is heavy and aging) and for casual browsing/emails/social media. No games or video watching. Bottom line -- it's just okay. I love the keyboard and size but the slow loading of websites isn't fun. Haven't tried major editing/writing yet. Here's my question ... do I drop in an SSD to pick up performance a bit (cost about $150 CDN for the SSD I have in mind) or do I grit my teeth and save my cash? I can live with the slow boot up times but will an SSD improve overall performance? If I didn't love the keyboard I wouldn't ask. I just wish it was a little snappier and if $150 would make a noticeable difference I would do it. All advice welcome. Thank you.

 

[SilverRaven]

I should add that I knew very little about computers until the x120e was given to me. Which explains why I don't know the value of switching to SSD. Thanks.

 

[jaguarskx]

A SSD can make the laptop feel more responsive, but that only applies to when you are loading a program or data from the SSD itself, such as booting up the laptop. It will not help render webpages faster.

Yes, ThinkPad keyboards are rated as amongst the best (if not the best) when it comes to laptops.

 

[jaguarskx]

If possible, I would save a little more money to actually get a laptop that is better than what you were gifted. Below is a link for the a refurbished 12.5" Thinkpad X220 for $250. The Core i5-2520m is much more powerful than the AMD E-350 and you will have no problems using it to surf the web and watch videos if you want to. I have a laptop with a slightly less powerful i5-2410m and it is very usable for everyday tasks. It comes with a one year warranty.

http/thinkgreenpc.com/laptops/lenovo-laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x220-notebook-intel-core-i5-2520m-2-5ghz-4gb-ram-160gb-hard-drive-no-optical-windows-7-professional.html?gclid=CjwKEAjw8e2sBRCYte6U3suRjFESJAB4gn_g77bxrsTs4s-6M6WyP89HtZZoL10jJiX-nbILqAzzDBoCjFDw_wcB


While it may sound a bit awkward, you can sell the Thinkpad x120e on ebay to make up some of the cost difference between the SSD and the refurbished ThinkPad X220. Unfortunately, it does not seem the x120e is worth much (because it is weak). The link below shows the only x120e that is actively being bidded on over at ebay. It is currently up to a whopping $32 with a little more than a day left. There are other auctions / "Buy Now", but this is the only active one. Or you can simply give it back.

http/www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X120e-05962RU-5Z6MN-11-6-WIN-7-320GB-1-6GHz-4GB-WEBCAM-HDMI-A-1-/351439178438?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51d3684ac6

 

[SilverRaven]

Thanks for the advice. I won't put an SSD into the x120e, since it won't speed up browsing, which is my main complaint. I think I will keep it around as a backup and for occasional surfing from the couch, but eventually I will pull the RAM out of it and send the computer out for recycling. My Lenovo V570 is my main machine and it seems to have a loose connection somewhere (it often dies when bumped lightly). So I'm happy to have the x120e around as an emergency device. What I really want is a Yoga 2 Pro or a Yoga 3 ... which seem to have the right balance of performance and portability in one computer ... but that's a long term goal. And probably another thread. Thanks so much. Money saved ...

 

[SilverRaven]

In summary...
I have a slow Lenovo x120e. Not worth upgrading but useful as a backup and traveller.
I have a fast Lenovo v570 (i5) that has reliability problems and may need major repairs.
I'm feeling my next move should be to get rid of both and get one fast, reliable portable computer.

 

[ceejay_uk]

Hi. I have been gifted a lightly-used Lenovo x120e, 64 bit, with the E240 processor. It was super slow, the screen behaved oddly and it would crash often. It now has 6gb of RAM and I cleaned it up (disk defrag, removal of bloatware, reinstall of drivers etc). The extra 4gb of RAM and other work made it reliable and a little faster but it is no speed demon (WEI of 2.5 because of processor). Total cost so far ... about $50 CDN (and that $50 worth of RAM can be reinstalled in another machine later). I am using the x120e as my portable backup machine (I'm a writer, my main computer is heavy and aging) and for casual browsing/emails/social media. No games or video watching. Bottom line -- it's just okay. I love the keyboard and size but the slow loading of websites isn't fun. Haven't tried major editing/writing yet. Here's my question ... do I drop in an SSD to pick up performance a bit (cost about $150 CDN for the SSD I have in mind) or do I grit my teeth and save my cash? I can live with the slow boot up times but will an SSD improve overall performance? If I didn't love the keyboard I wouldn't ask. I just wish it was a little snappier and if $150 would make a noticeable difference I would do it. All advice welcome. Thank you.

I have an x120e and dropped an SSD and an extra 4gb ram in - Win 10 64bit. Works fine. I actually like the machine and it's ok even for basic WOW As long as you don't expect it to perform like the latest i7, why not? cheap, cheerful and very usable!

 

[SilverRaven]

My story has changed. Twice.
I dropped in an SSD to learn how to do it. It was okay.. but still super slow when surfing.
Then, inspired by the recent post, I went at it again. Uninstalling some useless Lenovo "crapware" made a HUGE difference. I am now deleting more stuff. The machine is suddenly usable. Not super fast, but not 30 seconds waiting for a website to load. WOW

 

[ceejay_uk]

My story has changed. Twice.
I dropped in an SSD to learn how to do it. It was okay.. but still super slow when surfing.
Then, inspired by the recent post, I went at it again. Uninstalling some useless Lenovo "crapware" made a HUGE difference. I am now deleting more stuff. The machine is suddenly usable. Not super fast, but not 30 seconds waiting for a website to load. WOW

I have also upgraded to Windows 10 now (64 bit) and turned Cortana off. It does feel better than the original 7 install, and as you say get rid of Shareit and all the rest of the oak