SSDs for Lenovo T440s

I just ordered a Lenovo T440s from Lenovo UK website with 500GB HD which arrive in 3 weeks time. This model comes with 2 M.2 slots as well. I'm planning to replace the 500GB HD with the 1TB Samsung EVO 850 PRO when it's released.

The 1TB SSD should be more than enough for my usage. Will I gain on performance if I buy additional 2 M.2 SSDs and RAID 0 with the 1TB SSD (or 512GB to save cost)?

Or will the 1TB 850 PRO performance be enough for my usage?

 

Hey there

I personally would replace that 500GB hard-drive with a storage drive and use the 2 M.2 slots to set up a couple SSD's in Raid and put the OS on that. You'd get the best performance out of your laptop this way.

If you've got the $$$ you could use that 850 Pro for storage but I'd just get a 7200rpm hard-drive and save a couple hundred dollars (if not more).

 

I'll use the 500GB to store non-operational data and buy 2 512GB M.2 SSDs for RAID 0.

What's the best Make\Model of M.2 SSD I should buy?

 

To best honest I don't have much experience with M.2 SSD's... But based on professional reviews and benchmarks I don't think you can go wrong with the Crucial M500 480GB or the Plextor M6e. I suggest you check reviews of both drives, and get the ones that best fit your requirements (and budget)

 

It's more a case of what 512GB M.2 SSDs can you find.

Assuming that you need an SATA, not PCIe, interface then there's Transcend TS512GMTS800 and the Crucial M550. I would personally get the Transcend. They have both been tried by owners of the Samsung NP950X5J notebook and the M550 can provide challenges in getting its idle power consumption down to acceptable levels. If you need PCIe then there's the Samsung XP941.

John

 

I'll like to which one will perform better; 1TB 2.5" 850 PRO SSD vs 2 512GB M.2 SSDs in RAID 0.

I'm still leaning toward replacing the 500GB HDD with the 1TB 850 PRO

 

Raid 0. No question about that. The 2 SSD options I gave you have great benchmark results as well.

 

Will these M.2 SSDs fit the Lenovo T440s as they are 80mm depth? I thought the Lenovo Ultraportables only uses 42mm depth

 

No they will not.

And you were correct.

 

Very good point.

Your purchasing choices will have to fit whatever you can find in the 42mm length and that may exclude 512GB capacity. The only 2242 size I can see on Amazon UK is the Adata.

John

 

Both SSD I suggested have 2242 sizes as well based on a quick search I did. Didn't know there was different sizes of SSD to be honest...

 

Thanks. Never heard of this manufacturer Adata before. I wonder how good their products are

 

Here's an excellent starting place for info about the M.2 format. Too many variables for my liking!

The longer the card then the more chips it can hold and hence the higher the potential capacity. While Crucial, for example, shows M.2 parts for its SSD range, one has to dig deeper to find out what length the cards are (80mm).

AFAIK, the current capacity limit for the 2242 size is 256GB.

John

 

When my T440s with 2/3 M.2 slots arrive and I buy 2 X M.2 SSDs, what's the process of RAID 0 the M.2 drives.

I read somewhere that it can't be done. Can anyone who have RAID 0 T440s confirm that it works?

Thanks

 

Adata does not make its own memory chips, but buys them from other manufacturers and puts it together with a controller from SandForce or Marvell (I believe the specific SSD in question here has a SF controller). Its SSDs usually fall into the budget range.

To be honest, you probably won't notice much if any difference between a single fast SSD and two SSDs in RAID 0 for normal usage. I'd be more concerned with the reliability of the drives and data integrity in the second case (data is split across two drives; if one fails, you're SOL).

 

I've decided to buy the Lenovo T440s with 500GB HDD with no M.2 Slot(s) & no smart card reader. And swap the HDD with the Samsung 1TB 850 PRO SSD. All these M.2 RAID 0 configurations are all confusing to me.

The 850 PRO should give me more than enough performance

 

You should definitely do better with 850 than with anything that is currently available in 2242 format...