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    Which SSD for T420?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by mob1lejunkie, Jun 29, 2011.

  1. mob1lejunkie

    mob1lejunkie Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have ordered ThinkPad T420 and am wondering which 120/128 GB SSD I should get.

    Based on various reviews and benchmarks Crucial M4 seems to be quite good and is frequently recommended here but according to Crucial web site it is not compatible with T420?!?!? Is that the case?

    Given my budget is $250 which SSD should I get?

    Many thanks.
     
    mob1lejunkie, Jun 29, 2011
    #1
  2. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    That should not be, unless you own a T420s...? I see the M4 compatible with the T420..

    But I would look at the Intel 320 series 120 GB, it is around ~240. Intel have quite the track record for reliability.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jun 30, 2011
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  3. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    So far Intel 320 got 9 failures on 144 Newegg reviews. Reliability doesn't seem to be anything special so far.

    Crucial M4 seems to be doing a lot better, failure wise. Although it's younger.

    But for a SATA II laptop like that I would opt for Samsung 470. Good performance, lowest failure rate on Newegg and low power consumption.
     
    Phil, Jun 30, 2011
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  4. KeithF40

    KeithF40 Notebook Consultant

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    go to the t420 owners thread. they are talking about possibile incompatability with drives based on connector position. let me know what you end up doing bc i will be ordering a t420 soon and the drives that you can find on the internet are about 100 cheaper than the one that lenovo sells plus you also get the original drive as a backup.
     
    KeithF40, Jun 30, 2011
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  5. wkearney99

    wkearney99 Notebook Consultant

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    I went with an mSATA drive and it works great. Just open the panel and pop in the drive. I went with the Intel 80gb 310 but there are other mSATA options. This leaves the regular drive bay free for a much larger HD, or even empty to save a few ounces. The mSATA weighs almost nothing as it's just a tiny little circuit board with no case around it.
     
    wkearney99, Jul 1, 2011
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  6. mob1lejunkie

    mob1lejunkie Notebook Enthusiast

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    mob1lejunkie, Jul 1, 2011
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  7. KeithF40

    KeithF40 Notebook Consultant

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    called sales to ask them if my current drive x-25m is compatible and couldnt tell me. then asked what the model of the drive in their new t420 machines are and also couldnt tell me that and transferred me to tech support. how can you not even tell me what hard drive comes in the machine
     
    KeithF40, Jul 1, 2011
    #7
  8. PatchySan

    PatchySan Om Noms Kit Kat

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    The Intel X25-M should work in the T420 without problems, I have this SSD in my T61 and works beautifully so I be amazed if this drive didn't work in the T420. If I recall I think Lenovo are using some Samsung SSD drives but its not exactly as you expect though...
     
    PatchySan, Jul 1, 2011
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  9. wkearney99

    wkearney99 Notebook Consultant

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    It's an Intel 310 drive, stfw for more info. From what I can tell the part number is the same as your linked drive. Just be mindful these are quick sellers, make SURE your vendor has them actually in-stock and shippable to you. Some vendors lie about things like this being 'in stock'.

    I've no idea how it compares to the other drives. I'm sure someone else has run benchmarks on it. Again, stfw.
     
    wkearney99, Jul 1, 2011
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  10. 3Fees

    3Fees Notebook Deity

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    Samsung 470 Series for sata 2 Crucial M4 for sata 3.

    Cheers
    3Fees :)
     
    3Fees, Jul 6, 2011
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  11. ebiester

    ebiester Notebook Enthusiast

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    Has anyone cracked open the T420 to put one in yet? There's been question whether the drive is connected to SATA 2 and SATA 3, from what I've read
     
    ebiester, Jul 6, 2011
    #11
  12. wkearney99

    wkearney99 Notebook Consultant

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    There's really nothing to crack open. The regular drive slides right out if it's bay, same with the DVD ultrabay. The mSATA slot is behind a panel. No digging into the machine is necessary. IIRC, the ports are all SATA2.
     
    wkearney99, Jul 6, 2011
    #12