Lenovo's Intel 160gb ssd upgrade

I'm configuring an x220 with the Barnes and Noble discount and the Intel 160gb upgrade is an additional $306. I believe it's the x-25 series. I know everyone says buy an ssd aftermarket, but am I wrong in thinking that $300 for the intel ssd isn't that bad of a deal? Raw speed numbers are really not important to me. This would be my first ssd, so I doubt I'd be able discern any real world differences between the x-25 and the 320.

 

Installing the SATA SSD, or even the mSATA SSD, are quite simple once you find the correct guide. It takes some time to do a clean install, etc. though, so if you want the laptop to come with an SSD I don't see why you shouldn't get the Lenovo one for $300.

 

If you buy the SSD from Lenovo, it's supported and part of the warranty?

 

Yes, it's included in the laptop's warranty, though aftermarket ssd's would come with there own warranty as well. The upgrade is only $272 on the t420. I'm heading to law school in a month and I'm wavering between the two. I think I'm leaning toward the x220 for the screen, portability and desk space savings, though the real estate on the t420 for viewing multiple documents would be nice.

 

Well, you can easily save yourself $100 just by buying the SSD separately. Add in the spare HD you get from the stock configuration, you are saving around $130-150.

Alternatively, you can get a faster SATA3 SSD for roughly around the same price as the upgrade. The speeds on those are noticeably faster.

 

How can I save $100 by buying the SSD separately? I can't find any 160gb ssd for cheaper than the OCZ Agility 2 for $270 at newegg. I don't really want to go the msata route.

 

It's the 320 series. Despite what the reps tell you, that's what I received inside my t420s.

 

The $300 price for the 160GB SSD from Lenovo is an OK price IMO, especially when you factor in the time and hassle required to configure a third party SSD.

However, in doing your math you have to consider the price of the HDD that you'd otherwise get from Lenovo for no extra money. The 320GB HDD is worth about $50, making the effective overall cost of the SSD upgrade closer to $350 -- still worth it IMO to save fiddling around with a third party SSD, especially if Lenovo really does supply the 320 series.

 

Does the Lenovo preload come with any real bloatware on it? Otherwise a $300 upgrade doesn't seem to shabby, and it saves the hassle of reformatting.

 

Sorry for hijacking OP's thread...

Go for the X220, much better portability and battery life. Screen size is smaller compared to the T420, but T420's screen is not really big enough to make viewing multiple documents any nicer (not to mention TN-panel view angle...). Unless you are going to stay in your room all the time (in which case you should get an external monitor and screen size doesn't matter anymore), you will really appreciate the extra pound or two you save in the laptop's weight.

 

Thanks for the input. I'm the OP so you didn't hijack the thread. I'm assuming you have an x220. Is the light bleed/image ghosting blown out of proportion? It seems like that's what all the x220 threads are about lately.

 

It's only blown out of proportion if you don't have the problem.

 

Ha... right, I saw you were asking a different question so I didn't realize that you were in fact the OP.

I have ordered an X220, and it will be delivered early next week (or this Friday if I'm lucky). I'll see if mine have any problem.

I have been using X series since X31. X31->X61->X200 and now X220. I also have experience with a few T-series that my family and friends use. I'm sure some of the X220's people received have those problems mentioned, but I'm also sure that it's blown out of proportion. Most people who got their laptops and are happy with them don't come to place like this to report their happy experience. So in forums like this you will only find people complaining. And people rant about their new Thinkpads every time a new series was released, saying how the quality of Thinkpads have deteroriated and how flimsy they are now compared to the previous ones. You know what? I actually find it the other way round, each new Thinkpad that I got is a better Thinkpad than my previous one.

 

I ordered my Thinkpad with the 160 GB Intel SSD. Call me lazy, but I did not feel like opening up a brand new laptop, and swapping all the data onto a new drive. I already have an external HDD, so getting another one is not a big benefit to me either.

 

I have installed a couple of SSDs in my W520 and ordered the Intel in my X220.

At $300 the X25 seemed like a great deal. A couple of months ago the X25 was going for $399 in the 160GB size.

Installing your own works, but why do it if you can get a better deal already installed?

 

So the intel 160 gb ssd is the x25-m? if so, is it the first or second gen on?

 

I don't know. It has not arrived yet. I just ordered it this week.

 

Btw, if its anything like X200 series, it takes unscrewing 1 screw to get the hard drive out of the laptop and in time, about 5 mins to swap hard drives.

$300 seems a good price. You could get their newer 320 series for the same money though.

 

I've been told that Lenovo now ships the current 320 series when you order your Thinkpad with "Intel SSD".

 

is this "intel ssd" true for the w520? any recent owners of w520 can confirm this? thanks

 

pkincy I was wondering what is the PcMarkVantage result for your x220 with the X-25m 160GB drive. I have seen some results for the Crucial M4 (13,760 with i7) and it would be interesting to compare. Thanks.

 

Just to update this, Windows lists the SSD in my recently delivered (August 2011) T520 as intel ssdsa2bw160g3l

In the T420 owners thread, this was posted....

Subjectively, this thing is blazing fast compared to the 5400 RPM HDD in my last machine!

 

As an actual working attorney who has owned various flavors of 14" and 12" Thinkpads over the years, and current owner of an X201 and with a T420 on the way, I can say for sure that the resolution on the X220 will be restrictive to a much greater and hugely noticeable degree compared to the 1600 X 900 available on the T420, which itself is a little low for an ideal resolution. The ideal laptop for a law student would definitely not be an X220, which after all is only 1-1.5 pounds lighter than a T420. Perhaps a T420s would be closer to ideal.

 

Got my X220 w/ i7 & 160GB SSD, cracked it open and pulled the drive out. It's an Intel 320 series, says right on the drive. The 160GB flavor of 320 series goes for $300 on NewEgg, so paying $300 to get it from Lenovo isn't bad. What you get with Lenovo is the OS pre-installed and warranty coverage for the part.