List of drives that are compatible with the x220

Post them here. I'll keep the thread updated.

Compatible drives:

7mm HD

• Hitatch Travelstar series that begin with model code "Z". This includes Z7K320, Z5K500, and Z5K320
• Momentus Thin Hard Drives | Seagate

7mm SSD

• Micron/Crucial C400 series with "AK" in the model number (see below)
  • note that Micron is Crucial's parent company. Micron manufacturers the "C" series while Crucial manufactures the "M" series. Reportedly, only the C series is compatible with the x220.

Modifiable 9.5mm SSD

• Micron/Crucial C300 with the spacer mod. See http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/572145-x220-ssd-7mm-mod-crucial-c300.html
• Micron/Crucial C400 (not the M4 series) with spacer mod. (still waiting on confirmation)
  • Not all C400 models require a mod. "AK" = 7mm and "AC" = 9mm. Ex) MTFDDAK256MAM-1K1 = 7mm, and MTFDDAC256MAM-1K1 = 9mm. C4 Product Brief
• Intel X-25M with the spacer mod
• Intel 320 series with the spacer mod
• Kingston/Intel X25-E

*note that certain 9.5mm SSD work deshelled. I'll update with a link later.

mSata SSD

• Intel 310 series
• MyDigialSSD (waiting confirmation, relatively unknown brand)
• http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...sf1222-msata-ssd-user-review.html#post7389868

NOT compatible:

• Intel 510 SSD series

• Vertex 2 and 3 SSD series

 

Crucial C300 with spacer mod. http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/572145-x220-ssd-7mm-mod-crucial-c300.html

 

SSD: Intel X-25M, 310 series, 320. Quite sure that's the list for SSDs right now (with the mentioned Crucial C300). All require the spacer mod with the exception of 310 series. Doesn't break Intel warranty but I'm pretty sure it does Crucial's (it's obvious the sticker has been tempered with in the photos. No way they would accept that)

HDD: Hitachi Travelstar (double check 7mm, I don't think all models are 7mm). If you are upgrading HDD, upgrade from Lenovo. It's only slightly cheaper online (if not more expensive. Cheapest seems to be $50 on Amazon, vs $65 I think on Lenovo). It'll save you the hour and a half of burning the DVDs, the DVDs themselves, 5-10 min to replace hard drive and another hour/hour half to reinstall Windows

 

Can anyone else confirm this? Specifically the 510 series and that the Hitachi Travelstars are generally 7mm?

 

I don't think so. From Intel's website:

Intel® Solid-State Drive 510 Series
SSDSC2MH120A2XX, SSDSC2MH250A2XX
Product Specification
Capacity: 120 GB, 250 GB
Components: Intel® 34nm NAND Flash Memory Multi-Level Cell (MLC)
Form Factor: 2.5-inch
— Thickness: 9.5 mm
— Weight: 80 ±2 grams

 

Yeah just checked Newegg, there's no spacer

 

No: the Intel 510 series is a full-height 9.5mm no-spacer drive. Not all Hitachi Travelstars are 7mm either, only the ones with a model code beginning with a "Z" are. That includes the Z7K320, Z5K500, and Z5K320.

 

I can confirm it. I have one of the Series 510 SSD drives. Oh, and I already tried to take the board out of the 510 case and use it in a X-25M case. That doesn't work either.

Shakes fist at Intel !!!

 

I guess (true 7mm) alternatives to Intel 310 series will hit the market before too long?

Already ordered the 320GB HDD upgrade and don't mind waiting a few months if something better than the 310 is going to be released.

 

Op, please add Intel X25, 310, and 320 series to the first post as well, as thecrafter pointed out in the 3rd post.

 

does anyone know if the samsung ssd's are compatible with the x220?
newegg - samsung ssd

 

Intel G2 is compatible, and you can buy it without the spacer.

 

Thread updated

 

Looks like the m4 / C400 has the same case as the C300 where the spacer could be removed. Can anyone confirm/deny?

 

Updated with Momentus Thin series. Momentus Thin Hard Drives | Seagate

 

The Kingston/Intel X25-E should fit:

Kingston Technology Company - Solid State Drives - SSDNow E Series Drive (Intel X25-E SATA Solid-State Drive)

 

That's not the one with 4GB SSD cache, right? Is that XT only?

edit: aww, they're not. Got all excited

 

I'm wondering about using a 1.8" drive (such as C300) with a 1.8-->2.5 adapter. Has anyone tried this with any success? For drives that are currently available, I like the C300 more than the Intel 320, but I'd rather not have to void my warranty on the C300 to get it to fit. Why can't the Intel 510 be 7mm?!

 

Dumb question I'm sure: Why would anybody replace the stock HD with an SDD as opposed to just adding an mSata SSD so you have both? I would think moving the OS and executables to the SSD and using the HD for data would provide the best balance of speed and mega space...

 

For me:

Don't need more than ~50GB, so no point in having a traditional HD to begin with.
One of the SSD benefits is less power consumption which means longer battery. Having both SSD AND HDD defeats that.
More weight (hehe, barely, but still. With these light weights every ounce counts!)

 

I've wondered the same thing. A lot of noob's don't even seem to realize the mSATA option. It's the best of both worlds. And the the 310 80gb msata ssd is very fast, faster than the X25-M 80gb.

No. I and many others have already had the ssd + hdd setup, through the ultrabay in T and W series. This is where Power Manager / Win 7 options are handy. While plugged in the hdd spins constantly, while on battery it is spun down and only draws .2W.

 

Did you try wrapping the board in cellophane and just using it without a case? The boards in 9.5mm encased SSD drives tend to be < 5mm thick so would fit and work that way. Not sure of the warranty implications of doing that.

 

How does installing a fresh copy of Windows 7 on the mSATA work?

Say I want to put the OS on a mSATA drive I bought from amazon. Will I have the CDs required to reformat the HDD and have the OS installed on the mSATA?

I have a amazon gc and I am thinking about getting this:

Amazon.com: Kingston SSDNow V+180 64GB Micro SATA II 3GB/S 1.8 Inch Solid State Drive SVP180S2/64G: Electronics

would that work with the x220? Please excuse my ignorance. I am still unclear on how that would be handled.

 

google some performance comparisons and make sure you are happy.
for an extra $50, i would much rather the C300.

 

The Z7K320 HDD has a 5.5W Start-up max peak. Correct me if i'm wrong, every time your disk spins down and starts back up you get a 5.5W (5,500mW) max draw. At Low power Idle the drive (0.8W) uses 800mW and active R/W uses 1,800mW (1.8W)

Intel 320 SSD has has Power Consumption (Typical) profile of using 150mW when Active and 100 mW in Idle.


Cases such as mine, where sporadic data will be written /read like music, video clips, random downloads, PDFs, etc. Spinning up an HDD every time I want to read/write is more power consuming then leaving the HDD at low power idle - which is still drawing 8x more power then an SDD would at Idle.

If you don't need more then a hundred or so gigs, like myself, I'd yank the HDD in a sec. IMO


Sources:

Travelstar Z7K320 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

http://download.intel.com/design/flash/nand/325152.pdf

 

If you don't need more than a hundred gig, there's no reason to have the hdd. Others should think critically to figure out how to have their cake and eat it too.

When I have a ssd for a boot drive, I use the hdd only for media: music, pics, movies. Random downloads go on the ssd, same with pdf's. I don't download music, movies, etc while I'm away from home. These are things I don't usually access while on go = hard drive is always spun down while on battery. When I do need to consistently access something that's on the hdd while on battery, it takes 2sec to right click on BatteryBar to change to a power manager profile that doesn't spin the hdd down. S

Since my OS installation doesn't usually exceed 30gb, I think I'll put all my music on the ssd since there will be a lot of free space on the 80gb 310.

Nothing is ever one size fits all, but it seems like a lot of people who don't frequent the forum aren't even aware of the msata option when it's the no compromise solution for those who only have one machine and do have large amounts of media.

The two reasons that pushed me to go for the X220: 1. IPS 2. Not having to have an external hard drive for hd movies and music while enjoying ssd speed in this size notebook.

 

the case of the C400 / M4 looks identical to the C300 .. ie with the spacer.

i think you can add the C400 or M4 to the list of options.

 

Because 80gb isn't enough for all the programs I want to run from the SSD
That and begone spinning platters, you were not missed.

Its a neat idea generally, running 80+320 is a nice upgrade on this laptop for under $200 DIY.

BTW, I haven't noticed any 7mm HDs bigger than 320gb either, so technically 7mm SSDs "win" with a (pricey) 600gb option

 

Higher speed (Intel 320 160GB is considerably faster than any mSATA option), higher capacity (some people, me included, wants performance not only for system, but for data as well), and no spinning drive at all (prone to failure, even with ThinkVantage HDD protection). That pretty much sums up my reasons to go with SSD only option.

I have external HDD storage for huge data, many terabytes of it actually - but have no reason to have one inside my laptop.


M.

 

Can someone confirm this?

 

Thank you all for the responses - these were exactly the kinds of considerations I knew were out there and was not considering. They make total sense - potential trade-offs in power usage in particular.

I need more than 100GB. My laptop is my everything - all my personal stuff, all my business stuff, all my family pictures, etc. I have moved away from keeping music now since it is so instantly available anywhere and I prefer various streaming sources. But everything else.

The strategy vinuneuro describes above sounds like the best answer but means I have to go to some effort to segregate data files and manage power settings. All doable, but it takes some time and effort. At some point, the seconds I'm saving with an SSD are lost on the time it takes my inefficient brain to think about where to save something or whether clicking on X is going to spin up my HD or not.

I need to think about this.

I'm also curious to see the answer to biggamejames747's question - what's involved in the full format/install of Win7 to the mSata SSD (and reformatting the stock HD presumably).

 

OP not to be picky, I appreciate entirely that you've offered to keep the full list in the first post and this thread will be bookmarked for me for a few days until I figure out what i'm going to do. So thank you. But it would be really cool if you would break out your list of Compatible Drives into sublists:

- 7mm HD
- 7mm SSD
- Modifiable 9.5mm SSD
- mSata SSD

Just a thought I'm finding myself compiling my own on the side but others who find this thread might find it useful also.

Thanks again for this thread though.

 

I'd get a X220 if I knew it was compatible with the Intel 310 (probably get one from NewEgg.com) Does anyone know for sure?

 

Do the intel x25 and 320 series require modification or are they 7mm by default?

 

no mods are needed aside from installing shorter screws once the spacer is removed.   from what i found on my 320, both M2x3mm and M2x4mm screws will work.

 

add to "not compatible":
OCZ ....

• Vertex 2
• Vertex 3

in fact: every OCZ 2.5" drive you can buy right now.... Too bad, the SandForce (2) drives have great performance, especially the OCZ ones are all very popular (at least in europe). They'll only fit if you remove the casing. Many (including myself, privately) wouldn't mind doing so, just protect it MacGuyver-like, yet for an official work-laptop (like in my case), our IT-department would freak if they saw me doing that.

... so I ordered a Intel 320 300GB

 

Ok, so it requires the same spacer mod as the C300? http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/572145-x220-ssd-7mm-mod-crucial-c300.html

 

I think the X25-E should go in the 7mm SSD section. According to the Kingston page the dimensions are:

Form factor — 2.5"
Dimensions — 69.85mm x 100mm x 7mm

 

Can someone confirm this?

 

Just a side note on the Crucial C300. There are a small number of people that have some apparently big time issues with that drive. the Crucial forums has a 75 page and going section with people begging for help. Now I'm a HUGE Crucial fan boy and was actually going to go this route until I read through all 75 pages and what people were have issues with. I even have the 1.8 C300 256gig in my X300 and have no issues with it. But I don't want to risk having issues just to have a couple hundred bucks that really doesn't add to much when you break it up over 3 or 4 years of use. So I think I will just end up going with the Intel 160 gig unless someone can convince me otherwise. Just thought I would bring it.

ym

 

thanks for making this list. if my T420s ever ships, I was wondering what 7mm and mSata drives were available.

 

Wow I just realized for some dumb reason that the x220 gives me 20% less real estate than my current 14" dell which is 1440x900. I knew the vertical resolution was lower at 768 but for some reason I have been thinking that my current display was less than 1360 and that I'd be gaining horizontal real estate.

WTHeck is wrong with lenovo!! I can't buy this thing. And I was so close!

 

• Any 9.5mm SSD. Remove the ~5.5mm tall circuitboard from it's shell, wrap in anti-static protective <strike>cellophane</strike> material exposing the SATA connector, plug into systemboard SATA connector and secure down with cellophane tape.
  
  NOTE: This will be a SSD warranty voiding exercise and may need additional modification if the SDD is usually screwed down on a caddy with the caddy then sliding into a cavity connecting to the SATA connector (eg: Dell).

 

I wouldn't recommend cellophane: It can cause static problems. I would use the anti-static material used for packaging electronic components.

John

 

I'm not a rocket scientist, but I'm guessing that is what nando4 was suggesting - just didn't have the perfect words in his head at the time.

Never doubt the nando.

 

if that's the case then nando needs to choose his terminology better.   "cellophane" has been mentioned at least once before and it's still a poor plastic to recommend.

example: http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/572043-sata-6-gbps-official-word-3.html#post7401576

the problem with these suggestions is that new users read them and don't understand ESD issues or have the clairvoyance to read nando's mind and know that he probably meant to suggest something with anti-static properties.   users instead read things on forums and take them as being 100% correct.   pointing out things for clarification is a good thing.

none of us are 100% correct 100% of the time.   "never doubt the [any username]" is a risky mantra to follow, no matter how often a member is correct.

 

agree with both comments above

my comment was partly tongue-in-cheek

 

The correct terminology would be "anti-static protective material" to protect the SSD ICs. This being a thinner alternative to the plastic shell supplied by the manufacturer to allow the SSD to fit in a 7mm cavity. Apologies for any confusion.

I'm all for manufacturers providing 7mm SSDs but such a workaround means a 9.5mm X25M G2 or other 9.5mm SSD could be put to immediate good use in a X220/T420s 7mm primary drive bay without incurring any changeover costs.

 

it would appear that some types of antistatic bags are made from cellophane ...
Antistatic bag - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

but antistatic bag is a better generic term i guess.

 

sml - you are 100% correct in that.   cellophane by itself isn't inherently antistatic so we just want to make sure members aren't confusing this and using standard plastic on their drives.

nando - i completely understand the recommendation.   it's something i'd do myself.   personally, i'd probably just leave the board bare like in the dell adamo or macbook air, shim it to fit the destination, and minimize handling of the board.