NEW 120GB 5400rpm HD option for X301!

I kid you not, I was literally JUST about to order my X301 from Lenovo tonight, and lone behold I found a 120 GB HD option at a $250 savings over the 64GBSSD.

In addition when you opt for the 120 GB HD you have an option for “Intel turbo memory hard drive cache-2gb” for $50.

I think I'll go with the 120 GB HD & turbo memory and save a few $ a boot.

I'm not sure it's worth it to me to pay an extra $200 for the smaller capacity SSD.

Looks like I got lucky.

 

Hmm...i wonder if they switched to MLC SSDs for those. A savings of $250 doesn't seem like much considering the whole "SSD Sale" they had earlier (which really meant going to MLCs).

 

I am pretty sure that the x301 only has room for 1.8" hard drives. So performance may very well be an issue (Lenovo switched back to 2.5" drives on all their models because the x40 with 1.8" was really held back by its drive). This is definitely something you should consider when placing your order.

 

Thanks jonlumpkin, I'll keep this in mind.

If I wasn't happy with the performace of the 5400rpm drive, perhaps the 1.8" drives in the future will perform better or SSD come down in price. This laptop will be used for internet, MS office, and occasional movies.

Is Lenovo's addition of Intel Turbo Memory 2gb, is an effort to get a performance improvement over a stock 5400rpm HD?

From what I've read the first gen Turbo Memory didn't yield any performance upgrade, however I think (hope) the latest version built upon the Centrino platform will improve performance.

I'm no expert, but why else would they make it an option only with this drive?

Here is more info on Turbo Memory thanks to Anandtech

"Intel's Turbo Memory is on-motherboard flash split into two partitions: one for ReadyDrive and one for ReadyBoost. Turbo Memory is offered in two flavors, 1GB and 512MB, with 512MB and 256MB partitions respectively.

The ReadyDrive portion of Turbo Memory is designed to work with Vista's ReadyDrive technology. ReadyDrive's fundamental goal is to cache data from the hard disk to either improve performance or in the case of a notebook, improve battery life. The primary role of ReadyDrive with Turbo Memory in a notebook, is to increase battery life.

ReadyDrive can increase battery life by fulfilling data request out of low power flash memory, and keeping the hard disk spun down when not needed. If enough data is stored in the ReadyDrive partition of Intel's Turbo Memory, the hard drive can remain spun down for significant periods of time, thereby improving overall battery life. Obviously the success of ReadyDrive depends on its ability to correctly prefetch the right data into Turbo Memory's cache, but if it works, the battery savings could be significant."

from Intel...

Intel® NAND Flash Memory, working with the Microsoft Windows Vista* ReadyBoost* and ReadyDrive* technologies, adds a new low-latency, non-volatile memory cache between the system memory and the hard drive. This enables fast access to critical data and applications.

Fast application load times, hibernation and resume
Fast overall application responsiveness
Fast boot time
Quick access to frequently used applications and/or files from User Pinning
Enhanced data loss protection using RAID

I don't know where they found room for the Turbo Memory chips, pretty amazing.

 

Looks like it may be the new "Toshiba High-Performance 5,400 RPM 1.8-Inch HDDs With Micro-SATA Connector".

 

Sorry, blownaway -- but could I trouble you to post a link to the Lenovo site where you found the HD downgrade? I went to the Lenovo configuration site, and they still only show the 64GB/128GB SSD options...

...Or is the HD perhaps not an option in the U.S. yet...?

 

Performance sucks. It's a waste to spend top dollar for the X301 and then skimp out on the HDD which contributes significantly to the performance gains in the X300/X301 series.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=69577

 

chrixx, I read this post also.

Perhaps the addition of turbo memory helps this drive? It can't be that bad for web browsing and office apps, could it?

I seriously doubt the engineers of the X300/300 would suddenly offer a poor performance option to their flagship notebook. Yes, I'm sure it not as fast as the SSD's but I imagine on a scale of 1-10, the 120GB HD may perform at a 6.5/7. Trade off of price vs performance, seems logical to me.

 

Turbo memory is very good when used with applications you use very often. the computer will be snappier in response time.
if you dont shutdown often, read boost improves the overall system performance.

 

I assure you the Turbo Memory makes little difference to the performance. The SSD will give you the biggest boost. At only $250 extra, I'd definitely go for the SSD, even if it is an MLC drive, unless you really needed the extra space. I believe the cost is worth it in this case. The X300 series was designed with the SSD in mind and the HDD option has always been an afterthought.

 

Now I'm confused. I went back to lenovo and as you said all that is listed are two SSD options.

I saved my cart and e-mailed it to myself. I'm going to bring this up to Lenovo today. Maybe it was posted on their site in error.

FWIW, here is what I saved in my cart (I removed prices)

ThinkPad X301 -

Processor1 Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400(1.4GHz, 3MB L2, 800MHz FSB)

Operating system12 Genuine Windows Vista Business

Operating system language Genuine Windows Vista Business US English

Display type 13.3 WXGA+ TFT (1440x900 LED backlight) 3x3 UltraConnect

System graphics Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

Total memory8 3 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard US English

Pointing device UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader

Camera 1.3 Megapixel Integrated Camera

Hard Drive4 120GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm

Intel® Turbo Memory hard drive cache Intel Turbo Memory 2GB

Fixed Bay Device5 Ultrathin DVD Burner

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters10 Intel WiMAX/WiFi Link 5350

Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth PAN

Mobile Broadband Integrated AT&T Mobile Broadband (3G)

Battery60 ThinkPad X300 Series 6 Cell Li-Ion Battery

Power cord Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter

Language pack Language Pack US English

41C9170 3 year depot 9x5 Next Business Day

 

It's now official..

IBM US Announcement re: new 120 GB HD on 12/02.

I can't post the link (need 15 posts).

 

Thank you very much, blownaway!